.......Hello tough guys and gals......I sure hope you
have stretched your line by now with some nice fish. It has been
somewhat slow for me in terms of big fish...but the clam bite still
produces a lot of small stripers to pass the time and have some fun on
light tackle. I landed a nice 30" fish on 8lb test and a trout
rod.......it was a blast!!
If you get some noteworthy catches...or if you do some note worthy
RELEASES..(the fish above was a perfect eating size, please take those
unless the fish is to injured to be let free), please write me and
tell me all about it. You may get picked to let the world see your saga and
fish in the next edition!! ...........The June and July waters are
great for another surfcaster quarry. the bluefish. This great
great warrior comes in hordes and rampages all in its path. A
bluefish school is ONE of the most
intimidating forces , found
anywhere in the sea. Keep your eyes peeled and be sure to have
those steel leader hooks with you at all times because you never
know.....when and where.....the choppers will appear...............and
so.......
FRENZY
....Some guys only fish sunrise and sunset when hurling hope from the
surf. I tend to prefer tides ..water volume...darkness etc and in
combination is super. My day of surfcasting was contemplated last
night and Rugby's beach walk would come first today...630am!
BUDDIES!!
Although
it made for a bright day of fishing.....the tide was not high until 11
am. Nine o'clock would be plenty early enough on a day in August that
I predicted to be a sun tan day and not a foam feeding folly.
I could see the birds from my house as we walked to the beach.
I resorted to tugging my poor bulldog to get a clear view of the
event. The dune crest exposed it before my eyes..a bluefish FRENZY!
Visible fish can juice you up faster than an electric shock. There
were schools everywhere and easily within casting distance from my
beloved sand setting. My idle pulse rate spiked to god knows where in
a sec. I was JUICED.
As I dragged my poor faithful companion back to the house, I
didn't have the time to "explain " why our walk was about 40 ft up and
back!!!! I explained it to him later that night.
I swept up my tackle box and 9ft lamiglass as I sprinted back out
the door. I ran to the beach....I run when I am very excited....it
makes me even more excited. I thrive on the adventure of it all.
Exhaustion amplifies the fury of a FRENZY.
Blue and white atom popper. That's my ticket for this savagery.
They can beat the hell out of it and I don't care. My Gibbs are to
precious to me. First cast was actually to far ...That's how close
the school was to the beach. I dragged it as fast as I could to bring
it through the chopping circle. Nothing. I reeled back in and took a
breath so as to fish withmore control amidst a lot of chaos! The next
cast was flip of the wrist and it bulls eyed the mark. The plug
hitting the
water and the fish biting was simultaneous. Most bluefish Frenzies
are.
.......they
were going nuts !!!!
Now that I had this school right where it was fishable for me I
proceeded to rack up 10-12 lbers one after another. Land it...needle
nose the hooks out..and throw it back. It was great fun. I said to
myself. I will do this until the school isn't worth chasing any longer
or it goes out to sea ....Or when I catch 20 of these battlers. Yup I
said 20!
Others had come down to pick their dinner from the school and
went home with big smiles and nice bluefish....I ran after the
school. I like to fish......not the FISH. I was trying for the 15th
fish ... that's no fib!!. The school was all mine as the last two guys
were casting quite a ways from me now. At this point I was yanking
the now destroyed atom, as fast as possible to make the strikes even
cooler. I pulled it to the crest of a wave and ol mr. chopper hurled
himself out of the wave and extended completely toward the
plug....and missed it. Another fish missed also!.....but 100ft from
shore, this fish was not expected...or welcomed by humans or the
bluefish that IT was FRENZYING on!
I have landed many sharks. Combining that with a never ending
respect and curiosity for these great fish.......made me absolutely
sure that the 5 foot, white bellied demon, I just saw roll in 7 feet of
water ....was a MAKO.!
I felt the color drain from my face and looked around to see if
anyone else had seen it. Apparently not. Take 5 seconds to guess what
I did next....1 2 3 4 5 ....Your right! I cast out again...hooked a
bluefish and made it struggle to attract the mako . Nothing
doing. Even when I pulled the bluefish away from the school and
exposed it in the open water. The mako did not strike it. Landing
that 15th bluefish was enough for me. The school peeled away and my
quivering slowly ceased. This ended around 8 ish in the morn. I
dwelled on it as I still saw many schools crashing the peanut bunker
, but off shore now.
The red suits are very obvious on a public beach. The life
guards were arriving at Humarock ...... One of the town of Scituates
lovely beaches. It was going to be a sunny day. Do I act like the
mayor of that JAWS town and go down and possibly ruin a beach day??
What finally convinced me as I approached the squad of lifeguards
was how young they appeared. Would a dash of reality this strong be
something they can handle?...Because let me tell you
something!!.Bluefish are the filet mignon for mako shark...and a
school of them for one or more makos is very dangerous for all living
things in proximity of that.
"see those diving birds and splashing fish?".....off course
we
do...they are bluefish. "your right and I just caught a bunch of
them...but the reason for my being here is that there are many schools
and in the one I was chasing up and down the beach .....was more than
just bluefish!!" There is at least one mako shark dining on the
bluefish." I explained to them...." normally I truly believe many
things living in harmony in the ocean ......I'm sure there are sharks
near the beach a lot and nothing has ever happened! But this is not
natural culling..... This is a FRENZY.....where everything is either
attempting to bite or flight...or in the bluefish case..... BOTH.
Their gaping jaws didn't deliver any words to me after my
testimony. Finally one of them said we will call the town hall and
tell them. My comment was.."whatever you feel is the best
thing."
..........News spreads fast..That day the beach was packed........maybe the water was
extra cold, because no one was in the water, cept to cover their toes.
Well maybe that wasnt the reason!!
Beaches are where the oceans become shallow enough for man to
enjoy. But it remains part of the ocean.......and in the
ocean.....there are untold coincidences and moments and micro seconds
of incredibleness. That's why I surf cast. For a chance to walk the
oceans edge.........."there is a lot to see if you are there to see
it"..........become privy to it all........become a
surfcaster.......Striper Mike
.............GOD
BLESS AMERICAHello striper mike,
I've been reading your web pages and it has been very informative and so I thank you. I'm a freshwater fisherman and I have decided that I can't live without trying striper fishing I've been gathering bits of info here and there and still I am not sure what the heck I'm doing. I have decided to try my luck at plum island because I decided that my 14' starcraft with it's twenty horse power motor may not fair to well in the Merrimack river at the mouth. I would be grateful if you could give me some advice as to what size rod and reels I should get, although I bought a 9' rod and reel striper combo pack from south bend it's not the best reel I would imagine but I'm hopeful. should I be surf fishing or should I be doing something else. I was told to drift frozen herring there because of the herring run, should I use other baits as well Also when surf fishing do you use weights to hold the line in the water.
thank you for any advice
John
Hi john.
im glad you like the site so much.....I appreciate you going there....herring is good bait...frozen is not....but it keeps it on the hook......the reel and line are most important...a big striper will strain the hell out of lesser reels...penn704 will hold its own....use pyramid sinkers and a slip weight set up when surf casting..ask you local shops to show you the rig...check the old editions...there are many tips you can use for your surf casting ventures....best of luck and please practice catch and release.......
Striper Mike
Hi Mike,
I've got a simple question. Typically I fish with a light drag, but the bail closed. I've been told I should leave the bail open or flip my lever on the reel and let the tide and surf take some line with the bail closed. They say, when a Stripper hits he would not feel the weight of the drag being pulled. At times I leave my pole in a holder and surf cast the Hampton area which has good surf and water movement, so it does take some line if I don't have the bail closed. What is the right thing to do?
Regards
Rick
Hi there Rick
.leaving your rod in the holder causes you to miss manyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy bites...many striper bite softly and let it go before you even react or notice it...........hold the rod..................if you must put it in .............soft drag and be ready to grab it. Remember most stripers will spit that bait before you can set the hook............yes they will hook them selves but stripers are not bluefish and can be very cautious feeders.....your big ones have probably come and gone while you walk around.......experience fishing hold the rod..........don't just stare at it! Good luck.
.Striper mike
Hi Mike,
My name is Dennis Cole (age 47) from Halifax Ma., surf fishing the Plymouth Beach. I found a very nice secluded fishing cove of a saltwater river mouth, and found out the best striper fishing is there..................I stumble onto it by accident walking and trying to look for a good fishing spot after trying to fish the wide open ocean from the surf with little luck. Which leads me to believe that many stripers do go to the saltwater coves to feed at the river mouths. I'm a believer because I actually saw another person land 5 stripers in a row in less than a half hour. I am partially, but permanently disabled with a very bad spine, so walking can be a challenge sometimes, but fishing gives me an outside outlook on life which even if I don't catch anything, it's nice to be at the ocean, many time I cannot stand for long periods of time, so I have a folding chair when I tire easily. Way back when I was in my younger days, I use to be a freshwater fisher man, but this year I change to saltwater for the salt air, the sounds of the ocean, watch ships pass by, see sunrises, see many sea birds, so I can't wait for the weekend to come to go fishing again. June 3 is my birthday again, and I plan to go "Fishing" saltwater. My question is when night fishing they say not to light any lanterns because it will scare the fish away, I can believe that. I use a very small hunters red light for light when night fishing, but why do stores try and sell you bobbers that light up? If you have a lighted device on your line you would think that this also would scare the fish away, right? You would think all you would attract are eels. So what's the sense in putting a lighted bobber in hoping you can see your line at night if light will scare the fish away?
Please advise, thanks,
Dennis.
Hi Dennis
.in my opinion , the only effective light fishing has been walleye in fresh water with a lantern over the side of the boat and tuna fishing with a glow stick on the line way down deep.........I NEVER USE ANY LIGHT..........when I am at the fishing spot. if you need it to get to you fav spot by all means......and of course some people use light on the beach to fish...I just don't prefer it and I feel strongly that it affects the big cows from coming in to where we want them...........but to each his own and may you have a great season.
stay in touch
Mike
Herb-Baked Striper
1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs...1/4teaspoon dried whole oregano...1/4teaspoon anise seeds...1/8teaspoon salt...1/8teaspoon pepper...1/2teaspoon vegetable oil...1 1/2teaspoons fresh lemon juice...2 striper fillets...vegetable cooking spray...lemon wedges
Combine first 6 ingredients in a shallow bowl, toss well...sprinkle lemon juice evenly over fillets...dredge fillets in breadcrumb mixture...Place fillets on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray...Bake 400 for 18 minutes or until fish flakes easily and breadcrumbs are lightly browned.
..................you know.....somehow I just cant see professional fireman making HERB Striper...but im sure many readers will love it.......
the yr 2002 40" striper for the Dorchester Fire Dept in Boston....4th yr I have done this....Modern day heroes need good food and they have appreciated all of these big fish. Maybe they will try one of these recipes next year when appreciating the oceans bounty.
|
STRIPED BASS: LENGTH - AGE- WEIGHTS |
||||||||||||||
|
Lth |
Age |
Max |
Avg |
Min |
Lth |
Age |
Max |
Avg |
Min |
Lth |
Age |
Max |
Avg |
Min |
|
23 |
4 |
7.5 |
6.3 |
5.0 |
34 |
9 |
19.0 |
16.5 |
14.0 |
45 |
15 |
41.0 |
36.0 |
30.5 |
|
24 |
5 |
8.3 |
7.0 |
6.0 |
35 |
10 |
20.5 |
18.0 |
15.5 |
46 |
16 |
44.0 |
38.7 |
32.5 |
|
25 |
5 |
8.8 |
7.8 |
6.3 |
36 |
10 |
22.0 |
19.5 |
16.8 |
47 |
16 |
47.5 |
42.0 |
35.0 |
|
26 |
6 |
10.0 |
8.5 |
7.0 |
37 |
11 |
23.5 |
20.7 |
17.5 |
48 |
17 |
51.0 |
44.0 |
37.0 |
|
27 |
6 |
11.0 |
9.8 |
8.0 |
38 |
12 |
25.5 |
22.0 |
19.0 |
49 |
17 |
54.0 |
47.0 |
39.0 |
|
28 |
6 |
12.0 |
10.3 |
8.8 |
39 |
12 |
27.2 |
24.5 |
20.7 |
50 |
18 |
58.0 |
50.0 |
42.0 |
|
29 |
7 |
12.9 |
11.0 |
9.7 |
40 |
13 |
29.5 |
26.0 |
22.0 |
51 |
18 |
62.0 |
55.0 |
45.0 |
|
30 |
7 |
14.0 |
12.3 |
10.3 |
41 |
13 |
31.0 |
27.3 |
23.0 |
52 |
19 |
65.0 |
58.0 |
47.0 |
|
31 |
8 |
15.0 |
13.0 |
11.0 |
42 |
14 |
33.5 |
29.7 |
25.0 |
53 |
19 |
68.0 |
60.0 |
49.0 |
|
32 |
8 |
16.7 |
14.5 |
12.0 |
43 |
14 |
36.3 |
32.0 |
27.0 |
54 |
20 |
73.0 |
64.0 |
52.0 |
|
33 |
9 |
17.8 |
15.8 |
13.0 |
44 |
15 |
39.0 |
34.0 |
29.0 |
55 |
20 |
80.0 |
70.0 |
56.0 |
PLEASE NOTE THE AGE OF THE BIG ONES, THEY ARE THE PROVEN BREEDERS, LET THEM GO.
Three cheers for victor Burch..........a sturdy 10 yr old that caught a beauty!!!!
and THREE more cheers for George Crownshaw and the 36" July striper that he released to fight again............and hopefully turn into a future breeder. George is from conn. and they have a slot limit..I personally like the regulation.
to all of you who caught and enjoyed or released your nice June stripers.............I hope you remain impressed with our great American game fish................THE STRIPER
Striper mike,
Just wanted to say that you have a fantastic web site. My friends and I have fished the surf at Padre Island National Seashore in Texas for 20 years. I am forwarding some photos of some huge sharks we catch from the beach. Your philosophy has long been ours--LIVE LIFE.
Scott Nelson
hey Scott.
I'm putting some of your insanity in the next edition....hope you like it...I have to get down there with you nuts...that's my style of adventure..........ye hawwwwwww.....that shark stuff is to coolllllllll....I would love to try that. Sometimes brown sharks come in close......buddy got 6 footer........but yes I live it on the edge...............and so do the tough guys in Texas......good for you...........Striper Mike
Striper Mike,
Thanks for the kind words. I spent one afternoon reading each of your fantastic "Angling Lore" stories. You should make them into a book. I especially like the ones about helping kids catch their first bluefish or striper. I had an enormous shark destroy my 130# class tackle on June 8. Man, it was crazy. I will forward the abbreviated story from the Houston Chronicle.
Best regards.
Scott Nelson
Like I always said.............surf fisherman are the wild bunch!!!!!!!!
They are not as abundant anymore.........please let big breeders like this one go....it is a great way to feel good and a picture lasts forever....this 40" cow swam away with ease...
........that is 1623 the settlers at Plymouth mass sustained themselves through the whole summer on stripers............that were caught just in ONE NET!!!! In fact Capt John Smith said in 1631 that "a thousand bass were taken with the single draw of their nets!! In 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Colony forbade its valuable resource of striped bass to be used for fertilizer even though it was so plentiful. Much of the survival of the pilgrims in those early days was surely due to the catch ability and abundance of our Beloved striper....I still think it should be our National Fish
for the next few editions I am going to dwell on lures and plugs etc....and how you should and can use them.......this month. lets talk about the traditional popper since we are focused on bluefish with the frenzy story. The popper is made in various shapes and sizes from half ounce versions to 3 ounce versions...they come in wood and synthetic. Most anglers only see the popper as being effective when thrashed through the water with a huge amount of commotion. and usually they are right. Don't hesitate to slow the retrieve down on calm days....even poppers can give you a nice swim pattern if retrieved slowly......and sometimes that is just how Mr. Linesider wants it.!! The bluefish really like the big splashing but a big striper needs alittle more time to contemplate his strike and slowing it down can give him that time period to make his decision. One other note. I have NEVER hooked up with a popper at night....so I do not suggest this plug in the dark. My favorite poppers are made by Gibbs and atom.......find your favorites and watch the thrill of a surface strike.......Poppers Works!!
.....as soon as there was light, this one fell to an atom popper.
................
Got a fishing tale?
copywrite-Stripermike
WATER PAINTING
Fleeting impressions on shadowed sand............
Mountain peeks,
Castle towers,
Skyscrapers,
yield to a receding tide.........then reappear.