Thursday, May 9, 2019

First Keeper of the Year

First keeper of the year falls
for a Sebille Magic swimmer.
Overall, this has been a disappointing spring. There have been good numbers of micro bass (10-14 inches) around, but larger fish have been scarce. I have been out a lot and I have seen thousands of fish landed, but up until tonight I had seen exactly ONE "sure" keeper landed.  Well, tonight I saw my second one, and I got it.
In the last couple of days, I had decided to move from the oceanfront, which has had mostly small fish, to the Bay. I was rewarded for the move.  Tonight I was having a good night fishing the Bay with good numbers of 20 to 25 inch fish.  Suddenly, I had an explosion on my Sebille Magic Swimmer, and I knew what I had.  This fish thrashed around and peeled some serious line. I knew it was my first keeper of the year if I could land it. I estimate this fish went 15 to 20 lbs., a real good fish for this time of year from shore.
It's not surprising that this fish was landed in the Bay.  Most years I get my first keeper in the Bay. I guessing the many herring runs and early schools of pogies attract good numbers of early season keepers to the bay waters.