MV

June 27, 2007 - A contingent of saltwater anglers spearheaded by Steve Wild of Holden and Don Piktailis of Princeton recently concluded their annual weeklong pilgrimage to Martha's Vineyard with sparkling results. The group was treated to some outstanding sight fishing situations throughout much of their stay. Many of the fish were the 30-inch category and were very receptive to strategically delivered flies, which lead Piktailis to pitch the comment "best fishing we've had in years."

Experiences such as this have not been uncommon as we officially enter mid-season. Generally speaking we are in the midst of a very good season with both bluefish and striped bass occupying much of our coastline.

A NEW VENUE
As anglers we always seem to gravitate to our familiar haunts. Maybe it's the familiarity that comforts our souls or it could be laziness or time constraints that limit our pioneering spirit. As I get older I hope that I will never fall into this ilk and loose my inclination to unearth new fly-fishing venues. This was the case this past weekend. On the water at daybreak totally engulfed in canvassing water so familiar to me, and achieving no success, I abruptly aborted the mission in lieu of discovering some new real estate to assault. With faint darkness still prevailing I arrived at a location that was totally foreign to me. The promised southwest wind had yet to invade and I was greeted by a calm, glasslike surface, uninterrupted by even a nominal school of baitfish.

The location was perfect, easily wadeable and would look "fishy" to even a trout zealot. As is my routine, and when conditions allow me to do so, I often will prospect water like this (a determined 4-5 feet) with a floating line and surface poppers, just to determine occupancy. A few minutes into the outing my initial combatant greeted me with a violent surface take and after a brief struggle, succumbed to my waiting hand. A full-bodied, 24" striped bass was my reward.

I immediately fell in love with my new discovery, as I gently released my 7th or 8th fish. All my adversaries fell in the similar category and were eager to offer a good account of them selves. This was by no means that fast, almost unrelenting experience that almost becomes expected during the early spring. One had to work a bit, but the reward was well worth the effort.

Good fishing and safe wading,
JB