Looking back this year....

[10x10]

I guess the highlight of the year fishing wise was a pretty nice bass I caught right in the middle of a crowd this spring and released while everyone else was killing their better fish.Made me feel good knowing that fish lived, probably would have been a goner if someone else caught it.I hope it's still swimmin around out there somewhere.
Otherwise a pretty unexceptional year fishing wise.
Getting to know some of you cape guys and fishing at nauset(nice beach),that wasn't a bad thing and I did get to ride in BM's sand sled.Matter a fact I think I was the last person to ride shotgun before it met it's untimely demise.bang bang bang%(&$##^T&)^# GET OUTA MY WAY!freakin dopey tourists &^)($%$#@!#!!! Haw Haw Haw, lot's of fun.
Had lots of fun making lures and swapping with other guys too or just givin them away(Where's my Darters! and where'd my needlefish go?)
Fishing down here is pretty bad anymore.Too many people,gill netters working in the close to the beaches and pollution are doin a real number on the fishing down here.Couple more years of this and there really will be no fish here at all.
These guys down here I don't think even know how bad the water quality is.They been lookin at it so long they don't know water is supposed to be clear and not smell bad.Nor are beaches supposed to resemble land fills.There's places I fished in NJ this year where I was afraid to touch my line after it was in the water.I'm not kidding either.
I guess that's what they call "progress".
So,Any of youse guys got a big bass yet up there?
Is any one even trying?I'm tellin you there's more fish still to come.Everything is late this year and you guys are gonna get decent fishing right up til Thanksgiving I think.Last year there were some big bass caught right about now up that way so if I lived up there I would still be out tryin.

[Squid kids Dad]

Well so far....(Hopefully there will be a couple of more times to get out and wet a line)
My favorite time this year was at the Vineyard staying with BC & FW...My son come over for part of the week which we spent on various beaches.....One night while bait fishing he got got a wicked hit...His pole bent in half...The look on his face was priceless.One I will never forget..He fought the fish for about 15 minutes and lost it...The swivel straightened out...I will never forget that look either....Priceless....These memories will last forever........

[HESH2]

STILL FISHING R.I. PUTTING IN MY TIME BUT CATCHING ONLY 1 BLUE SO FAR,GOING TO FISH SAT AM AT THE HILL.BEST TIME SO FAR THIS YEAR WAS FISHING WITH MY 3 SONS ON THE CAPE AND CATCHING SEVERAL BASS.ALL FISH I CAUGHT WERE SMALL STILL LOOKING FOR THE BIG COW-HOPEFULLY SHE WILL BE PASSING THROUGH RI WHEN I'M THERE IN CASTING RANGE.

[Fish_Eye]

The highlights of this season include:

Directing Lefty Kreh on Cuttyhunk where he caught stripers in every possible type of conditon. Then, watching walls of stripers pass by the camera on legendary Sow and Pigs Reef.

Blueberries shared with friends in Newport and fishtalk that included some great tales of big bass caught in the surf.

Meeting fellow Striped_Bass.com'ers in Weekapaug -- including Patrick and his woman (Empty barrels make the most noise).

Mike

[bloocrab]

....HEY!!...get off my rock!!!!......

[bloocrab]

Mike, I love them pics....keep em comin' ....I saved the Hog one from SOL....its a different world down there..... ..been a few years now for me...but I must return!!...

..High-lights of this year ???.....hmmmm...let me stink about it ...

[AnthonyN]

Bristol narrows
April 28th 2:00pm in the afternoon with my first fish of the season 34" striper 16lbs later that night i released a 32" bass for my second striper of the season 2 fish 2 keepers.

Bristol Harbor
Sun going down tried the mill gut stream after a heavy rainwith an out going tide. Threw on a small 3/4oz gags popper and caught 27 schoolie bass between 17" and 27" and 1 keeper at 30"

Upper Bay
From mid august till 2nd week of october catching blues everyday with my light tackle rod from 6lb blues all the way to 14lbs with an occasional schoolie bass.

Broken Bridge Portsmouth
Fighting my biggest tautog ever getting me stuck in the rocks after giving up and trying to snap my line feeling the fish still there and knowing he was a big one. 23" 8.5lbs personal record.

Colt state park
Plugging for blues and watching as my friend throws back a skip jack only for a 20 to 25lb striper come out of 12inches of water 3 feet from shore eat it. bringing in my plug the same fish hit my plug than he shook his head and spit it back at me. I stood there for an hour plugging hoping he would return The same nite fishing the current at CSP having a fish almost spool me before spitting out my hook while chunkin with pogys. I didnt even get a chance to turn him he just pulled and didnt stop. Settled for a 36" 18lb bass later in the nite.

Charlestown breachway
It was my first time fishing there and it felt foreign to me. But i watched the other guys and got in the rotation and started slinging my eel. I watched as guys around me brought in keeper bass to 42" and 15lb blues. I didn't catch anything that nite but i was surprised on how many keepers came from that one spot ill be spending some time there next season.

Colt state Park/boat ramp
I caught 3 rare fish i never seen before after searching the internet i found out that i had caught my first lesser amberjack.


MY biggest change this season was using soft plastic baits i wouldn't even give them a look before this season, but it outfishes everything in my tackle box for schoolie bass. Now I have a couple of boxes dedicated just to plastics.