EPIC September 25, 2007 - That's the word saltwater anglers are using to describe the late summer-early fall season here in Massachusetts. While large schools of bluefish and striped bass still inhabit most coastal areas of Cape Cod, many anglers are considering them to be an afterthought due to the availability of false albacore. From Buzzards Bay in the west throughout the south tip of South Monomoy Island in Chatham they are plentiful. It has not been uncommon for experienced boat anglers to land numerous fish, with catches of 20-25 per outing commonplace. This splendid fishing led one of our customers to comment, " It's like the Carolina's, only better." The fish have averaged somewhere in the vicinity of 10lbs and will show extreme selectivity at times. You will have to be accurate in your patterns and presentation to achieve success. With all that's going on in the south, bluefin tuna have discretely reentered Cape Cod Bay. The species seem to migrate further north and scatter during the summer months and are not targeted aggressively by fly rodders during this time. These autumn fish have been averaging 30-60lbs with occasional 80-100 specimens not uncommon. Here again your presentation and pattern choice will be imperative. Word up, your striper/bluefish/albacore tackle will not suffice when targeting bluefins. The absolute minimum is a 12-weight (6 broken tarpon rods were returned for repair a few years ago) and a reel capable of accommodating 300-400 yards of backing with an aggressive disc or caliper drag system. After the hook is set a rather lengthy confrontation will occur that will result in sacrificing tremendous amounts of backing, depending on water depth and turbulence. Don't know if I mentioned it since we last met but Mike Peluso of Oakham, MA experienced an unusual catch while fishing out of the Sakonnet River in eastern Rhode Island. In the mix of albies, bonito, small bulefins and bluefish Mike fought and landed a dorado. While not a particularly unusual catch off shore, Mike was only a double haul from the shoreline when the event took place. Good fishing and safe
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