Fletcher Fishing

posted by John on Aug 30

This morning I started at 5:30am from Pamet Harbor. The run out to the race was uneventful, but a USCG bouy tender was anchored in the bay.

Fish were all over wood end, but I only caught bluefish there. I was using 8″ ronzis, black, green and silver. Blues, blues and more blues. I also raised blues with a green and a blue gibbs needlefish.

Bored with the blues, I went north to my spot just south of the rips. The same bass that have been there for weeks were still there. The only thing I could get them to bite was black ronzis. They ignored all surface lures, and all other colors, except black. At 9:30am the bite was over. I could not get blues or bass after then. Back to the dock at 10:30.

Why is it when other boats see the rod bent, they run past 25′ away?

Watch out for the GinnyG, they will ride right over your lines. Sorry, GinnyG, but when you caught my line this morning, I opened the bale and let you have about 200 yards of 15lb braid. I hope it is not too hard to get off.

Final total: 10 15-25 lbs striped bass, and about 15 8-10 lb blues.  I kept a nice 20 pounder for supper. Who ever asked for bluefish did not hit me up early enough, I would be happy to give you all the blues I catch.

Here is a picture. Most of the bass were caught on my little 6′ gold cup rod, shimano sahara reel, 15lb braid w/10′ 20 lb mono leader using 8″ black ronzis.

August 30th

I am going to do it all over again tomorrow morning. The bite seems to die off early.

posted by John on Aug 8

I decided that all my small tackle knots for blues and stripers are up to snuff. On my small tackle, I have 20 lb braid and I use 40 lb mono leader for blues, and 20 lb mono leader for stripers. Since the blues moved in to Race point, I have been using 40 lb. test. I use a slim beauty on all the small stuff. It fits through the guides no problem.

The slim beauty knot with larger leaders becomes a problem when casting and retrieving. With 100lb test the figure 8 knot is pretty big, if it balks leaving the rod, the braid will bird’s nest on you.

The tuna on the other hand, fights like there is no tomorrow and takes off like a rocket. The line I use is 80 lb braid, with 100lb leader. The hard part is binding the two.

Knots evaluated.

Albright knot

Alberto knot

Double Uni knot

Double grinner knot

Improved Albright knot

Slim beauty knot

PR knot closed with lots of 1/2 hitches then a uni

PR knot closed with just a uni.

The test was performed using a 100lb spring scale. These are notoriously inaccurate. Control test was a piece of braid with two loop knot on each end. Then using my trailer hitch and the scale, I found the line broke around the 60lb mark on the scale. The 100lb leader broke at 75lb on the scale.

knots that held were:

Double uni, both PR, all the A knots, and the slim beauty knot.

The PR knot closed with the uni is by far the superior knot. No movement under pressure. Here is the video for the good one.

All of the other knots busted the braid near the knot except the slim beauty. That makes me believe that there is cutting going on at high tension. All knots were tied and tested 3 or more times. I pulled for 3-4 minutes at 55lbs on the scale, then I varied it for about 2 minutes 45lb-55lb, then I pulled it to break the braid. The goal was to add tension slowly. knots that the braid broke close to the knot or in the knot indicate cutting to me. The PR knot and the slim beauty knot had the braid break in the middle, all the others broke at 60 lbs as well, but at the knot, that makes me worry.

PR knot is the choice, Jeff Smith was absolutely correct. I think I will be able to do it on a pitching deck. I will have to wait and try on August 17th.

posted by John on Aug 8

I learned two things. One give whales more than 500′. They can be out there and then right up on you. When they just surface to breath that is one thing, when they breach 150′ from you, that is scary. I did not know to be scared at the time I took these pics. I hookup up twice today. I was alone and had trouble boating dinner. I had the first tuna on the side of the boat after 35 minutes, and I was not sure what to do. So I tied up the leader around the cleat, set the rod down, and went fast with both hands on the gaff. Estimate of  40-48″, 50-70lbs. he banged his head against the boat, upon contact the ronzi 3 oz jig popped right out, and the fish traveled back down to Davey Jones Locker. I went back to where I hooked up, and did it again. This time, at the end of the first run, a 30-35′ yellow hulled boat roared right between me and my fish. Once I realized I was on the prop, I opened the bale and let him have 300+ yards of 80 lb braid. I hope he busted a prop seal.

Here are the pics:

150' from the boat

I felt the whale wake.

Closer Breach

The whale fascinated me, and then I realized it was two showing off.

The other whale was farther

He flew all the way out of the water.

Site of the first hookup

This was a zoo. The fish were 10 to 20 feet down swirling around and pushing bait up. The birds were insane. I tried an 11″ Got stryper and almost snagged a shearwater. I switched to a 10″ bright green ronzi 3x tuna penetrator (8/0 hook). Within two seconds (no time for jigging) I was off to the races. My trevala tc4f 5’6″ spinning rod and the fin-nor 7500 reel worked out great.

Site of second hookup.

After the heartbreak of losing dinner. I found the same school without the birds and with a whale. The second fight lasted about 2 minutes, due to the yellow hulled boat that took out my line. If you even think some one is hookup up give them 600′ and watch with the binoculars.