After the storm

We had a good 16" of snow here in Wellfleet the past few days...It finally broke and I grabbed a just charged battery this morning and scooted over to Cahoon Hollow to try and get some photos....After two shots the battery died!...Arrgh...I had planned to do some time release surf photos down on the water....

But here are the two I took...Such a beautiful place this time of year after a fresh dusting of snow...Hard not to do a little soul searching when viewing such a scene.

What a surprise!

in the mail today......I picked up a package with Germany return address and recognized the name....Thomas Michael booked me for 5 days this past September in hopes of filming big bluefin on the fly and light tackle. We had horrible weather the first two days and opted to do albie fishing which we got some great footage on. Day 3 looked promising....We had doable weather but the fish were just not on the feed possibly due to the prior wind...Day 4 looked good and we got alot of WHACKS on the light tackle and eventually caught a 60-70lb fish but we were hoping to get some of the 150+lb fish on film....We hooked up but lost one of this class and have several more boils and grabs throughout the day but just could not GET IT DONE!..arrgh!...The final day was blown out and that was that....

Thomas had told me he was the owner of Steelfin flyreels which is no longer in production due to overhead costs of such high machining. He said he had enough parts to put together one for me and well today it showed up!!...What a work of art and engineering ingenuity!!...It feels so comfortable with the dropped forward seat. I'm surprised more offshore reel makers do not follow this trend.

Anyway a big thank you to Thomas...You guys are a-ok in my book!!

Holiday Greetings from Cape Cod!

Thanksgiving and has come and gone and we are now into Dec with Christmas baring down fast on us.

We had a wonderful thanksgiving here at the Smith Homestead in Wellfleet with friends and family. Smoked toro and Wellfleet Oysters sat out front in the appetizer department.

Beer and wine from far away places filled our glasses. Beautiful smells came from the kitchen and oven and we ate like KINGS!

I wish you all a happy and safe holiday season and look forward to fishing with you next year.

Jeff

FAT LADY

has sung......Ayup....We drug her around awhile but she has finally sung her tune...At least for my ride that is. We have been playing the last few weeks....Notice I say *playing*. Buds getting together and heading out in one of our rides. We have had alot of fun...No stress, hungry fish and COLD water temps. We all have survival suits and practice getting in them and have the confidence in each other that if something happens then we can rely on each other. I haven't done trips since the water temp fell below 55 degrees....

I was planning on fishing today but was stricken buy a nasty bug that my lovely daughter brought home from school. I fought it the best I could but it got the better of me the past 3 days until I finally succumed to a hot toddy and 3 blankets, a waste basket and a box of tissues....

I finally felt well enough to get outside today and plant some spring bulbs....Wasn't long before I could tell I was over doing it.

Now enough about me....Let's size up this season....

First off I would like to thank everyone who went out with me this year. I was really worried the buisness was not going to be there due to the economy but you all proved me wrong. We were able to match last years buisness which was my best season to date. Pre bookings were 60% down but when the fish showed and we got down to buisness the inquirys started flowing.

Fishing wise it was another great year. We caught alot of nice bass on fly and light tackle...Had incredible topwater bluefish action and had another epic year on the tuna. We did our first albie trip and caught 9 fish on our first outing...I look forward to doing more of these trips next year.

The fishing has changed somewhat over the last 5 years but you just have to change with it.

This season I had the pleasure of fishing with Thomas Michael of Steelfin Reels fame who now owns Global Anlger.net A european fishing magazine. They booked me for 4 days for bluefin on spin and fly for an article....The weather that week was the ABSOLUTE PITTS but we were able to get in some action and catch a few fish.

Bookings for 2010 have already begun and if you would like to reserve some dates for next season then shoot me an email and let me know your plans.

I intend to update this blog with winter activity with photos and musings so don't put it on the back burner just yet...;)

Jeff

Today was a gift......

Had a chance to fish with friends, Alan Hastebek, Josh Zacharias and Paul Higgins.....We had alot of tuna action and hooked several and landed one....I spent the whole day trying to get tight on the fly and just could not make it happen even if the fly got there dozens of times.....Had some fun with the dolphins and then headed to the barn........It was a beautiful day on the water...

Tuna Tuggin....

Had Scott Simard and his buddy George onboard today.....Tooled around and found a few pods, and got tight on this 67" fish. George fought it like a pro on the new Tuna Sniper from OTI and we had in boatside in 15 minutes. When I threw the poon the line went limp....I stuck the fish near the corner of the mouth and when the plug came back in the hook had been harpooned in half!....So now I got a green fish on the harpoon line and after 10 minutes of handling a green fish we get him to the boat....

Found some good schools of 50lb fish and doubled up on those. Great fun on the lighter St. Croix and Spheros outfits. Wind kicked up and we made a bee line back to the dock....

Looks like the wind is gonna blow 2morrow......

Oooh it sucks man

the weather that is......At least the old girl is getting a nice fresh water bath the past few days. It's dark and dreary and the heat is on. I can't help but wonder what the tuna are doing during this storm....Did they hunker down and chew deep? Did they gather themselves up and slide down the shipping lanes to less stormy and warmer waters? Or are they on a massive pig fest with bait spraying out of the water with grins from ear to ear knowing there are no boats trolling over them? Who knows...but I can't help but wonder.

Next week is shaping up. I am booked wed-sun...It would be great to get all 5 days in but somehow I doubt it do to the law of averages in the month of Oct. I am still frothing at the mouth on that 200lb tuna on the fly quest. I may still get my day in the bow yet!! There are many indicators that the season is winding down....I know some folks talk about the days getting shorter and colder but one of the things a fishing guide notices first is that his cell phone is not going off every 10 minutes. I still pick it up as much and flip it open to see if I have a missed call or two but the subconscious tells me that the season is nearing its end. I also notice my trips to the Goose Hummock Shop where I do most of my buisnes are infrequent where in season I generally am there at least twice a week picking up supplies....

Crap folks, 2009 is winding down.....It just seems like it got started........

Getting close.......

to the end of the season up here on Cape Cod.....The weather is what keeps us from getting out everyday. We are averaging two weather windows per week the past couple weeks. The next window appears to be wed-fri. I am trying to keep the ol girl fish ready as long as I can but do imagine that we will probably be finished by the end of the first week in Nov. By that time I will have a TON of fall work to do around the homestead as well as pull my traps and get the boat cleaned up and covered for the frickin winter that we all so hate around here. I had planned and worked at being in the Bahamas this winter managing a lodge but that all fell through so it looks like another winter is headed our way out here....

More than anything I would like to get in the bow one more time this season and try and stick a big bluefin on feathers.....We will see if that opportunity presents itself in the next few weeks....

OYSTERFESTIVAL in Wellfleet is this weekend and I think im gonna go down and see if I can find that mystery open keg behind the shucking stage...;)

Watson Bros...

Gettin it done........Some great feeds today....Man did I want to be in the bow with the 18wt!!....Gonna blow for a few.....Back at it mid next week....

Family Day!

Much needed family day....We checked our traps and got 6 keeper lobsters then tried to make bait and found a good pile of keeper bass and blues.....Nice to sneak a family day in this time of year....Lobster and bass 2nite!

Snuck one in before the blow

I had Tom Leonard and crew and we decided to try and get one last trip in before the strong N-NE. Due to the forcast I opted to run out into the bay but didn't like what I found early on. NOAA blew the forcast and it was pretty flat so we opted to make the long run to where I have been fishing and it paid off immediately upon arrival. Tom got tight on a RONZ and fought the fish for 20 minutes until the hook pulled. During the whole fight I had a huge school under the boat so we wasted no time in getting back to fishing. After a few, Chuck hooks up and we are off to the races again. The fish was really hot and making Chuck do the tango. We decided to pass the rod off with everyone onboard in hopes of getting the fish in asap. No dice, the fish would have no part of it and after two turns each on the rod and over an hour we finally get color.

We end the game with a nice poon shot. Everybody is spent and we make the long run back to P town with a nice 67" fish in a saltwater brine.....

Great day OTW with Tom Leonard and crew!

Beeks vanished but .....

We still managed two fish to the boat yesterday. I'm sure they didnt go far but what a far cry from yesterday!!! I'm off today and regreasing my Stellas and fixing battle wounds on the boat....

For anybody interested, my schedule is pretty much wide open except for a few dates here and there the next month. Tuna fishing has been pretty good of late. I'd like to keep the boat running till the end of Oct at the latest but in order to do that I need to keep the trips coming....If you would like to get out on the water and experience this fishery then give me a jingle and we can set something up.

EPIC

The last couple days have been EPIC ....Not just because we have caught some phenomenal tuna on light tackle but because we have witnessed hundreds and hundreds of tuna blasting halfbeeks out of the water....Several times you would look as far as the eye can see and see white water and tuna jumping clear of the water blasting beeks. Not just one here and one there....I mean 360 degrees around the boat.....Wish to god I had a 300 mm lens for my still....I could of gotten some killer shots.

Today I had Marvin Lewiton onboard for a light tackle tuna....Right off the bat Marvin hooks up on the jig a RONZ and after a 30 minute tug of war in the harness I poon a 69" fish. Our largest this year on the spin. After some photos and prep we move out to yesterdays numbers and get back on the halfbeek action....It isnt long till my Ocean Lure Halfbeek gets CREAMED but I lose him on the set....I am giddy from just witnessing the greatest surface hit I have had in my chartering career!!

We get creamed a few more times but drop the fish due to poor hooksets...Eventually I come tight and with a drop down plate I whip another high 60 inch fish in short order to the boat...It is green boatside and we struggle to get it under control and I mean STRUGGLE...We pop the ocean lure out and the fish kicks and is on his way...A couple of high fives and we are back on it....Marvin knows I want one on the fly so drives the boat and it isnt long before I get tight on the Loomis 15. After a searing run the hook pulls...*sigh* but hey its the take that is 90 percent of the fun.....We put the fly away and Marvin is game for one more and gets crushed on the OCEAN HALFBEEK once again.....I leader and pop the lure out after a 10 minute battle and the fish is screaming away.....

Just a killer day OTW..........;)

A bit sporty out there today!

Jim Simms, Craig Johnston, and their buddy Silas from the UK went 10 rounds with the weather today and two round on this tuna!....

OTI rods and Ocean Lures were the ticket....

Albies!

With the weather of late, we made a run to Buzzards Bay to get in on the Albie action......We had 9 total, 7 on spin, two on fly. Heard the action was nothing compared to the day before...Still, we had a great time and got some good video and stills for the guys from Germany. Hopefully we can get out 2morrow and find some bluefin...

Guides Day

Today was a gift...I had the day free and Gil and Josh, both fly and light tackle captains and I had not fished together yet this year. So we piled in my boat and headed east...It was pretty lumpy and not alot of life but we found small pods of birds and jumping tuna underneath. Airoborne tuna. They were on some small 3 to 5 inch baitfish that we couldnt identify.....It wasn't long till I hooked up and fought the first fish which appeared high 50 inch range to the boat....The fish took a RONZ down deep and was released boatside. We putz around some more and hear that the fleet is not doing much at all and moving farther SE....We decide to stay put and are shortly rewarded hooking up to fish #2.....Josh fights this one hard with a ton of pressure but this fish is much bigger than the first....After 45 minutes and just 20; under the boat the owner hook opens up and the fish is free.....We never got a look at it but were guessing high 60 inch range.

Gil is up now and i approach a small pod of birds and before you know it, Gil gets drilled on an Ocean Lure halfbeak right at the boat....After a searing run it comes unbuttoned......

We decide to head a bit north and find bird pile after bird pile with nobody on them....In short order Josh is hooked up on an Ocean Lure swimming mackeral. After a killer battle, I poon the fish in the head and we have one for the box.

Great day fishing with these guys and wish we did it more often!

Tuna.....

The last week has been a good week. We hammered bass in cape cod bay on topwater plastics on all of our trips. I also set my lobster traps which I will be checking later today. On the tuna front we had two great days with 11 total hookups. Jigs and Ocean Lures were the ticket. The OTI casting rods were the balls and the Van Stall jiggers got the job done in short order with the Shimano Stellas.....

I've got a few days off and will probably see if I can stick a fish with the *PRIEST* aka 18wt Biscayne.....

Bill....Bill...

Sorry for the lack of updates but it has been a hectic couple of weeks. Hurricane Bill passed offshore and did not have much effect other than a big swell and surf off the eastern beaches. The bass fishing continues to be great on non commercial days. I had Carmen and his family out for an evening charter last week and we just hammered keeper bass all evening long on light plastics and plugs.

Tuna fishing has been up and down. Most of the action seems to be later in the day vs early. My lower unit gave up the ghost last week and I was down 4 days out of a 5 day booked week! Fall is coming shortly and we will be out on the hunt for bluefin on LT and fly for the rest of the season. I do have some bass trips booked here and there but it seems most folks got tuna on the brain this time of year.

While my boat was down I decided to try my hand at lobstering and obtained my 10 pot license. I have the traps now and working on getting them all put together so that we can pull a few at the end of our charters so that customers can have a few to take home. ....

I have a film crew from Germany showing up soon and we hope to get enough footage for a dvd and magazine article....Looking forward to fishing with these guys and more so seeing the finished product produced!

Till next tide...

More bassing

This morning I had Sam Gottoff and friends onboard for a half day bass and blues trip...We launched early and found HOT action way away from the fleet...We limited out on bass in just over an hour then worked to catch two more bluefish which are generally the nuisance. We hooked several more but lost them boatside for one reason or the other. The morning had a bit of whale watching and a stop in P town for some coffee and portugese bakery goods....Beautiful morning on the water!

Week in review....

Sorry for the lack of posts....This past week proved many highs and lows on the Carla Noelle. The tuna fishing was tough at best. There were some bites but most of the fish we heard taken were far off or a one here and a one there. The unfortunate thing about it is you cannot be everywhere once the bite happens. With that said, we zigged when we should of zagged. The bass fishing on the other hand has been ok to excellent during the last week. I try my best to give my customers a quality experience by fishing AWAY from the crowds and fleet....I do know that if I was booking a fishing trip that I would want that type of experience as well. If you want to throw eels with 200 other boats in close quarters and catch some nice fish then god bless ya but it is not what fishing with Fin Addiction is all about!

I'll be out looking for tuna on Monday with a new party so lets hope we step in it...

Here are a few pics of the lovely ladies we have had onboard this past week....Till next tide....

Team Ludwig

Mike and Kevin Ludwig joined me today for a LT tuna outing....We ran to the grounds and it didn't seem overly fishy....A bit but not like you are hoping for....Within 5 minutes we were tight to our first tuna of the day.. The fish burned off many yards of backing but we paced it and when things settled down applied the wood to him. At 40 minutes the hook pulls while Kevin is in the harness....ugggh!

Things settle down and we get another boil on plastic but he doesnt connect....Big bass do however and we release many bass in excess of 20lbs. Eventually it died off and we made a run to another area and were pretty much all by ourselves...Whales were showing with many birds...We shut down and started blind casting. After 10 minutes we got tight on the sea cucumber and had the fish boatside in 10 when the hook pulled!..uggh squared!

We rig back up, this time with big rubbah and Kevin gets two huge boils on a got stryper rubbah bait....The third time he inhaled it and after 20 minutes we have a fish to the gaff. We finished the day chasing breezers in the slop with a few opportunites but with the gift of one and the day winding down we were content to head in...

Great guys that I hope to fish with again in the future...