Video Newbie

I bought a real nice HD video camera early last summer, took some video over the course of the season and am now in the infant stages of trying to download, edit, reformat and all that jazz so that you can see some here on the net. I am sloooooooooooooooooowly getting better but thought some of you would enjoy seeing what we CRAVE to do and that is to find unmolested tuna aggressively feeding for fly or light tackle shots....! ;-)

http://vimeo.com/2675284

Stick a fork in me

I've said it twice already the past week or so but I am retiring the Carla Noelle for the 2008 season. It was a great season with alot of new and repeat customers. We fished later into the seaon due to good weather and fish that stayed around in great numbers. Some pretty incredible memories were etched out for many of you. Next season I will keep the whole month of October open for buisness. I apologize to those who wanted to get out the last week as the weather was good but my gear was SHOT. I need to rebuild all my reels and stock up on more plastics way in advance for next year. Yesteray I needed to run some Stabil through my tank and engine and used it as an opportunity to head up to the bank and look for a fish or two....It was a foggy, misty morning but not too cold which made running in mid Nov not too bad at all....I had Alan Hastebek and is girlfriend Elise onboard to do a little fishing.

First drop we are hooked up and 15 minutes later we pull a nice fish into the boat. We putz around a little longer then decide to head for the barn to save the day for some chores around the homesteads...A nice way to end the season.

I am already looking forward to next season and seeing many of you again. Many repeat customers have already booked for prime dates in June and September. My suggestion is if you want specific dates for next year is to get on the stick and book them before we head into 2009.

I have been doing more speaking engagements this past season and if you would like me to do a speaking engagement for your club or function then please email and we can discuss further.

Thanks for a great 2008 season!

Nori rolls, sticky rice and all that jazz!

Woof!....

After years of catching tuna and eating seared tuna steaks I took my palate to a new level today learning how to make nori rolls and sushi on rice fingers.....I was always intimidated by the method because I had never seen it done but I was lucky to have my friend Reva Parlante show me how this afternoon and we ate like GODS and now I have the knowhow on how to do it myself....Yeeeeeeeehaw!....

Halloween Tuna

Yesterday mornings forcast was just too tempting to pass up. I through the gear in the boat and picked up Paul Higgins and we ran east of Chatham to try and get another fish on feathers before the long winter sets in. Incredibly we had fish busting on top early on and it lasted all day....I hooked up on the flyrod for a bit but pulled the hook. Setting up on the fish was tough because they were mainly on krill and not feeding agressively. When they switched to sandeels you could easily tell by their more agressive nature. Problem was they just would not form up and stay up long enough and were easily spooked by the boat. Eventually we broke out the popping and jigging rods and hooked 11 more fish. We kept one fish that succumed to the RONZ. Just a phenomeal day for so late in the year. Todays forcast is even better but I am steaking up this fish and getting the boat ready for possibly 2morrow....Hopefully they will blow the forcast as good as the blew it today!

Reflections on the 2008 season.

I hate to say it but the 2008 season is OVAH WITH....It was a great season with lots of great catch and releases. The bass fishing was top shelf early on into early July until the commercial season opened then went to hell in a handbasket as usual. We moved around alot more than we normally do to try and stay on the bass but somedays had to resort to bluefish. Teased up bluefish on feathers or light tackle is not all a bad thing...Personally I love it when I get on the rod end of big teased up blues and the great thing about it is we do it where nobody else does so have the water to ourselves...
We fished Chatham more than usual to be able to move around more during the height of the season and had some very memorable days fishing squid flies and plastics for bass.
Tuna fishing was excellent again this year. Fish were bigger but certainly not less plentiful. We didn't find as many breaking or blitzing fish as usual but we adapted and most days were able to get tight more than once or twice. Thrown in with a half dozen 10 hookup days and we constantly reflect how lucky we are here off the coast of Massachusetts to have such an incredible fishery! As the season wound down and the weather got a bit more dicey the fish came up more and we had many days where we had the fish all to ourselves. I think I will keep the whole month of October open next season in case we have a repeat with fish and weather. I was away this past week in upstate NY visiting family and friends while my cellphone kept ringing from fishing buds who were OTW tight with another fish or two...It was near killing me but I somehow coped..;)
I think were at a crossroads here with our fisheries here off New England. It was no secret that the bass fishing was worse than most can remember since the last fallout. It wasn't just Cape Cod but everywhere north of here as well. I hope it is just a cycle or some other oddity which is keeping the bulk of the fish offshore. For us boat fishermen we can adapt but for the shorebound angler all he can do is reminisce about times gone by.
Alot of charter operations fell by the wayside this summer but I am happy to report that my buisness increased in the wake of the economic breakdown. Gas bit into my profit margin but otherwise it was a good season and I am already booking repeats for prime dates next season.

In summary, fishing remains excellent off Cape Cod but empasis on conservation is KEY in keeping it that way. Learning to release bluefin tuna without killing them should be on everyones agenda and something I think about everytime I hookup with one of these magnificent beasts. Striped bass fishing still remains strong but for those of us who have fished day in and day out over the years we certainly have seen a decline in the overall fishery. To keep our fisheries strong it will take sacrifice, maturity and effort from us all. Live your life with passion and charisma and set an example for others. I will probably never live to see my grandkids but if I do I want more than anything to be able to go fishing with them and to share the vast enjoyment and enrichment it has brought to my life.
I will update this blog along the winter when I have something of note to post. I hope to see many of you OTW again next season!!

Jeff Smith

This past week...

Has been pretty awesome fishing for bluefin. Good numbers of fish have been around down deep and on top. It has almost gotten too easy to jig fish up anymore and we have done more feather trips than spin trips of late.

Here are a few pics of Chip Cornell and John Brawley from this past week. I also had Steve Moore and his buddy Ken onboard for a morning of tuna fishing and we had phenomenal top water action and I got some good video of it all which I hope to get up at some point.

I also changed the name of my blog so that other addicted tuna fisherman might find our little corner in the world.

Fishing with Jeffrey

My good pal Jeffrey Cardenas of Key West fame came back to fish with me for a few days. We had two stellar days of weather with very little boat traffic and hungry fish on top. The first day we just could not buy a bite even tho our offerings were right on target. As the action died, so did our optimism that we might get another opportunity that day. Towards the end of the day we found a small group loping along and Jeffrey double hauls a cast right in front of them. A fish made a big boil on a swing and a miss then came back and engulfed the fly. We were tight for about 5 minutes before the leader parted for no apparent reason. That was tough to swallow.
The next morning we were out before sunup full of optimism and hope but could not find the fish. The birds were there but the fish were not showing. The full moon was going to prove her theory correct it appeard but as we entered the bottom of the 9th inning, bases loaded and two outs we found some good activity and got tight fairly quick. At 10 minutes into the battle with aggressive action to get line back on the reel the hook pulls...*UUGH*...We just cannot catch a break it seems. Jeffrey and I say nothing to each other and just keep our composure and get back on the school of fish....Within a couple casts a nice fish tail slaps as he feels the hook and an eruption of water blows up in the air as the Tibor Pacific starts screaming....I swing the boat around in the direction of the fish and we are tight again....After a great battle, Jeffrey has landed his first Cape Cod bluefin on the flyrod. Fish tapes at 61". ....
Fishing with Jeffrey is always an enjoyable experience and I always come away with something new that I have learned from him. I think the biggest thing he taught me this trip was this quote..."Attack the problem with a scalpel and not a machette". What this means to me is sometimes you can't always have the big bite and you will need to take what mother nature hands you and work to capitalize on it.....

Six to Eights

with the tops blowing off....That's what we had today. Jim Miller and Todd Cox were brave enough souls to slug it out with mother nature this morning. We had a stiff westerly of 15 with gusts to 20 which just made fishing miserable. Jim managed to stick one on topwater which he fought for one hour before the hook pulled for no apparent reason.....Fairly soon after, Todd hooked up blind casting the 18wt and fought his fish for an hour as well. As the fish circled the boat 20' out we watched the 4/0 /Sashimi Special fall out of the corner of the fishes mouth....That was hard to swallow.....The seas were relentless so we called it early and headed in.....A bittersweet outing for sure but it was good to see the boys hooked up for as long as they were...
Forget the economy and doomsday news....If this doesn't cheer you up...NOTHING will!
http://www.tagtele.com/v/11924

Windy Days and Breezy Nites

Sounds like a line from a country western hit but it is what we have been dealing with lately here on the Cape. It is the norm as I have come to find out living here but damned we need to get out and get back on the fish before it's all said and done. I still have many trips lined up for the next 2 weeks so am hopeful the weather will be on our sides.
My good pal Jeffrey Cardenas and his friend John Aplanalp are scheduled to fish with me in a week as well....Poor Jeffrey has the fevah BAD it appears and I for one certainly understand it. There is something special and serene and one with nature hooking these magnificent fish on the flyrod. I can't explain it but those who have accomplished this feat surely understand what I'm talking about.
I got some good reports from some of the commercials with the 40' boats who were able to get out and they were seeing alot of the size of fish we are after on the sounder and sporadic feeds on top. For those of you that are hoping to get out the next few weeks I would be at church praying for good weather every chance i got until you get here.
I have about two more weeks of chartering lined up then it's off to upstate NY for a short trip to see Doc and family as well as pick up a few cases of that good Canandaigua Valley red wine. Apple and pumpkin picking with my girls will be the agenda. Thoughts of crashing tuna and greased flylines coming tight will race through my mind but seeing my little girl stroll through a pumpkin patch with a smile and dirty kneepants will bring me back to one of the few things I love more than fishing and that is my family....I've got the best of both worlds and am thankful for that!
Feather trip 2morrow....stay tuned....

Busmans Holiday

Capt Gil Berke and I had a busmans and put the little stick to work as well as get some great shots of the whales...

Update

Well it was a great September. We pretty much exclusively fished for bluefin tuna and had some pretty great outings. I apologize for not keeping up to date on the blog but it gets extremely hard when you just eat, sleep, fish!

The weather the past few days threw everybody for a loop and it ended up being two of the nicest days on the water this past month. Except for the rain the wind was under 5 knots yesterday when it was predicted to be blowin 35kts...Today was similar....We had a great day yesterday hooking 7 bluefin with the boys from KY and not seeing anybody else on the water...Hard to beat that.

As we move into Oct my schedule is very open. The fishing is still strong and very few boats OTW....If you would like to get out before this season is up now is the time to go...

Here are a few pics from the last couple weeks...

I had a long winded short story typed up but lost it due to a computer re-start while talking to my buddy doug baz on the phone...*just another reason to hate you doug* , so here is the short version.I had Jeffrey Cardenas onboard monday and tuesday looking to break the 8kg world record for fly caught tuna...Well we hooked him but as I suspected broke the class tippet after 10 or so minutes...I had an awesome time fishing with Jeffrey and am pretty sure we are friends for life. He is an immensely talented, worded, and successful individual who I am proud to be introduced to years ago *thanks Steve L* We hooked two and landed none but had alot of shots...The two days with Jeffrey reminded me why I do what I do...I am insanely addicted to big fish on the fly as is Jeffrey and he considers these Cape Cod bluefin the ultimate saltwater flyfishing challenge. I couldn't agree more and if your getting tired of catching, gaffing these fish on hardware then you might consider trying to get one of these fish on feathers. There aint *NOTHING* else like it.. Here are a few pics from the outing...*thanks Jaydreamin*!

Updates from the last few outings...

Well it was a good time to be sick I guess cuz it sure blewwwwwwwwwwww from the north and then from the SW.....My first day back otw was a hard one physically since I had very little stamina from being so sick....We still got it done and got a 60" fish in on the spinner and had several other hookups that came unbuttoned.
Yesterday was a mirror of the day before except that all fish came unbuttoned in one way or form.....Fishing has been fair to good to excellent on somedays but the weather is the biggest factor right now....
I have this weekend off with the storm for company then fishing with Jeffrey Cardenas on Monday and Tuesday......Praying the weather is going to be doable!!....
Sorry for lack of pics.....Time and energy is a hard thing to come by these days.....

More ramblings!

Well here it is Saturday and I am still sick....Geeeeeeeeeeeeze Louise! I have taken antibiotics and gotten rest when I can but I still have not been able to shake this bug. We have struggled the past week to make it happen but have still hooked up many times on both sides of the cape.
Last week I had John Marchefka and friend and we went 0 for 4 and had several other blowups. These fish are almost too big for the current tackle I have and I plan to respool everything today with 65lb braid and use 80lb leaders from now on....Chaffing 60lb is a common thing the last week.
Yesterday I was east oc Chatham with Eugene White and Tyler Cronin and we struggled to find the bite. The conditions were sloppy at best and the weed was terrible that we eventually shut down and tried to do some butterfly jigging. Got a call from Paulie who said there was some good life back where we started earlier so we picked up and ran back a mile and found the tuna on top....We had a chinese fire drill and got a squid bar in the prop and I eventually had to strip down and go over and cut it free which was no easy task in bobbing 3-4' seas.
We eventually hooked up twice on topwater but didn't land the fish. That bite died so we ran way north and found many schools of slurping tuna in the 30-50lb range *a good thing to see* and for the life of us could not get them to eat....It was getting late so we finally headed to the barn afgter 11 hours on the water....Laying low today.....;)
Good luck out there...

FinAddiction Ramblings

It's been a good week fishing wise for tuna. Went back out with Lloyd and his brother in law and nephew. A slower day but we hooked up twice and eventually landed the second one. Lloyds a great fisherman....Wish I could say the same for the bro in law and nephew! Always a pleasure Lloyd..;-)
Next day we went east of chatham with Tyler and the boys.....This is a yearly event and we went 4 for 4 on large butterballs. Just truly beautiful fish. We stayed way clear of the fleet and it paid off well.
Yesterday I had John Fletcher onboard and we went 0 for 2 up north on light tackle....We hooked up early and John fought the fish and good hour and twenty plus minutes before he chaffed us off on 60lb leader. We got a look at him several times and he appeared to be mid 60 inch class. We hooked up again and could not move this fish at all....After 15 minutes he shook the hook. We called it early due to the fact I was coming down under the weather and had to take today off as well to deal with being sick....*uugh*....
Hopefully back at it 2morrow!

4 for

Four for four today for light tackle tuna....Two on top and two jigged up. Several other short strikes....Had John Brawley and Joel Meunier onboard. The boys kept the second fish and released the other 3. It's been a great week tuna fishing on light tackle on the Carla Noelle...Pics hopefully this weekend.

2 for

2 for 9 that is....And what a morning it was!...Lloyd Eliseo was wanting to get onboard and we finally were able to get out but the NW was honking and seas were big beyond Race Point but in my gut I knew the fish were chewing if we could get there.....9 topwater hookups and many more boils and short strikes and two fish to the boat with a 60"incher in the box. 6-8' seas kept us on our toes all morning that will keep us smiling all winter....
Yesterday I had a busmans holiday with Gilly and we broke in the new Trevella spin rods on both tuna and cod...
Pics when I get a chance!

Gates of Hades

I had my brother out from Colorado and we fished Fri and Sat....Friday we hit east of chatham for some tuna on the troll fun....It was a bit foggy running out and we were greeted by solid 6-10'ers at the mouth but the speedie sliced right through without catching too much air. We had one on the spinning rod that we casted to that my bro fought for a good 50 minutes before the hook pullled....We picked up and ran inside where I saw giants a few days before tossiing bluefish out of the air and put the spread in and immediately got dumped on a 50 wide!....Luckily he pulled the hook right, otherwise we would of lost the whole shooting match.
Saturday we hit the bank for a tour and hammered codfish on butterfly jigs and had some great topwater tuna action and banged a nice 56" fish on a RONZ topwater bait.... We carefully watched a front forming and barely beat it in before the gates of hades opened up on us with pounding rain and hail....I know alot of people in open boats got caught in that one....glad we didn't!
It was a short trip but always great to see and hang out with my bro.....
Pics coming shortly...

East

Did my first east of chatham trolling trip today with Jimmy Ellis and Paul Higgins. We went 2 for 3 in the am with fish from 57-59"...Really nice butterball fish. Sushi 2nite for friends and family!
Full moon this weekend will probably slow things down but things look good for next week...

Tuna!

Scott Simard and I had 6 solid hookups but only landed one fish which happened to be the first which we carefully released. The next 5 either broke off on the initial run or pulled or opened hooks....There were some real bruisers out there today.....
Had a chance to throw some line with the new Biscayne 18wt but didn't get tight...Scotts not used to driving for a fly flinger but I got him thinking in the right direction now....;) Back at it in the am....

Fun week.......

Spent the last week doing bass charters off Chatham. It was a much needed break and we did pretty good in the rips with squid patterns and plastics. Figuring out the right tides to fish takes a bit of time on the water but I was helped by my buddy Alan Hastebek who has been fishing down there his whole life....
Back to P town yesterday where we put the hurt on 1olb bluefish with feathers and plastics and a few keeper bass.
Tuna charters are filling up my coming schedule so we will be on the hunt starting next week!
Till next time....

15 bass today

All over 30" with the biggest around 39" taken on squid flies and plastics.....It was a decent day to be out and very comfortable OTW being a non commercial day.....Only two bluefish today and only one lost jig.....;))

90210 Miami

Yesterday I had Dr. Sean Simon onboard. Sean is a plastic surgeon who has his own practice in Miami, FL. We had a full day planned of light tackle bass and blues...He met me at the dock at 5;30 am to a downpour....I still wanted to get out since I had hoped to do some unobstructed drifts before the circus showed up. After a wet ride to the grounds we promptly put two keepers in the boat and several bluefish.....As the tide slacked the fishing died and the doggies showed up which ate our plastics with abandon. Waiting on the turn we started talking about boob jobs, and debating real vs plastic. I've been fortunate to sample both so have a pretty biased opinion.. At noon my buddy Scott Simard called and was on the hunt for tuna that day with a couple of his friends. He said they were hooked up and he was only a mile from us so we opted to make a short run....Fish were not breaking but pushing or breezing as usual. After a few attempts to get a quiet, stealthy shot we get the perfect opportunity and Sean hooks up on a fantastic surface strike....50 minutes later, and alot of coaching to my angler we have a super fat 58" fish make a swing within gaff shot and I took it and get it right in the jaw. My guy said the happiest moment in his life is when he saw me stick that fish. I contemplate the next moment and want to get the fish on deck and as I heave ho I stumble and the fish comes over the rail and lands flat on me It went from a ho hum day to one Sean will remember for the rest of his life....A big thanks to Scott for calling us in....Scott and I have worked pretty well together this season staying on these fish. You cannot be everywhere at once and finding someone to network with is a great thing to have when your on the tuna hunt! Pics are on Seans camera and will be up later..Back at it Monday..The past few weeks have been pretty ho hum as I find myself in a daily grind to put folks on fish. As someone who fishes as much as I do I have high expectations every trip and after a week or more of crap weather, hammered spots and poor to avg fishing and the like it is soooooo nice to put a fish like this on the deck for someone so new to the game....Kinda rejuvinates me for August too.. So far all of our tuna *13* have been on the tail end of bass trips.....Pretty lucky for those who have been onboard....Hope the karma can continue for all the tuna trips I have booked coming up shortly!

Low Front and collision make for a weird morning

Today had all the ingredients for a great morning, grey and overcast, a bit cooler with a light NE wind. Problem was surface temp was 10 degrees cooler than yesterday and the big bluefish we have been on when bye bye. We opted to run to the race area and try for bass and were greeted by many boats jigging wire....I saw several tight rods but they all seemed like rat blues. We struggled as well on the LT but nailed a nice 22lb bass on a RONZ and a few shorts and a few bluefish thrown in....We marked plenty of fish but just could not get them to chew.
The highlight of the morning was watching a 40' Riviera run over a group of folks in a small downeaster with an outboard.....The coasties escorted both back to Pamet where they tied up the dock for awhile...While I waited to dock I asked for a courtesy check to make sure I was all in order and was glad to hear I was....
Talked to the folks in the downeaster and they said they boat just ran them over while they were drifting....Scary stuff...Luckily nobody was hurt...

Let's rethink that halftime post...

After a few conversations with close friends of mine I have rethought my last post and apologize to anybody I might have offended. It is a rough time of year for a light tackle/fly captain trying to fish the waters I do once the commercial season starts. I have had to rethink my ways and places I fish to get away from the mayhem but that's just the way it is and probably always will be...I don't own the ocean anymore than anyone else and sometimes get caught up in the hype...Call it a midsummer breakdown or whatever but I had it this past week with every wireline boat in CCB pulling his outriggers over me. Out of state boats with coolers stacked on deck giving up the finger when asked to please give us some leeway when making a drift over the edge. I will say this....Commercial bass should be left to the residents of the state and nobody else....That in itself would make my job alot easier this time of year!...So once again...apologies to those, especially anyone local who I might have offended that have been doing this longer than I have lived in MA.
The bluefishing has been nothing short of world class if you could put bluefish in that category.....We have had topwater bites for hours at a time away from the crowds. Most anglers want bass but I have convinced a few that this fishery is quite a thrill on the fly and light tackle. Bass fishing picked up strong the past two days and we will see where it goes from here....Tuna are still in their funk but are continually being caught here and there if you happen to be in the right place at the right time....
Till next tide.....

6/28....De Boz

Doug Baz and his friend Bob fished with me this past week. We hammered the bass on the flyrod and got Bob his first bluefin and Doug hooked up and fought his to the boat before the hook let go....Just as well cuz we only wanted to harvest one...Doug has the tuna pics on his camera but here are a few of the many bass they caught on the flyrod that day...

6/28...........Sleep......

I had Peter McCarthy on my boat the other day and we did above average for fish on the fly with a few decent ones thrown in. Peter is also an exceptional fly tyer and he donated many to the cause Thank you Peter! We decided to spend a few hours chasing bluefin on the fly and got 3 perfect casts in on a hot pod but we found no joy. Can't always have your cake and eat it too. Peter also furnished lunch and cold candy bars and I must say I enjoyed the day with Peter from start to finish. Your always welcome on my boat Professor Hands!
With my hectic schedule I was so looking forward to this friday nite because I didn't have to get up at 3am for the first time in nearly 3 weeks.....Of course I wake up anyways and toss and turn and toss and turn....So much for sleep anyways....If your sleeping then you aint catchin right? ;)
Up and down bass fishing the past few days....I had a pair of guys from AZ and Michigan the other day and we struggled to make things happen....I could just feel the fish were not around and after one keeper bass and a couple of bluefish we opted to look for charlie the last two hours of a half day trip. We found the bait but the ocean was a blank canvas of activity on top....It was certainly one of those trips you hope you don't repeat anytime soon. Somedays its hard to get it done with only one tide. The guys were great and I hope to see them again next year.
The following day we started out the same way but I decided to move a bit and we found the fish on top and hammered mid 30" bass on top with a few bluefish mixed in...
We have been doing pretty good on bluefin for the month of June....We have landed 11 fish so far and hooked several more...All have been on light tackle or fly to breaking fish. We have not resorted to vertical jigging yet but as we move into July and I start doing designated tuna trips you can be sure we will.
We broke in one of the new Shimano Saragosa reels the other day on a hot bluefin tuna of 56". It was very smooth and look forward to more fish with it and it's twin sister.
I am still in search of the ultimate bluefin tuna flyrod. I have been breaking the TFO bluewaters and am losing faith in them....My Redington 15wt just keeps on ticking. Unfortunately they do not make them anymore....
Now I don't know how many people read this blog but if it reaches just a few of the rude knuckleheads who fish out P town way then it was worth writing the next few words. You guys who troll wire have got to be a little more respectful of those who do not fish the way you do...If a boat is drifting and casting to the inside then it is your responsibility to troll the the outside. Even if it means losing contact with the bottom.....I cannot believe the amount of rudeness with some boats anymore. Your customers are not idiots, they see you driving over drifting boats and I doubt a good majority of them think your a captain worth his salt by doing so. I'm going to start naming boats on this blog who continue to be rude knuckleheads...Everybody including me makes a bonehead move from time to time but the constant repeat offenders are a nuisance. Treat others the way you would want them to treat you and everybody will get along....Pretty damned simple!
The family and I have the weekend off and are planning on doing the blessing of the fleet in P town since I figure a little holy water never hurt anybody but looks like it is going to be a bad weather day....Back at it full time starting Monday...

Jeff

6/23

Sorry for the lack of reports. I have been burning the candle on both ends of late. Had a great week with the Patricelli party from Oregon. Bass fishing has been world class with some monster bluefin mixed in on fly and light tackle.....I'll get some pictures up as soon as I can....

Week up to 6/14

Nothing short of outstanding fishing the past week. All we can hope for is that the winds stay light and the fishing strong!

We had some exceptional bass fishing the past week with many fish over 40". What really got exciting is that the tuna showed and mixed in with the bass schools...Luckily we had the tackle onboard and got on them when the opportunities presented themselves...These fish are incredibly strong and might be too taxing for some anglers.....If your interested in pursuing them then make sure you start eating your Wheaties NOW..;)

6/9 - 6/10 British Invasion....

One word.....AWESOME!

6/8

Overall some of the best bass fishing I have seen in quite sometime...It started kinda slow with continued cold/wet easterly weather but it turned around and warmed up and the fishing HEATED up.

The Vets benefit charter went off really well...A few pics from that outing. Brent, Becca, and Ellen....I spent more time flirting with Becca than looking for fish but can you blame me? ;)

Brent is a Marine who was injured in Iraq. He can throw some flyline too and was rewarded with this 15lb fish on the fly.

6/7

Today I had repeat customer Carlton Dukess onboard....Carlton wanted to spend some time learning to flyfish but there have been some bruiser fish on the move through the canal and I asked Carlton if he wanted to learn to flyfish or to go out and search and destroy. Search and destroy won the toin toss and my buddy Kevin White gave me a call not to long after we cleared the jetty and said he had found a good bunch with nobody on them....After a 10 minute run we slid up and first drop Carlton gets a nice 40".....After a few mid 30" fish he gets another 40"....These were beautiful fat bass....The tide died and we ran around looking for some more action and found it but there were a TON of boats on these fish and we opted to go over to Brewster and start that fly fishing lesson....Nice half day trip with Mr. Dukess!

6/4

Fishing lately has been pretty good with several nice high 30 to low 40inch bass taken on flies and plastics. We seemed to be about a week behind last year it seems. Bait has really moved in. I'm pretty flat out for the next 3 weeks so forgive if I do not update my blog daily....

6/1

Had a customer cancel todays charter due to family so it was a perfect day to do a little recon for the upcoming week. Josh and I loaded up his boat, *nice for a change* and headed out of Pamet to search the waters north....Fog and heavy wind had us wondering why we got out of bed but we eventually found a body of fish that was eager to hit plastics on jig heads but were impossible to hook on a fly. Normally this area is full out on top this time of year but it still isn't producing the way I had hoped. A few more days might be needed to get things in order and will probably come back and fish it one or two days this week in hope of the big bass we normally take on flies in this spot this time of year.
Tally for the day was probably two dozen or so fish with a half dozen keepers up to 35"...Still great fishing but a tad sub par for this time of year in my opinion...

5/30

Had my knee surgeon and his uncle onboard yesterday for a full day of flyfishing for spring bass. We launched in Wellfleet and ran to points west and were greeted by acres and acres of rolling slurping bass on micro sandeels no more than 3/4" in length. A small olive white clouser on an intermediate brought instanst results and almost all takes were visual in early morning light. Most fish were in the mid twenty inch range with a few bigger mixed in. Bearboat was within sight and said he was into much bigger fish so it was good to hear they were not all schoolies....I went to the Cheese Locker on the drop to look for some bigger bass in 2' of water and we found 3 small groups all in the mid 30" range but couldn't deliver a fly in front of them when the opportunity presented itself....From there we ran and fished the last 3 hours of the drop down inside and managed 4 keepers on white bunny deceivers fished on 350 grn lines...On the way in we stopped at Brewster to fish low tide and site cast to the numerous schoolies on the flat....No real fish of any size spotted....All in all it was a great day flyfishing with the doctor and his uncle. I must admit the big fish are alluding me it seems so far this May and now that the majority of bugs are worked out of the new repower I can concentrate on the fish more than the rig! 2morrows trip was cancelled by a family emergency so looks like I got the day to PLAY and cast a bit myself....
On another front, the Pamet ramp is now open so I can concentrate more on my homewaters where I enjoy fishing more....
Unti next time...Keep it real...

FUEL and I!

Fuel,.......Ever stop to think about how much it effects your day to day doings?...Well let me tell ya. First it was ethanol...You know that corn crap that is supposed to be helping american farmers and not the corporate giant *yeah right*. Two years ago i put it in my fiberglass gas tank in the speedie and had less than one week before it started melting the inside. Three weeks and 15 lost trips and $3500 later we have a new heavy duty aluminum tank in the boat..
This years fuel problems started another way. I repowered and had all new yadda dadda do gauges put on and the new fuel gauge was reading full all the time...Well I know nobobdy was filling my rig up in the wee hours of the morning cuz I'm a good guy but we can always dream!
After many trips and phone calls with my dealer I convinced them that the problem was on their end and not mine...I knew the new gauge needed to be calibrated but nobody knew how to do it. So for the last week I have been runnin trips guess estimating how much fuel I have in the boat. Great feeling with a new repower that was over 20K! My dealer finally called to say they were pretty sure they knew what was wrong *the gauge had to be calibrated.....DUH* and to bring it back in. Now I got a working gauge on my new 20k motor...Man I feel lucky!
I also discovered some fumey smells in the transom that just wouldn't leave me alone and came to the conclusion that the stainless steel gas line they put in with the boat when they built it in 93 had a small crack somewhere under the deck. It is not accessible without butchering the boat so I ran a new flexible line through the chase and 86'ed the stainless line.
The last two days I have been running errands and towing the boat back to the shop for the gauge fix and 20 hour service and notice that the gas station I use here in Wellfleet has changed it's name from Valero to Irving...I also notice they are marketing on that *green is clean* crap as it now stands out very clearly from the roadway...I haven't stopped to look yet but I fear they might be one of the first stations to go above E10 and if so will have to find gas elsewhere....
Gas was an even $4.00 a gallon yesterday....No end in sight...
I am raising my rates for the remainder of the season....Didn't want to do it but I have a mortgage to pay and kid to raise just like everybody else. I will honor my old rate for my bookings that I already have made.
So as you can see...FUEL has been ruling me of late but I think I am over the hump and am looking forward to the 2008 season.
On another note, I bought a HD camcoder and hope to take alot of video this summer and put together an hour long HD DVD over the winter...
I've also come to realize that I am either very uneducated or the technical writers these foreign countries use that manufacture goods for the US need a brush up on their english and translation skills. It used to be instructions and tech manuals were written by english tech writers...Now your looking at companies manufacturing high tech products that have foreign tech writers attempting to write instructions in broken english....Gotta love it....
On the fishing front, I had Greg and Lori Smith onboard last Sunday. We just couldn't get out of our funk and truly slay the fish. Alot of boats on the water up the estuaries as well as the open water in the bay....We eventually retired to the Cheese Locker with my good friend John Kaufmann and site casted to some nice fish in very skinny, clear water. Greg took a couple on a new fly John showed me recently while Lori caught up on her sleep and tan on the forward deck.
Memorial Day the wind was hammering but my guys from NH still wanted an outing....We fished the open water and hammered some nice fish on topwater stetzko needles. No big fish but several low 30" fish on top and the guys seemed to have a great time.
SW wind has been honking the last 4-5 days but tomorrow looks good and I am going to fish with my knee surgeon and will have a report later....
Until then....back to the boat for more maintainence...;)

5/24

First trip of the season...Had the Fletcher brothers from Maryland. We smacked em pretty good in CCB in the ususal places....Too busy unhooking to take any pics...Nice brite, fat small to mid size keepers...Some of the shorter fish had the shape of stuffed largemouth bass....Nice to see them looking so healthy so early...

B*O*A*T

Well the saying that boat stands for "break out another thousand" couldn't be truer. I dumped my boat in the water after endless hours working to get her ready for the season....Did the break in procedure as specified and got to run her up to 4k rpms where she comfortably runs at 26kts....We even managed to fish and catch a few...On the trailer ride home I smelled brakes burning and pulled over and discovered my left front caliper froze shut on my F-250 piece of crap. Being cramped for time I took it in and was floored at the cost to replace the caliper with brake shoes!....Should of done it myself...Oh well..
Boat is back at the dealership where they are troubleshooting the suzuki fuel gauge which doesn't work....
Ordered some combing trim today.......New radio this week as well...Looks like I need a new transducer as too!....
Oh well....;-)
On the customer front, I had to cancel two days with a couple guys from Belgium because of my mechancial woes....Truly sorry Serge, we will make it happen next year!

IT'S TIME!

It's the third week of May and I am getting ready for my first trip on Monday the 19th. In all honesty I am never ready to go when the season starts. Alot of work was done to the boat this winter and spring and she could easily stand some more but I have run out of time and weather.
June is completely booked except for a few weekend days. July, August and Sept are shaping up with many tuna bookings. I'm at the 50 pre booking mark, 10 more than this time last year so things are looking up even with this lousy economy that we are having.
My suggestion is if you wan't to get out with me in July on is to start planning now.
I will be using this blog as my reports page so stay tuned and put it in your favorites. I look forward to seeing you all again and meeting many new faces this year.

Jeff Smith
www.finaddiction.com

Going to church "Marquesa Style"

I just got back from Key West, FL where I had the opportunity to fish with my friend Jeffrey Cardenas. Read the trip report below...

Just got back from Key West FL where my wife, kid and I had a super good time. I fished for two days with Jeffrey Cardenas while the wife and kid did the touristy thing. It worked out well.My florida fishing has been somewhat limited. I have caught tarpon before but it was in boca grande pass on a break away jig before they banned them....It was a cool experience but still not the monster tarpon on the flats that I think most saltwater fly guys dream about...Luckily for me I met Jeffrey 5 years ago up here on Cape Cod and we had a very memorable trip sight casting for stripers on the bayside flats. We have stayed in touch and Jeffrey had mentioned he had fond memories of the cape and wanted to return to fish again. After a few emails that were exchanged Jeffrey suggested that we exchange trips, meaning me coming down to Key West and fishing the tarpon migration with him and he coming up to Cape Cod later this summer and trying to intercept some of those 100lb bluefin on the fly. Sensing a great way to fish with someone as talented and respected as Jeffrey I jumped at the opportunity.As the time neared, I had a hard time getting excited about the trip. Afterall, the spring is a crazy time of year for me with getting my own boat ready to rumble as well as the many other jobs I do for other people out here that time of year. The flight down went off without a hitch except an hour delay in Miami which was the result of some mechanical malfunction on the american eagle. We had a great birds eye view of the entire Keys chain during the flight. I think it was then that excitement started pumping throught my veins as I looked at the aquamarine water interupted by stark white sand and dark green grassy flats....The excitement grew as the flight continued and my mind wandered to visions of hooking up with the silver king I had seen so many times on a cold, gray Sunday morning watching ESPN in the dog days of winter.Stepping off the plane into the tropical air was like a drug the doctor ordered. It was middle of the afternoon and was 85 degrees with 50 percent humidity and a light breeze...We piled into a cab and headed towards the Hibiscus Best Western. As we drove along the atlantic boardwalk my cellphone goes off and it is jeffrey welcoming me to Key West and telling me to be out in front of the lobby at 5:15 am....After checking in and a swim in the pool we walked down to Camilles and had a nice dinner of blackened mahi, and snapper with a couple of margaritas to wash it all down. Four am does come early but I never really slept. Right on time Jeffrey pulls up towing his 17' Maverick HPX and welcoming me to Key West. He says "coffee"?...I say "yessir"...We get caught up on stuff driving through the dark streets when we come up on a lit up corner building with the name "Sandy's" clearly written in red across the front. Several tables and bar stools are filled with patrons all drinking cuban coffee...Jeffrey orders two to go and I must say it was the best coffee I have ever had. Jeffrey is in a zone launching his boat and getting us headed down the no wake zone. As a guide I clearly understand and as much as you want to help, sometimes it is just best to stay out of the way and do what your told..I have no idea where we plan to fish today. Jeffrey intercepts the silence with, "I think what were going to do today is make the run to the Marquesas, it's about a 25 mile run and if you were only going to fish tarpon once in your lifetime then this is where you can get the full experience" Inside me the excitement grew because even tho I have never fished the Keys before I have read enough to know that the Marquesas are a hotbed for the tarpon migration. Jeffrey had mentioned that his daughter caught a 90lber in the Key West harbor channel the day before and i was fully expecting that this is probably where our trip would start. The 25 mile run went fairly quick. The wind was light from the east which made condtions favorable for opening up the throttle and skimming across the flats to our destination. We never said much in route as we were steaming in the dark over 2' flats so all eyes were on the lookout....As Jeffrey throttled down he immediately went into guide mode and said, "OK, were going to start right now and I want you to listen carefully to me, we will start seeing tarpon immediately and the best action will be in the next hour so I need you at your best". He hands me an Abel 11wt with matching reel with SA clear intermediate line. A 1/0 Marquesa Sunrise special is tied to the 60lb shock leader. I step up onto the forward deck as Jeffrey explains the game, what to look for, where to cast, and how to retrieve. Within a couple minutes Jeffrey calmly says, "Ok Jeff, we have a some rolling tarpon here at 3 oclock, at about a football fields length away, let me know when you get a fix on them....I turn and look and all I see is still water, Jeffrey bounces back and sez "point your rod at where you think they are. I point and he directs my rod tip to where they are supposed to be but I still don't see them....As he poles closer, I finally see the tails in the false dawn light, I cannot belive my eyes cuz the trip is REAL now and I am fishing giant tarpon on the Marquesas with Jeffrey Cardenas!Jeffrey poles us closer and when we are 80' to the slowly daisy chaining fish he directs me to cast to the right side of the clockwise chaining fish. I hit the mark, "not bad for not even getting a false cast in during the last 6 months" and Jeffrey tells me to let it settle and start a slow strip. "anticipate the grab, anticipate the grab" he tells me. The grab is subtle and as I strip strike the fish comes to life and makes a 10 yard surge before it leaves the water in a gallant leap to free the hook. I bow to the king as I start having my day at church "Marquesa style" with pastor jeffrey on his pulpit with staff in hand.I let out a whoop and turn to Jeffrey and start laughing. He tells me to gain my composure and concentrate on the fish, countering when it turns and putting maximum amount of pressure on to get him to the boat. After about a 15 minute battle and 3 spectacular jumps, my guide leaders the fish and pops the fly out of his mouth. As the fish swims away I have to stop and smile and realize what has just happened. One cast, one 70lb tarpon released...Not a bad way to start the day. After a few high fives and brotherly hugs I am back on the platform...The sun is up now and I am starting to see these fish when Jeffrey points them out and I even manage to spot a few groups and singles on my own. The next group of fish are pigs and when I get tight and he leaps I cannot believe my eyes at the size of this thing and that it is connected to my fly. As it tail walks numerous times across the flat, I bow and pray and bow and pray and miracously stayed hooked up. As the fish settles down and I get to fighting him he turns a bit and the fly pops out of his mouth...I tell Jeffrey I can't believe the size of that fish and he say's it was an easy 160lb fish. I sense excitement in his voice as well and realize that we are in the moment, the tarpon migration on the marquesas and if I were to pick a day to be here TODAY is the day. The morning went on and we hooked 7 large tarpon in all before noon. All but two were near boatside before the fish spit the hook. Leader in the guides is a caught fish my guide sez and with the new regultions no tarpon are allowed to be taken out of the water unless you have a 50 dollar permit per fish. Three bull sharks got one of my fish. I quickly offered to break him off but Jeffrey said it didn't matter, they would get him anyway. As much as I didn't wan't it to happen it was quite a cool experience to watch these sharks intercept my tarpon. It was a quick kill and they swarmed in on him and after about one minute all that was left was the head. With the scent of a fresh kill in the air and less tarpon showing we ran off to some wrecks to look for permit. We saw a few but most wrecks were filled heavily with barracuda...I mentioned to Jeffrey I had never caught a cuda so he tossed me an ultralight outfit and I had a gas on 8-12lb cuda. On the way in we stopped at some crystalline white flats to watch spotted eagle rays and lone tarpon cruise across the flats. I got one shot at a nice lone tarpon but he wasn't interested.On day two, mother wind decided to wake back up and we were greeted with 15-25mph winds which made the run over in the dark a bit slower but Jeffrey jogged us to keep us in a lee as much as possible. The fish had moved but when we found them they were rolling well but not staying up for long. I had dozens of shots but with the wind it was a much tougher day. I feel I got the fly where it should be numerous times but the tarpon didn't think so and I think Jeffrey thought the same! After half a day of non eaters Jeffrey took me to a spot to chase baby tarpon. It was incredibly beautiful in crystal clear tanin water and the baby tarpon schools were numerous. Getting the baby tarpon to eat was much easier and not nearly as technical but was still super cool and a nice mental change of pace. Later that day we played with the barracuda and kept one to chum for sharks which we did and had 3 lemons and one blacktip show up almost immediately. I hooked up a nice lemon on a medium spinner but it broke off immediately....All in all it was a wonderful trip with varied species, water and conditions. I learned a tremendous amount about tarpon behavior listening to Jeffrey and asking as many questions as I could think of. It is a very technical game for the larger fish and listening to your guide is KEY to getting hooked up. I highly recommend Jeffrey to anybody wanting to fish Key West and am already planning on getting back there same time next year... On a side note we flew American and I was pretty unappy with the way things went especially on the ride home......I'll fly Jet Blue and rent a car next time! www.flyingfishkeywest.com

Welcome to my blog

Welcome to my new blog. The other software I was using was hard to navigate so I am going to give this one a go. Let's hope it works!