December 30, 2005

Wouldn't it be Nice?

Now's the time to day dream about the fishing season that was, or the fishing season that's to come, or if your like me, you start to plan how you will feed your addiction over the Winter.

If your local to Massachusetts, then there is a well-known, year-round trout fishery out by the Quabbin Reservoir, at the Swift River. If you take Exit 8 off the Mass Pike, you should be able to find it. I've fished there in January and February and caught trout. These fish are farm raised and quite smart. You can bounce flies an inch from the fish and they will snub you, but persistence will pay off. Hey, picking ice out of the guides is not the best, but it's better than nothing!

So, that's the cheap route. If you want to lay out some cash, then you have many more options within a few hours flight of the Boston area.

Let's start with the obvious, Florida. Yes its got lots of old people and somewhat of an annoying, but shrinking, Spring Break issue, but there is good fishing to be had. The Keys are the most publicized fishing area in Florida, and for good reason. You'll find good fishing from Biscayne Bay to Key West. A good place to start planning your trip is here.

Another good Florida location is Sarasota. Located on Florida's west coast, there are less annoying New Yorker's on the west coast, and good fishing to boot. (Hey, I'm a New Yorker by birth, I know!) Good fishing abounds in the Sarasota area and there are plenty of other activities to keep you or your family busy. Start your planning here.

If you'd like a Flip Pallet type adventure, why not head to the Bahamas. Many people would tell you that Abaco is the place to go, and they would be correct. You can chase Blue Marlin, Dolphin, Yellowfin Tuna, Bonefish and Wahoo. Abaco is a sure cure to the Winter blues!

High on my fishing wish list is a visit to Christmas Island. This island, located 1300 miles south of Hawaii and quite close to Australia and Borneo, is a premier destination for bonefishing. You can also fish for Giant Trevally, another real treat on Christmas Island. Non-fishing activities include world-class scuba diving, whale watching and bird watching.

So there you have it. A few ideas for you to try and make it through the Winter season and perhaps ease the pain of cabin fever....Cheers!

December 17, 2005

Leafing through the winter bookshelf

Frank G. Dwyer
December 17, 2005


Another saltwater season has come and gone for the most part, and what a great season it was! From spring stripers rolling on the flats to an abundance of bluefish carousing in our surf, 2005 was a terrific season for fishing. The late start to the season we experienced due to a brutally long winter led to some terrific fall fishing this year.

As you prepare your gear to be banished to the garage or basement, take comfort in knowing that we will once again feel the tug of the line next spring. In addition, we can also fight may a fish vicariously through the efforts of several fine authors who have taken the time to write the following books that can help you through the upcoming winter.

Readers of this column know I have a certain interest/addiction to the annual Martha's
Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. In Robert Post's Reading The Water, the fishing adventures of many legendary island anglers are recounted, with several of the stories concentrating on derby time. I've read this book too many times to count , and never get tired of it. It was out of print for years, but has recently come back into circulation with a new forward by Henry "Hal" Lyman.

More recently, Ray Ellis and Ed Jerome put out a book entitled Fishing The Vineyard. Ellis is a wonderful artist who has painted many terrific Vineyard scenes. Jerome is a resident of Martha's Vineyard and has been intimately involved with the annual Derby as Chairman for many years. The book has wonderful stories, paintings and photographs celebrating the awesome fishing experience that awaits anglers who visit Martha's Vineyard. The book is readily available on-line and in traditional bookstores.

In
Blues, John Hersey weaves a tale of a stranger and a fisherman who meet on Martha's Vineyard. The stranger accepts an offer to join the fisherman on one of his outings, which leads to a summer of discovery for both the fisherman and stranger. This is another book that can be tough to find, but its seems to be currently available .

On the Run: An Anglers journey Down the Striper Coast, by David DiBenedetto, traces the annual fall migration of the striped bass from Maine to North Carolina. The book is an entertaining read but also educational in that you will learn quite a bit about the striped bass and their history. DiBenedetto is an editor at Field and Stream magazine and writes with a style that stimulates the reader's interest and imagination.

John Waldman's compilation of stories devoted to striped bass,
Stripers, An Angler's Anthology, is a collection of writings from author's who have a certain affinity to the striped bass. Stories by the likes of John Cole, Nelson Bryant, Frank Daignault and J. Kenney Abramson, to name a few, grace the pages of this book and provide a wonderful look at the often sought after moron scuttles.

For a look back at the way things used to be, pick up a copy of Frank Daignault's
Twenty Years on the Cape: My Time as a Surfcaster. While the book depicts a time when it was commonplace to harvest large numbers of striped bass each and every night, it also provides the insight of a dedicated and successful fisherman like Daignault. The book provides vivid details of a family that spent many a day and night on the beaches of Cape Cod.

Close to Shore: A True Story of Terror in the Age of Innocence is an account of the summer of 1916 when a Great White shark terrorized swimmers along the New Jersey shore. Michael Capuzzo does an admirable job of interweaving historical accounts of the times with the attacks that were part of the inspiration for Jaws, Peter Benchley's novel (and movie). Read this one long before summer arrives!

For a deep and explorative look at the fishermen of Gloucester, pick up a copy of Kim Bartlett's
The Finest Kind: The Fishermen of Gloucester. You'll feel as though you are part of the crew on the boat as the book provides the reader with details and descriptions of this difficult profession. While The Perfect Storm was an excellent portrayal of one Gloucester crew's story, this book provides terrific insight into the Gloucester fishing industry.

(Originally Published October 31, 2003)

December 8, 2005

Another Vineyard Derby Trip In the Books


One of these days, I will hopefully relive my glory year of 1997 at the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby and win at least a daily price (2nd place daily bluefish), but 2005 proved very similar to the last few years as very few fish were landed in my foursome.

Mike, Don, Andy and I have all made the pilgrimage to the Vineyard for several years for the annual fishing event. The event is about fishing primarily, but certainly about camaraderie and goofing around with friends as well.

We arrived on the Vineyard via the MV Katama, which is a freight ship in the Steamship Authority's fleet. We happened to be on a 4pm boat, which was during a good blow left over from Hurricane Rita. We had a pretty rough forty minute ride over from Woods Hole and all of us were excited to get fishing. I'm talking waves over the bow and onto the cars on the deck "pretty rough" here.

Our first stop was at Dick's Bait and Tackle on New York Avenue in Oak Bluffs to register for the derby. We usually register at Coops Bait and Tackle, but wanted to fish Tashmoo that evening, so we decided not to ride all the way over to Edgartown.

After settling in at the Nashua House, which has been our flop house of choice for the last few years, we headed to Tashmoo for some plugging to work the kinks out. Unfortunately it was the last day of the quarter for me and I was trying to work out a last minute deal, but that didn't stop my friends from working the jetty with danny plugs, needle fish and perhaps a mr. wiggly.

We were all tired and decided to head back towards Oak Bluffs and perhaps a few night caps. It used to be that October in Oak Bluffs was quiet, but it sure felt like July as we turned up Circuit Avenue.

There was plenty of automobile and pedestrian traffic milling around the streets of Oak Bluffs as we made our way back to the hotel. A few Grey Goose's later and we hit the sack in hopes of rising early and finding False Albacore off East Beach on Chappaquiddick.

We were on the street loading the car by 4:45 AM on Friday morning. Good thing ol' Dippin' Donuts opens early!! We motored onto the sand at Norton Point and made our way to Chappaquiddick. With the beach erosion being what it is these days, over-sand vehicles are routed back onto the island and over the Dyke Bridge (Teddy K's Bridge), where you can either head to Cape Poge and the infamous Edgartown Gut or out onto East Beach and Wasque Point.

We spilled our 40 year-old bodies out of the truck and began rigging up our rods in the pre-dawn light. As the sun rose out of Nantucket Sound, we began to see distant splashes breaking the calm surface of the water, and we all knew there were Albies (False Albacore) in the area.

Now, being in the area and actually catching fish are two completely different things and the distant splashes stayed out of casting range for most of the morning. Andy did land a small striper just before dawn on Friday morning and also a 3-pound bluefish, but out of 30 or so fishermen on the beach that morning, we saw 3 Albies landed in four hours.

At 11 AM, after a breakfast of Barley and Hops, we headed down towards Cape Poge, hugging the shoreline in search of the tell-tale splashes that Albies make. Several times we stopped to cast to pods of fish, but had no luck. Luckily it was not raining like it has done in the past, and getting skunked in the sun certainly beats getting shut out in the rain!

After heading back to Oak Bluffs for some downtime and dinner, we once again headed out in the Vineyard darkness. This time decided to give it a go off the South Beach / Norton Point area, specifically a location known as Metcalf's Hole. We spent a solid three hours making assorted offerings of eels, squid and butterfish, and only had a few bluefish and a small striper to show for it. For the record, I did not catch anything and left that to Don, Andy and Mike!

We arrived back at the hotel for another round of Goose and hit the hay after a long day of casting. Once again Andy awoke us at around 4:30 AM and we were once again headed to Dippin' Donuts and then onto the beach, only this time on a Saturday morning. The beach on Chappy was more crowded--even at 5:15AM--since it was a Saturday, but unfortunately the fishing was much the same as the day before.

We were scheduled on a Noon ferry and considering the conditions, we figured we'd have no problems tearing ourselves away from the beach, but our lack of fish was certainly not from lack of effort. We did see a few more Albies landed on Saturday morning--maybe five--however they still seemed to stay mostly our of casting range. It's a maddening fish to chase, but the excitement of one on the line makes the frustration that comes with fishing for them worth it.

The lack of fish certainly did not temper our enthusiasm to head back to the Vineyard again next year. While landing a few more fish and getting some fish to the weigh station would be nice, the trip is certainly more about the good time had with good friends!