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February 2006
Dear Fisherman;
Thanks to everyone who fished on the Windy. It was you who made it such an incredible year. We sailed more trips than ever before. It was just great. Mitch Bradbury started out the year with a bang, Snowshoe Flounders at Block Island then a run back to the south side for a mess of Fluke and to round it out the 1st Striped Bass of the year. From then on we had fantastic Fluking. In fact on May 18, I caught my biggest Fluke in years a twelve and a half pounder and just to show it wasn’t a fluke, five minutes later I caught an eight pounder. Striper fishing improved steadily with some really big fish showing in June and staying throughout the summer.
Sharking started out a little slow because of the cool weather in may, but once it got going by the 14h it was as good as it gets. With the later part of June showing us more Threshing Sharks than I’ve ever seen. We were lucky enough to land 3 and bust off a couple, some boats had more than a 1/2 dozen for the season. The highlight of our Shark season was John Santella, fishing the M.B.C.A. Tournament on July 9 & 10 who took 2nd place with a 367 pound blue. What a fish to catch, a 1-1/2 hour fight on a bent butt 80-pound outfit.
July, saw incredible Striper fishing, 40's were common and we even had a 50 when we stopped for a pass or two before going offshore Sharking. Fluking stayed steady throughout the month and we had a really good showing of School Blue fin Tuna only six to ten miles from the point. There was days that we landed 50 of these Schoolies. It was like old times and great fun. For the bottom fisherman we had Porgies like we saw 20 years ago. The biggest in years, and everywhere, many, many four pound. It didn’t matter where we fished, out front or down the beach it was just the best ever. I expect that we will see the same if not better fishing this year.
Striped Bass fishing was constant in August both trolling and with live bait (porgies). Fluking slowed up, for no apparent reason, Porgy fishing stayed and lasted through October and we also had consistent Yellow fin and Albacore fishing for the first time in several years. Instead of talking people out of going it was gung ho. Yes it was far, but it was worth it. The fewest we had were three and the best day and even dozen. The Yellow fins ranged from 35 to 85 pounds and the Albacore averaged about 45 pounds. On these kinds of trips we had to do extended days. We left the dock at three AM and returned about five that afternoon. The best part about it was that nobody went home unhappy. For the angler who wanted to fish offshore, but not make the long run to the Tuna grounds, the Shark fishing was superb, combined with a stop at the point for Stripers it made for a great day.
In September the offshore scene really broke loose. The Tuna trolling was red hot. All you need was the weather to make the trip offshore. Inshore the Striped Bass fishing was gearing up for the fall run. Bottom fishing for Porgy was unbelievable, but the Sea Bass let us down. I think it must have been the warm water, because in December when we were all tucked away it was lock and load.
The fall run got underway right on schedule. It couldn’t get any better in October; the only problem we had was the weather. mid month was abominable. That past and when we got into November things seemed to straighten out and we had great bass fishing. For anyone who wanted to fish late the Herring showed up Thanksgiving week and the Stripers got thick and stupid, just the way we like them. In fact we sailed our last trip of the year on November 29 with Bill Manly and absolutely annulated. The Bass right on Shagwong. We had to have caught at least 75 Stripers to 30 pounds on a morning trip. What a way to end the year.
Well that’s it for last year, but a new season is just around the corner. The phone has been ring and we are starting to book up fast. So don’t be left at the dock and get in on the action. Give a call and set up your trips for the upcoming season.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Jack
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