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mattywagon83

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  1. I guess I don't know how to post a link or a picture. My apologies.
  2. Ok Gang - This past Saturday, I was out on a leisure kayak with my wife and folks - we launched out of Sagamore Creek and paddled out and around Odiorne SP - put the old man on some larger schoolies off the jette, paddled around some more and headed back up Sagamore at the tail end of the out-going. As we were paddling up the creek, I was scouting for any deeper holes in between private docks on the south side before approaching Witch Cove Marine. To my disbelief - I, and only I, witnessed a fish jump clear out of the water at about a 45 deg. angle. I paddled over to the area and casted, to no avail. After the flurry of adrenaline and excitement - I started to really think about what kind of fish that could have been. This is what I saw - 20-25" fish, slender in shape and grey-ish in color. I know that's not saying much in describing a fish, but the form in which the fish jumped, to me, was telling in identifying this fish specie. My first guess and still what I'm sticking with is Atlantic Salmon (salmo salar). I've fished for land locked salmon and I've fished both summer and spring runs for Atlantic salmon on the Miramichi and the way of which a A. salmon jumps out of the water, both in it's randomness and form, is un-mistakable. The form of which this fish jumped resembled to a "T" an A. salmon. After I had given up casting to the fish, I explored the area where the fish jumped and to my surprise, it was in water no deeper than 2 feet with a muddy substrate. There we're small (1.5" bait fish) around, but nothing boiling or swimming for their lives. Other options I've tried to consider: Striped bass - most prevalent fish this time of year - However, I have NEVER seen a striped bass attack bait fish in this way or jump clear out of the water Blue fish - haven't seen many of these around the NH seacoast this year - nor have I ever seen a blue fish behave this way either (i.e., random act of jumping in very shallow water without violently busting bait on the surface). Sea run trout - I have seen trout feed in this way chasing emerging nymphs to the surface and trout coming clear out of the water - however I have little experience with sea run trout - never seen one, never fished for them. I understand Barry Brook, just a few creeks south of Sagamore Creek has a diminishing number of sea run trout catch reports. I've attached a link that best demonstrates the orientation of what the fish looked like. In the picture, it's the furthest fish with straight alignment pointed at 45 deg. angle coming out of the water. http://powellriverpersuader.********.com/2010/01/40000-atlantic-salmon-escape-from-fish.html[/url] Any ideas, history, knowledge and/or inklings of what kind of fish this could have been?? I can't sleep with the though of Atlantic salmon migrating up my local tribs! Cheers!
  3. Back at it again..same spot, dead low tide. Abundance of bait with cruising fish feeding close the bottom or mid water column. This time I could see the fish tracking my fly. I was using very sparse, un-weighted sand eel imitations, with very little flash with the same intermediate float line. Seemed to get the fish's attention with short subtle twitch strips close to the bottom most of the time. I tried dead drifting with little interest. I had to give some action to the fly to get the attention of the feeding fish. Again, I could see the fish tracking and studying the fly with no takers - getting as close as inches without any takes. Perhaps if I went smaller I would have gotten a take, but the smallest fly I had as about 2" long. Fishing the same cove, I brought my spin tackle with one lure, a yo-zuri hydro squirt squid imitation. I ended up hooking into one nice fish, around 28", but wasn't sure if there were many other fish in the spot I was fishing. Now if I can only find some good squid flies! Cheers
  4. Doc - This was exactly my thoughts as I was observing bait being taken...it appeared squid we're showing a white-ish pattern, but I was not 100% sure. I am sure bass we're taking bait fish, but I am almost 100% sure squid were also busting on bait in a similar fashion. I stopped by KTP last night looking for a squid fly...nada. Unfortunately, I'm not really prepared to tie up a squid fly nor am I skilled enough, but insanity is creeping in and I may just start ravaging the wife's arts and crafts bins and coming up with something funky!
  5. AA, Thanks for posting up your experience(s) - I've heard this same trend from other anglers as well occurring for the last few years, but we shouldn't be complaining, since the fish are around. Good to hear there's at least some bigger fish around...I haven't heard of any large fishing being caught up this way this year. Hope to see you out there.
  6. Jon and Steve - Thanks for your input. LIke I mentioned - this is my first year consistently bringing the fly rod and leaving the spin gear at home. I was a trout fly fisherman first, so I am familiar with the frustration of watching feeding fish to no avail, but I never really associated striped bass as being as finicky and particular as trout. This I'm learning at a hare's pace. The spot I keep visiting and witnessing many actively feeding fish is a slow/dead water area in a protected cove with very little tidal current. This particularly area is where I've been getting skunked. I've fished the mouth of the cove where the current is stronger and have caught fish on a swinging/dangling fly in the current, but I've been getting skunked in the still water. I am anxious to put to work some of these ideas to help me solve the puzzle and I appreciate the motivation to start "thinking" more critically on feeding habits and what might work with fly choice, line choice and retrieve. I plan on heading back out tonight and will report back. Thanks again!
  7. So, I've been hitting up the shorelines around southern ME and NH and seeing plenty of feeding activity…mostly smashing smaller bait fish (bay anchovies or silver sides perhaps?). To my dismay - i've been at it the last few nights fishing full tide swings without a single tap, stripping various flies through water with plenty of feeding fish. I've been using a airflow (blue) intermediate line as I'm mostly in somewhat shallow water and the fish are feeding on or near the surface. Is this just a phenomenon that striper fisherman need to learn how to deal with or are these fish "catchable/trickable". My go to flies, small olive over white clousers, skinny epoxy flies and gummy flies haven't been producing and when I switched to top water (black gurgler at night)….nothing!!! I'm going out of my mind. Fish are in and close to shore. This is my first year really fly fishing for stripers consistently from shore and I'm wondering if these situations are lost causes or if I should keep experimenting and plugging away. I'm looking for some hope here and possible get people excited that there's plenty of fish around! (i also just came from the Cape where I was fishing an area teaming with bait fish and dozens of cruising stripers and I only got so much of a couple looks at my fly, but no takers). Cheers!
  8. Oh man...my buddies both have VS200's and a ZB22.....I should stop wasting my time and money and go for the long term investment, eh?!
  9. Hi All, I just put a post up on the NH/Maine thread since that's where I do all my fishing, but I'm thinking it may be better to post here as well. I'm looking to get advice on upgrading my boat rods/reels. I fish mainly plugs in a fast/heavy tidal river (Piscataqua River in Portsmouth, NH). I'm looking to replace my mediocre to cheap gear with two to three nice setups. I would like to have at least two bait runner reels and one nice plugging rod/reel. Any recommendations for a good striper setup. I guess i'm thinking 7' 3/4-2 oz capable rod and I'm between the spinfisher V 6500LL or the shimano bait runner, but other than that..I'm open to any suggestions! Looking to spend 250-450 for each setup. Thanks again! Matty C. Portsmouth, NH
  10. I just bought a Stradic 6000 at a significant discount (bought it new). The bail seems to have a bad re-coil when it shuts, I've been on the fence of returning it since the Stradic 4000 in the stores or my spheros 6000's bail closes very smooth. I am looking at a higher end reels because my other brand new spheros 6000's drag has been slipping to the point where it's almost a free spool no matter how hard I tighten the drag. I'm getting tired of breaking rods and reels malfunctioning! Anyways...Thanks for your suggestions...I'm on the fence between a Spinfisher 6500LL or the Shimano baitrunner...and I'm looking for a boat rod. Probably in the 3/4-2 oz range...but I'm curious what other people are using. Anyone?
  11. Hey Gang, I'm looking to get some beta/user recommendations on some rod/reel setup. I'm sick of my cheapo gear breaking and malfunctioning. I take pretty decent care of my stuff, but I'm looking to buy quality stuff. Ideally i'm looking to get 3-4 setups - one or two for plugging from a boat and two with bait runners. I keep a boat in Little Bay (NH) and fish the Piscat and Portsmouth harbor exclusively. This is what I'm thinking: 7' - 20-50lb braid, - Medium to heavy action. I'd like to keep it around 250 to 400 for each setup Thanks for any information ahead of time.... Cheers, Matty C.
  12. Love this thread..just burned through almost all 61 pages...Thought I had to add my girl getting into her first school of snappers in LI sound. Doesn't always fish with me..but does come along for the ride and takes some amazing photos while fishing! She's a trooper!http://www.stripersonline.com/image/id/1660190/width/1000/height/500][img=http://www.stripersonline.com/image/id/1660192/width/1000/height/500][img=http://www.stripersonline.com/image/id/1660194/width/1000/height/500]
  13. So I'm not being cheap here, becuase I know a new hydraulic steering rack is not that expensive...$250 at West Marine, but the unfortunate part is that the steering cable was installed under the floor boards of my wooden boat that are fiberglassed, nailed and glued ro the ribs of the boat. When I took it out of storage I went to turn the steering wheel and the piston at the lower end, which is attached to the motor mount was frozen! I pounded the crap out of it and saw no movement. I finally removed the piston and the mounting cylinder that is is held with on the motor mount and turned it vertical and have been spraying penetrating oil on it as a desperate attempt. I was wondering if anyone else out there has had any similiar situations and might have a suggestions for me. I'm going crazy that I haven't gotten out to battle some stripers...work is crazy enough...now my boat!!! I need my salvation back! Thanks ahead of time.....anyone catching sizeable fish in the Piscat/Great Bay! Might be a kayaking season for me! haha
  14. Any one been to Watch Hill recently. I heard of some nightmare stories of people going there last year around mid september and practically getting carried out by the misquitos. Anyone visit the Watch hill area recently? How is the bug situation looking? I'm hoping to plan a weekend trip soon now that the crowds are gone, but I'd like to bring the women along but want to avoid a possible weekend disaster if the bugs are among us in full thickness. Thanks ahead of time.
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