what was your most memorable night of fishing this year?? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

dredey · 12-05-2006, 11:27 AM

i know the season is not over for some of us, but lets think back at this past season. i had a couple of memorable times this year. there was the time in june driving to the canal from ct. in the worst rain storm i've ever seen at 2 in the morning. i mean it was a monsoon. we made it there and fished and actually had a good day too. (it stopped raining hard as we got there) good thing. next would be the cutty trip with csa and the boat ride home when i almost fell out. ten foot waves blowing our boat all over the place.

i almost did fall out too. but my favorite night of this past year was at the ms tourney in rhode island. the stars were unbelievable that weekend. we didn't catch much fish, but looking up at the meteor shower that was on display that weekend while on a rock fishing point judith was a night i will not soon forget.

have a safe and happy holidays guys...

Backbeach Jake · 12-05-2006, 11:31 AM

The Canal with MAC, Slipknot, and MikeP. I learned a LOT about the Ditch and patience that night.

lurch · 12-05-2006, 12:31 PM

fishing Wasque in June during the new moon from midnight till 6:00am. We were the last ferry onto Chappy and fished the hell out of the beach and was rewarded for out efforts....lost count after 40 fish, 90% were keepers.

FishermanTim · 12-05-2006, 12:49 PM

There were a couple of nights this past Sept and Oct down in the canal. Fishing pretty much by myself and getting some pretty hefty fish, and there wasn't another soul around. I would laugh out loud, stop, and then laugh again since there wasn't anyone there to hear the ruckus.
Or the night I caught what had to be my biggest "official" fish from shore, moments after seeing a bass break the water 15-20 feet in front of me that I thought was a seal. It's the kind of thing that you never really get used to. (Nor do I want to get used to!)
(Note - "official" means I measured and weighed it. 41 inches and 21.5 lbs)
My biggest unofficial fish was in Sept. I was still in the canal about 1/2 way between low and high, and the water was waist deep. I couldn't measure the fish without dragging it to the shore, and while holding the digital scale over my head, I couldn't get the entire fish out of the water. The scale topped at 23.8 lbs

I only kept one fish this season, and released all others, but the memories will last a LONG TIME......

Let's hope that the bait situation (herring, menhaden and eel) improves so that the fishing will continue to improve.

Now.... I'm waiting for the ice to form so that I can do a little hardwater fishing. I am itching to try the Lower Mystic Lake in the Medford/Somerville/Arlington area. I had heard that someone had actually gotten some holdover stripers through the ice. Now that would be the best of both worlds.

On a side note, I had also read that a Fish & Game Dept. survey done on the Mystic River found striper fry, meaning that the fish are spawning in that waterway. I found that quite interesting.

eelman · 12-05-2006, 12:54 PM

October 4th...

piemma · 12-05-2006, 01:03 PM

September 29 in the Bay. 6 fish over 25#, 2 over 32#. All alone drifting eels. God I miss it already.

Rappin Mikey · 12-05-2006, 01:11 PM

Bass blitzin squid onto the shore one morning in late June.

Flaptail · 12-05-2006, 01:17 PM

Are you talkin' fish wise or just the general experience cuase mine would have to be the evening I was driving out on the back beach at P-Town and the shapely blond girl with no bathing suit on was walking up to her truck out of the weater as I passed within ten feet and she waved and said Hi!

Fish wise, there were several that come to miond but the best was the evening with the blonde chick.

Finaddict · 12-05-2006, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flaptail

Are you talkin' fish wise or just the general experience cuase mine would have to be the evening I was driving out on the back beach at P-Town and the shapely blond girl with no bathing suit on was walking up to her truck out of the weater as I passed within ten feet and she waved and said Hi!

Fish wise, there were several that come to miond but the best was the evening with the blonde chick.

Hey, I gotta agree with Flaptail ... while I was not there ... that's the kind of fishing night I'd never forget.

BassyiusMaximus · 12-05-2006, 03:04 PM

. . . as I had so many memorable nights of fishing this season, more-so than any other season I can remember. Mainly because I got a new motor for the boat this season and had the confidence to go anywhere at anytime and the motor did not let me down once.

Every night was nice because so long as I knew the seas were calm or on the way down, it would be a nice ride out to the zones I'd be fishing in. Overcast or cloudy or clear, the dimming of the daylight is always a treat for me, especially on those nights where we get both a great clear sunset and a beautiful sky during twilight.

The most memorable nights were when I'd catch, of course. June is a great month but early to mid July is the best nightfishing for me. On the drifts I take, we are onto large bass every cast, all night. As I demand silence and ricepaper underfoot while drifting at night, it seems that many times I'm casting and hitting the bass on the head with my lures or bait as the take is that quick. The thing is is that there is never any commotion on top, no slapping of tails, no fish breaching the surface, no gurgling or slurping sounds, all is just quiet until the cast and the lure/bait hitting the water then there is the instant-take. I can just imagine that the bass are just swarming underneath the boat and all along the shorlines and are just out there at night eating away and feeling safe where we are.

After 2, 3 or 4am and it is time to head home, I'm sure I'm beat and the ride back is more often than not nice and smooth and calm and we run effortlessly back to the dock. Some of the nights start out very warm but no matter what, out on the water, by 1am, I start feel cool and it gets much cooler and by 3-4am it is downright chilly, foggy or really humid but that is part of the fun and something which most don't experience or realize that is the changes in temp and humidity that happen so quick out there.

All in all, every night is memorable out there since I have to be a weekend warrior due to work and all and the fact that my girl had a surgery this past July that shut me down for 2-3 weeks, the 2-3 weeks I had off during the peak of my season but I know I'll be taking home way less bass this upcoming season because I finally realized that I can't really stand the taste of the stuff no matter how it is cooked but I like to hook and feel them pull against me and feel the drag play out so I'll just be taking more pics and letting them swim off for someone else to catch and eat or sell, oh well. Thanks for asking.

Mike P · 12-05-2006, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Backbeach Jake

The Canal with MAC, Slipknot, and MikeP. I learned a LOT about the Ditch and patience that night.

I learned a lot too--don't trust a Nautil drag on a decent fish

spence · 12-05-2006, 06:20 PM

My year was simply pathetic...

But one night this fall under a full moon was spectacular. Didn't catch anything mind you, but the scenery that night on the Little Compton shore was beyond words.

If I could, I would have canned some and sent it back to my Mom in Iowa so she could understand what I was talking about.

-spence

ridler72 · 12-05-2006, 07:05 PM

August, Boston Harbor. 3rd night of the new moon. T-Storms moved in
around 2am. I had the yak on the beach and waited in the truck for about an hour for Mother Nature to do her thing. I said, "How crazy am I?".

I wasn't crazy. I am a believer in the new moon period for bass in groups up close in skinny water. The rain stopped and I was paddling away. Trolled my favorite boulder field with eel out and wham.....the reel was singing. Another banner night in the yak with the largest being in the 40lb class.

Man that seems to be a long time ago now.

Krispy · 12-05-2006, 10:08 PM

The results of a couple fun nights:

Krispy · 12-05-2006, 10:11 PM

a few more:

Krispy · 12-05-2006, 10:15 PM

Krispy · 12-05-2006, 10:23 PM

Wasque

riverrat2 · 12-05-2006, 11:04 PM

Nice fish Krispy. I don't think I ran into you this season unfortunatly. I had a good year. But the best night for me was the first night me and Redlite checked out this spot we had been talking about for a couple seasons. Our first night there the surf was pretty big and we stumbled around till about 3 am until mike hooked into a decent fish high 20's low thirtys than another about 20lbs. I only ended up with one fish around the same size but the fact that we went to this spot with no clue and found fish was rewarding. That spot put out some big fish for the rest of the season too.....

tynan19 · 12-05-2006, 11:06 PM

Krispy that looks more like Gay Head?

onecastmike2003 · 12-06-2006, 05:22 AM

well in RI we have storms that come up the coast and i was out there in a spot that is down right dangerous! the waves are so big! But all you guys know what goes on in big surf. So on the back side of this spot was safer than the front. So me and a few guys are throwing poppers and bang all i saw was a monster tail and 1/2 of his side barrel role on to my plug. Now the drag is going and going and i cant stop him and all my braid is gone and down to the backing and pop. he spooled me! this fish was over 50lbs and all my friends looked on and laughed there butts off. (they all watched and said, that was a big fish mike) I will never forget that afternoon in RI as long as i live!
Some striper just can,t be caught!
RHM

Mike P · 12-06-2006, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krispy

Wasque

Man, you can't even see Leyland's house anymore. Water's right up to the dune line behind you.

JohnR · 12-06-2006, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tynan19

Krispy that looks more like Gay Head?

That does look like Gay Head - even the tip of Pouge doesn't look like that and that is the closest looking piece of terrain. Either way both are favorite places - First time there Krispy?

Clogston29 · 12-06-2006, 07:31 AM

Second night on cutty in the spring fishing with luds48. Conditions were tough and I managed two fish, a 20 and a 25, out of a little rip while getting knocked all over the place wading out in the white water. Not the biggest fish but it was definately satisfying to find a few that night.

fish4striper · 12-06-2006, 08:18 AM

Sept 27th, my brother and I on BI vacation - 10 fish 25 to 30 lbs

Krispy · 12-06-2006, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnR

That does look like Gay Head - even the tip of Pouge doesn't look like that and that is the closest looking piece of terrain. Either way both are favorite places - First time there Krispy?

Somewhere between Wasque and Cape Pogue

Yeah, it was my first time there. Its a pretty island, and we had fun. But its not my style, and didnt really inspire my fishing blood the way some other places can.

RIJIMMY · 12-06-2006, 09:31 AM

Krisp, MV got my blood going, my first time fishing there and I loved it, in fact its my most memorable night from 2006.
It was pooring rain the first week of Sept. I went to Menemsha to fish the beach and rocks. As the tide turned out, I made my way to the jetty. I had the place to myself. It was raining so hard I could hardly see, but I could see the gay head light in the distance and hear the clanging of the bell on the buoy. I hooked and lost two good fish. I remember saying to myself, man this is heaven.