After a total skunking yesterday, a morning where I watched fish swim by, and cursorily look at my lures, I was bound and determined to catch at least 2 stripers this morning to get the season total to 300. Since today's tide was even lower than yesterday, when I couldn't get to my very dark starting spot, I had to change my plan of attack, decided to use a Redfin along a productive early flood shoreline. Threw out my first cast and did the classic pre-light Redfin retrieve of SLLOOOWWW, and immediately started to notice something lightly bumping the plug, "Was it a bass??" Took a quick half turn on the reel handle and BAM, fish on!! That didn't last long as within a second or two, the fish was gone. I immediately panicked, FIRST CAST CURSE!!
Turns out it looked like I was correct, as while it was dark, my Redfin was continually getting bumped, but none of my gyrations would elicit another hit. I was getting madder by the moment. Finally got light enough to throw out the Creek Chub and I got an answer to the mystery bumps, along with many other questions that have been bothering me; I snagged a peanut bunker, something I had yet to have seen here this year. So that was my bumping and with the scattered bass feeding on those, the fish's constantly ignoring lures suddenly started to make sense.
Well it was time to hit the primary target, to anchor in the narrow mouth of my favorite cove to ambush any bass trying to enter the cove, which still did not enough water for me to enter. As the water was dead calm flat, the torture continued as I watched fish swimming around, and only occasionally getting one to turn towards my lures. All of those V-wakes dissipated with no strikes. Damn that First Cast Curse!!
Then the rain started, gently at first, but quickly building into a steady torrent which turned the glass like surface of the water into a pretty noisy place. I was hoping that this would be to my advantage, strong enough for me to shake the curse. My optimism suffered an extreme blow, when I hooked up with a decent fish, played it for a good minute or two only for it to spit the hook. OK, let's back off on the drag so this doesn't repeat. Pretty soon I was on again, only to lose a fish for the 3rd time this morning. There I was standing out in the pouring rain with my rain gear on, wondering WTH I was allowing Poseidon and the fish screw with me when I should be home having a nice hot up of coffee. However, the fact that the hard rain had turned the fish into hitting my plug instead of thumbing their noses at it, kept me at task.
Started to whistle "Let It Rain" and BAM, fish on again. I really babied this fish in, didn't want to have a fourth fish dropped this AM, and wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, I landed 2023 Striped Bass #299. Should I just head back to the barn, it really is raining hard??? Nope, Slowhand had decreed that I should continue, and soon I was glad that he did, as 2023 Striper #300 was on the deck, a 23" fish matching the first one caught. Time to go home??? HELL NO!!! Time for #301!!, which showed up a few casts later, another 23" fish.
At that point the rain stopped, along with the reemergence of the disinterested V-wakes. At least my thought that rain can be good, providing enough noise and surface disturbances to drop the fish's guard. Regardless, mission accomplished and it was time for that cup of coffee.
Picture below is #300, highlighting the "Well Aged & Modified Chrome Creek Chub Striper Strike 2500" that I've been using since mid-August. When the factory hooks start to show wear, I replace the front hook with a Berkely Fusion 3X treble, and the tail treble bucktail replaced by a R. A. Skinner Chartreuse Caboose Siwash.
Turns out it looked like I was correct, as while it was dark, my Redfin was continually getting bumped, but none of my gyrations would elicit another hit. I was getting madder by the moment. Finally got light enough to throw out the Creek Chub and I got an answer to the mystery bumps, along with many other questions that have been bothering me; I snagged a peanut bunker, something I had yet to have seen here this year. So that was my bumping and with the scattered bass feeding on those, the fish's constantly ignoring lures suddenly started to make sense.
Well it was time to hit the primary target, to anchor in the narrow mouth of my favorite cove to ambush any bass trying to enter the cove, which still did not enough water for me to enter. As the water was dead calm flat, the torture continued as I watched fish swimming around, and only occasionally getting one to turn towards my lures. All of those V-wakes dissipated with no strikes. Damn that First Cast Curse!!
Then the rain started, gently at first, but quickly building into a steady torrent which turned the glass like surface of the water into a pretty noisy place. I was hoping that this would be to my advantage, strong enough for me to shake the curse. My optimism suffered an extreme blow, when I hooked up with a decent fish, played it for a good minute or two only for it to spit the hook. OK, let's back off on the drag so this doesn't repeat. Pretty soon I was on again, only to lose a fish for the 3rd time this morning. There I was standing out in the pouring rain with my rain gear on, wondering WTH I was allowing Poseidon and the fish screw with me when I should be home having a nice hot up of coffee. However, the fact that the hard rain had turned the fish into hitting my plug instead of thumbing their noses at it, kept me at task.
Started to whistle "Let It Rain" and BAM, fish on again. I really babied this fish in, didn't want to have a fourth fish dropped this AM, and wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, I landed 2023 Striped Bass #299. Should I just head back to the barn, it really is raining hard??? Nope, Slowhand had decreed that I should continue, and soon I was glad that he did, as 2023 Striper #300 was on the deck, a 23" fish matching the first one caught. Time to go home??? HELL NO!!! Time for #301!!, which showed up a few casts later, another 23" fish.
At that point the rain stopped, along with the reemergence of the disinterested V-wakes. At least my thought that rain can be good, providing enough noise and surface disturbances to drop the fish's guard. Regardless, mission accomplished and it was time for that cup of coffee.
Picture below is #300, highlighting the "Well Aged & Modified Chrome Creek Chub Striper Strike 2500" that I've been using since mid-August. When the factory hooks start to show wear, I replace the front hook with a Berkely Fusion 3X treble, and the tail treble bucktail replaced by a R. A. Skinner Chartreuse Caboose Siwash.
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