2008 fishing journal

2008 FISHING JOURNAL
Nov. 14, 2008 - Westerly & Charlestown
Tide: 8:30 a.m. - High	Wind: 10-15 mph - SE
Start time: 6:30 a.m.	Total time: 6 Hrs.
Well, I caught one schoolie and I'm pretty sure I'm done for the season. It was a warm, rainy morning and I fished three spots from Quonnie to Watch Hill pretty hard. I would have liked to have found the big Blues at Watch Hill that we were getting last year in November, but there haven't been any fish around for almost two weeks. I saw a guy catch a decent Bluefish off the Quonnie Breachway and I caught a tiny striper at Watch Hill Light and that was it. Also, this coming week the temps start getting into the 20's - a little too cold for this surf caster. If I don't get out again, I'll make one more post signing off for the season.
Nov. 10, 2008 - Westerly & Charlestown
Tide: 5:20 a.m. - High	Wind: 15 mph - WNW
Start time: 6:45 a.m.	Total time: 4 Hrs.
On Thursday I had fished from Quonnie to Watch Hill for five hours with no sign of fish. On Friday, a north shore fisherman, Chris, fished the same stretch of shoreline and had the same results and on Saturday, another north shore fisherman, Chenson, had the same experience at the same spots. Then on Sunday morning, my fishing companion Paul and his brother Armond headed down to RI to fish the same turf and had nary a hit or a splash. Was I deterred from going on Monday? - well let's say I was less than optimistic. I fished almost an equal amount of time at Quonnie, Weekapaug Pt. and Watch Hill Light in pretty good conditions as it was overcast most of the morning with a westerly wind. Not a sign of fish. The locals said it had turned off completely after the previous weekend. Looks like later this week there are going to be good conditions again. I'll probably try at least one more time.
Nov. 6, 2008 - Westerly & Charlestown
Tide: 7:30 a.m. - Low	Wind: 15-20 mph - ENE
Start time: 6:45 a.m.	Total time: 5 Hrs.
Big surf and no fish this morning. I started at Quonnie but fished mostly around Watch Hill. I never had a hit or a splash. The water looked great but there were no birds and no fish. I guess they can't be there every day, but the election and the warm, rainy morning had put me in am optimistic frame of mind. Oh well, I'm not done quite yet.
Nov. 3, 2008 - Charlestown & Westerly
Tide: 11:30 a.m. - High	Wind: 5-10 mph - SSW
Start time: 7:30 a.m.	Total time: 5 Hrs.
It was in the 30's at night, and the whole morning was supposed to be overcast, so I went out late to let it warm up a little. Five or six guys arrived at the beach adjacent to the Quonnie Breachway at the same time and we were late because birds were working. I managed to get my favorite spot and I immediately hooked up with a 25" striper on a white pencil with red head. Between 7:30 and 9:00 I got about ten stripers and the biggest was 26". However I also caught a 32", 11 lb Blue. I headed west and found the fish again at Weekapaug Pt. I got out on a rock with the same white/red popper and caught six more stripers including a 28" and 30". When the bite died, I headed to Watch Hill although the birds were still in the Weekapaug area - I just didn't feel like chasing them and I wanted to see what was happening at Watch Hill Light. Of course, nothing was happening - I caught one mini striper. Still, a very nice morning of fishing.
Oct. 28, 2008 - Charlestown, Westerly & Narragansett RI
Tide: 8:30 a.m. - High	Wind: 15-20 mph - NE; 20-40 mph SSW
Start time: 6:30 a.m.	Total time: 6 Hrs.
I headed back down to RI for a second consecutive day because the forecast was for a reasonably warm night and a rainy morning. I started in the Quonnie area and I had one very nice striper come out of the churning water and miss my white pencil. That would turn out to be the only action of the day. I fished quite a bit at Watch Hill Light, where birds were working all morning out of range, but never had a hit. In the late morning the winds shifted from NE to southerly and became very strong. I took a drive to Black Point in Narragansett because you can cast to the north there. Must have been a good idea because I found Steve McKenna fishing in exactly the spot I had in mind. Despite great conditions neither of us ever had a hit. I called it a day. Two consecutive skunky days. Will wait for another warmer, rainy day to go back down. May not get one.
Oct. 27, 2008 - Charlestown, Westerly RI
Tide: 8:00 a.m. - High	Wind: 10-15 mph - WSW
Start time: 6:45 a.m.	Total time: 6 Hrs.
Paul and I fished many spots from Watch Hill Light to the Charlestown Breachway but never found any fish or birds. The sun came out early and the fishing was a complete bust. After striking out in south county, we took a ride to Newport and scouted some of the popular spots there but we didn't make any casts.
Oct. 22, 2008 - S. Kingston & Charlestown, RI
Tide: 9:30 a.m. - Low	Wind: 15-20 mph - NW
Start time: 6:30 a.m.	Total time: 6 Hrs.
I hadn't fished this season at Deep Hole, Matunuck, and the tide was out, so I decided to give it a try. Pretty good conditions but an hour of casting produced just one hit and a nice swirl. I drove to Central Beach in Charlestown and made a few casts before moving to the rocks near the Quonnie Breachway. When I walked in, a few birds were working not too far from shore. I got out to a rock where I could reach them. On my second cast with a white pencil, I reached the little feed and readied myself for the inevitable 25" striper. Wham! A big splash and a very big striper was on. It made two wide circles on the surface to show me its big tail and then just took off - zzzzzzz. I finally turned it around and then another run. I think it was over 30 lbs. Now it stopped and we had one of those little tugs of war and I was feeling pretty good when I felt that sickening "pop". Many bad words were said. The strange thing is that my 40 lb mono leader had broken clean. I quickly rerigged; all the while thinking that I had blown my one chance at a big fish. The fishing Gods rarely give you a second chance. I put on a yellow pencil. The birds were gone, but I casted to the same spot and had a pretty good miss. Next cast and, whack, I had a real nice fish on - not as big - but I was thankful nonetheless. The odd thing was that several guys were watching me but no one tried to get out where I was. I understand respecting someone's space, but I can't just watch while someone else is catching a big fish. I managed to land this one and it was 40" and 24 lbs. I caught four or five more casting to that same spot but the biggest was 28". I didn't see anyone else catch a fish. I drove south and checked several more spots. Birds were working out of range all along the beaches. I fished Watch Hill Light in great conditions for over an hour without a hit and then headed home with my nice fish.
Oct. 16, 2008 - Westerly, RI
Tide: 10:00 a.m. - High	Wind: 10-15 mph - SSW
Start time: 6:00 a.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
Went to all the usual spots and it was completely dead. No birds - lots of fisherman. Never had a hit or a splash. I guess they can't be there every day.
Oct. 14, 2008 - Westerly, RI
Tide: 8:00 a.m. - High	Wind: 5-10 mph - ENE
Start time: 6:30 a.m.	Total time: 5 Hrs.
I caught 16 Striped Bass - all between 23 and 26" - and one Bluefish. I started at Central Beach near the Quonnie Breachway and the birds were working just out of casting range at first light. Lots of fisherman. There were both Stripers and Blues but I caught only bass. I got four and missed many more. A guy next to me caught a couple good sized Blues and one guy caught a small keeper bass. After the bite died, I drove to Watch Hill Light and fished for a while but it was totally dead. I decided to try every spot I know as I moved north and finally found the birds near Weekapaug Point. I fished from two different rocks and got six stripers on each rock over about an hour and a half. I also got a six lb Blue. It was fun fall fishing, with cool temperatures and a warm sun. I headed home at about noon, but I'll bet I could have found the fish again somewhere else. They're migrating and feeding mostly on silversides. Would be nice to find some bigger ones.
Oct. 13, 2008 - Westerly, RI
Tide: 2:00 p.m. - Low	Wind: 10-15 mph - ENE
Start time: 2:30 p.m.	Total time: 1 Hr.
On this Columbus Day I took my family to Rhode Island to see some of the spots where I fish and to look at fall colors. Of course, we took a couple of rods. When we walked on to East Beach, just a little north of the Quonnie Breachway, I could see birds working about a quarter mile to the left. Nico and I made our way down there and there was a nice feed going on at low tide right around the rocks. It was 23-26" stripers feeding on silversides and they were hitting our little poppers very aggressively. It was fun catching fish in front of the family. After we got 4-5 stripers, we had to head back home even though the fishing was still good.
Oct. 10, 2008 - Westerly, RI
Tide: 5:20 a.m. - High	Wind: 15 mph - NNW
Start time: 6:00 a.m.	Total time: 5 Hrs.
Before she went to bed, Simona told me that it would be great if I brought home a Striper to go with the minestrone she had made that afternoon. I took my first drive to southern RI this fall. I started the morning at the beach next to the Quonnie Breachway. I never got a hit but there was a fly fisherman who hooked up a couple times. Five or six guys were fishing there. At about 8:00 I went to the Watch Hill Light and there were birds working there and along the beaches to the left. Most of the action was small Bluefish - 3-5 lbs. All morning, breaking fish would come through periodically. I got 7-8 of those Bluefish, two small Stripers and one 29" Striper which I happily put in the cooler as I thought about Simona's minestrone. I also had to untangle a Cormorant from my line and plug and that wasn't easy. It felt good to catch a few fish and see some bait (lots of silversides) in the water.
Oct. 9, 2008 - Gloucester & Rockport
Tide: 7:30 a.m. - High	Wind: 10-15 mph - SW
Start time: 5:30 a.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
Well, I'm probably done on the North Shore. There were excellent conditions this morning - SW wind, 7:30 am high tide, rainy/overcast skies. Perfect for the back shore. Plenty of guys noticed that and were out fishing. I got out early and fished very hard. It was dead. I got two 25" fish on the same cast with a swimmer and teaser and not another hit the whole morning. No bait - no fish. I tried 5-6 spots. Time to fish Rhode Island.
Oct. 6, 2008 - Gloucester & Rockport
Tide: 4:30 a.m. - High	Wind: 10 mph - WNW
Start time: 5:45 p.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
Lots of fisherman out his morning. More fisherman than fish. I tried two spots along Atlantic Rd. plus Cape Hedge, Pebble and Good Harbor. Caught one schoolie.
Oct. 4, 2008 - Gloucester & Rockport
Tide: 3:00 p.m. - High	Wind: 5-10 mph - SW
Start time: 4:30 p.m.	Total time: 2 Hrs.
Took the kids to Cape Ann for some sunset fishing. We started at the rocks between Cape Hedge and Long Beach. I found some decent Bluefish casting from the rocks towards Long Beach. I landed two Blues plus a small Striper. The kids didn't catch anything - couldn't reach the fish. We tried Pebble and Niles with no luck and went to dinner at Charlies.
Oct. 1, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 9:30 a.m. - High	Wind: 5-10 mph - SE
Start time: 6:00 a.m.	Total time: 2 Hrs.
This was the last morning and we only had a couple hours. We went to SE Light. It wasn't a great way to end the trip and it wasn't because there weren't fish there. While it was still pretty dark, I hooked up on my first cast with the same black needle from the night before and the fish broke off in the rocks. I rerigged, put on a white needle and hooked up again but dropped the fish. Paul meanwhile was fishing on my right in a small cove and lost his footing and ended up on his back in the water. A few minutes later, I got washed off my rock backwards and I dropped my VS and Lami set-up in front of the rock in the rough surf. I needed to have Paul fish it out with his rod. Yikes - almost a disaster. We each got a 25" fish and headed home. Not a pretty ending to a decent but not great trip. Biggest disappointment? No 20 pounders. We did take home about 20 lbs of fillets in the cooler.
Sept. 30, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 9:00 p.m. - High	Wind: 10-15 mph - SE
Start time: 4:30 p.m.	Total time: 7 Hrs.
Another very dark night with high expectations. We fished sunset in perfect conditions at SW Point. I got two nice Blues and a 26" Striper and Paul got skunked. Should have been much better there in those conditions. We moved on to Cow Cove at dark. This wasn't Paul's night. I had almost constant action, but was once again disappointed by the size of the fish. We threw our black needlefish (mine with a teaser) for two hours before and two hours after high tide. I got maybe 12 stripers between 23 and 27" plus four keepers - 28, 30, 32 and 37". I also missed or dropped several nice fish despite having made my hooks very sharp. Paul got a 31 and a 30. I took two more fish to the fillet station.
Sept. 30, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 8:45 a.m. - High	Wind: 10-15 mph - NE
Start time: 6:30 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
We walked out to Sandy Pt. The North Rip was so wild, it was pretty tough to wade out into it. We mostly fished by casting west at the north end of the beach. There Bluefish for the first hour or so. I forgot my pliers in the car so poor Paul was slowed down by having to dehook my fish as well as his. We got about 10 Bluefish including one I caught that was about 30".
Sept. 29, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 8:30 p.m. - High	Wind: 5-10 mph - SE
Start time: 4:30 p.m.	Total time: 6 Hrs.
This was the magic night of the new moon, so we had high expectations and the intention to do a lot of fishing. Are you reading this, Terrence? We started early because it was rainy and overcast and we headed for Blk Rock Pt. Two hours and nothing at all. On the way to Grove Pt., we stopped and made some casts at West Beach - nothing at all. Finally, we headed for our favorite nighttime spot north of Grove Pt. There were fish. but we were disappointed by the size. In the first hour Paul got 6-7 stripers, but only one keeper that was 32" I started off very slow, but also ended up with 6-7 fish, mostly 25-27", and one 35 incher. Not terrible, but far below expectations and we fished very hard for what we got.
Sept. 29, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 8:00 a.m. - High	Wind: 15 mph - SW
Start time: 6:00 a.m.	Total time: 3 1/2 Hrs.
We started at SW Point. Very frothy surf. There were five guys from NJ already fishing there - they were also staying at Twin Maples. Almost everyone was using a pencil popper and no one was catching anything. I set up at my favorite spot and put on a 1 oz, round white bucktail and began casting into the white water. I caught 6-7 stripers to 27" and one nice Bluefish. All the others combined caught two small stripers. No one else had brought a big enough bucktail to copy me and cast into the wind. They were very nice guys and several teased me about my success. Too bad I didn't get one decent sized fish. We tried the Channel afterwards for a few casts and Paul got a small Bluefish.
Sept. 28, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 7:45 p.m. - High	Wind: 15 mph - SW
Start time: 6:00 p.m.	Total time: 4 Hrs.
Paul and I decided to start the trip by fishing sunset at Charleston Beach which is normally a very reliable place to be at sunset. Neither of us ever got a hit. At dark, we moved to Cow Cove and found some fish on the black needlefish. Paul's first fish was 35". I got a 33 incher, a 31, a 28 and one short. A decent start. Because I haven't had a good September, and I've started making chowder in the winter from frozen striper, I took two fish to the fillet station.
I am off to Block Island for three days with Paul. Hope the weather hasn't chased the fish. Won't be able to post until I get back.
Sept. 26, 2008 - Gloucester & Magnolia
Tide: 9:30 a.m. - High	Wind: 10-15 mph - NE
Start time: 11:00 a.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
Stormy, rainy day. My wife was having some girlfriends for lunch and kicked me out of the house. So, I headed for the north shore. Tried lots of spots along 127 from Singing Beach to Rockport. One small striper on the rocks in Magnolia. Stopped at Charlies in Gloucester to have a sandwich and Steve Papows was next to me at the counter. That was great since I hadn't had a good talk with Steve the whole season. No one better to talk fishing with than Steve. He confirmed that it's been a very tough September around Cape Ann.
Sept. 25, 2008 - Gloucester & Magnolia
Tide: 8:30 a.m. - High	Wind: 5-10 mph - ENE
Start time: 5:30 a.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
Same report - over and over again. Groundhog Day. I was set up on Atlantic Rd. in front of the Elks Lodge before dawn. The water was beautiful - with rolling waves and a nice chop and it was a couple hours before high tide. There was a light ENE wind but you could still cast fine. I got a schoolie on a needlefish while it was still dark and then nothing. Not even a hit. It doesn't make sense this time of year with those conditions. I drove south on 127 and tried five other spots ending up at Singing Beach. Not a sign of fish. My wife thinks I'm not fishing.
Sept. 22, 2008 - Provincetown, MA
Tide: 5:15 a.m. - High	Wind: 10-15 mph - NE
Start time: 5:00 a.m.	Total time: 6 Hrs.
Paul and I drove the 135 miles to Race Point Beach. The bad luck (poor skills ?) continued. We made the long walk out to the Point in the dark and we were all set up to fish at false dawn with 25 other guys who drove out in buggies. The fish showed up and everyone had a fish on including me and Paul. Mine was a real nice one. After a pretty good fight, I lost mine 20 feet in front of me and the same thing happened to Paul! That was it. A five minute blitz. Two and a half hours of driving; 45 minutes of walking in sand with waders; and a five minute blitz in which I lost one good fish. Yikes! We walked back and drove to Herring Cove where there were some schoolies. Paul got five or six and I managed one. We also made some casts at Ballston Beach, peaked at Coast Guard Beach and made a few final casts at Nauset. Another bust. Consistent with this run of luck, my friend Dick and I have a long planned three-night trip to Block Island this weekend and a major Northeast storm is coming in. Will likely cancel.
Sept. 19, 2008 - Gloucester & Rockport
Tide: 8:15 a.m. - Low	Wind: 15-20 mph - ENE
Start time: 5:30 a.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
I was surprised by the strong NE wind. I was going to fish Bass Rocks, and maybe I should have, but I went to Niles instead to get the wind at my back. I fished five spots between Niles and Pigeon Cove and didn't see another fisherman. I guess I didn't get the memo that went out advising that it was a lousy morning to fish. I never got any action at any spot and I made hundreds of casts. The conditions at Good Harbor seemed great and I was convinced I would do well there but nothing. Oh well, when you're in a slump, things always keep getting worse until they finally turn around and, for sure, I'm in a slump. Two years ago, in September, I had eight consecutive outings in which I caught at least one striper of 35" or greater. When you're on a roll like that you think you're the best fisherman on the coast. Now, I feel completely lame.
Sept. 17, 2008 - Gloucester & Rockport
Tide: 7:00 a.m. - Low	Wind: 5-10 mph - SW
Start time: 5:30 a.m.	Total time: 4 Hrs.
Started on the rocks by Pebble and it was dead. Moved to Good Harbor. Met a nice fisherman named Porter who was catching Stripers just under keeper size. Just as I started to fish, some fish started showing in front of us. Porter hooked a big Bluefish and then I hooked one. I dropped mine but he landed one over 10 lbs. Then the fish moved on. I caught three Stripers up to 27" and one nice 30" Bluefish. Paul was there and we drove to the rocks near Pigeon Cove. The conditions were terrific with clouds and fog, an incoming tide and a small chop on the water. Only could get two small Stripers.
Sept. 15, 2008 - Ipswich
Tide: 6:00 a.m. - Low	Wind: 15-20 mph - SW
Start time: 5:30 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
After changing my mind six times, I ended up going to Crane this morning. Wish I had tried something else. The conditions were fine but there was no sign that fish inhabit those waters. And I don't have to kick myself for staying too long in the same spot. I worked a 1.5 miles stretch of the beach for almost three hours and never got a hit or a splash. There was a strong wind at my back, and I had just respooled my reel, so I was casting as far as I ever can remember casting. No matter - no fish. I kept waiting for that big hit you get this time of year in those waters, but zip.
Sept. 13, 2008 - Gloucester & Rockport
Tide: 4:30 p.m. - Low	Wind: 10 mph - SE
Start time: 4:30 p.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
My son Nico and I headed to Cape Ann to fish the sunset on an incoming tide. We started at Good Harbor Beach and there was a nice feed going on on the far left of the beach near the island. Unfortunately, the boil and the birds were about 300 yards away. They went back and forth parallel to shore but never came closer. After 45 minutes of nothing, we decided to look at some other spots. We ended up on the rocks near Pigeon Cove and it was mostly dead there although the conditions were pretty good. I finally got a small Striper and then lost a big Bluefish and then landed an 8 lb Bluefish and that was it. Nico hasn't had much luck this year.
Sept. 10, 2008 - Gloucester & Rockport
Tide: 8:10 a.m. - High	Wind: 10 mph - WNW
Start time: 5:45 a.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
It felt a little more like September this morning. I fished the rocks along Atlantic Rd. on the back shore of Gloucester and there was some action at first light. I lost a nice fish when it tore the center treble (with the eyelet) off my 1 oz Gibbs. That's the second time that's happened to me in a month. I bought six of those white 1 oz Gibbs pencils before the season started and I wonder if it was a bad lot because that just shouldn't happen. Both were decent fish but they weren't huge. After that, I got a 26" Striper and had a couple other big splashes. I tried a few other spots along 127 but the bite had died with the sunrise. I saw birds working off the Gloucester and Rockport shores for the first time this year. I also saw good size Bunker - maybe 5-6" - being chased on the surface of the water. All good signs. Would have liked to have landed that first fish!
Sept. 8, 2008 - Gloucester & Rockport
Tide: 6:15 a.m. - High	Wind: 5-10 mph - W
Start time: 5:15 a.m.	Total time: 4 Hrs.
I fished five spots along Rt. 127 starting on Atlantic St. in Gloucester and finishing north of Pigeon Cove in Rockport. I got one small Striper and two nice Bluefish - 5-7 lbs.
Sept. 5, 2008 - Ipswich
Tide: 10:00 p.m. - Low	Wind: 10 mph - SSW
Start time: 8:45 p.m.	Total time: 4 Hrs.
Yikes. I fished one of my favorite spots on the beach front at Crane for two hours either side of low tide. There was the favorable SW wind and only a sliver of moon. I worked back and forth on a 1/4 stretch of the beach alternating between a needlefish and an 8" black sluggo. I got a 14" and a 20" Striper and that was it in four hours of hard fishing. That's pretty scary in the first week of September. I've been away and it's possible I just don't know where the fish are on Crane right now.
Sept. 3, 2008 - Rockport
Tide: 8:00 a.m. - Low	Wind: 10 mph - WNW
Start time: 5:30 a.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
Finally got back to the north shore but had no success. Fished the rocks at the end of Pebble from pre-dawn into sunrise and never had a splash. Ran into Paul at Pebble and we tried Good Harbor with the same result. Went to breakfast. After breakfast Paul showed me a couple new spots north of Pebble Beach off Route 127. We made quite a few casts from one spot and got a couple splashes but didn't hook up.
I will be in Italy with my family for the 2nd half of August. After Labor Day, I will hit the beach on Boston's North Shore and begin my reports anew.
August 15, 16 2008 - Block Island
Tide:	Wind:
Start time:	Total time:
After Friday morning, I went out three more times but none was very serious or successful: Friday evening I thought I would fish sunset at Clayhead or what the old timers call "Pots & Kettles". The tide and conditions were pretty good, but the water was really too weedy to fish. I was close to West Beach, so despite the fact that I never catch anything there, that's where I went. I didn't catch anything. Finally, I went to my spot in Cow Cove and got skunked there too. Saturday morning I had to check out of the cottage which is a big job after two weeks. After I dropped the trash at the "transfer station", I headed to Sandy Pt. It was a beautiful, sunny morning and lots of tourists made the walk out to Sandy Pt. I casted my plugs for two hours hoping to get a Blue or a Bonito but never got a splash. After a nice lunch of fried clams, and some shopping for gifts for the kids, I headed over to SE Light because my ferry wasn't until 9:00. That meant I could fish one more sunset on an incoming tide at a favorite spot, albeit in shorts and sneakers. After descending the steps, I went to the right and threw my pencil poppers as the sun set. I got splashes and misses but couldn't hook up. Finally at 7:30, when it was time to head to the ferry, I caught a 25" Striper on the 1 oz, white Gibbs. I let that be my final cast of this trip and I went to the ferry. No 40 pounder but a pretty productive fishing trip.
August 15, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 7:15 a.m. - High	Wind: 10 mph - SW
Start time: 5:00 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
I finally got out plenty early to fish SW Pt. on the morning incoming. Fishing SW Pt. near high tide, in the dark, with its slippery rocks and crazy, sideways waves, is no picnic and one should be rewarded. I got one little Striper on the needle when it was still dark and that was it for the morning.
August 14, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 7:00 p.m. - High	Wind: 5 mph - SE
Start time: 6:30 p.m.	Total time: 4 Hrs.
It was pouring when I left the cottage, so I decided to do the easy thing and headed to Charleston Beach. Walked the whole beach (maybe a half mile) and got four Blues and seven Bass, but nothing over 26". At dark I drove north to fish my spot in Cow Cove. There was a very bright moon which is generally not good for fishing and, sure enough, it was pretty dead. I had two hits and caught one 28" Striper.
August 14, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 6:30 a.m. - High	Wind: Can't remember
Start time: 7:00 a.m.	Total time: 2 Hrs.
Tried Black Rock on another overcast morning. Not much doing. I tried quite a few spots, but couldn't find the fish. I got two Stripers - biggest was 26".
August 13, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 6:17 p.m. - High	Wind: 5-10 mph - SE
Start time: 6:30 p.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
Gee, it was a BFBF and I wish I had landed it. I went back to SE Light and walked left to the cove with the old iron oil tank on the beach. On my 3rd or 4th cast from the middle of the cove, I had given up on my retrieve, when, wham, I got a mighty hit and I had a tremendous Bluefish on. I've never caught a Bluefish on the south shore of the island and it surprised me. It made a couple prodigious jumps and it was huge and running out to sea, and then it was gone. I only wanted to land it to measure it. It wasn't as big as the monster I caught at Watch Hill Light last fall, but it was huge. I had no luck on any of my rocks while the sun set. When it was getting dark, I started getting some action on a white pencil in the same spot where I'd hooked the BFBF. I caught five Stripers including a 28" and a 30". When it was almost dark, I hooked a pretty good Striper that got off. When I reeled in the plug, the belly treble hook was gone as was the eyelet. Not my night for big fish. Gee, it was a BFBF.
August 13, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 5:45 a.m. - High	Wind: 5 mph - WNW
Start time: 3:00 a.m.	Total time: 4 Hrs.
Finally got some good weather this morning, but the big fish were not at my spot in Cow Cove. I got there early enough to fish two hours in the dark but only got one small keeper plus four Stripers between 25 and 27". At false dawn I walked north to Sandy Pt. Although you can catch damn near anything at Sandy Pt., I think of it first as a big Bluefish spot. This morning the big Blues were there. I got five or six Blues including a 32 incher. I also got my third Bonito of the trip and this was the biggest. It ran all over the place before it finally tired out. All the Blues and the Bonito hit a 2 oz, white Gibbs Pencil Popper - great fun!
August 12, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 5:30 p.m. - High	Wind: Calm
Start time: 7:30 p.m.	Total time: 1 Hr.
In the interest of full disclosure, on the suggestion of John at Twin Maples, I went to Dories Cove at sunset. I inexplicably picked a roundish, slippery rock to cast from and a tiny wave pushed me off on my first cast. I fell fully in the surf and, to add insult to injury, I discovered a few minutes later that I'd bent the handle on my Van Staal. After I recovered my composure, I grabbed another fishing rod and headed over to the friendlier confines of Charleston Beach. Once again, the surf had both Blues and Bass. It was fun with my lighter tackle - even with my clothing still soaking under my waders. I got 5 Bluefish and 6 Stripers. The Stripers were all 24-26 inches and the Blues were 4-6 lbs. At dark I tried the needlefish, but when I caught a couple even smaller Stripers, I headed to the cottage to shower.
August 12, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 5:00 a.m. - High	Wind: 15 mph - NNE
Start time: 6:45 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
Once again the thunderstorms loused up my plans. When my alarm went off at 2:45 am, there was a lot of lightning around but no thunder or rain so I hopped in the Honda and headed to Grove Pt. In the 10 minutes it takes to drive there the sky opened up and there was a big thunderstorm and crazy winds. I went back to the cottage and set the alarm for 6:00. Now it was heavily overcast and I went back hoping the lightning was done and that the fish would be at Sandy Pt. You could cast a mile to the west but there weren't any fish there. I finally waded into a wild North Rip and caught a couple 25" Stripers on a Kastmaster.
August 11, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 4:30 p.m. - High	Wind: 10 mph - ESE
Start time: 6:00 p.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
I started at SE Light by the big rocks in a big, rolling surf. I got on the massive rock to the right of the steps and casted for an hour without a splash. I decided to try the west side of the island and went to Charleston Beach. Charleston is a really enjoyable spot to fish sunset. People go there to drink a glass of wine and see the fabulous sunsets and there is often a mix of bass and blues in the surf. I walked the whole beach tossing a small bone colored popper and caught 5 Blues and 6 Stripers. The biggest Bluefish was about 7 lbs, but most were closer to 3 lbs. Biggest Striper was 25". It's an easy place to fish and a nice way to watch the sun set. After dark I made a few casts on the far left side with a needlefish and quit because I planned to be out again at 3:00 am.
August 11, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 3:45 a.m. - High	Wind: 10 mph - NE
Start time: 3:45 a.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
The weather pattern is problematic now. There always seem to be thunderstorms at the times I plan to go fishing. This morning lightning was all around the island and the NE wind is lousy for the spot in Cow Cove where I started. I got nothing there and then walked out to Sandy Pt. when there was some light. I still had a dropper on from my night fishing and my first cast with a popper hooked two good sized Bluefish. I thought I had a monster Blue. After that, I only got one 25" Striper. Then, the storm chased me off to breakfast.
August 10, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 10:30 p.m. - Low	Wind: 5-10 mph - SW
Start time: 6:30 p.m.	Total time: 2 Hrs.
Walked down the steps at SE Light to fish sunset. Walked quite a way the left to the cove with the old iron wreck. Was smarter on this night and moved from rock to rock until I found some action. At about 7:30 I started to get some hits on the 2 oz, white Gibbs. I caught about six Stripers including two small keepers - biggest was 30".
August 9, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 9:10 p.m. - Low	Wind: 10 mph - WSW
Start time: 6:30 p.m.	Total time: 2 Hrs.
I scrambled down the rocky cliff to Black Rock and walked west to the big flat rock. You won't read me saying that for a while. This was the third visit to the big flat rock on this trip and I'm losing my confidence in the spot. I shouldn't have spent so much time there either. I threw several different plugs for two hours until the sun set and never got a splash or hit. Of course when I walked back towards Black Rock, I hooked a fish on my first cast from another rock and landed a 24" Striper. Two casts later I hooked a pretty good fish but dropped it. That was it. It was dead low tide and dark - a lousy combination.
August 8, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 7:45 p.m. - Low	Wind: 10-15 mph - NNE
Start time: 8:15 p.m.	Total time: 5 Hrs.
I caught my first big fish of this trip. I need to break this outing into two parts: I started at Sandy Pt. a little before dark. There is a very steep drop off from the shore into deep water on the west facing beach and I always wanted to try a needlefish there in the darkness. I gave it three hours and caught three small Blues and a 27" Striper. Now my curiosity is satisfied. At about 11:00 I walked to my spot north of Grove Pt. I added a dropper with my black needlefish and on my very first cast I hooked a great fish. It made several good runs and I thought it might be 35 lbs. Turned out to be a super fat 41 1/2" Striper that may have weighed 30 lbs. I released it and it took 10 minutes to revive it. Maybe 20 minutes later I hooked up again and this time it was twin 30" Stripers - one on the plug and one on the teaser. Next fish was a fat 35 incher and then a 32. The wind both shifted and picked up and all I got after that was two 24" Stripers. Not a bad night.
August 8, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 6:40 a.m. - Low	Wind: 5-10 mph - ENE
Start time: 7:00 a.m.	Total time: 2 Hrs.
It was supposed to be a cloudy, rainy morning so I slept until 6:00 and planned to walk out to Sandy Pt. and fish the incoming in the rain. Instead, the sun was bright, the water was flat and it was slack tide. Pretty much the worst conditions for fishing but a beautiful morning for a walk out to Sandy Pt. After casting for almost two hours without a hit, a fish came flying out of the water and missed my Mackerel colored pencil popper. A moment later I was on and the fish came right towards shore. Then it turned and ran a long time out to sea. I knew I had a hooked another Bonito. It was a beauty and, after another few casts, I headed for breakfast.
August 7, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 6:45 p.m. - Low	Wind: Calm
Start time: 7:30 p.m.	Total time: 1 1/2 Hrs.
I went back to Southwest Point. I've never seen it so flat there - like a lake. Not a good sign. As the sun set, all I got were a couple small Bluefish and a thunderstorm was approaching. Right around dark, I landed a 30" Striper and then got a nice hit on my next cast. Unfortunately, the lightning was getting too close and the sky was all lit up. I headed for the car knowing there were nice fish in the water.
August 6, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 6:00 p.m. - Low	Wind: 10-15 mph - ENE
Start time: 7:30 p.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
I went to Southwest Point to fish the incoming and the place was lit up from my first cast. It was so predictable. It was a lock. If I were Paul, I would think one of two things. Either David makes up this great fishing when Paul's not there, or he purposely takes him to the wrong spots at the wrong times. I really don't know what to say. It's happened two out of three years now. One of the better BI fisherman, Rick Hall, was there when I got there and he had a fish on the beach and he was hooked up. I caught five decent Stripers on my first seven casts. They ranged from 26 to 31 inches and I got them all with a 2 oz white pencil popper with a pink stripe. When it got dark, Rick left with two Stripers and I fished into the darkness with a black and purple Stezko. I caught another six fish, mostly 26-27 inches, but the last one was my best - a fat 32" beauty which I took to the fillet station.
August 6, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 5:30 a.m. - Low	Wind: 15-20 mph - SSE
Start time: 7:00 a.m.	Total time: 4 Hrs.
This is Paul's last morning and we went to lots of spots. It's a rainy, windy morning and we didn't get to Sandy pt. until almost 7:00. It was dead there - Paul had a couple splashes and hooked up once but we caught no fish. Next we tried West Beach, Mansion Beach, The Shoot, Green Hill Cove and finally SE Light. The conditions were great but the fishing was terrible. I got one small Striper at the Shoot and another, even smaller, at SE Light. Highlight of a very rainy morning? While we were at SE Light, fishing a minor hurricane, a really gorgeous 20ish year old girl descended the 144 steps, stripped down to denim shorts and a sleeveless top and went for a dip alone. She even smiled and waved to us. I have a witness.
August 5, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 5:15 p.m. - Low	Wind: 10-15 mph - SSE
Start time: 6:30 p.m.	Total time: 4 Hrs.
We headed to the big flat rock west of Black Rock to fish sunset into darkness. I had a very good feeling about it with the incoming tide and little bit of moon. The sun was behind some dark clouds and it was nice and choppy - perfect. No fish - go figure. I got one small Striper in almost two hours. We walked back to the big cove at Black Rock and it was now dark. I put on a white 1 oz bucktail and wham on the first cast and another on the second. I ended up with six fish on the bucktail including three small keepers to 30". It was a nice way to finish but I was still confounded about the big flat rock. Moon phase:
August 5, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 4:50 a.m. - Low	Wind: 10 mph - ESE
Start time: 5:00 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
We went back to Sandy Pt. and got there plenty early but there was a lousy slack tide right at low tide. We each caught 4-5 Bluefish and Paul got a Bonito. The Blues were 4-6 lbs.
August 4, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 10:50 p.m. - High	Wind: 10-15 mph - SW
Start time: 7:00 p.m.	Total time: 4 Hrs.
We got a tip that fishing has been great at Sandy Pt. and that's where we went at sunset. It was incredible when we first arrived casting from the west side beach. On my first five casts, I got a Bonito (my first), a 7 lb Bluefish and a fat 31" Striper! How fun. On my next cast I had a tremendous hit and the fish broke off. No idea what happened - maybe a Blue chomped my line. Then it just died. Once again, we should have gotten there a little earlier while the sun was still pretty high. After dark, we tried the spot near Grove Pt. but, after a few casts, we quit, exhausted from sleep depravation.
August 4, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 4:20 a.m. - Low	Wind: 10 mph - SW
Start time: 6:00 a.m.	Total time: 1 1/2 Hrs.
We fished SW Point but got started a little late. Using a white Gibbs Pencil, I got a nice fat 33" Striper on my 2nd cast. A couple casts later I lost a fish at least as big but, after that, I had only one splash. The sun was too high. I think we might have missed some good fishing by being an hour late.
August 3, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 10:00 p.m. - High	Wind: 10 mph - WSW
Start time: 7:00 p.m.	Total time: 5 Hrs.
We started at Charleston Beach but it was too weedy. Next we tried SW Point. The conditions were perfect, with a setting sun and an incoming tide, but we never got a bump in an hour of casting. We moved on to Pots & Kettles and fished into dark but didn't get a hit. I got the mother of all wind knots and had to strip off 1/3 of my line. We moved to the spot near Grove Pt. I got a 31 and a 35 on my first four casts and nothing after that. Paul got three fish up to 32".
August 3, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 3:45 a.m. - Low	Wind: 10 mph - WSW
Start time: 5:15 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
We went to Black Rock Pt. and walked west until we found the big flat rock that I like. There was a fair amount of top-water action but the fish were missing most of the time. I got three Stripers and the biggest was about 27". Paul lost one fish near the rock and didn't have much luck beyond that.
August 2, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 9:15 p.m. - High	Wind: Calm
Start time: 8:00 p.m.	Total time: 3 1/2 Hrs.
Paul arrived on the 6:00 ferry and we were at SE Light just before dark. I got just one small Striper at SE Light. Next we went to the spot north of Grove Pt. It wasn't as good as the night before, but I got 3 Stripers including one fat 32 incher.
August 2, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 9:00 a.m. - High	Wind: 10 mph - SW
Start time: 4:45 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
Have I ever mentioned how good the fishing is here? I went to SE Light, which is a great morning spot on an incoming tide. I walked left, found a rock and started with a needlefish but had no luck. As soon as there was enough light, I switched to a white Gibbs Pencil and started getting 26" Stripers on every third cast or so. The fish are very fat - there must be a lot of bait out there. At about 7:00, when the sun was up, it got a lot more fun. I caught a very fat 36" Striper then every fish was between 32 and 35". I landed seven of them which means I caught 10 keepers in less than 12 hours on the Island. I got them all on top with the white Gibbs which was a blast. The first day of a two week fishing trip might end up being the best.
August 1, 2008 - Block Island
Tide: 8:30 p.m. - High	Wind: 10 mph - SW
Start time: 8:00 p.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
Have I mentioned how much I like Block Island? Have I ever mentioned how good the fishing is here? My ferry arrived at 6:00 and, after a burger, I was at my secret spot near Grove Pt. by 8:00 pm. The conditions were ideal - SW wind, gentle surf plus a new moon and a high tide. This spot usually only fishes well after dark and it was true to form. An hour of casting through sunset produced nothing. When the stars came out, the action started. I was using a black & purple Stezko needle and I caught five Stripers between 9:00 and 10:30. Two 26", two 32" and one fat 35 incher. Not a bad start but wait till my next report.
I am off to Block Island for two weeks !! I will be posting every couple days.
July 28, 2008 - Rockport
Tide: 7:40 a.m. - High	Wind: 5-10 mph - WSW
Start time: 5:00 a.m.	Total time: 2 Hrs.
Went back to rocks at the far left of Pebble Beach to fish the incoming tide. I got three fish - all on the 1 1/2 oz, white Gibbs Pencil. I threw a black needle for the first 45 minutes and got nothing. Biggest fish was almost 28". Took a ride to Surfland to pick up a few things before my two weeks on BI. Probably done now on the north shore until I get back from August travels. However, I will try to post my fishing experiences on the Block.
July 25, 2008 - Ipswich
Tide: Midnight - Low	Wind: 10 mph - SSW
Start time: 11:45 p.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
Not sure what to say about Crane. What a gorgeous night. Some moon, but not too much. A 10 mph SW wind at my back helping me cast the needlefish a mile. A gentle ripple on top of the water with no waves. I don't know how many casts I made as I moved from spot to spot, but I never had even a bump. Can't ever remember that happening before in late July in similar conditions at Crane. Ok, so there isn't any bait in the water, but how about one fish? Nice to know that by Friday I'll be on Block Island.
July 23, 2008 - Rockport/Gloucester
Tide: 9:00 a.m. - Low	Wind: 10 mph - SSW
Start time: 6:45 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
I took Nico out and we got a very late start because my travel alarm clock was still on California time and never went off. When we got to Pebble Beach, there wasn't much water so we walked out on the rocks on the far left. Despite the rising sun and missing the good tide, I got lucky and a fat 32" Striper hammered my 1 oz, white Gibbs and allowed us to bring home dinner. That was the only fish we caught. Nico missed a couple fish he had on at Niles Beach and we went out for a great breakfast in Rockport. Not too bad for a morning that started pretty badly - still wish that Nico would catch the fish instead of me.
July 8, 2008 - Provincetown
Tide: 4:00 a.m. - High	Wind: 10-15 mph - SSW
Start time: 4:00 a.m.	Total time: 5 Hrs.
As things have been so slow on the north shore, Paul and I drove the 135 miles to Race Pt. Beach to fish a morning outgoing tide. We managed to walk onto the beach at 4:00 am as planned, but we found more seals than fish. I hooked up with a black needlefish for about 30 seconds at 4:30 but dropped the fish. About 15 minutes later I hooked another pretty good fish which made a big jump and then started to run. However, a giant seal was watching and zipped over and snatched the fish so I had to give up both the fish and a beautiful new Choopy needle. After that we had no more action. When we walked the two miles to the lighthouse, we saw a big school of splashes just out of casting range and had to watch a few guys on a boat hook up over and over again with nice sized Stripers. Time to take a few days off.
July 6, 2008 - Ipswich
Tide: 8:30 p.m. - Low	Wind: 10 mph - SSW
Start time: 6:30 p.m.	Total time: 2 Hrs.
Nico and I were going to fish in the morning but decided to stay home and watch the men's Wimbledon final which turned out to be an excellent decision. So we went to Crane Beach to fish the sunset and have a picnic on the beach. It was a truly beautiful night - the walk was great and the roast beef sandwiches from Nick's were superb but there are still no fish around there. We made a lot of casts at three different spots and never had a bump or saw a fish break water and there's no bait in the water. Talked to several other guys who had the same experience. These are the dog days of early July.
July 4th, 2008 - Marblehead
Tide: 6:30 a.m. - Low	Wind: 10-15 mph - SSE
Start time: 6:30 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
There's dead and then there's really freaking dead. Casting for three hours in a great spot with heavy cloud cover and a perfect tide without the slightest evidence of fish, not even a swirl, is really freaking dead. This was my first trip to Marblehead this season and I fished a spot I like on Marblehead Neck. The north shore seems pretty tough right now. Heck, there was even a new moon.
July 2, 2008 - Ipswich
Tide: 5:20 a.m. - Low	Wind: Calm
Start time: 4:45 a.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
Not much happening on the Crane beach front. I tried four spots and caught one lousy 18" Striper.
June 30, 2008 - Ipswich
Tide: 3:30 a.m. - Low	Wind: 10-15 mph - S
Start time: 3:30 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
On a very dark night, with lightning in the distance, I walked out by myself to one of my favorite spots on the front of Crane Beach to fish the incoming tide. Seems like I should have been rewarded with some nice fish, but it was pretty much dead. I got one 17" Striper on the olive colored Mambo Minnow. That was it - not another hit.
June 27, 2008 - Provincetown
Tide: 6:00 a.m. - High	Wind: 10 mph - WSW
Start time: 5:00 a.m.	Total time: 5 1/2 Hrs.
I took the long drive to Race Pt. beach at the end of the Cape and I was rewarded with a classic Race Pt. Striper blitz. Every year, on my first drive to the end of the Cape, I forget how long it takes to get there. I wanted to be on the beach by 4:30 at the latest and I walked on the beach at 5:00. It really cost me. As I walked on the beach, I met a nice guy named Ralph from Connecticut and we started walking west toward the point. We had only walked 100 yards when we saw what looked like a rip on a sandbar running perpendicular to the beach. Another few steps and we could see it was splashes and we walked faster. Soon you could see big Stripers in the wash pushing Shad and Squid up on the beach. We both hooked up on the first cast and I got a 33" but Ralph got a fat 39" Striper. We horsed them in as fast as we could so as to avoid the seals in the water. I got two more (30" and 31") and fed another one with my Gibbs to a seal and it was all over in just 20 minutes. I had missed the first half hour of the blitz because of arriving late. Damn. I dragged the 33" fish to the cooler in my car and made the two mile walk out to the point but never had another splash in more than four hours of fishing. My fish was 15 lbs and made 5 lbs of fillets - I'll bet Ralph's fish was 23-24lbs.
June 25, 2008 - Cape Ann
Tide: 4:30 a.m. - High	Wind: 5-10 mph - NNW
Start time: 5:00 a.m.	Total time: 4 Hrs.
I made my first tour this year of 127 in Cape Ann. I started on the rocks in Magnolia (zip), then Pebble Beach (one fat 25" Striper), then Cape Hedge and Long Beach (zip), then Paul's Cove (one 22" Striper) and finally the Lighthouse (zip). It was a nice morning and I enjoyed my first visits this season to some of my favorite spots. There will be some big fish there in August and September. I also tried out a new G. Loomis 8' 10" surf rod and it's great with the pencil popper. I might head for the Cape on Friday morning.
June 23, 2008 - Ipswich, MA
Tide: 9:30 a.m. - Low	Wind: Calm
Start time: 7:00 a.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
Well, the morning started out absolutely miserable, and I caught one lousy 22" Striper, but it turned out to be a nice morning of fishing. I started at Castle Neck, behind Crane Beach, and it was dead calm and the gnats were unbearable. They followed me in a big black cloud. Plus there were no fish at all. At about 8:30 I decided to move my car to the main lot and take my first walk of the season on the beach front. There was a nice breeze and the beach was beautiful. The frigid water quickly cooled me off and the scenery reminded me of some of the great fishing yet to come this summer. After at least an hour of casting at my favorite spot, I caught the little Striper and decided to call it a day. As I walked off the beach, I even picked up my first nice beach towel of the season.
June 20, 2008 - Ipswich, MA
Tide: 7:30 p.m. - Low	Wind: 5 mph - SW
Start time: 6:30 p.m.	Total time: 2 Hrs.
Maybe it's time to try something different. On a beautiful Friday evening, I took my daughter Giulia to CNR behind Crane to fish a nice low tide. The gnats were brutal, but little Giulia was a real trooper. We stopped and picked up sandwiches in Ipswich so we could take a break and have a picnic. The fishing was still slow back there. I got three 22" Stripers on top-water plugs and that was it. For about a half hour there were fish breaking water but they wouldn't hit what I was throwing. Giulia didn't have any luck at all but improved her casting.
June 18, 2008 - Ipswich, MA
Tide: 6:30 a.m. - Low	Wind: 5-10 mph - WSW
Start time: 4:15 a.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
Boy, it remains pretty slow back behind Crane Beach. Usually when the Blues show up there are lots of them, but this week there are just a few around. I got one 7 lb Bluefish this morning and that was it. I saw Brian catch a couple small Stripers.
June 16, 2008 - Ipswich, MA
Tide: 5:00 a.m. - Low	Wind: 10 mph - NNW
Start time: 4:30 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
I don't usually go out two mornings in a row but, with the excellent tides, moon and heavily overcast sky, I decided that good fishing was more important than sleep. I walked into CNR with Brian who had pulled into the parking lot at the same time. We both got splashes in our first couple casts and a few minutes later I landed the first Bluefish I'd seen at Crane this spring. It was about 25". I missed a couple more and then caught a 23" Striper. After that, it just died. At about 6:30, after it had been totally dead for a long time, I hooked a big, strong Bluefish on a 1 oz, white Gibbs pencil popper. It was 30" and a real bull. All in all, it was pretty slow considering the good conditions.
June 15, 2008 - Ipswich, MA
Tide: 4:30 a.m. - Low	Wind: 5 mph - ENE
Start time: 4:45 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
It's Father's Day and I took Nico with me for the first time this season. We went to the back side of Crane Beach. He's ten now and fits into youth waders so he looks like a real fisherman - albeit a little one. It was a nice fishing morning with heavily overcast skies and and a morning low tide. Unfortunately for Nico the fish were way out there - you needed to cast about 60 yards to reach them. I got a 33", a 29", a 26" and a 22 incher all on the bone Jumpin Minnow. We're having the Spiers for a barbecue today so the 33 was just perfect. Nico caught one the smallest Stripers I've ever seen taken on a plug. It was less than 10 inches. Damn - he really wants to catch a keeper and he had to watch me catch two this morning. On the other hand, it is Father's Day!
June 12, 2008 - Ipswich, MA
Tide: 8:00 a.m. - High	Wind: Calm
Start time: 4:15 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
Against my better judgement, I decided to fish CNR on a high tide. It was really dead. Aaron and his dad were there and so was Bill and all anyone was catching was gnats and lots of them. At about 6:00 a fish finally flopped about 40 yards to my right. I walked over there and made a cast right to the spot where the fish splashed. I hooked up immediately - 22 inches. That was the only sign of fish the whole morning.
June 9, 2008 - Newbury, MA
Tide: 11:30 p.m. - Low	Wind: Calm
Start time: 10:00 p.m.	Total time: 2 Hrs.
Surf fishing can be both sublime, as it was Friday morning, and miserable as it was tonight. There are three things that can make a fishing outing miserable: equipment problems, being cold and no fish. I experienced two of three - I was not cold. I didn't get a hit and I didn't see anyone else catch a fish and there were 20 guys there. Oh yeah, I was at the mouth of the Merrimac River on Plum Island. In addition to not catching any fish, I kept breaking off lures on casts. At first I figured I must have tied a bad knot, but by the third one, I knew it was something else. Each time it happened, the end of the braided line was frayed. I left after only a couple hours disgusted. The next day I inspected my St. Croix rod and there was a sharp groove inside one of the guides.
June 6, 2008 - Ipswich, MA
Tide: 8:30 p.m. - Low	Wind: 10 mph - SE
Start time: 6:45 p.m.	Total time: 2 Hrs.
Waiting to catch your first keeper of the season can be a little like a power hitter who is two weeks into a new season and hasn't hit a home run. You get a little anxious about it. At about 7:20 I had caught four small Stripers and I was tossing the Jumpin Minnow when a big fish hit and then spit out the plug before I could set the hook. It was the third nice fish I had missed this year and I was getting annoyed. Ten minutes later, on the top of my cast, a real nice fish hit, showed me his broad tail and took off. I carefully set the hook twice to be sure and the fish ran and ran against my very light tackle. I had an early season nervousness that it was going to get off. But a few minutes later, it was on the beach - all 37 1/2" and 19 lbs. No more action after that. It was a really perfect night and I had the whole beach to myself.
June 4, 2008 - Ipswich, MA
Tide: 6:00 a.m. - Low	Wind: Calm
Start time: 4:30 a.m.	Total time: 4 1/2 Hrs.
Another disappointing morning. Absolutely great conditions at CNR behind Crane Beach and it was pretty much dead. It was heavily overcast and began raining lightly at about 7:00. Paul was there and there was no action at all on the outgoing tide. Finally, at about the time it started raining, a few fish came by. I caught four or five up to 25" - all on a bone Jumpin Minnow. I also had a nice size fish tear the rear treble off a Jumpin Minnow - the whole screw eye was gone. It was probably ready to fail with the first decent fish. I had been convinced it would be a great morning of fishing and I would bring home my first keeper of the year. It was the first night after a new moon.
June 2, 2008 - Ipswich, MA
Tide: 4:00 a.m. - Low	Wind: 5-10 mph - WNW
Start time: 4:00 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
I fished Castle Neck River behind Crane. It was very slow. Seemed like good conditions, so I was expecting better. I worked hard for three fish - biggest was 26" on the Jumpin Minnow. I also got a 25" fish on a Bomber before it became light out. It was very quiet there without the usual fish breaking water. There was just a sliver of a moon.
May 29, 2008 - Newbury, MA
Tide: 12:37 a.m. - Low	Wind: 5-10 mph - SW
Start time: 11:30 p.m.	Total time: 2 Hrs.
I fished the mouth of the Merrimac at the northern tip (The Point) of Plum Island. It's a very popular spot this time of year, and I'll only fish there on a weeknight and late at night. Other than the chill, the conditions were pretty perfect. The water was full of Stripers between 18" and 25" - mostly about 22". I caught two dozen with the biggest at 25, maybe 26". The first 4-5 I got on a white rubber lance with a white jig head and the rest on a black and purple Bomber. A couple felt like keepers but were just foul hooked. There were maybe eight guys fishing.
May 27, 2008 - Ipswich, MA
Tide: 11:30 a.m. - Low	Wind: 10-15 mph - SSW
Start time: 10:30 a.m.	Total time: 2 1/2 Hrs.
I fished Castle Neck River behind Crane. I went in the middle of the day because there was a good tide and it was supposed to be overcast. Instead, it was bright and sunny. Fooey. One other guy was fishing and neither one of us was getting any action at all. At low tide I waded across to fish the deep channel in the back and finally found a few fish. I caught a 20" and a 26" Striper and I lost what would have been my first keeper of the season - maybe 34". I got a good look at it before it spit out my Jumpin Minnow. Damn.
May 23, 2008 - Ipswich, MA
Tide: 8:05 a.m. - Low	Wind: 10-15 mph - NW
Start time: 6:30 a.m.	Total time: 3 Hrs.
I fished the back side of Crane Beach. Yesterday, the conditions were perfect and I didn't go out and today it was windy and the sun came out early. As I took my first casts of the year at this spot, I was expecting nothing and cursing myself for not fishing yesterday. On my 5th cast with the bone colored Jumpin Minnow, wham, and I was onto a pretty nice fish. The fish ran a long way and I was convinced my first fish of the year was also a keeper which is pretty unusual. But, alas, it was a fat, strong 27" spring Striper. I measured it six different ways hoping to get a 28" measurement, but 27" it was and back in the water it went. I got three more (20, 22 & 26) and had a few nice splashes. It was a beautiful spring morning.
May 20, 2008 - S. Kingston/Charlestown/Westerly, RI
Tide: 9:30 a.m. - High	Wind: 5-10 mph - SW
Start time: 5:30 a.m.	Total time: 6 Hrs.
And so it begins. Just like last year, I started the 2008 Striper season in southern Rhode Island and, just like last year, I was skunked. Only this time I dragged Paul along to suffer with me. It was in fact a very pleasant morning of fishing with perfect conditions - overcast with a gentle SW wind. We went everywhere - Aunt Carrie's, Pt. Judith Light, Deep Hole, Watch Hill Light, Weekapaug Breachway and Quonnie Breachway. At Quonnie I had one follow and one good hit and that was all the day's action. Next outing will be on my home turf - the North Shore.