AUGUST              

      I don't think that Striper Mike needs to tell anyone going to my site, that the season is full steam ahead!!  I plan on doing some everyday surfcasting for the next couple of weeks.  It's a Guarantee (thats risky!) that I will have met some excellent linesiders by the time those tides are over. Striper Mike has some early season tricks up his sleeve.  Read my TIPS section in some of the back editions.....then you will know too.  The nice big keepers are filtering through the rumor vein of aficionados, but my opinion is that the consistent big girls are not here yet............but will be!.  I am pleased to know that some schools of 5 and six pound bluefish, have been tearing things up in the area.  Aren't bluefish the coolest?????  Rugged and tough son of a guns.  How many of us have thought that we had our first keeper striper of the year , only to find out that it is a 8 lb bluefish.  They are truly a Game fish.  Write to me and tell me some good bluefish encounters....they are always great sagas.  It is a privilege to run into...or vice versa!!!, a school of bluefish.  To have some time to watch some rare footage....and that , off course, is always on the surface.  Isn't it a shame that we don't have a chance to see how bluefish feed under the water.  A chance to watch it happen.  Sometimes you get chances in your life..........and so......

                                                Bluefish on T.V.

     SHARKS BITE.....  There are many opportunities for us to witness the oceans chief predators in action.  T.V. documentaries allowed us to witness every kind of shark and every size and shape......performing their role in life.........feeding!  Is it fear that attracts us to this footage, or curiosity, or awe?  Why do grizzly visuals leave us eye widened and jaws agape?  THE BITE.....the mere thought of it sends chills up our spine.  Striper Mike has been bitten by a shark!!! and that saga will be yours in upcoming editions.

     One of the greatest biters in the sea is rarely seen on T.V.  Rarely do we ever witness the carnage of this....or these great ocean "biters".  They don't call these great warriors, "choppers" for nothing.......THEY is an important pronoun.  Bluefish travel in packs.  Normally this is called schooling in the fish world, but for these gladiators....the term I use is "packs".  They rampage the seas like the great hordes of warriors that plagued the human race.  They rule the ocean and plunder their bounty like Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan did as they slayed a path through mankind.........the bluefish motto seems the same- Hide or Die !!!

     The world would be in awe if more were documented on the Bluefish. Just a chance to see the fury and savageness of the great bluefish.  A chance to witness them plunder the existence of varied baitfish.  They bite continuously and a pack of hundreds can close beaches...bite people...and leave an eerie oil slick indicating the previous presence of smaller aquatic victims.  NOTHING delivers impact like a pack of monster blues.................NOTHING!...no sharks.......no NOTHING.  Their numbers , speed and power deem them the real top of the predator scale.  If you're a school fish and a shark arrives, he might not choose you.....If the "pack " arrives your future has no options!  But as mentioned their awesome attack remains, for the most part, below the surface of the sea and not for our viewing pleasure on the discovery channel documentaries......except for the time that the "BLUEFISH were on TV"

     When bluefish hit the shores they are very unlike our regal striper . T hey are an open ocean fish....used to open ocean conditions.  Their life is one of swimming thousands of miles and in the process, avoiding the attack of the ocean speedster called the mako shark.  Feeding in the shallow water is no different than a killer whale beaching itself in a seal attack.   They do not hesitate.  I have had 38-40" bluefish ripping past my waders in 18 inches of water!!!  They kill everything in their path.  Last year I decided to keep a 19 lb blue that was bleeding badly.  When I looked at its stomach remains I found one third of an approximate 25" striped bass.  THEY EAT EVERYTHING....and that includes the appropriate plug being hurled out into the crashing breakers by hoping surfcasters.........Bluefish are good for HOPE.  They make it reality very quickly..39" bluefish..had the striper in it!!!

     And so it was that day.  The seas boiled.  The carnage was brutal.  The huge blues were knocking big pogies right out of the water and chopping them into pieces......non-stop....right up to the foamy remains of the days 5 foot waves.  There did not appear to be hundreds in this school...there appeared to be thousands, and those numbers increased the frenzy, so on this day...THE BITE WAS ON.

     Nothing crashes a surface plug like a real big bluefish.  Maybe a giant blue fin coming up behind a squidder bar is more breath taking.....but , with rod in hand, I would take a monster chopper on a Gibbs any day.

     These blues were all huge.  It was a hook up on every cast and the fights were BICEP BREAKING.  Once I knew that this school was locked on the ever decreasing school of bait, I began to "toy" with them in their attempts to crush my fleeing plug.  The faster I worked the plug, the faster and more furiously they attacked it.  It seemed like I could not get it away from them.  How ironic when we spend hours hoping for a bite and now I am seeing what it takes for this lure to escape them...............there was NO ESCAPE!

     One of the teasing methods I chose was to ride the plug on the top of the five footers of this days tide.  When fish are biting in the day light hours....many people enjoy stopping on the beach and watching this show.  Today was no different and a small group of "fans" began to cluster.  They were amused at my efforts because for the first time in their lives...and mine......BLUE FISH WERE ON TV!

     As my Gibbs danced atop the foamed crest of the days waves, the frenzied 18 lb choppers were racing through the middle of the waves as they chopped at my elusive plug.  The fish were swimming HORIZONTAL to our vision!!  We could see them right before our eyes.  Watching them became more exciting than catching them.  They were entering the wave from below and staying horizontally visual for as long as I kept the plug out of reach.. The waves/TV set gave myself and beach fans a chance to witness something un-recorded in our lives.  Bluefish in action.....from under the water.  Even as hard as I tried to keep the plug away, they still out raced my 704's reeling ratio and would still hook up, resulting in another 15 minute arm wrestling session.  The people seemed disappointed with the traditional angler/fish confrontation and so to maintain the stimulus of watching these great predators, I did something that few anglers would ever consider...............I pulled the treble hooks off the lure and hence assured no further hook-us!!!!!  I used a cast able teaser.  "The BLUEFISH ON TV" show continued for nearly another hour.  Every cast brought a new STAR to the waves" Silver Screen".

     How could I do such a wasted maneuver?  How could I fish and not want to catch fish?  How could I cast the heavy equipment over and over again with no chance of a hook-up?    The reason is clear.  The spirit and sport of surfcasting offer more than" a keeper".  It offers you witnessed moments with the oceans denizens....and in this case, in their own domain and not flopping desperately on a sandy beach.  I have evolved from a FISHERMAN to a FISH MAN.    

     Fish with ALL your senses, not just with your taste buds.  GET A FEELING FROM THE FISH.....NOT JUST A FILLET!!!!!...........Striper Mike

Hey Mike,

I'm from Babylon New York and relatively new to the fishing game.  Most of my fishing has been off party boats.  I love the beach and tried surfcasting last summer a couple of times.  I loved it, unfortunately I didn't catch  a thing.  Can you please give me some tips as to when I should go, what type of bait to use, what size weights to rig my pole with, and how far I should expect to cast to actually catch something.  I want to catch striped bass.  I searched your site and could not find a section for total novices.   Thank you ..Vincent Campasano MD

     Hi Doc....actually most of the tips are for novice surfcasters like yourself...but in response to your specific question....here goes..Go look at your beach at dead low tide and spot its intricacies...little dips..sand bars etc...the predators chase bait into those impasses and also search for tid bits in those spots.  Use a slip sinker rig..with 2 oz triangle sinker to start with...Rod should be at least 10 ft with new 20 lb test line.  Try number 6 or 7 hooks and stick with sea clams or chunks of mackerel unless fish are visibly working the surface.  Also...Hold the rod....bits can be subtle....Re read old tips sections in past editions to gain some expertise quickly...best of luck...Striper Mike..PS...I like an hour before and after high tide!

     Striper Mike...What's Up?

     I went out on the long island sound for the first time this year yesterday.  It all started out great....the weather was great..not much wind, so our hopes were high and ready to land something nice.  As soon as we put the lines out we both got a hit.  I got mine....a small blue but kens broke the line....it was the old line from last year!!  Well we got everything to gether again and got the lines back out in the water.  We were sitting there waiting when the rod holder that held kens rod just SNAPPED and the 350$ rig went to the bottom of the sea.  The drag had never been adjusted and a big fish just ripped it right through the holder. I felt sick over it and Kenny was fuming also.  We never had another hit all day.  I know for sure that your tips make sense and I will read them and react to your advice.  Instead of a trophy striper....we lost our best rig.  I really hurts when lack of foresight makes for a painful lesson.  ...Talk to you later......Rick

     Thanks for the email Rick.....but as they say..."Live and Learn"...big stripers have been robbing unmanaged gear for decades...Striper Mike

The recipe for this months edition, is one that has gained fame over the course of the last few years.  A brief history goes like this......Once upon a time there was a surfcaster that would occasionally keep huge bass that he landed ......this was always because the fish fought valiantly and sustained injury that may have put her at risk if she was released.  What to do with this huge fish?????  I know, said the surfcaster..I will give it as a donation to the brave members of the Boston Fire Dept and they will enjoy the bounty of their local waters .  and so he did!!!!!  And the firemen smiled!!!  And the firemen ate!!!!   And the firemen ate more!!!!!...and smiled more...and then the surfcaster smiled also!!  Now the crux of this tale is that there was an Irish member of this brave fireman clan, who deemed himself the STRIPER COOK.  And all the other firemen agreed....yes let Jim be the STRIPER COOK.  And so he was!!!  Now the surfcaster has done this tradition for 3 years in a row and I am sure will follow the memory of last years with a new feast this year.........and in the course of the 3 years the Irish Striper Cook used his famous, now renowned batter mix for his cubed , deep fried , striper.    YUMMMMM.  Now here is where the excitement comes in.. The surfcaster dared called the Irish Striper Cook and said..Would you please give me the now famous batter recipe for my humble striper site.?  And waiting, pencil in hand, I heard................."Dip-it"........Yes I know to dip it, but what are the secret ingredients????.....And in Irish Firemen Jim's monotone voice , he said"The stuff is DIP-IT, I buy it in the store ....ITS PISSA"..so here it is in all its glory, The famous batter recipe for Striped Bass cubes.

DEEP FRIED STRIPER

1. DIP-IT......sold everywhere!

...the above was my first donation, 30 lb.

                        

PLEASE NOTE THE AGE OF THE BIG ONES, THEY ARE THE PROVEN BREEDERS, LET THEM GO.

...Leo Bulato....2 nice ones ..36" and 31" and herring.....released the 36...yay....besides the bigger one came after the smaller fish.  One in the hand is worth two in the bush!!..nice outing Leo.

Steve Gillotti had a bunch of smaller schoolies, all day long, trolling tubes outside Boston harbor.

Ray Nichols told me in an email that he broke off a real nice one.  Sticky drag...Now Ray....we talked about that in previous tips sections....but he was rewarded with a n exact 30" for the BBQ that nite.  Get the drag serviced for your next whopper ray...good luck

Frank Dilley had the first nice eel fish that anyone told me about....37"...he had a pic taken with his new Christmas outfit and released the striper...Hand shake my friend!

Tim Kiley caught the first keeper of his life from the south river on a sluggo.   It was a 31 incher and a proud angler was he.  

 

Caught and released from a sand bar that I spotted at low tide, right behind the second set of breakers!

......Bluefish Tips.......Do not always assume that the choice of lure is the key to the bluefish biting  your offering.  If they are in a feeding frenzy then any active approach will work, but sometimes you have to trigger their feeding instinct.  This is done by not varying your lure choice as much as varying your LURE RETRIEVE.  The action of the lure needs to either look just like the other available fish , in terms of it swimming patterns or sometimes it needs to look UNLIKE the swimming mode of near by baitfish...hence emitting distress to the blues.  Vary your plug and lure speed....find out where "Their head is at" Fish hard and determined.  Make them bite!!! .......don't just hope they choose to.!  Remember keep what you need and return the rest....Catch and release assures a future for anglers and species........Good Luck ...Striper Mike

WE were using a rattle trap for this school......the fish finally struck when we reeled it in at nearly a crawl!!!!! Typical rattle trap retrieve was ineffective.

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....greeting a sunrise after a nite tide.

Straining my comfort levels helps define these moments as another adventure.

...a time when my blood raced and my heart beat surpassed human limitations......into unbridled excitement!

I continue to learn the value of adventure in my life....Striper Mike 10/10/99