We are getting near the middle of February and we’ve been busy. All of our spinning gear is good to go. A bunch of new bucktails are in the box and new hooks rigged up for the Albie Snax. I sorted all the flies and am in the process of filling the gaps in the boxes with new ones. I’ve tied up some new and different patterns just because.
We aren’t going to Canada this year for the first time in 20 years with the exception of the Covid years. There is an absence of guides up there at our regular camp. Now we might get the boat in the water a week earlier than usual.
There won’t be a price increase this year for our charters. It’s going to be my 29th year of guiding. It’s still a lot of fun and I really enjoy spending time with my anglers.
Stay tuned I’ll keep you posted.
Happy 2026
That’s a wrap
Gail and I made an early trip out this past Sunday morning. We beat the sun and wind for a change. There were very few bass around but we did find a bunch of hickory shad and a few good sized bonito. With this weeks weather forecast we decided to call it a year.
The early bass were really good sized with most over 12 lbs. We caught about six bluefish but that was ok. The bonito came early and stayed late. We had a few good days with the albies certainly better than last year. We are planning to do it again next year and hope to see you then. Thanks for a fun summer.
Calm and cool and eating
Today brought Dave and his two sons out for a taste of fall fishing. We beat the sun and found some fish right away but decided to look for some larger ones. Our second stop brought bass and a good sized bluefish. We stayed and played for a bit and then made a move that brought more bass to the net. When that slowed we went back to our second spot and were rewarded with a good sized bonito. Yes they are still around. A few more bass and we called it a fun trip. I tell people that fall fishing is like eating a doughnut. Sometimes you get the doughnut and sometimes you get the hole. Today was all doughnut.
Fall Fun
This morning the wind finally took a break so we could go for a boat ride. There were scattered fish in most places with a fleet of boats on them. We decided to look around a bit and came upon some huge splashes. I was thinking big albies or maybe some school bluefin. Wrong on both counts. They were big bass on Atlantic mackerel. I managed two big girls and Gail had some a bit smaller. It was nice to see the bedlam.
Slow start-Big finish
This morning brought Dr. Jeff up the always dangerous Rte.95 to spend the day on the briney. Despite a lousy weather forecast we headed out in search of the elusive striped bass. The first stop was like fishing in the desert so we moved on. The next stop produced a nice sized bluefish and we saved the fly. The next two hours were a boat ride. We came on a small bass blitz and they were hungry. Soon after we were in the middle of a large blitz that lasted for three hours. We were the only boat there for over an hour. We ended up with too many fish to count. As usual the forecast was only correct in that it was a chilly start.
Good day for a boat ride.
Today brought Chris and Rob down from the cold north woods. The weather was favorable and the intel was fresh so we decided on a boat ride. We arrived early to find things very quiet on the Albie grounds. We kept moving and found some hungry bluefish to get the skunk out of the boat. It wasn’t really what we wanted so we retraced our steps a bit and we found fish that wanted to play. We soon added a few bonito to the tally. Soon they were replaced by a god number of somewhat finicky albies. Both guys managed to fool some into eating. We left them chewing. A really fun day on the old briney.
Bonito it is
Sunday brought Simon back from the UK to spend the day. We started local and picked up a striper and a sea robin to start. After catching the two hard ones we took a ride in somewhat sporty conditions. We found more boats than fish but Simon managed a bonito on a fly. The tide changed and made to conditions too ucky to continue. Did not see many fish landed out there.
Today Gail and I went out under very nice conditions. We wanted some bonito action so we skipped the fleet trying for bass. After a good run we found the bones and had fun for a few hrs. When the bluefish showed up it was time to call it a fun day. Lots of action on the fly rods.
Interesting
it’s been an interesting but frustrating week on the briney. We’ve been out four or five days and every day has been different. We found albies that were hungry one day and wouldn’t touch anything the next few days. The bonito would eat when we found them. Bass and blues are around. We even caught a sea robin on a jig. The problem is that they aren’t in the same places everyday. We had albies one day that rejected everything we threw at them. A friend was 25 miles away with the same problem. Tomorrow is a new day so we’ll see what happens.
New year same story
Gail and I left the dock at sunrise hoping to find some hardtails to play with. For some reason we got some to eat but we couldn’t keep them connected on flies and lures. After an hour with no activity we decided to call it a day. On the way back we found some birds over small blues. I hooked up first and landed our first fish of the day. A two pound porgy. Shortly after bait exploded and Gail made a perfect cast and hooked up right away. After a hard fight and three laps around the boat she landed our first Albie of the year. Did I mention that I caught a porgy?
Grand slam sort of
Today things lined up and Gail and I made it out to the briney. After doing a bit of traveling we found some bonito that were in the eating mood. We had some doubles and they kept us amused for a while. Then when they quieted down a few bluefish joined the party. Had some fun with those guys and when they left we picked up a few sea robins that had been waiting patiently. We took a longer scouting ride and came up empty. Heading back we found more blues and when we got closer to home we came across a bunch of stripers. That made a kind of slam sort of if you count sea robins.
