Thread: Canal How-to
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Old 08-28-2006, 07:03 PM   #25
striprman
Wishin' for fishin'
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Brockton
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I use a 100 pound test mono leader(clear Ande, not "leader" material, just plain mono) on a 3' leader with 8/0 or larger hooks. My "bait" reels are jigmasters with 50 or 60 pound test and I like using a heavy, 10' ("conventional", not spinning) rod (the Penn rods and reels work for me, but any heavy duty rod and reel will work) The heavy leader line holds up to the rocks better than 50# test and the bass don't seem to mind. Big blues have trouble biting through.
Deadstick with a 5-6 ounce bank sinker on a fish finder (I like the cheap ones, they open up with 50 pound test and sometimes all you need to do is replace the sinker). If I go through 6 rigs a tide, I feel I'm doing good (if no one is around, I'll "spike" 2 or 3 rods). Most times I end up losing 3-4 rigs, sometime I don't lose anything. Once you dislodge the rig from the bottom, DO NOT stop cranking (as fast as you can) until the rig is all the way in. If you let the rig hit the bottom again (once it's initially dislodged) you will ALWAYS loose the rig on the "drop off" ledge or other bottom snags. If you do get your rig stuck, DO NOT try to pull it off using the rod, or against the reel (you will bend the spool arbor). I use a heavy stick with a piece of wet towel or face cloth. Wrap the line around the stick and wet cloth a few times and pull. You will pull up a clump of weeds, a big old mussel or break off (use your back, 60 pound test is pretty hard to snap, use your muscles). The wet cloth keeps the mono from getting "friction burn" which produces a weak spot in the line (thats why you spit on your knots before cinching tight).
Change the bait every 15 minutes or so (If the chunk is "washed out", cut it into little chum pieces and throw them into the rip) and put a nice fresh chunk on your hook. Many nice fish have come with boats going by, makes better "rips" and "white water". Big fish like to "root" on the bottom. I set the drag about 8-10 pounds, the fish hook themselves. Make sure the drag is engaged after casting and setting the rod in a sand spike or a piece of old PVC tube (make sure the spike wont dislodge from the rocky hole you place it in or "good by rod and reel" when Mr. Big latches on and keep a good hold on the rod, you might get a strike before you can "spike" the rod and engage the drag. Also, make sure the line is "taught"(no bow in the line), you want the rod to "bite back" as soon as mama bass strikes. I cannot emphasize enough that your hooks need to be razor sharp. Throw a little chum out there now and again. With practice, you can tell if the rig is "set" properly (not stuck on the bottom or wrapped with weeds from the tidal current) The heavy line helps when a 30 foot piece of kelp or a big clump of floating eel grass decides that your fishing line will be it's new resting place. Pay attention to how the line is reacting comming from the tip of the rod to where it enters the water. Fish don't seem to strike when weeds are stuck on the hook or line. Also, I have caught many starfish and sea anenomys with that sharp hook, they are other potential "snags". East Tide, West Tide, Slack tide, high and low, day or night, this method has worked for me. I believe the bass use their cavernous mouths and powerful gills to "suck" the bait in, especially a large chunk. Make sure the point and barb is exposed after hooking the piece of bait, the barb keeps the piece of bait from sliding off the hook. I have hooked many fish in the eye, in the folds and flaps of the gill covers, just on the tip of the lip (by a "hair"), between the eyes and on the top of their heads. Razor sharp hooks are a must. I have NEVER "gut hooked" a fish this way . I use "J" hooks (not circle hooks). If you are not using honed, lazer or chemically sharpened hooks (Gamagatsu, Eagle Claw) you won't catch fish on those kind of strikes (you might not hook up on a "normal" strike either, if your hook isn't sharp). Get a hook sharpener or honing stone. There is also a correct (and incorrect) way to sharpen your hooks, read up.
I catch about 3/4 of the fish that strike the bait, sometimes they do get the chunk without hooking up, sometimes the hook pulls before the fish is landed, sometimes they find a rock or snag that they can wrap the line on (use heavy line)...thats fishing.

Thats my "lazy mans" way of catching fish (actually, it's pretty hard work, cranking, casting, changing/cutting bait, taking weeds off the line and hook ,chumming, galloping up and down the rip-rap). Works day or night.

I like jigging, throwing plugs/eels but my old back gets tired quickly. I always bring a 11'-12' spinning rod with a heavy duty "long cast" spinning reel set up with 30 pound test fireline to throw jigs and plugs if I feel so inclined.

I don't know how many times I've heard "your the only person I've seen with a fish"

When the MILF's come by with their kids, I like to hold them up (next to the little girl on her bike with training wheels) so the moms can say "wow, that fish is bigger than you"

When the fish dumps 3/4 of your reel, set at a 10 pound drag, you know you got a good one on.

During the summer, my favorite time to fish in the canal is about an hour before low slack (West running tide) through slack until a couple or 3 hours into the East running tide. If I have the time, and feel OK, I'll just stay and continue fishing until the bait runs out. Depending on how the fishing is, that could be anywhere from one to 15 hours (if the fish arent there. you will spend a longer time soaking the bait then when they are there, unless you get disgusted, throw all the bait away and leave, saying to yourself "this place blows"). 10 fresh pogies or frozen mackerel last me a full tide if I'm fishing 2-3 rods and chumming every once in a while. Where I fish, the rip forms up nicely 1/2-3 hours into the East running tide (my favorite "window of opportunity") 1 good bite is all it takes to go home with dinner.

When the fish are comming back from up north or from out in Cape Cod Bay during the fall (high tide/ west running tide), I go to the east end or the herring run and do throw jigs and plugs on the mornings the fish are moving back down south. After doing that, if I'm feeling ok, I head to the west end and fish the east tide with cut bait.

Tight lines and fair winds to all.

Striprman/west end

Last edited by striprman; 09-03-2006 at 09:24 PM..

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