The trip to Cape Cod in late October really wet our appetite so Thomas and I had booked for a week of striper fishing at a time where the fishing according to our man on the Cape – Scott – can be really good and productive. Our goal was to catch a fish above the minimum size (28 inches) and hopefully to have some sight fishing. The first couple of days we fished by ourself on some of the spots Scott had shown us last year. As there is a considerable tide many times you can only fish a specific spot in a time window of 1-3 hours. This forces you to move around and gives the fishing a lot of variation. We also fish both inlets, beaches, rocks, canals and drop offs. From the start it was clear that the number of fish were much larger than in the fall but also that there were quite a lot of small fish. This is very promising for the future and thrilled the local fishermen.
Thomas fishing in quite rough wind.
One of the small fish that are the hope for the future.
The first two days we caught many fish but only up to 24 inches, which are fine fish but we hoped for more.
The third day in a VERY heavy storm I hooked a really big fish that took off like a freight train. In an area known for nothing but sand it got the line around something unknown and after a while my shooting line were ripped apart. That was an eye opener for the power these fish can produce. The next day we got a report from Dick and Richard that had some fantastic fishing in a new spot. We naturally had to try it out in the evening when the tide was right. Soon after we arrived Thomas started with a 25 inch fish so expectations were high. For me not much happened untill the fly were stopped on a quite shallow area and when I tightened the line it start to move.
I immediate knew it was a big fish and after a 10 minutes battle I could land it on a small streak of sand.
It was a 36 inch fish and I was very happy that we had got what we hoped for. It was released and after that we only got a few smaller fish.
Next morning we tried the same spot and in the same area as the night before I hooked another good fish a 34 inch striper.
Release of this nice lady.
One day Thomas hooked this sea robin. We saw it hunt small bait fish at the surface despite it should be a bottom feeder.
One day I felt something bump into my boots several times. It was a rape attempt by a horseshoe crab that apparently took my boot for a good-looking female crab.
The team preparing for an evening trip. Me, Dick, Richard, SCott, Thomas and Bruce.
On the outgoing tide Scott got this beautiful lady in the mid thirties. As his shooting line had a tangle he was forced to pull it up on the beach at a long distance but he managed.
The sunset this evening was impressive.
The last day the weather forecast predicted sunny and not too windy condition so we headed for a kayak trip to one of Scotts special spots. When we started out it was a bit foggy and no wind at all.
When we arrived Tom was in the action and he soon hooked a very fine fish but the top of his rod fell off so he had to land it by pulling the line directly with his hands.
But despite the problems he landed this beautiful fish in the mid thirties.
Thomas hooked up with a good fish. At this time he had broken two 8-weight rods so he used his 6-weight.
And soon Thomas finally got his keeper – well it was released but he was allowed to keep it.
Another fine fish caught by sight fishing.
There was a lot of action – here Thomas and I are both hooked up simultaneously.
We got many nice fish and we casted to a lot that only followed the fly or rejected it totally. Thomas and I got two keepers each plus several good-sized fish in the 24 – 27 inch range and I can say that this was the best day of all and I also think that even the local guys will call a very good day.
Bruce handling his business – nice office
On the way back the wind had increased and after a while The kayak Thomas and I used started to take in water as it was not a sit on top kayak and we did not have a spray hood. This made the kayak heavier and more unstable and we realised that we needed help. On the way to Scotts kayak a wave hit us and the kayak flipped. The other kayaks were soon to help us and we inflated our life preservers. There was no panic but it was not possible to get back in so finally we had to call for help. Many thanks to the Barnstable fire fighters that helped us out as we started to get cold after 30 minutes in the water. This was a reminder to us and all involved to allways remember life vests and take your precautions.
Two wet fishermen in the ambulance after the physical examination.
After the incident there was many things to dry. My camera was tested and it is water proof.
To sum up our trip. We caught more than 100 fish each, we both got keepers, we got big fish up 36 inches, we had terrific sight fishing, we had a blast of a time with our american friends – what more can you wish for. OK next time we can do without Air France cancelling our flight back home.
Filed under: Fishing diary | Tagged: cape cod, fly fishing, sight fishing, striper | 1 Comment »
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