So yes, "The big one that got away". I'll tell that story first. Well, maybe I'll go in order. On the water by 7 am with an annoying SSW wind that just created bumpy water everywhere I went. The old boat bus
stop didn't have any customers this morning probably because I was there on the end of the outgoing and start of the incoming so I made my way back inside. By then the wind had died down a bit and it looked like it would be a perfect day. The terns were diving on sand eels schools that were being flushed out and across the bar with the tide, and there were bass there patrolling the area. I stopped and
found a crab shell and compared it to the Flexo Crab I had tied on. But then I said to myself, "If they're eating sand eels why throw a crab?". So I went into my box and found the smallest flies I had. It was
fun to watch the sand eels get sprayed when some bass would run through the school. I made a cast into the deeper water where there was some surface activity and landed the below mackerel. I had tied some
up yesterday and probably should have tied one and thrown it out there, or at least live lined the one above. I started seeing fish so I decided to keep and accurate count for the day. By days end around 1230 I had seen 48 bass. Most were singles. The largest group this week was six, and two triples.
The sun was doing it's thing although it was still low and to my left. I moved my neck so many times with my $4.61 Walmart Ozark polarized glasses my spinal column could have used some oil. But I was
keeping at it and really enjoying the hunt. When the sun is low, or there's little sun, or ripples on the water, it's hard to spot fish. Normally you look for the shadows moving along the bottom. That's why mating horseshoe crabs can be so annoying because at times you wind up leading them with a crab fly.
So after yesterday's skunk I tried to figure out what gives. I went down to 12 pound flouro tippet to see if that was a game changer. While I walked the flat I started to see more fish on the incoming. And I saw more fish than shadows, so most of the time it was too late to make a proper cast. I did make some good casts to fish and had them stop and look before moving on.
With the wind picking up, the tide rolling in, and me getting chased back closer to the beach I was about to call it quits. Then I saw the tail, and the fish, and his two buddies. They're 30 inch plus fish moving right to left. I made two false casts before coming up short and to their left on the inside. Don't you know they reacted to the plop which they thought could have been a crab dropping from the sky dropped by a gull. The three came and looked, and the biggest, probably 35 inches ate. It was off to the races, like pulling hard and going into the deeper water. While line peeling I gently reached over with my left hand to tighten the drag. I gave it some pressure as to turn it and....bink....it broke off. I now know I should have got rid of the 12 pound and went with the 16. Oh well, it was fun in failure.
I had an evening into the night plan but that got changed up a bit. I stopped on my way home at "Senge" and walked the flat on the incoming tide. I didn't see anything as I walked around the bowl
the pond forms. Even though I was on this side of the island the wind lets itself be known here as well. I could see that when I turned to walk back to my truck before heading to the ranch. Once there it was a
much needed 2-1/2 hour cat nap resting up for the evening. I stopped for a coffee and a healthy protein rich snack to get me through. Just so you know those vittles will last me two days. I drove to check out
the Gay Head Lighthouse. The area surrounding this high point used to be called Gay Head, Gay Head Light, Gay Head beach, and just Gay Head. In 1998 the town voted to change the name from Gay Head
to Aquinnah named after the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe that calls this part of the island home. I had thought it was done because it might be offensive to people. So maybe things have been cancelled or renamed so it wouldn't surprise me. As I looked around I looked at the south side and liked what I saw.
Big boulder and rock fields that I'm sure hold bait and bass when the tide is right. So I came up with a new plan that included hitting this later. To start off I'd hit Lobsterville where I would surely join other anglers
for the evening into night sand eel bite. As I pulled out of the lot I just had to stop and take this photo. How funny is that? A pay phone with the Yellow Pages binder still hanging off the bottom. When I
pulled up I was the only one there, and no one joined me. The sunset was pretty and the water flat. Terns were diving on the sand bar as the sand eels moved across. I stayed for two hours and didn't see a crab fart. This just strengthens by distain for L-ville, even though everyone I know who's fished it says this
is a great spot. If I never went back there I'd be good with that. I went to the inlet and gave that a go but after two hickory shad in four casts I had had enough. So then it was off to the south side. The waxing crescent moon was overhead and the beam of light from the lighthouse kept things just
visible enough. I threw some topwater and then a large black fly I found in my truck with no takers. I didn't stick it out for more of the incoming but that was okay, an hour there did me fine. I started to make my
back home and made a stopped at Menemsha. The WSW wind had picked up and there was slop and chop everywhere. It wasn't the conditions I was looking for. I wanted to see the swirls and splashes and hearing the gulps of bass, and not hickory shad, as they ate clouds of sand eels. I called it quits.
When I got back some guys were watching the last minutes of the Celtics-Mavericks NBA Championship game which the Celtics won and are now up 3-0. Before heading to bed I looked at the weather
forecast for tomorrow. Not bad wind but then the clouds come by midday. I just can't win this week.
