Monday's Trip & The Update...

There was a big difference between the forecast on Sunday and actual weather we had on Monday morning...needless to say, I had to alter my game plan a bit and landed up poking around in the shallows to see if we could put a catch together. First three drops were a bust but after the tide change at noon it was game-on. Had some nice fish coming over the rail spitting up Herring, but very few fish were taken on jigs...it almost didn't make sense, but these fish wanted fresh shell bait and thankfully we had a full bushel on board for this trip. Go figure, when there is no bait in the water we slam them on jigs and when there is bait everywhere in the water column - the best time to use jigs - they want snot? Thankfully we had that two hour time frame when the fish wanted to eat and we fed them well. 30 Cod total, 15 Seabass and some huge Bergalls. Overall I would give this trip a solid B grade but if we would have had a morning bite, it would have been an A. Excellent group of rod handlers aboard today including the Mike Rivette group from NY (Odog Fishing Club) and Andy "Raindropfx" from CT. These guys took a beating at the rail all day but were rewarded for their effort. Really a great group and look forward to fishing with them again, hopefully in less formidable conditions. Also, Kudos to "Fishcounter Bob" on deck, best mate on the planet and he sets the standard. Mike even commented yesterday that when you look up "mate" in the dictionary, there should be a picture of Bob...boy I like hearing comments like that!!!

The Update: After gulping down a handful of Advil this morning, I decided that I really have to study the conditions more carefully before I just toss the lines - especially at this time of year. In the winter, conditions change very rapidly and keep something in mind - that water is still quite warm considering its December...that plays a big role in why we have so much wind right now. We got punished yesterday big time and as much as I love to fish, I hate seeing guys getting beat-up and soaked at the rail. Truth of the matter is we should have ignored the report on Sunday and fished it. FCB and I agreed that Monday looked like the better of the two so we moved it...didn't look into the details close enough and factor in that fast moving low pressure that came through yesterday with the rain, snow and wind...so we paid the price. With all that being said, I am watching for the upcoming weekend. Found a new drop yesterday that saved the trip and I want to visit it again ASAP. The water column is full of Herring and the green Cod are starting to filter in. Thankfully, the Seabass are starting to thin out a bit and we only had 1-2 dogs yesterday - more good news. The water temps at BI Buoy today are 54.5 and slowly falling - more good news. Its certainly shaping-up to be a decent winter Cod run...but only time will tell. I will update the blog on Thursday to see what the outlook is for next weekend...standby.

Capt