This past June I went on my annual fishing trip to Cuttyhunk. Every other trip that I have done on Cuttyhunk has been been during the new moon. We could not have predicted what the full moon would bring.
On the first trip, we fished the southern part of the island at sunset. The ocean was angry: waves, wind, and whitewater everywhere. I waded through the chest breaking waves until I reached a good rock to cast from. I fan casted the area with plugs and worked the entire water column. The waves were relentless. The only bump I got was from the wave that sent me flying into the surf. The wind turned the ocean from angry to dangerous. We moved to another spot. At the new spot, my friends hooked into fish. I dropped a good fish on a buoyant wide body black darter, which was ideal for the rocky shallow water. When we got back to Pete’s Place, I noticed that my DIY Side Arm and $35.00 custom plug were gone! It must have snapped off my belt during my unplanned re-entry into the surf.
On the second trip, we fished the northern end of the island at sunrise. I forgot my main plug bag. My friends hooked and landed fish. I struggled to get bumps with the limited plugs I had in my belt bag. On the third trip, we fished the western coast of the island at sunset. I hooked and landed the biggest and heaviest wad of weed north of Montauk! My friends caught fish. One fish was on a bucktail! Did the bucktail have a weed guard? No. He is that good!
On the last trip, I had all of my gear. The wind was light. The oncoming waves were predictable. I waded through weedless water and climbed onto a flat top rock. I snapped a floating blue/white Super Strike Little Neck Popper onto my leader’s 175 lb Tactical Angler’s clip. I aimed towards Martha’s Vineyard and propelled my plug as far as I could with my 11′ custom rod. I began my retrieve. Crank, crank…POP! Crank, crank…POP!. Crank, crank…FISH ON! Schoolie. I quickly unhooked the fish and made another long cast. Crank, crank…POP! Crank, crank…POP! Crank, crank…FISH ON! Keeper. I quickly unhooked the fish and made another long cast and began my retrieve. Crank, crank…POP! Crank, crank…POP! Crank, crank…POP! The fish moved.
At the second spot, I climbed onto a rock with a long slanted slope. While struggling to keep my balance, I fan casted the area. Crank, crank…POP! Crank, crank…POP! Crank, crank….BANG! A fish blew up on my plug!! After two nights and two days of extreme surfcasting, the adrenaline rush turned my bruised and fatigued body into Olympic grade! I retrieved the plug back to my feet and casted in the same direction. The plug landed past the blow up. I started my retrieve. Crank, crank…POP! Crank, crank…POP! Crank, crank…BLOW UP! The fish broke the surface right in the path of my plug. I continued my retrieve. Crank, crank…POP! Crank, crank…BANG! The fish blew up on plug again!! I continued my retrieve. Crank, crank…POP! Crank, crank…POP. Crank, crank….FISH ON!!!! My 11′ custom rod was fully arch over. Line was pulling off my ZeeBaas reel like the drag was not set. I struggled to gain line. If my rod snapped, I was ready to hand-line the fish in. I eventually got the fish to my rock. I dropped my rod into the water behind me with my right hand and reach down with my left hand to grab the 80 lb Ande leader. I pulled the fish up the seaweed slope of the rock. As I griped the fish with my Fish Grip, my 11′ custom rod separated into two sections. The fish slid down the rock back into the ocean. I grabbed the lanyard attached to the lip gripper and genteelly pulled the fish back up the rock. After a few quick photos, she was released to swim and spawn another day.
This trip reinforced lessons I learned from previous trips. This trip taught me some new lessons. Were two lights at night. Carry a compass. Fan cast your spot. Retrieve your plug until your feet. Fish the water column. Move with the fish. Secure your gear via lanyards. Update my DIY Side Arm design. Fish one piece rods. Have confidence in your method. Never stop learning!
