Salty (or is it Mr.
Bugger?),
10/23/05
I pull into the lot at the top
or the hill and wait for my buddy to arrive. I chill to WBRU for
15 min., but no Jay. Oh well, he knows where I'll be. Grab my
rods, plugs and korkers and head down the winding road to Watch
Hill light. Two guys headed the opposite direction- 'nothing
going on' I think to myself as we pass without a word exchanged.
No matter-this is my time to fish, so I stride on.
I'm sitting on the concrete
wall strapping on my korkers when a gentleman approaches on his
way out. "Not much happening. Guys said they had a couple rats
earlier, but that's it." He heads off to his fourth stop of the
young day, and I climb down onto the rip-rap and head around the
point. It's 4:30 AM.
One guy fishing the SE
corner. That's fine. I want the SW corner. The surf from
Saturday's ENE wind will be spilling over the rocks in front of
the light, and the bass, as they often do here under such
conditions, will be patrolling the white water just beyond the
pointed rock on the SW corner.
A little further into the
darkness and I'm at the SW corner. Score-no one here! Just one
guy 75' to the north. Plenty of room for me to slide into the
honey hole. I clip a plug onto my Breakaway clip (try them, they
seem to work great)! and fire into the strike zone. Good- no
weeds. Ten or so casts later I swing my plug in, flip on my light
and give it the once over. Looks good. Light off. What's this?
The eyes are glowing. Cool! I heave it out again. One crank,
two cranks, three cranks... a few more cranks- WHAMMO!
Some head shaking. Some
strong bull dogging. A short run here. Some more bull dogging
followed by another short run. I'm really laying into the fish
with my heavy 10-6 with fresh 20 lb. Suffix mono (great line!- try
it) on my Shimano. Maybe I should back the drag off a little,
just in case the line's chafed a rock. A few minutes pass, and I
steer her around some rocks.
'Careful now, she's getting close'
I think to myself. I switch my light on to find her-whoa-good
fish. I grab the leader and lift her head-she's well hooked so I
take a double wrap of the leader around my gloved hand and hoist
away. 'Good fish indeed' I'm thinking as I climb up to the base
of the wall.
My plug's been engulfed. The
siwash is beneath her tongue and the forward VMC is securely
lodged in her upper lip. Back hook's out (it's always easier when
you can just stick your hand in there)- now for the front. Got
it. Wow! 'I should measure this thing'. I lay my rod along her
dorsal side, align the butt cap with the fork of the tail. Now I
check my tape marks. Way past the 30" mark- she's up to my second
mark! I grab her by the lip and climb down to the water-a wave
rolls in-and I slide her in head first. She's on her way.
Forty inches! My biggest
striper, shore or boat, to date, and hooked after fishing
for less than 20 minutes in a spot already hammered by other
anglers. The secret weapon? A brand new (fewer than 20 casts!)
2.5 oz. black and purple Salty's Wood Lures needlefish, with
glowing eyes!
Thanks for making my week!
Jon
Another Angler writes of a
trip to Block Island:
"Sorry I totally forgot the camera I was late for the ferry and I
left it sitting on my front seat in the parking lot.
Here is the whole story:
I went over for the night to fish with a couple of friends, they
told me Tuesday Morning that they have been getting teen sized
fish (pounds) so I said fine still fun maybe I can go to some of
my spots they don't know and show them and there are usually
bigger fish there at times.
I hit the 3 o'clock ferry and got on the Island at 4pm, we hung
out talked fishing and headed out for the dusk bite, we went to
#### the place was dead I got one Blue fish probably 3 pounds then
nothing. After we went to #### and fished till full dark and
nothing there at this point I am like this always happens to me.
the sea was down and wind changed.
back to the base and we had dinner and planned the night, it would
be high tide 11 or 12 mid night so we went to #### and first cast
I had a fish on and I reeled in and it was weeds? weeds don't
shake? it got off? well few more cast nothin so I moved next cast
20 pound fish released and after 3 casts it happened the hugest
hit ever and then the run and run and run I was like oh !^@#%!.
tighten the drag still run tighten more then it stopped I slowly
pumped it in and after 2 more smaller runs I landed it 43 inches
32 pounds I let it go I wasn't going to carry it up a 75 foot
bluff like that 44 pounder. well that was my personal best to
date. as the tide dropped I had a couple of more come off and
another 2 15 pound fish landed. 3 hours down (2am) from High we
went to #### nothing there I had a bout 20 grabs and 3 hooked and
let go but either small bass or maybe small blues. so we left.
they were calling it #### but my map says differently. any way I
did good there and landed 4 that were 28 to 32 inches and 3 that
came off. Island fish fight like hell and know how to use the
rocks. now it was 6 am and we were tired and wet. so we called it
a good trip and went back. I tell you I am so glad I had that
Salty Bugger Electric Chartruce needle fish because it out fished
the other 2 guys and one that usually out fishes me got skunked. I
just wish I brought more so I could have shared. I slept for 2
hours and jumped on the ferry at 11:45am well worth the trip and
the money. 7 keepers 28 to 32 1 cow 43 inches and a small Blue
fish"
All on Salty's
needlefish!