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I find it funny that so many people have no memory of past heat waves, and think that this year is the hottest EVER.
I recall a summer back in the early to mid 90's that was just as bad, if not worse. That year the heat began around the beginning of July and lasted all summer long. 80-90 practically every day.
The reason I recall that year was because it happened to be one of the best years I can remember down in Duxbury Bay. The bait was plentiful, and the bass were there to feed.
Here's my little fishing history/story:
I started out as a bait slinger down on the Powderpoint Bridge. I had some luck, but getting keepers was like hitting the lottery.
Of course I was fishing in daylight, and had to compete with other baitslingers and the dogs and blues.
From June until mid August I spent most of my time fishing the weekend days, and was getting fed up with the lack of catches.
On the "epiffany" trip I headed down on the second friday of the month, for the high tide around midnight. There was also a full moon and no wind. It was a beautiful night.
The bait was plentiful, thick enough that if you shone a spotlight on the water, they would erupt as if the water was being pelted by a torrential downpour. The fish were crashing the baitfish as well, so much so that you could hear splashes all along the bridge that sounded like cinder blocks were being tossed over the railing!
After 1 1/2 hrs of nothing from shore (mainland side) and 1 1/2 hrs on the bridge, I was ready to call it a night, heck maybe even a season. I was really frustrated because I could hear the fish crashing the bait all around me, but I could get a bite on my bait (chunk mac, pogie, squid and sea worms). I tossed my bait in disgust and decided that if I couldn't catch a fish on bait, that I would try a plastic lure, and if that didn't work I was DONE.
I threaded a 5" tube lure onto a J hook, no weight, no jig, just a plain hook. My comment was spmething like "If this doesn't work, I'm done!"
First cast produced a 26" bass.
Third cast produced a 25" bass.
I stood on the bridge at 3:00 am shouting :You have got to be f***ing kidding me! It can't be this easy!"
It actually was.
I finished the night with 6 bass, all just short.
Later that day I went out and restocked my tackle box with sluggos, storms and fin-s lures as well as a variety of jigs.
From that day on I weaned myself from bait to a point where I began carrying a tckle bag and ONE rod.
Here is an idea of how good that year was:
August - I would make evening trips 3 times a week after work.
I averaged 1 keeper a week in the 30"-35" range.
September - 1st half of the month, 3 nights a week, averaging 1 keeper a night in the 30"-40" range. 2nd half of the month, 3 night a week, almost EVERY fish was a keeper in the 30"-40" range.
October - being a real rookie, I stopped after the second week of October, but the fishing was the same as the end of September.
Most fishermen that fished that bridge and the bay recall that year as a "banner year" for bass. We've had some ereal good years since, but nothing like that.
This year is beginning to feel a lot like that one, but only time will tell if history truly repeats itself after all.
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. Can't wait to be able to fish more than a half an hour without sweating my cojones off 
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Hybrid Mode
