The combination of tides, fish, and weather have kept me fishing the cape from the surf so far this season, but I decided that come "hell or highwater" I was taking the boat out in the harbor this past weekend.
How about near freezing temps, pouring rain, 25-30 knot winds and a small craft advisory...
Screw it, I launched early am from Wessagusset and figured I could stick to the rivers and Hingham Bay where reports had fish everywhere last weekend. I figured the week's weather might slow things down, but I also knew I'd be about the only idiot out on the water, so any fish would belong to me.
I cruised out and checked out the Back and Fore river mouths and was able to swing out into Quincy Bay. I took a long loop around Hangman's and along Wollaston Beach... nothin' doing. The wind kicked up, the rain felt like hail and I was cold so I headed back into the river and went to check out some areas I really liked on the charts.
I finally picked up a rod and started fishing. On about my third cast, I whacked a decent schoolie and after a nice fight, I had the first fish in my new boat. I sat there... in the rain and wind, freezing... and was happy as I could be. Just lookin' at the fish. I caught about 10 between 18-24".
In 2 decades and countless April trout trips in the mountains of PA and many, many late October days up in Ontario, this had to be about the worst weather I'd ever fished in... and I wouldn't call 10 schoolies a great day, but I am such a dork, I'm still happy.
Mission accomplished, the boat has been christened and is now a fishing boat
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