Angling Lore by Striper Mike
 
AUGUST/SEPT
 
 
 
---Wherever they are found, surf fisherman stand out from the great mass of everyday pleasure anglers.  Like the cowboys of the Old West, they are a breed of men apart!

      there is an
ultimate fishing hole in our area....Stellwagen Bank.  Every year the possibly endangered, giant blue fin tuna, takes up a temporary residence here and it is a mere hop skip and a jump from our beach.This year the concentration of BLUE FIN TUNA was more than most years.So with that scenario goes a couple of things....1. How could they possibly be endangered when that plentiful???? So conscience is left  behind. "What you see is not always what you get" and 2. The sushi market in Japan has all the "Lets make a quick buck" kind of guys plugging the holes in the old boat and giving it a try!!! I have been on the positive side of landing 6 giants...from 728 lb....to a tiny set of 300lbers. Not just positive because the fish were boated, but because no one got hurt doing it. Giants are concentrated fury with unimaginable power and speed. Our reflexes do not fare well against them in close proximity.....like on the side of your boat! They will peel the cleats from the back of a shabby and small vessel. The transom may follow. Even with the master of rod and reel blue fin angling...Greg Beecher...the moments next to the boat were anxious and dangerous......To conclude I would like to quote from David Bryne of the group The Talking Heads......"Watch out, you might get what your after." Please think with your head and not your wallet so that you do not add your boat and person to the list of already sunken fools.......
 .............and so......

 

 Now We Got Him



     Giant Blue fin Tuna fishing can kick your ass, and drive your sense
good judgment into a weakened state. Not so much for the fear of economic
loss if the tuna gets away, but because when you fight big tuna.......it
becomes personal!....mano y mano....a primitive vein of ancient ancestors
comes out. The will to win.

"It's like hooking up to a car doing 50 miles an hour.  Marlin and sailfish are spectacular.  But they wear themselves out with all their jumps.  Giant bluefin have more power and stamina than anything else."

Jack Cashman.....one of the worlds great rod and reel giant fisherman

    Giants can retract their dorsal and pectoral fins into slots to reduce drag. And some scientists think the series of “finlets” on their tails may even serve to reduce water turbulence.

Bluefins attain their enormous size by gorging themselves almost constantly on smaller fish, crustaceans, squid, and eels. They will also filter-feed on zooplankton and other small organisms and have even been observed eating kelp. The largest tuna ever recorded was an Atlantic bluefin caught off Nova Scotia that weighed 1,496 pounds (679 kilograms).


     While on a three day tear for giants, we had caught one small 325
LB...returned it to the dock ..were compensated, grabbed some sleep and headed back out to where trolling was the key.
     If you ever witness a 500+ LB bluefin crashing a squidder bar, you will
be in the same boat as me......blessed! It happens as if things were really
smaller than they are. Maybe more like trolling a rapala for trout.....but
this is not any trout. I was in the tuna tower when I saw it. I know some
appropriate medical tests for heart failure would prove out that mine stopped for a bit, that very moment. Our reactions were quick and purposeful. The fish was locked...rod manned...boat in gear. I fought the fish. I realize as the process continued, just how weak we really are compared to this incredible swimming behemoth. Without the gearing of these fluid reels and powerful rods. Without the big, twin screws 36' vessel. Without the harpoons and gaffs and ropes and on and on. Without all those things, if left to bare fist it with this creature that we DARE to challenge, we would be cast aside like a piece of seaweed and left to swirl in the current of its tail.
     The diesel smell brought me back to the reality of all those devices
here for our benefit ...and so we used them. I fell into the flow of the
fight as quick as I ever had and I can say that I used that 130 as
efficiently as I ever did...rarely did that fish gain an inch on me without
me taking it back on its first pause. Twenty minutes had it boat side. We
made it look easy.........until the miss.
     As the Capt. maneuvered the boat the mate went back to stick the fish
with the harpoon, followed by the traditional gaffs and tailropes. I was
completely composed. Unfortunately that came out to mean the same as relaxed!
     When the fish was in perfect range after doing the "circle of death dance"..he tossed the harpoon and MISSED. The blade scored the monsters back and the fish rocketed from the side of the boat to an instantaneous 50 mph dash....with me still connected to it, relaxed. The straps held. Because he reared me in the seat like a jockey on a horse. Without the belts I would have easily soared 50 ft out into the sea. The fight was renewed and the additional 30 minutes put a good hurting on me. The final attempt at freedom was a blue fin sounding and the gear whined like a violin at the back of the boat ......straight down. I had the drag up as high as I felt comfortable but raising the fish seemed impossible. Little by little. Half Cranks. Finally... Color. At this point the assignments changed. The still furious Capt. told the mate to take the helm and he manned the harpoon. At this junction we enter that phase of giant fishing that I had spoke about... Mano Y Mano....The will to win. My quad muscles showed the power I put behind raising this fish into harpoon range. But the fish knew what would happen if it got closer. Its determination to stay down was mind boggling and back breaking.
     The Capt. was becoming anxious but he knew how sincere my effort was
and was willing to let me make the moves. Suddenly........it just
overwhelmed him. The fish was approximately 5 feet under the water. The
Capt. leaped off the back of the boat, with the harpoon in both hands over
his head and as I saw him begin to enter the water, he thrust
the harpoon downward with all his might and from my view in the fighting
chair...he was gone! The harpoon line whistled off the deck and amidst all
this incredible fury, I heard a line I will never forget.........Head above
water, the Capt. said...Now We Got Him....and we did....560lb. Believe it
.....or not!

Striper Mike

tuna.jpg (14231 bytes)

....this photo was a 728 lber!

NICE JOB BUTCH!


 

 

 


Did You Know?

In January 2001, a prime, 444-pound (201-kilogram) bluefin tuna sold in a Japanese fish market for $173,600 (¥20.2 million), a world record.

 




 

 

Ask Striper Mike

"Hi Striper Mike,

Just "hooked" onto your web site. I'm reading a lot about catching
but nothing about eating. After searching through some old favorite
cookbooks, alas I'm still without a tasty recipe for striped bass.
I know your motto is catch and release but haven't you ever yearned
for a morsel?
P.S. nothing fried (I'm trying to preserve my figure)
signed,
Fishing for flavor
"

Well Ms Fishing For Flavor,
thank you so much for the email....In fact I do eat and love striped bass. I only keep the occasional small keeper..28"-32"...their sex is male or female at that point and even if it happens to be a female, she has yet to prove herself as a worthy breeder when that size....The big cows have a proven breeding record, hence they usually pose with me and return to the ocean. Now for your recipe...I will give one I use...It is a little strong on the garlic side, but its a "guy" recipe. But HELP from all you Humarock ladies or men with good recipes could make the site even more civically bound....So please email me with any Striped bass recipes and I will post them for all of us to try...Maybe even a prize for the one that Striper Mikes likes the best???.....None the less, Here is my striped bass feast...

GRILLED STRIPER
Make a marinade of olive oil...lemon juice...6 cloves of crushed garlic...and a good pinch of cilantro......let striper filets sit in this for at least an hour......Cook fish filets for at least 7 minutes on the BBQ...I put aluminum foil underneath with a Pam spray on it....pour some of the marinade on it as it cooks....when served, put some Medium Salsa on top and enjoy!!!!!!!!

Striper "Emeril" Mike

 

In response to my request for striper recipes, Julia Burke, sent in this one:

Golden Brown Striper

Striper fillets
1 tab. cooking sherry
1 tab. vinegar
1 cup flour
1 egg
. 5 cup water
1 teas salt
peanut oil for cooking

Cut fish into 1-2 inch pieces. Marinate in sherry and vinegar for 2 hours.
Make a batter of flour,egg,water,and salt. Drain fish and dip pieces in the batter. Deep fry in hot oil until GOLDEN BROWN.
Dip into favorite condiments.

 

 

Low Tide Ladies-...these fishing females frequent Beadles Rock at low
tide....and with great success....they are very competent and release almost
all of their good catches....Surfcasting Ladies!!!!!! You go Mary Lou....... every Surfcasting Man's
dream.......!

Special hi to the KEEPERS OF THE BEACH....these are people that walk daily and clean up along the way...Thank you and hi to the lovely couple that has a nice dog and carries bags to put litter in...every day......and thank you to the CLARKS for waving every day and picking up litter for years....and a big thanks to Richard M. on Hawthorne Street for organizing and understanding the need for our yearly beach cleanup in July. I love how we all take on certain roles to preserve paradise. Here are some basic approaches...Don't Litter, and please pick up what the high tide leaves and what careless people leave (plastics especially)....Smile at all Sunrises.....wave and say good morning to all beach passer-bys,we are all one big family....don't let your unleashed dogs pee on my bait bucket!!! (those darn male dogs.) .....keep your eye open for ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL ROCK....and off course remaining alert for the possible discovery of Mermaid Tears........What are mermaid tears??.....they are a surfcaster's definition of Sea Glass.....the remains of the mermaids sorrow about not being able to come ashore....Cool right?....Chris , at the Humming Rock Gift Shop, has beautiful "Mermaid Tears" jewelry.....check it out.

 

Tips..... fishing with eels is one of the most notorious means to a BIG cow. But use 16-18 inch ones...try to have them blackish and not silverish......and
beware of the "eel wrap"....an email will tell you what that is.....or for many of us...experience defines the term

 

$2 inch Striped Bass

EEL BASS DAY AND NIGHT

 

Moments:


ADVENTURE

I am lustful for adventure,
...have been...will be!
Time is going faster while aging,
.....to fast!
........much to fast!
Novembers hands ......freeze mine.
And as the darkness pulls at the naturalness of sleep
I inhale the zest of the adventure
and
reaffirm the need to LIVE LIFE,
......not just be alive.

November 2, 1998..........Striper Mike

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