There is no short cut to catching large striped bass on foot on the fly. I've found it to be one of the most difficult pursuits in fishing. It demands time, persistence, keen observation, longer casts than the average angler is capable of, and an almost boneheaded conviction to do whatever necessary to accomplish the goal. My intention each season is to get at least one bass over 40 inches on the fly from shore. At best I might get five chances a year. I need to be really on my game to actually follow through and get one of those fish to hand. So far in 2021 I've had two chances. This story is about the first chance.
It was, by my standards, the wrong night to expect a big bass in a herring run. The moon was full, the air temperature was plummeting and there was a serious north wind blowing. The flow was good though, and the water temperature would at least be fine for part of the night, so I went anyway. I didn't even put on waders. I was wearing jeans and a jacket... certainly not looking like a serious striper fisherman.
Upon arriving at the water, I could see a few herring swirls here and there. No signs suggested bass were present but I knew at least a few had to be. Half an hour of casting didn't change my confidence in fishing the full moon, but very abruptly I got a 30 inch bass. Okay, not bad. Certainly better than nothing.
A while later without another take I decided to simply hop on over to the other side of the river. Sometimes a simple adjustment like that is all it takes, as we examined in the last installment of this series. First cast, 32 incher. Second, 27 incher. Then there was a lull, then a bump and a miss. Then I got slammed. I reefed on that fish hard to bury the hook and she began violently thrashing at the surface in the middle of the creek. It was immediately obvious that it was a big fish. I promptly put the cork to her and didn't give her one inch that I didn't absolutely have to. The fight was really short, though it certainly could have been much longer. She was still full of fight when I got my had on her lower jaw, and we had a bit of a wrestling match before both of use were ready to fully cooperate. I measured her against the rod at right around 41 inches, took a couple quick photos, and let her swim. I'd gotten a full moon 40". It was a good night.
Unlike 2019, where I got a 40 inch bass right out of the gate and decided to focus on other interesting aspects of the herring run, this year I wanted to get more than one large fish. It was still April at this point, I had some time ahead of me. I'd have more shots. And I'm sure I'll have more shots after the herring leave.
Until next time,
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