Running Ape

Anyone here build a lumberyard skiff, brockway or ladybug skiff?

This has been a great winter for birds- stumbled into a flock of golden crowned kinglets, seen gannets, dovekies, and razorbills from shore.

I did the same. Half of the time I can dig up a bergall/cunner. Not today, maybe a pickerel tomorrow.

Hey- anyone have any advice about what trailer size I woulde need for a 16' lumberyard flat bottom skiff? thanks

I like the gis surf for an even shallower reason, they are a cool color. I currently own the 9' and used to have the 10'6. The 9 is an excellent all around surf rod, casts 3/4 ounce bucktails and 4 1/2 magic swimmers. Best of all, it sets hooks with authority. It is not moderate, but not hard to cast either. This year, I took it to Florida and enjoyed using on mixed blitzes of spanish macs, jacks, and blues. It can jig the canal, and I even caught a king mac with it. What it is really great at is casting from boats. I keep it rigged with a surface lure most on the time when cruising.

As I have posted here before, the St Croix trs86mhf2 is a good rod for that kind of stuff with 15 lb braid. Salmon/steelhead rods do the light stuff well, its surface lures that demand a hard hookset that cause dissatisfaction. My 8'6" mh rod also casts albie snax further than any other rod I have ever seen.

Its hard to get a fix since walshes closed.

Anyone have info on party or charter boats running pollack trips? Not really up for driving to New Hampshire unless there are no other options.

From the late Al Anderson, charter captain and author (paraphrasing) take what the sea gives you and enjoy it, even if its not exactly what you wanted. From his mate (friend of mine) birds are your friends. Saved many days by watching and waiting until they get close to my jetty. Love the comments about fishing local, I wish I had not taken years to learn that. The degree to which changing conditions can light up fishing never loses its novelity, its often as if a new ocean moved in.

I hit the beach at high today, froze. Nada

Dont worry. I ate the mackerel but saved all the heads fresh for bait.

What looked like a few pods of bass came by, out of range, briefly.

I found shore macks closer to the main land. Enough to have a meal.

I am going to try that large wharf at high tide this weekend. I could go for a few grilled macks.

I use a st croix triumph trs86mhf2. It is a great rod for a diverse range of fishing. I have caught keeper bass, albies, countless blues, trout, pike, and others. For a cheap ($110) rod, it has held up well to many albies and ample neglect. It casts half or three quarter ounce metal like nothing else. Albie snax fly an impressive distance. Once hooked, fish have a difficult time shaking the hook due to the flex. That said, there are times where it struggles. Its not great for fish over 34" or topwater plugs that require hard hook setting. Small swim shads are fine, but when you really need to move a jig I use my tfo surf rod. For what its worth, I may buy the the next rod up, trs86hf2, soon.