50 fish or so

with about 30 keepers between Josh and I today...You couldn't of asked for a better day.  We slayed all morning long and headed to the barn around 12:30......Most fish were between 15 and 25lbs....We caught equal numbers on live bait and plastic...We both lost a few toads to poor hooksets but I ain't complaining!! ;)

Memorial Day Weekend

There seemed to be no noticeable drop in vacationers on Cape Cod this weekend.  We were on the water yesterday and put the wood to the school bass and some just legal keepers.  It was a recon trip with Josh who is taking one of my customers out today.  I need a good sunny day to paint my decks and I am golden.  

Spooks and flatwings were the lures and flies of choice yesterday.  Even with all the people on the water we still found plenty of fish even tho the front coming through definently put them in a funk.  As the coming week moves on, I think the fish are gonna come out and chew heavy....

On another front I upgraded from Saragosa to Stella for my tuna reels....Good god almighty...$900 a pop!!  At least we will have the best money can buy on the Carla Noelle this season...

First Cape Trip

Today I had planned to continue working on the boat for my first trip this weekend but Josh had called and said that a guy that I set him up with left him hanging for his first trip...So with his boat and gear ready to go we opted to fish this am in the bay on some of our popular spring spots and put a good spanking on the fish with about 10 15-25lb bass caught on topwater baits with the pink 9' Got Stryper stick bait being the most bit bait for the morning...We bailed by noon and tonite we will have fresh civiche striped bass and who knows what else....

Beautiful morning fishing the home waters...

Key West Report

Had 4 spectacular days fishing with Jeffrey Cardenas out of Key West, FL for tarpon migrating in from the straits of FL.  It seemed a bit harder to get them to eat vs last year but the tarpon were numerous and I jumped a good dozen or more over 100lbs and landed a few to have an excellent trip.  I also caught mangrove, mutton and a few other types of snappers to have great civiche at the end of the day.  Dinner at Blue Heaven was heavenly and the weather couldn't have been better.  

I pick up my boat today from the suzuki service dealer and now have about a week to 10 days detailing to get my ride going for the season...Fish are here and my first trip is the 22nd of May....The bookings are picking up which is good to see!!!...Hope to see you all on the water soon...

It's all water under the bridge.......

The bahamas that is.....I have decided that working down on Ragged Island would be a bad decision for my family and I.  All the work we did seemed to benefit those who did little other than take advantage of the company from the get go....I had the feeling of being a pawn from the beginning but tried to have faith and worked for the promise of an opportunity that never existed.  

A very good lesson learned.  I have never met a group of people who wanted so much that gave so little.....Anyhoo!!!!...Glad to be back home and back in the saddle again....

Off to Key West to fish with my good friend Jeffrey in a few days....

UPDATE

Well I am back home from the bahamas again.  This time I was down on Ragged Island exploring the bluewater and trying new techniques for these fish.  It was a successful trip and now I am back on the Cape and getting geared up for the 2009 season.  

The cover came off the boat yesterday and repair work started below the water line where the bunks on the trailer skuffed the gelcoat down to the glass last season.  I've got two layers  of epoxy resin on now and will sand smooth this am...Once I am satisified, I will cut in a new coat of VC Offshore bottom paint.  There are so many little things to do that add up.  I am also installing a livewell on the swim platform so we have a place to keep all those pogies we will be castnetting too early on this year for pig bass and tuna later in the season.

I'm also off to Key West again soon for some monster tarpon on the flats of the Marquesas with Jeffrey Cardenas...If you haven't booked your trip for 2009 yet you still have time and I still have some choice dates for both bass and tuna...

Looking forward to fishing with you all again and meeting some of you for the first time..

Jeff

Bahamas again

Sorry for lack of posting.  I have been very busy and involved with Silvertail Destinations two new bonefish lodges in the Bahamas.  I went back for 3 weeks recently to help Gil get the Water Cay lodge ready for the first slug of customers that were due the last week of March.  There were some setbacks as there always is in the bahamas but in a nutshell we got all of our tasks completed and the lodge looks pretty spiffy.  From refrigeration to fixing a sagging dock to painting the main room a foo foo tangerine color that warms to the cool lighting we put in.  It all looks great!  The lodge has 3 new beavertail high tech skiffs which enable the 3 guides led by Sidney Thomas to get into the ultra skinny backwater around the Cay.  

Working at Water Cay put me in the position to become the american manager at Ragged Island starting Oct 1.  It is a great schedule for someone who doesn't enjoy being on Cape Cod in the winter.  Hey nearly all mammals migrate south in the fall...Why shouldn't I? ;)) 

Ragged Island is a unique place.  It has sugar white sands on the west side of the island and deep bluewater a half mile off the beach on the east side.   I'm talking bluewater that has never seen a sportie or express...For fly and light tackle anglers this will be a HUGE HUGE plus to booking a week long bonefish trip.  It is my job to figure out this fishery so that anglers will have a good chance of hooking bones in the am and yellowfin in the afternoon, then retreating to the lodge to knife into some sushi with a kalik in the evening....;))

We are buying a lightly used 27' Contender for the bluewater program.  It is just the perfect boat for 2-4 anglers on fly and light tackle pursuits.  

I am slated to head over to Ragged soon to check out the facility, meet who I need to meet and wet a line or two and hopefully come tight with some of these offshore creatures.  

On the home front it has been a slow season booking charters.  I have asked around and it seems the same everywhere.  I did 90 trips last year.  The most I have ever done.  I don't think I am going to see that this season but certainly hope for at least 60.  It takes a set number of trips to break even before you make a profit....

I think were all hoping the economy starts to jump back soon...The soup line keeps inching closer every week!! LOL

Till next time...