I lost steam and stopped writing

 I also stopped taking phots.

And I have been fishing much less.

Work got very busy.

And I was missing my sailboats.

But I will do some good fishing again. 

There were epic trips that I never told.

How to Lose Fish

 Yes. It is easy to do.

Sometimes there is no good excuse. It is just in the heat of the moment forgetting one simple rule: If you lose a fish, always check the hook. It might be bent.

I caught a lot of 12 to 18" fish-- small schools on the move-- and then I had one that would have been better but not on for long. 

Turns out the reason I lost 4 more was this:

I guess that fish was bigger than I thought!

I had been catching near keepers (and lost one keeper) on white ones tied this way--but I ended up trimming off all but the lead 3/0 hook. As a friend says, "big bass never miss" which turned to be true--only larger ones were caught--and a few obviously smaller ones lost--I'd feel hits that didn't hook up.

This black one I debarbed the trailer--which is a #1.ALL the smaller bass took that trailer the past few sessions. Only 18"+ took the lead hook. That might be chance. Most but not all trolling. I did sight cast to 4 landings a few days previous.

Nice to be out fishing. But better luck next time--and check the fly!

Imagination and the art of fishing

 There are times when fishing fits a narrative--even if that narrative is nothing but imaginative thinking. Last night was one of those times. 

If you read my last journal entry, you know that I tied a new triple articulated deceiver and that the first three fish it caught were all over 24" and one (that I lost after a fight) was probably over 30". And this fly seemed to take a savage strike very quickly after being in the water.

I followed up that fishing with a session last evening as the sun was approaching the horizon, and caught four fish. This time, the first was sizeable in the 24-26" range, but then each one after that was smaller, and smaller and smaller still: about 20, then about 16, then barely 12 inches. While the larger first fish took it without warning (as was also true in the previous days), the smaller fish all took repeated swipes at the fly before finally taking it. This seems to be -- possibly -- a behavioral difference between larger versus smaller bass. Imaginary thinking?

The other imaginary thinking aspect: best chance for big is first catch in a swim....which is "proved" by my results. Of course in reality it is not so simple, is it?

 

 

 

The disappointment of losing big fish

 The past few weeks, I've been experimenting with longer flies. 

Three hooks,

versus two.

 

2017 caught a very big (probably biggest) fish on a triple. Didn't do it much after that.

Double this year--bigger fish.

Brand new triple this morning on glass water. First drift -- huge linesider. HUGE. Splashin and fightin

Pulled line through my hands, took some drag on flyreel. Then I kept pressure but I think I was ham fisted. Went light--lost it!

Also lost the big fish I caught on a triple in 2017.

Also lost a really big fish (on spinning gear) in Florida last year. June 2019.

Big fish are my nemesis.

 

I do wonder if the poorly trimmed back hook was the problem. Did I hook it on the trimmed back hook (Frankly I doubt it. All but two of the two dozen stripers I've landed have been on the front when I've had a tandem setup with both hooks untrimmed.) 

 

Lost Rod

 Two weeks ago the striped bass returned. I have been trolling and sometimes casting either a white tandem deceiver or a black tandem deceiver. With the exception of one evening, all the fish were caught on the white ones, regardless of light level or sink versus floating line (sink gives about 12" depth at troll).

But yesterday I did something stupid. I brought three (3) rods with me on the boat. Not a good idea. After half a century of rowing, I capsized a rowboat for the first time--and lost the most expensive newest and nicest rod and reel: a St. Croix 7' and a Daiwa BG20. Damn it all! I was fly trolling the flyrods and didn't lose them. The spinning rod was along for the ride with an experiment tied on--a naked popping plug with flies behind--wanted to try.

This was of course a depressing experience. I trolled the area for two hours trying to find it. Good luck with that.

Fortunately, I went fishing afterwards and found a 27" bass (almost a keeper!) and sight cast to a fluke that was actually rising. It also took the white tandem deceiver.

Sometimes the "sharks" come out to play.

 Sometimes the "sharks" come out to play.

 

The Saltwater Is Strange This Year

 After the end of June, the Striped Bass simply disappeared from my local stretch of the Sound. So did the few Bluefish that had been around. I'd caught and ate a 15" bluefish around 1 June.

Lately, it has been bottom fishing for Porgy, if you want to catch anything. A Searobin even came out to play a week ago. Today there were a lot of baby bluefish. This is all that is running the bait that I can detect--4" bluefish. None over 7" and today, I caught 6 of them on either the small shrimp pattern I made up, or on a white double clouser on the surface. The shrimp was on full sink and slightly led on a slow troll.

But then I got to a particular spot I've only made any effort at once before. I decided to see if anything interesting is down on the bottom. 

Because the 8 weight was rigged full sink, I put on a 1 oz weight and then about 18" of leader to a small hook with a Gulp minnow. So bottom fishing but with a fly rod and line. Gulp seems to be ridiculously attractive to fish. First fish was a 15" Fluke! Damn it, that was nearly a keeper. It really fought. The 8 weight has less than 1/2 the fighting power of the 10 weight I own. Very interesting.

Then I proceeded to catch no less than 5 tiny little baby black sea bass. I mean small--6."

A 13" porgy was the next surprise. It came home for dinner.

Last cast, fish on! What is it?  Well, that's  Northern Kingfish! Size of a good trout. 15" or so. I should have eaten it. Next time.