Fletcher Fishing

posted by John on Aug 29

I went out alone today. The fleet was working off their moorings and flying their bait kites. I hopped up on the bank where Jeff Smith and I had been fishing. I learned a lot about finding the fish and hooking up, but my knot tying skills have a lot to be desired. I had never tied braid to mono before. Being the expert computer user, I googled braid to mono knots. The web gave up that I should tie a bimini twist on the end of the braid to double up the end. Then I should tie a double uni knot to join the two.

Bad idea for me. It held for all the blues and dogfish I caught, but 5 minutes into the fight with a tuna my double uni knot gave way.

Back at the ramp, a local captain named Gil told me about the slim beauty knot, and after closing, I should super glue the knot to be safe. I did so and will try it on Friday 8/29

posted by John on Aug 24

No fish pics, but boy what a fun thing it is fighting 100+ lb bluefin tuna in view of Provincetown on light tackle. I fished with a local captain, Jeff Smith, who knew where the fish were and what they would bite. He got me two hook ups today when they were few and far between. 200 boats dotted the area, most being west of our position. The first fish I hooked up on was 10 minutes after we arrived on the SW corner of the ‘Bank’. Two humpbacks simultaneously breached for a backdrop as we were casting, not a whale watcher in sight. Minke whales breaking around us.

I hooked up, the fish ran, and I was off to an hour and twenty minute heartbreak. The fish was large and strong, and I had worked it almost to the boat. Jeff estimated 65″ and about 125lb. I got to look at the most beautiful fish less than 10 feet from me and a sushi dinner. The fish had one last gasp and severed the 60lb leader right at the boat. A flash of silver and …gone!

This is what I learned today. Big tuna are fierce fighters. Palm the bale, dig, palm the bale, dig, palm the bale, dig. Let them run. You have to learn the hairy edge between success and equipment failure. Today was not my day, but maybe tomorrow..

The second hook up Jeff got and handed off to the man with the sore arm. This fish we never saw, it did not run, it felt like an anvil, it made for the bottom and stayed under the boat, I had to go around and around the boat. Then, after 15 minutes, the hook pulled and up came my fully intact lure.

We marked a lot of fish the rest of the time with no success. We caught a bunch of dogfish. On the way back we found a school of tuna on the surface. Our attempt to cast on them was not productive. We saw one more giant tuna on the surface before heading home.

All in all a good day. It is always nice hooking up when very few boats are doing so.

posted by sfletcher on Aug 19

Had a bit of a change of pace this year on heading up to the Cape.  Being a teacher I usually take the summer off and head up to the Cape for 4-5 weeks, but got a decent summer gig here in Annapolis and only got up to the Cape for about 11 days.  Towed the Scout up with the family.  We did some great boating, and excellent fishing.

My brother John came up towards the end of our trip and we got out several times.  First just the two of us, then added my daughter on Day 2 , then we took the wife out on Day 3.  We pretty much fished an area up near P-town exclusively with a number of jigs and topwater plugs.

Day 1 – Caught a few nice blues and small stripes.  Nothing to significant…

Day 2 – John and I took my daughter out, and we had an absolute blast.  Probably 10 nice blues from 3 – 8 pounds on light tackle (14 lb Yozuri Hybrid), and around 4 stripers, two being keepers (but 28-30″).   John’s got the pics, but will post later.  It was my daughter’s first “real” Cape Cod fishing trip.  Up at 4:30 am, down to Wellfleet Harbor, and making a run to P-town all by 5:15.  She was a trooper, and she loved it.  She caught about 6 fish, one being a 6-7 pound Blue, which definitely got her heart pumping.

Day 3 – Woke up the next day to fish with John and my wife, and it was a nasty outlook for weather.  We made the right call by heading out, but the run out was 30 mph winds from the W-SW and 5 foot waves.  It was one of the most intense boating experiences I’d ever had, but man it was worth it. Once we got to the P-town area, it stopped raining, and the winds dies to 15 mph.  We caught a few Blues right away, but then started marking schools of fish and bait that lit up the fishfinder.  Messed around with lures (Sluggo’s, Ron – Z’s, and topwaters) for about two hours, and at that point we had 3 nice keepers in the box between 32-34″.  Also landed about 6 more that were all keepers, with the smallest being 28-29″, but the largest was approx. 35-36 ” and around 15 lbs.   We even got a  double header on one plug with blues, and had a tripleheader on Stripers (all keepers to boot!) at one point.  Several double headers as well.  I’ve posted a couple of pics, but John took the majority if them.  We’ll post more later.

Here are some more pics from the race from that day and another day with Stephen’s eldest daughter (my niece):

Her comment: “It feels like a person is pulling on it”. She fought this and all the others all the way in.

Here’s Stephen’s beefy blue:

Here is the rest of Aug 21:

It’s always a nice scene when you have two mad beefy blue fish with six sharp treble hook points on LT.