The mother load of big bass
The countless miles walking the shoreline this season, the bite that happened yesterday, fish no bigger than 30 inches, and sleepless nights followed by an 8 hour shift. This basically describes the surfcasting season for us anglers on the south shore. A lot of work put in and little reward received in terms of those bigger fish.
The boat crew found the big fish for a short amount of time in Buzzards Bay and it seems as though the only consistent big bass bite has now been in Bean Town. The canal for most, has been very slowed compared to what the guys and girls have been used to in the past.
The past couple of weeks, my Instagram feed had been littered with fish to 50 pounds, and quite frankly I was suffering from some major fish depression. Fortunately, things can change in a matter of days, and that is exactly what happened for the Striped Survival crew a couple of nights ago.
After fishing the previous day in the wet suit during “Tropical Storm Fay”, I was a little exhausted. Having walked a few miles and messing around in 3 to 4 ft surf with a 20 mph wind in my face, I decided this night I would take the evening to relax and maybe catch a few fish. With just my rod, plug bag, backpack and muck boots, it was time to chase after some seven striped specimens.
I headed out to fish the dropping tide on a secluded stretch of shoreline that has limited access and difficult terrain. Littered with bubble grass and slippery boulders, it is not for the faint of heart. Although it has been void of bigger fish this season, I had a feeling that this hard south wind we were experiencing, might just be the key to bringing some big fish in tight to shore.
I arrived down on my location around 6 pm and right away catch glimpse of a fish in the 20 pound class cruising the shallows. I then noticed a second, third and fourth…..
Hundreds of striped bass littered the boulder field in just 3 to 4 feet of water. What was going to be a leisurely walk along the beach, turned into an all out feeding frenzy for the next 3 hours. I started out with a top water lure that I had made over the winter and instantly hooked up on a quality fish. She headed east toward P Town and my drag was screaming. One fish after another wreak havoc on my 2.5 ounce green mack pencil popper and I landed some quality fish in the 30 to 40 inch range until sunset. Once the lights turned off, things got even better!
I switched over to a 12 inch eel skin sluggo and these fish could not resist. Fish aggressively attacking from every angle and putting my VS 200 to the absolute test. A couple of hours later around 930, I was exhausted, soaked and cut up, from not being prepared for things to break wide open.
“One last cast, unless I hook up”…
Needless to say, I was fishing for another hour, until on my “last cast”, I hooked up to a nice 38 inch fish, watched her swim away strong and headed back to my Jeep, calling it a night. Only a few pictures were taken tonight, as I was trying to get these fish back in the water as quickly as possible. With the new regulations in place, us anglers have no business keeping a 35+ inch fish out of the water for more than 10 seconds, just to get a picture for the gram. Be smart, be responsible, and lets all do our part to protect this species, seven stripes at a time.
The key tonight was the exact opposite of how we have been fishing for the entire season. A slow presentation was a must to get fish to be intrigued at our offering, however, the fish tonight were interested in a very fast retrieved with aggressive twitches of the rod. Give this technique a shot and let me know if it changes your success because it definitely made a difference for us.
The night ended with over 40 fish being landed ranging in size from 30 to 45 inches. All fish were safely and properly released!
To end on a positive note:
This is why I do it! Because when everything comes together and clicks, you'll be rewarded for your time. If you have had a difficult season thus far, whether from the surf or the boat, I urge you to keep at it and keep searching for those lunkers. Things can literally change overnight and it just takes one cast to make your season worth it.
Tight Lines and remember to practice catch and release!
