I tried a number of early season striper hotspots in the upper Bay yesterday. These are spots that usually produce the first spring run fish. I got in one location and casted my Zoom fluke on a jighead outward. As I began reeling, bang, I felt what I thought was a hit and a fish. But, my catch was coming in like an old tire, running little line. I figured I had foul hooked a striper. Nope, turns out my catch was a horseshoe crab that I snagged. Can you believe this? Horseshoe crabs around in March! Usually I see the first ones in the Bay around the first week of May. With Bay temperatures in the 60's (62 degrees today at Conimicut as reported by NOAA), there is strange stuff happening. Still, I can't seem to find any new stripers, though I keep hearing about some holdovers being taken in the upper Bay and the backwaters of the south shore. From my end, it is still nothing doing.
Friday, March 23, 2012
No Stripers but Unexpected Catch
I tried a number of early season striper hotspots in the upper Bay yesterday. These are spots that usually produce the first spring run fish. I got in one location and casted my Zoom fluke on a jighead outward. As I began reeling, bang, I felt what I thought was a hit and a fish. But, my catch was coming in like an old tire, running little line. I figured I had foul hooked a striper. Nope, turns out my catch was a horseshoe crab that I snagged. Can you believe this? Horseshoe crabs around in March! Usually I see the first ones in the Bay around the first week of May. With Bay temperatures in the 60's (62 degrees today at Conimicut as reported by NOAA), there is strange stuff happening. Still, I can't seem to find any new stripers, though I keep hearing about some holdovers being taken in the upper Bay and the backwaters of the south shore. From my end, it is still nothing doing.