CCB - September 4 Acres of Birds, Blues, and Striped Bass

[StriperzMD]

Today was great. I was just going to do a splash test for the boat to make sure she holds together under load after I put all the new parts on. Pulleys, steering pump, steering fluid cooler.

I am really happy I had my rods on the boat. I was really unhappy that they sat for six weeks. I fouled 2 with real skill, no hope for them untangling. One rod broke a guide from the force of a cast and the leader knot catching. So I was three rods down. I lost my Sebile swimmer, and three jig heads.

Now the good news. There are fish in the bay. The only way I took bass today under the birds was Sluggos on bullet lead heads. I used 3/4 oz, with 7 1/2 inch tail. The fish were on top (blues) and about 6-20 feet down (bass). I caught about 12 bass by allowing the jigs to sink below the fish then retrieve back up through them. As long as I stayed with the fish, I got a bass every cast. I saw a lot of people catching bluefish.

The nice guy in the yellow boat with a diesel engine came by to see why I was catching bass. After I lost my last jig head, again bad leader, all curly and funky from sitting 6 weeks, I used plugs and my Sebile to mess around with bluefish. I caught about 8 blues, from 4-12 lbs. I stayed out until I lost the Sebile to a blue, then headed in.

We are going to do a spicy Thai crispy fried bass tonight.
Both were 35 inches, just like the other 10.
Here are the fish about to be filleted:

And the tails are colorful:


And finally the mother of all wind knots:

[vanfrum]

Nice! Glad you are working out all the kinks before we get up there. Looking forward to it!

[tolmaz]

That happens to me each year......I say Im just going to run the boat...knock the cobwebs off...make sure everything is working right. Im Not takin any rods...its about the boat today!!! Ok,,,maybe one small spinning rig... well...the boat runs fine other than a few little things here and there...then end up fishing all day.......oh well