I had the opportunity to fish with the Fish360 Team on Cuttyhunk Island during the June new moon.  The conditions were tough.  On-shore, in-your-face wind.  The water was so weedy that one of the surfcasters on the island took a shower with his wetsuit on!  We hiked through marked roads.  We hiked through un-marked trails.  We eventually found clean water!  The wind was still in our faces!!  But, we found fish!!!

During the day, we scouted new spots and field tested plugs, gear, and methods.  One of the key lessons learned was the relationship between tide and structure at various spots.  At the same stage of a tide, the water depth varies greatly at each spot.  Depth is a key factor in determining what plug to fish; particularly near rocks with seaweed dreadlocks.  My fishing journal has all the lessons learned on this trip! 😉

During a scouting trip, Jonathan O’Connor got a VMC treble hook driven into the palm of his hand while unhooking a bluefish terrorizing schoolie.  He used his split ring pliers to remove the VMC treble hook from his YoZuri Mag Darter.

When we got back to Pete’s Place, we tossed the salad and filled the bowl with water and ice.  I applied downward pressure on the eye of the hook.  Clay Patels held Jonathan down.  James Jeweks wrapped a length of 80 lb Ande mono-filament line around the bend of the buried hooked.  We started the count down: 1…BANG…the VMC treble hook hit the floor!  Clean hook removal!!  No blood!!!  Neosporin antibiotic cream, Band-Aid, water proof first aid tape, and we were ready to fish again.

The top producing plugs were needlefish and darters.  I carried a spectrum of needlefish and darters that ranged in side, color, weight, and profile.  I had great success with the Surf Asylum Flat Glide Needlefish and the High Hook B1 Needlefish.

We found, hooked, and landed more and bigger fish on this trip than last year’s trip.  We are not satisfied.  We remain hungry.  We are already planning next year’s trip.  With 23+ lessons learned, fish beware! 😉

One of my goals for this year was to catch an American Shad.  This month I targeted American Shad exclusively.  My fishing journal is full of trips without fish.  On each trip, I learned something new and applied it to my next trip.  Today all the pieces of the puzzle snapped into place and I could see the big picture.

I started fishing pre-sunrise.  After a few casts, I saw a fish break right in front of me.  The adrenaline rush enhanced all of my senses.  I made a cast up current and allowed my pink/gold flutter spoon to drift into the spot where the fish broke the water’s surface.  Nothing!  I then made a cast right at the spot where the fish broke the water’s surface.  Nothing!!  I made a third cast down river from where the fish broke the water’s surface.  Nothing!!!  I moved 10 yards down river.  On my third cast, a fish hit my flutter spoon like a run-away bus without breaks.  BANG!  I instantly felt the full weight of the fish on my St. Croix rod.

The fish did not jump; it swam towards deep water.  A fter several runs, I landed an American Shad. I handled the fish with care.  The fish was 21″ in length and weighed 3 lb 3 oz.  For an American Shad, the fished looked HUGE!  Roe is not my dish.  She swam away to spawn.

Today I took a break from building my custom Gloucester Light Dory and setting up my new workshop.  I went fishing with a friend and fellow member of the Plum Island Surfcasters to Wachusset Reservoir.  We arrived at 5:45 AM to find the prime parking already taken.  We treked to our spot and set up quickly.  With my bait rods resting on my bite alarms, I rigged up my 8′ St. Croix Mojo Surf rod with the Kastmaster that I winched from the depths of the Wachusset Reservoir last fall.

After a few casts of my restored Kastmaster into deep water, a lake trout came in chasing my old metal.  As soon as the fish saw me, it turned and disappeared into the dark water.  I said to my friend, “OMG…did you see that?”  As he nodded and smiled: “Oh yah!”  I made another cast and reeled my old metal to my feet, nothing.  I made another cast and continue to use my “jerk-and-pause” retrieve; as my old metal started to transition from deep to shallow water…fish on!

This fish put a bend on my rod.  This fish pulled drag.  This fish swam off like it was not even hooked.  Wow!

I have caught multiple species on Kastmasters with tails.  The flash of the metal and the color profile of the tail seduce fish into striking.  Based on all of my fishing journal entries, I can say with confidence that fish like booty! 😉

I was ice fishing today at a lake that I had only fished once before.  Using a depth map from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, I identified an area that I wanted to fish.  I rigged up my Jack Traps tip-ups in an inline-five formation from shallow to deep water.  This formation has always worked for me.  Always!  Until today!!  Plan B: Trolling!!!

I drilled another set of five holes five yards away from and parallel to the inline-five formation.  I jigged each hole from the lake’s bottom to the water’s surface.  Nothing!  I drilled another set of five holes five yards away from and parallel to the second set of holes.  I jigged each hole from the lake’s bottom to the water’s surface.  Nothing!!  I repeated this pattern until I found fish!!!

This fatty yellow perch hit a 1/8 oz blue/chrome Kastmater like a freight train!  In addition to horizontal swimming, Kastmasters clearly also work well for vertical jigging.

At the end of the trip, I had 40+ holes covering an area the size of a football field.  Good thing I had my Jiffy Pro4 Propane Auger.  Time is fish!

No matter how much you plan.  No matter how good your gear.  No matter how good your technique.  There are NO guarantees in fishing.  Always have a plan B! 😉

When I left my house this morning to go ice fishing, the temperature was -4 degrees Fahrenheit! On my way to the lake, I stopped by Merrimac Sports Bait and Tackle to pick up some lively shiners, worms, and tungsten jigs.

When I got to the lake, I quickly set up my Jack Traps tip ups in a straight line configuration across a dropping bottom structure.  Four of the tips up had a tin split shot and shiner rig.  One tip up has a custom rig: a shiner at the bottom, followed by a split shot, which was then followed by a drop soft hook dressed with a worm.  After 3.75 hours on the ice, which tip up hooked a fish?  The one with the the custom rig!

My new tungesten jigs worked amazingly well.  The air was so cold that the water literally froze on my line!  Good thing I was fishing braid! Jigging out in the open became impossible.  A crew from the Plum Island Surfcasters was kind enough to let me jig inside their heated pop-up tent.  OMG!  I was spoiled: no skin burning wind and no frozen line.  Note to self: buy a Mr. Heater!

Today was my windiest and coldest day on the ice.  Fishing was very challenging for everyone on the lake.  Only a few us frost-bite fearless anglers managed to hook and land fish.  I love fishing under challenging conditions because they inspire me to invent novel gear and methods!  A new DIY project coming soon!!  Subscribe to our newsletter to be in the loop. 😉

One of my goals for this year was to catch a lake trout. The best body of water to catch a lake trout from shore is Wachussett Reservoir. I fished several spots and exploited several methods. I learned something new on each trip and applied it on my subsequent trips. Today, it everything came together: fish on!

The first thing that helped me catch my first lake trout was my rod. The average rod length on the banks of Wachussett Reservoir is 7 feet. A 7 foot rod does not have enough length to propel a shiner or chunk to the distant holes where lake trout lurk. I use 9 and 10 foot St. Croix Mojo Surf rods. These rods propel shiners or chunks three times further than a 7 foot rod.

The second thing that helped me catch my first lake trout was a custom sinker. The sinkers used by anglers on Wachussett Reservoir range from 1/2 oz to 1 oz. I use a custom 2 oz sinker that I make using heat shrink tubing and two 1 oz steal bullet weights.

The third thing that helped me catch my first lake trout was the bait. I used a chunk of mackerel with secret sauce. The mackerel chunk was secured to a 7/0 in-line circle hook via elastic.

In addition to catching a fish on this trip, I also caught more knowledge. I am already planning my next lake trout trip to Wachussett Reservoir. I have mackerel! I also have yellow perch!! Lake trout beware!!!

Fall is a great time of year to target a multitude of species.  Fish are feeding before winter takes hold.  Today I had the opportunity to go fall frogging.  I rigged up five rods. Four had frogs. One had a Gary Yamamoto senko.  I hooked and landed two fish on frogs.

As I moved through the Ox Bow, I rotated through my rods and worked each piece of structure.  The sky was overcast.  No one else was on the water.  The air was deathly quite.  As I slowing swam my frog over the remaining vegetation, a fish exploded on my frog.  My rod instantly bend over.  My reel started to lose line as the fish pulled drag.  Bass?  No.  Chain pickerel!

I continued working my frogs on each subsequent piece of structure in the Ox Box.  A second fish exploded in my frog and missed the hook.  I grabbed another rod and worked a different frog.  Nothing.  I grabbed another rod and fished another frog…fish on!   Bass?  No.  Chain pickerel!

There was a third fish that pulled down one of my frogs like a freight train.  Line was being pulled off my spool faster than I could reel it in.  The fish swam into some a structure.  I could not longer move it.  As the kayak started drifting towards the anchored fish, the line went slack.  Bass?  Pickerel?  Pike?  Not sure.  But, this fish now haunts my dreams.

On this trip I learned that frogs are not just for bass!  Chain pickerel are genetically related to Northern pike.  Next time I target pike, I am bringing frogs!!!

I took a couple of friends surf sharking during the August full moon. On the way to my spot, we stopped in at Red Top Bait and Tackle and picked up 18 fresh menhaden (1 menhaden per hour per angler). The night was overcast. We never saw the moon the whole night. This proved to be a good omen.

When we got to the beach, I read the water. I found a very subtle current line that was forming based on the incoming tide, the beach structure, and the wind direction.

To reach the current line, you had to have a stout rod to propel 5+ oz of lead and bait. To hold bottom, a pyramid sinker was needed. A pyramid sinker is not aerodynamic. A stout rod and proper casting technique will only propel a chunk of meat and lead so far. For maximum distance (and in our case to reach this current line) you need a chunking rig optimized for distance. My custom surf shark fish finder rig got our fresh chunks of menhaden into the strike zone!!! 🙂

Bare hooks do not catch fish. We checked our bait every 15 minutes. If it was partly eaten, we replaced it. No exceptions. Fresh bait = fish. Big bait = big fish. We caught fish during the entire incoming tide. Fourteen sharks in total.

Our trip was cut short when the sporadic showers turned into heavy perpetual rain that turned the smooth sandy beach into Swiss cheese. The head shaking and drag pulling sharks gave us memories. Life is short. Take a friend fishing.

I went out this morning to hunt for large mouth bass with frogs. I had three rods on my kayak rigged with different frogs. This was my third time fishing this frogy spot. Each time that I fished this spot, I learned something and noted it in my fishing journal. Everything came together today.

The first bass engulfed a 3.5″ Stanley Jigs Ribbit frog with an Owner 4/0 Beast Swimbait hook.

The second bass exploded on a Strike King KVD sexy frog with a 4/0 Lake Fork trailer hook. This bass was twice new size if the first!

Froging requires the right gear, rigging, retrieves, and spots. On previous froging trips, I caught knowledge. On this trip, caught fish and refined my frog rigging. I still have more to learn. I need to go froging again!

Today I had the opportunity to catch up with an old friend and go fly fishing for striped bass from the surf. We fished the same body of water that we fly fished a few years back; but on the other side of the “pond”. This was my first time at this spot. My goal for this trip was to field test color patterns and hooks. It was a cool and overcast day with a constant wind. The local crab and clam populations proved to be a good omen.

After reading the water, I decided to fish a point. I worked the point with several flies. The first fish eat an olive-over-white Lefty Deceiver. The feeling of setting the hook by pulling the line is one the things that I love about fly fishing!

The wind picked up and started to reduce my cast by 50%. I moved to a bowl and waded between some boats that were tied to moorings. I used the boats to shelter me from the wind while I worked my line to propel my flies. The second fish eat a yellow-over-white Lefty Deceiver.

The wind got stronger and started to move the boats. Without protection, my trip was cut short. But! I now have confidence in yellow-over-white and olive-over-white Lefty Deceivers! Overall, the hooks worked well. But, the hook that performed best was the Owner Aki hook. The hook is available from 1/0 to 8/0. For striped bass flies, I like the 4/0 size.