WINDING DOWN

October 9, 2003 - Due to the precarious weather pattern that has been hampering us for the better part of a year now, autumn angling opportunities for most anglers have been limited. On a personal note, we seem to be bogged down a bit with preparations for the 2004-tackle year and have not donned waders in a few weeks now.
As predicted, estuaries, flats and areas adjacent to barrier beaches have not been yielding fish to wading anglers as they continue in their migration mode.

A common autumn scenario we've been fielding from central Mass fly rodders was recently filed by Cape Cod shore guide, Dave Pearson…

"I met Gary and his buddy/client, Allen at Chatham Light at 6:30 AM, Sunday morning. With strong westerly wind forecast, I was hoping the surf would be manageable. It wasn't. There were big breakers that would have made casting difficult for anyone. Challenges were even greater because Allen was new to big rods and grain lines. We opted for the inside, even though we'd be casting into the teeth. Nine miles of walking and many hours of effort resulted in Allen hooking a fish. Given the conditions and time of year, not too bad. Saw a couple of nice cruisers, but since this southpaw was forced to back cast-present into 15-mph west-southwest winds, chances were nil. Most casts were in the 25-35' range; not enough for effective blind casting."

"Something of note: the surf side dunes don't seem near as steep after the hurricane-induced pounding. It's as if the slope was filled in a bit. Maybe just my imagination, but Gary thought the same."

Good fishing and safe wading,
JB