Spey Pages banner

Scouting the early spots

2K views 12 replies 4 participants last post by  Tom.B 
#1 ·
This morning was perfect. I saw an osprey fly past my window with a herring in his clutches and took it as a good omen. The tide was ebbing, the air was still, and there was no competition for a good spot to cast. The only things missing were the first scouts of the striper migration. Ninety minutes of casting practice didn't hurt. They are just a few days away and I am ready.

379915


The lobstermen are stuck in the harbor until the north Atlantic right whales move on following the burst of zooplankton as it pops in the Gulf of Maine. Their boats where lined up seeming to watch me as I cast.

After a winter of isolation, Spring is arriving in a nick of time.
 
See less See more
1
#4 ·
They are all ready to go. Traps were being loaded on some of the boats. The season was set to open on May 1 but there are lots of whales in Cape Cod Bay so the State delayed the opening for two weeks. It could happen again if the whales don't move on. I'm down to my last two bugs in the freezer and am looking forward to some fresh ones.
 
#5 ·
There are credible reports of schoolies all the way up to Cape Ann so you don't have long to wait. People are catching in Boston Harbor particularly up the tidal creeks, I just can't seem to find them in our local creeks yet. I need to think like that osprey and I will find fish were there are herring.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Hey thanks for following up on this @Tom.B - I have to admit that the following report will have a single hand rod involved, but I figure that's okay. After I dropped my 3 year old at his pre-school I stopped on the way home to check a new-to-me spot in Casco Bay.

I hooked a decent schoolie after about 20 mins but out of the corner of my eye caught some commotion further out. Looked like a larger bass feeding solo. I slowly waded as far as I could without getting stuck in the mud and kept casting toward where I'd seen the fish. A few minutes later I was into a heavy fish and after a nice battle I had it ashore, and released. Just under 30" which is a best for me from shore and a fabulous way to start the season.

Coolest part is that it ate a Ramon Salmon Killer tied by Jay Nicholas a fly he uses for west coast Chinook from his pram. Cool to see it do double duty on the other end of the country.

This week I'll be hitting this spot again, but taking an ACR Sage RPL 8100-3 conversion switch rod with a Beulah 300 grain Serum line. Feels like this 2 hander will be a great stick for covering cruisers with fewer backcasts. I'll let you know how it goes.

380662

380663
 
#13 ·
Yes, the game is in full swing. June is a good month here. Our salt pond has played its usual role as a Motel 6 for fish migrating north and is now a residence for the local summer crowd of schoolies and the occasional 30" fish. Great fun to be out there with my spey or switch rods. One of my friends got into a good bite this morning so I will have a whack at it tomorrow morning to see if he left any players.

Right now, the best action has been ginned up by a succession of offshore tropical storms which create a nice swell on our coastal rocks. Timing is everything in that game. Dropping a fly at the top of a wave breaking against the rock and double hand stripping like mad through the turbulence can bring savage grabs. If you are a little late, you can frequently see followers who might knock your fly about some but rarely grab it. All of this rock and roll and pin point casting while trying not to find your boat in a trough surfing toward those very rocks. I got in that situation a few years ago and figured it was better to make longer casts than to try to get too close. I use my ancient T&T single hander with a Commando head and sink tip to get the distance I need.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top