Getting ready. Just got boat back yesterday. Bottom all painted, tuned, lubed and serviced. Did a good cleaning and got the 1st coat of wax on sides and some of the inter hull areas. Rain and wet today so no waxing today. Want to get a second coat on and a waxing of the engine before I get it in the water.
Should get it in this week. Would like to get the woody wax on the decks and all the last stuff done before I put it in as I find if I put it in and plan on doing it later, everytime I go down to the boat to work, I go fishing instead and have to force myself to finish up.
Water still cold in my fishing areas. Checked with Fred over at No Bones on Friday and water was still in the 40's. Yesterday was warm and nice so it probably jumped up a little. With rain clouds and high winds today, it probably dropped back down again. Will try to do everything before I launch unless they predict a super warm, calm day this week.
Light is getting brighter. After two days of gale force winds I finally got the boat in the water yesterday in the afternoon. All set to start fishing. Just need a decent day. Heavy winds and one inch of rain today with more wind for the next couple of days. Not going to help warm up the water, but I will be ready for the first nice day.
Still waiting. Thunderstorms, heavy rain and wind today with high winds predicted for the next few days. Why is it when you are busy working on the boat getting it ready it is always calm and warm? Once your in the weather turns to crap.
It was a slow start as the water was very slow to warm up. Last week it was 10 degrees colder than the same time last year and after five trips with no hits on the fly, it finally happen.
After three warm days in a row with one getting up close to 90 degrees the water finally got into the 50's along the beach.
Finally got rid of the SKUNK. It was another beautiful day here Monday but a little breezy. Since I was going to be away Tuesday I decided to give it a shot.
Started off bad. Got down to the dock and found a blow out tide and my boat sitting in 5 inches of water and it takes 11 to float it.
Waited about 1/2 hour and was able to get out around 5:00 pm. Headed to the inlet and found a strong south to south east wind. Just enough to make it annoying.
Started on the beach front outside the breakers and found 55.3 to 56.7 water. Within the first half hour I got my first bass of the season on the fly. I was using 400 sinking line and a chartreuse bucktail deceiver.
It was a little 21 incher, but it sure felt good after 5 skunkings with out even a hit. With the incoming tide and the wind, conditions were getting worse, but I caught 2 more small guys in the next hour. A 20 and 22.
The wind was making a step chop and my prop on my electric motor was grabbing air on some waves making it a full time job just to control the boat.
Made a move to the inlet jetty where the water was 52.3 and put on a Yanks Assassin and had a nice hook up. Thinking is was another bass I got a big surprise when it came to the net. It was a 16 inch tog.
Don't get too many on the fly but it happens once in awhile and decided to keep it for dinner.
I fished till it started getting dark and when I turned on my running lights I found the bulb in my bow light was out so I headed right in.
It was a pretty good night 4 fish for 4 hits and SKUNK smell is gone.
Just when we thought the water was warm and we started catching on the fly, mother natures stepped in and gave us rain and clouds dropping the water temperatures back down into the 40's again.
Could not find and bass on the fly, but did get another nice keeper size tog on a fly.
All it will take is a few warm days in a row and the temps will come up again. Still no signs of any blue fish around. They are normally here by now. Guess they don't like the cold water either.
Hey Ray... well a tog on the fly is a pretty big deal. They don't take them that well. I think it is wildly cool
That stinks about the temps.. I'm getting ready to come up at the way for the first shot at flounder in the shallows. I need that water temp to be as close to 60 as possible.. Down in the 40's blows
Really think they are hitting the fly cause they are spawning. They are coming to the surface in pairs all along the rocks and clearing the water completely sometimes. When you see them at first you think they are bass or blues feeding. They do fight well, but the do chew up the flies.