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!