Twenty Years on the Cape/Daignault

[Swimmer]

I know I am late (by years) reading this book. Actually I avoided it for years for some reason. I think because years ago I couldn't believe Mr. Daignault's reputation/legend could possibly be as big or deserved as it is/was. I was wrong. His writing is rough sometimes but at other times really well-done stuff. Some of the stories are really poignant (such as the one when his daughter was overcome by exhaust fumes). All of his stories are timely whether they are about nesting turns or all the bass taken from the outer cape. I have actually read some of the short stories twice. I dont know if anyone could show a greater appreciation of the outer cape and all it has too offer.

[Bronko]

Love the book. There are a lot of good secrets./approaches in that book if you read closely.

[Mugz]

Couldn't put it down........good read. Not like any of his other "How to" books.

[The Iceman 6]

Liked @ Daignaut's books...top shelf imo.....

[Flaptail]

I hope you knew someone would rain on your parade when it comes to Mr. Daignault, so it might as well be me.

Yes, his first book has some poignant moments such as his daughter being overcome by fumes and crying alone after his son was gone off to serve in the Coast Guard when he found his surf belt.

Of all the books, this one is the only one to read as all the following are just revised versions of the first in most ways with a tid bit more inserted here and there.

One would think that in reading his tomes that Frank was all alone on the beach and the only one catching fish. Not so and tough to do figuring that each day/night your main buggy was surrounded (especially on the race) with 30 or more others parked five feet across from each other and most of those had chase vehicles too.

Mr. Daignault was an avowed rule breaker, not in the sense of catching bass but with a total disregard for the rules set up by the Chatham/Orleans parks depts. who ran and do run Nauset and the Cape Cod National Seashore. The result of his recklessness is still being felt today and he was a major factor in the "gestapo" like tactics that the rangers had to implement in order to keep him and others that would follow his lead from further rule breaking, which at the time were far less stringent than they are today as to where and when we can go places. Plainly put he had to get out of Dodge as the heat was coming down and it settled on the rest of us after he abandoned the place 20 years ago and hasn't been back since.

Funny, now that he has been gone the rangers are no where near as aggresive as they once were.

I especially enjoyed his take on "discovering Balston Beach". HA what a crock. He actually was tipped off to the success of another commercial (true commercial that is one that made his entire year's pay off of the beach, remember, Mr. and Mrs. D had day jobs teaching and still got checks, had health insurance and all from that while on summer vacation he only fished "commercially" two months of the year, weekends from mid May through the end of June when school let out and some weekends in September. He wasn't any different than any plumber or carpenter making a few bucks on the side).

His friend Little Paulie found this other guy, who still lives on the Cape today and sold way more than Frank ever did in poundage, and told Daignault. So Frank actually was an interloper cashing in on someone elses discovery.

If you talk with any of the hardcores who still lay a track in the soft sands of the outer Cape and ask they will tell you.

As for secrecy and being tight lipped Mr. D has spilled his guts in his books for money and just about everyone who was on the beach then knew where everybody was fishing and what they were taking form the suds.

Embelished truths sell books. No wonder he has to resort to a forum on a New Jersey based website. His credibility up here wouldn't support one on a NE site. With him it's always been "it's all about me".

If Jesus was fishing the beach back then and commanded all the bass to come to the shore and eat anything thrown at them and Mr. D. came along the story would end up with the Jesus part being somehow left out or reported as Hearsay not to be believed.

[mosholu]

I am going to have to go back and read this again in light of the above additional information. To be honest I was never comfortable with the sportsman/commercial marriage. If you are doing it as a business it is different than when you are fishing for sport. Now I admit you can have a job that is fun and you enjoy but I do not ever think it comes up to the level of sport.

[rockyroady]

Ouch.........As far as the book, I agree it is a good read.

[saltfly]

FLAP I couldn't agree more.Rules?what stinking rules.Ill leave it at that.

[RIROCKHOUND]

Flap.
As always your honesty is appreciated!
(No sarcasm intended, want to make sure thats clear since it doesn't come across on the www.)

[capesams]

this is funny... F>D is a grand story teller.....last time I heard he was told never to come over the bridge again or else.

[bart]

"the dog killer"

[fishonnelsons]

Right on with the re-hash comments on the books. You read the first one, it's interesting, then the next one and it's like deja vu.

What I like even better though are the articles in the fishing periodicals. All the pictures are of about 40 years ago, nothing new, so you start to question the "up to dateness" of the article. Then either last year or the year before he did an article on Race Pt and the Truro beaches - real specific about spots, holes etc. The problem was, as someone said, he hadn't been here in about a million years

The real, true stories about him are really intersting, but, to be fair, there are two sides to every story!

[Swimmer]

I knew about his rule breaking persona before I started reading this book. I had not bothered to read any others because I knew all the pics were the same old stuff. I was a kid down the cape in the sixties and heard about these guys. In the 70's and 80's I used to see them fishing at night on the bar at Monamoy/North Beach/and what not. Never had made it out to the Race though. I used to surf most of the other places mentioined, but to us kids we had our own names for those places back then.

I did read with displeasure of the forging the day passes and the ridicule of the rangers who didn't know what they were looking at comments. Frank D. was a teacher and those rangers are mostly on vacation teachers themselves working a summer job if I remember correctly having known quite a few myself.

I distinctly remember a social difference between the North District rangers and lifeguards and the South District lifeguards and rangers, the later that I hung out with day and night. Rarely ever partied together, the single ones, anyways. Oh those parties.

I liked the catching part of the stories. Very interesting and many outright ways to catch bg for those who have no idea how. You just have to move beyond the selfishness and the gluttonly by an educated person (teacher) who had to know his hobby/work was helping eradicate a species, almost, to enjoy the book.
Flaptail we should have the stories of those other people written down somewhere, hint, hint.......... .

[Tagger]

i liked the book ..