Finally, a tuna on a bar!!!

[Dads Dream]

Nov 8th, Sunday 0630 hrs~ receive a text from Maine Priority~ and its bad news. Jeremy has lost the starboard engine in his Albemarle which will keep him dockside on Sunday....and our plans to fish Monday, 9th are also squelched!?? Crap, his boat is in Scituate and its our best option for chasing fish on the Bank this late in the season.

Sunday 1600 hrs~ I send Jeremy a text, I've got a plan~ lets trailer my 22' rocket down to Scituate from Maine on Monday AM~ with any luck, the weather reports will be right....and we can get out to SWC and quit by noon ahead of the winds & seas.

The plan was hatched and it would include only myself and Jeremy....as Seth & Chris were detained by that thing called work, work, work.

Nov 9th, Monday 0400 hrs~ Jeremy arrives and we depart Eliot, tap in the keys in his Garmin navigator, those things are sooo stupid (I thought??!!) until I realize the features include a mileage countdown and distance to next turn, etc....ok, these things are cool, now.

Mon 0545 hrs~ arrive at Scituate Hrbr, hit the Dunkin D next to the dock, Jeremy jumps on his boat 'Fourtunate' to grab a couple of bars and grundens and gear

Mon 0600 hrs~ locate the boat launch, this is a beautiful launch....<OMG>....I'm sure this is busy in the summer but right now, it's only one other boat and ourselves. Quick deployment of the outriggers, antenna, battery check/check/check, launch...clear the harbor....whoa- that was easy.

We screw out to SWC at 40 mph on FAC conditions....slowing only for a few porpoise and a few single jumpers along the way. Arrive to the north and west of the fleet of a dozen or so boats. Listen to a little chatter on the radio. Throw a few casts off the bow at single jumpers several times......oh, we are so spoiled after a crazy fall on Jeffries. This is only my 2nd trip to SWC with the first being last Nov when Jeremy Shannon & I had a 2-fer-2 day.

Mon 0730 hrs~ smaller pods of 2-4 fish, bunch of single jumpers, tons of bait on the screen. We've got our spread set and we manage 5 lines with the black squid bar positioned in the WTFB locale~ attached to Shannons' 80W wh/ is placed in the rocket TTop center (jeezuz, been doing this for 3 yrs now....what-R-we-gunna-do-if that rod goes off??)

Mon 0930 hrs~ we had been working hard, tending lines, cleaning eel grass and bulky weeds off all the lures. Seems our bars were catching the weeds but the stingers were remaining clean ~ you always wonder.....how LONG have we been dragging that $hit on that lure!!?? Our bars on the riggers kept snapping the releases and Jeremy was quick to YELL or jump in anticipation of Charlie

Mon 0945 hrs~ Doesn't the radio chatter sometimes bring you down? I mean, come on.....should I turn the volume down when we're not having a good day? Guess I should have, we allow ourselves to hear about 1 fish here or 2 fish there...or, we're fighting a fish right now....but we listen anyway~ Damn, we're doing all the right things, got the black out back, trick-or-treat down port side and pink squid down SB, with a weighted sluggo somewhere up tight and a diver in the prop wash....ok, not everything was set according to SWC rules....a little Maine technique was throw-in (right Old Mud)?

Mon 1000 hrs~ Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzttttttttttttt~ holy $hit, it's Shannons' 80w in the Ttop and its going off~ Jeremy is in the bow casting his crippled herring and he yells that he sees the Black Bar getting crushed ~~ I reach up and manage to haul this fat combo down and get in position SB corner~ Jeremy yells out that he can clear the 4 lines....and begins to do so. The fish makes one run at the beginning that was violent.....but then seemed to lighten up quickly.....I start wailing on the reel and it appears to Jeremy the fish has gotten ahead of me as the line seemed slack

Mon 1005 hrs~ Gotta love that big fat @$$ 80W, it just put a hurting on that fish quickly......and within a few minutes, 8 minutes to be exact, the fish was at the boat, Jeremy STONED him with the gaff shot and the fish was IN the boat. Now this doesn't sound like much to most of you experienced guys out there....but we've been at the losing end of several battles in the last 2 yrs~ the latest of which was 2 hrs on spinning gear.....so much time invested and we did everything right....and still lost the fish!? (guess we've earned the right to have an easy one, huh?

Pic 1 of Jeremy assesses the fat fish~ tries removing the glowing squid stinger.....

Pic of me with the chubby 50" below...still wearing my winter hat~ Pic 3~ if you see a Maine plate like this, its probably pulling a red boat~ be sure to honk twice!

Shout out to Shannon (SushiSeeker on SFC) for the use of his Shimano 80W...thanks Man! To Chris (Cappy D)~ we'll get you on a fish next spring. Seth (Lines In)~ dude, get that ACL repaired soon, and you'll be ice fishing before you know it.
And, Jeremy, of course we had to 'end' the season in style, man...and, Jeremy, in memory of Eileen, I'm sure she was very happy to know you were on the high seas chasing your passion!
Capt Rich

[Wayward Sun]

Great Job!!

[Col. Kurtz]

Nicely done Rich. Hard core road trip down to our neck of the woods that obviously paid off in spades!

[Dads Dream]

Originally Posted by Col. Kurtz

Nicely done Rich. Hard core road trip down to our neck of the woods that obviously paid off in spades!

Ahhhhh Colonel !! I forgot that you were in Scituate!

I have a new appreciation for Scituate Harbor & Green Harbor ......wondering why I don't head your way in the spring for stripers & bluefish???!!!

[GreenPondEd]

Nice going! Wish it was me. I pulled my boat Nov. 1. Kicking myself. Again, nice going.

[Captain Greg Sears]

Originally Posted by Dads Dream

Ahhhhh Colonel !! I forgot that you were in Scituate!

I have a new appreciation for Scituate Harbor & Green Harbor ......wondering why I don't head your way in the spring for stripers & bluefish???!!!

Nice report Rich nice to meet you at the Mill Wharf. You forgot we have a great Tuna Bite in the spring starting the end of May.

You guys are a nice group, it was nice meeting all of you. I hope Dave can take care of Jeremy's boat.

[chumtini]

Nice one Rich. Especially when those mother f*kers weren't biting. I saw you out there. Thought I'd give stelly a shot before calling it for the year. How was that ride home?

[oldmud]

WOW, nice end of season post and result Rich. Just a couple of questions. In that second Pic.

"Pic of me with the chubby 50" below...still wearing my winter hat" Was that the "chubby" that was still wearing your winter hat ?

pic. 3 OH MY !!! I have passed that plate a few times and always thought it belonged to Chris Weiner / Twofinbluna. and yes i always honked, (you drive Slow).

OH yeah and now the secret is out about how we do it up heah, (run one "UP CLOSE" in the wash) so close it will wrap up in your prop !!! Works for me. bait going 1000RPM.

[Parapapam]

Nicely done, Rich.... You are a classic case of paying your dues, learning from your mistakes and getting better every trip out there.

I am happy for you!!!

Mike

[hotreels jr]

Nice job! Got to love black bars Is that a 13'' or 18'' black bar? Glow stinger?