The Big Ones and the Cheap Skates 9/25/09

After another week at work the time had come to entertain myself by engaging in one of my favorite pastimes. It was about 8 o'clock at night and the sun had turned in for the night. I met my fishing buddy Dominick at the appointed place, we greeted each other, and then drove on to the fishing location we had decided upon. The trip had been put together at the last minute and I had not checked my fishing statistics to maximize our chance of pulling a big Striper out of the water and onto the beach. That did not discourage me though because it was fall and that is a magical time of the year for fishing here. We arrived on the beach about nine and as we unloaded our gear in the limited light of the quarter moon I noticed that my two fishing poles were locked together. As I tried to free them from each other the tip of one of my favorite rods snapped off. Any fish I caught that night would be very expensive due to the cost of my broken hundred dollar fishing pole. I didn't let it get me down but I would be fishing with just one pole that night. We had fresh bunker for bait which we both agree is the best for this time of year and I told him I would settle my share of the expense when we got back into streetlight. When we reached the water we decided that it was probably low tide. That is not exactly the time we would have planned to arrive but we agreed that some of the time we put in there could well be productive. We walked down the beach and discussed where we wanted to set up. Dominick had spent a lot of time fishing this spot so I left it up to him to decide where to sink the sand spikes and set up for the night. We set up our gear in the low lighting utilizing head lamps which we tried to keep from shining on the water. We cut the bait, tied the knots, and did the usual routine. It had been awhile since we had been on a night trip and we discussed that fact and other topics. We were fishing for a while and we both were pleased that the beach was nearly devoid of other anglers. Dominick had a few weak hits on the rods and I had one or two also. We listened intently for the ringing of the bells attached to the end of the poles to notify us that our lines had drawn the attention of one of our finned quarry. We didn't land any of those fish. Sometimes the bait came back after being assaulted in the water chewed up and we both agreed that some small bluefish with their razor teeth were probably running through the area. If a bait came back following a hit was not chewed up this would have told us that we had missed an opportunity to catch a striped bass who swallow bait whole. With each cast we tried to figure out where we thought the most productive water was where we wanted to cast our bait. I had a small hit on one of these casts and was focused on trying to be ready to catch the fish. I was waiting until I felt its weight when suddenly the bell on Dominick's pole rang and I could see the shadow of his fishing pole doubling over. He ran over, picked up the pole from the spike, and set the hook. He shouted, “I got him”. He was fighting for a short time and then he said, “I lost him, the line snapped.” He was upset that he lost the fish and his rig. He asked me to come over and feel his fishing line. I did so. I told him that the line didn't feel frayed but didn't exactly feel new either. I felt bad for him but I have to admit that part of me was also amused that he had lost the fish in this manner. Dominick had taught me how to fish and sometimes I have felt that he does not let me forget it. To me this was just another example of how the student had surpassed the master. I would certainly not allow my gear to lose a fish on me like that. The night went on and it got chilly. We were down to our last bunker. I decided that I liked the look of the water on the other side of Dominick. I told him I was going to move over there. He gave me a tip where to cast and I followed his instruction, casting out into the distance (half of the spool of fishing line) in the direction he instructed. Sure enough as I began to think Dominick's hit was the only opportunity we would have to land a worthwhile fish my pole doubled over. I ran up, picked up the pole, and set the hook. It felt like a big one. I felt the weight and knew it was at the smallest a five pound blue and could even be a keeper bass. This is what had lured me to the beach that night. The fish pulled and took out line, I let him take the line testing how long it would take to tire him. When he stopped I reeled and it seemed like he turned toward the beach. I reeled to take the slack out of the line that he was trying to create. He was there and then, SNAP, and nothing. My line had snapped too. I was angry but knew instantly that I had made the same mistake as my instructor. I had not replaced my fishing line this season either and had not rinsed the reel in fresh water after returning from any of my fishing trips this season. It takes this time of year and the bigger fish to make you pay for being cheap. My fishing line was compromised and I lost my best chance of the trip at catching a memorable fish. Dominick asked whether we were going to fish often enough this season to make replacing the line at this point worthwhile. We discussed how long we expected we would tolerate the cold of the season. I told him I might have some fishing line for him. Dominick called me the next day and I told him that I had fishing line but had not respooled the reels due to laziness and being thrifty. We laughed about our mistakes. Lack of funds had lost us fish. I hope we have learned our lesson. Those who do not learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them.

Fall Fish Fever

I am again thoroughly excited at the prospect of spending yet another fall in cool conditions catching big blues that are fat, mean, and insatiably hungry. It goes without saying that fall in New York also means that this fisherman and every other guy with an ounce of sense and a fishing pole will also be after the big slob striped bass which will be making their way through our area. I enjoy practically nothing more than being at the beach in the process of trying to top my last best catch. A difference this year is that I will have to obtain a recreational marine license even to fish in the surf, but the ten dollar fee surely won't stop me from entertaining this wonderful sort of madness which I like to call fish fever. The license will be good from October 1st through next September 30th so I will certainly get my money's worth. The New York license can be obtained online at http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/28941.html. Honestly at the risk of telling the truth and having my neck wrung for it, I think the ten dollar resident fee would be worth it for just a few trips in the fall with the adventure that NY has to offer in the surf; but it will be good through the spring run then straight through fluke season. There is no better deal for entertainment than fishing. I was just at one of my sandy fishing haunts last week and it was clear the frenzy was on. I saw peanut bunker that were scared silly and they were swimming onto the beach to a certain death to avoid the equally certain death of cocktail blues and their snapping razor toothed jaws. Nature certainly can be cruel. My partner and I managed to catch a few of the cocktails but were unable to capitalize on the real action that I saw. Flocks of sea gulls descended on bait that were trapped on the surface by the larger blues. There were huge splashes as the vicious fish leapt from the water as they ate their fill of their trapped and surely deathly frightened prey. If I know anything I am certain that beneath that macabre scene the big bass we were after were there sucking up the easy pickings that sink to the bottom as the merciless blue executioners do the dirty work for them. Ah, if only one of those big bass had happened upon the large bunker chunk that I had cast out there for them it would have made that an even more memorable day. Maybe next time. September is showing promising signs (barring the rain) and October after that according to my record keeping will be better still. The fall run is on and I for one plan on taking full advantage. Let us all be responsible and remember to take care of that big green ocean we love. Hope to see you in the surf.