For the past week or two, most of the Fishermen have been hanging at the shop due too nasty, windy weather.
Yesterday was suppose to be warmer but still on the gusty side. Headed down there a bit later and figured I'd sack out in the car if it was really nasty and ride it out or just head back home. Looked OK in the inner bay but could tell it was less than perfect on the outside. When I hit the outer bay and looked to the left toward Fishers Is, I figured no way is that going to happen. Hardcore is one thing and crazy is another!
Things can really go bad in short order under these conditions so there's no sense in doing something stupid.
Headed to the right to one of the close in reefs. Not the most pleasant either! At times with the wind in my face and boat speed 4 to 5 knots, I was barely making headway.
Made a pass over some very, very, big marks, got hit and got spooled in short order. In the many years of bass fishing, this has only happened twice. If it hadn't been so rough, I might have had a better handle on it. This was more than likely a Tank of a fish! Her lucky day????
In about 4 hrs I had caught and released all but one of 7 fish. One fish really sucked a plug so deep, I could hardly believe it. Water temp was 63 degrees and every single fish fought like crazy.
The homemade Slope Head swimmer was the boss for that trip. All good sized and from the 30's to the largest, a tad over 41lbs. A ton of monster Blue's too!
I was beat when I got back in from being banged around. We don't get the swells that you guys get on the other coast but we get what I call, the washing machine effect. Wave's coming from every direction and difficult to compensate for.
Sorry for the on its side picture. Usually a quick fix, but not working today for some reason.
I'd like to get out one more time but its not looking good. Fingers crossed! Its gonna be a long winter.
All have a great day, .. Lou
Beautiful fish!
Sometimes the risk is worth the reward.
John
that is a beautiful fish Lou. congrats on sticking it out in tough conditions. im a fair weather fisherman anymore I would have strtetched out in the boat safely tied up at the dock and taken a nice long nap.
Way to go, Lou! Nice fish and great report. I best the fish that spooled you was exciting. :o
Good grief Lou...that's a cow! I'd sure love to fish for those someday...great job! 8)
Getting beat up is no fun, but having good results makes it not so bad
The fish you kept looks like it could've spooled you.....how big do these fish get ??
Nice catch there mate!
That's a cow,,,,but it fights like bull :D great job man ;D
nice fish Lou! what kind of boat?
Hey Ted, schoolies are in the 5lb class and fairly common and so are 10 to 20 lbers. When they start to get 30 and over, they can become more difficult. 40's even more so.
50's are NOT common and usually caught on bait. Maybe once a season you might hear of a 60 or 65 . Pretty scarce. Heard of one estimated 70 caught several years ago and the world record as I know is just shy of 82lbs. A monster caught by Greg Myerson that lives in my town. An outstanding fisherman and probably one of the best bait fishermen on the east coast.
I've caught my share of 50's + and almost all of mine came on artificiasl. Even more difficult. These fish in cold waters are great fighters and very smart. They're great at wrapping you around rocks and in deep water, will put a bend in your rod and hold you there. My largest is a shade under 59lbs and to gain any line on that fish, I had to keep driving the boat in circles.
John, its a 212 Hydra-Sport with a buck and a half rude on it. Bought it new in 04 and its the perfect size for me. Decent ride, high sided, and fairly economical with the 20 deg hull.
The only other boat that I liked better was my 23 SeaCraft. Amazing Boat, a tank, superior ride, 24 deg and tough on fuel with a 225 merc. It put me in the poor house, especially when we fished for tuna.
How you liking you new machine? A McKee, isn't it?
................Lou
John, here's the old girl!
Good results, Lou —
Nice to see a Pro show how it is done...
Best,
Fred
Great report Lou, thanks for sharing.
Mike
Wow, nice fish Lou, if it's your last trip of the year you made it count.
You are the Man Lou!
Nice fish there Buddy.
That Buck and a half Rude is a fine motor.
I ran mine in fresh water for over 20 years.
It was the XP 150 with extended tail shaft.
Be safe out there my friend.
Lou nice Stripers. Always like that boat of yours... Jeff
Let me be the last to say "CONGRATULATIONS" Lou.
Joe