Be Prepared: Sweat the Small Stuff! - The Fisherman

Be Prepared: Sweat the Small Stuff!

On a day when striped bass and bluefish failed to cooperate on a Cape beach, the author saved the trip by landing several fluke on a jig tipped with Gulp.
On a day when striped bass and bluefish failed to cooperate on a Cape beach, the author saved the trip by landing several fluke on a jig tipped with Gulp.

There are plenty of times when packing those extra lures saves the day on what might otherwise be a fruitless outing.

It usually starts with a blue sky and birds singing their happy songs as the world turns from brown to green. Flowers bloom and the gloom of winter fades for another season, one filled with salty dreams of hungry finfishes awaiting the deception of the surfcaster’s bag. Expectations that the dreams will soon reveal as reality in the forms of mammoth-headed bluefish and striped bass, lean and long, and tight to a singing reel descend upon us, clouding our minds with the need to suit up, our waders beckoning, fresh braid, leaders checked and double checked. Yes, spring is here. But, what of the aforementioned surf bag? Are you prepared for those days when your determined target has decided today is not the day? When your quarry has decided to take the day off, you don’t want to be stuck fishless and sandy, with naught be your rod in your hand, as it were.

How many times has your Canal jig passed over the head of a large blackfish? This one simply couldn’t resist a Gulp shrimp.
How many times has your Canal jig passed over the head of a large blackfish? This one simply couldn’t resist a Gulp shrimp.

For many years, mid-May had brought consistent fishing, always good, and sometimes fantastic, to one of my local haunts on the south side of Cape Cod, although this could be anywhere along the northeast coast from New Jersey to Maine. Some years it would be only bluefish, and jumbos to boot, chasing squid up the coast. Other years there would be bloated bass gorging on herring and squid. And then there were years where it all came together, bass, blues, all sorts of baitfish including pogies and mackerel; days that left a mark, etched-in the treasure vault of fishing expeditions. But occasionally, every now and then a year or two would roll around when it didn’t come together. Days when your bag of 3-ounce topwaters, destined for a yellow-eyed devil frenzy, go untouched. Days when that squid run in the Canal where big bass were recently gorging has seemingly dried up overnight. The years have taught me to keep a few extra goodies, alternatives to those set for your targeted species, in the surf bag.

Typically, the baitfish that we all expect to be present in the spring will be large, such as herring and squid, so it is understandable that the majority of your bag will consist of large plugs and lures. But for those expeditions that are heading towards the skunk zone, many can be salvaged by keeping smaller options available; jigs, small plastics and topwaters, lures you may normally associate with funny fish in the fall. These can be just the ticket to save the day. Spring of 2018 was a good example, where for many years prior we had consistent monster-sized bluefish to the high teens. However, after getting an early start on the flood tide, we trekked to our somewhat lesser-known hotspot. Conditions were perfect as light to moderate SW winds, a partly cloudy day, and even some herring spotted along the shore. Mid-May can be a bit early some years, but typically we find larger fish showing first, even if the main push hasn’t begun. It would soon become quite clear that there were no choppers anywhere to be found, and no big bass either, but school-sized bass were everywhere. Stowing the big plugs in favor of 5/8 and 7/8 Hogy epoxy jigs, along with smaller spook plugs, resulted in fast action that lasted through the tide. At one point I decided to add a teaser which resulted in doubles on every cast. A rewarding day to say the least, but schoolies aren’t the only option as other ventures had revealed.

Another spring, another day when the big fish didn’t show yet, so I decided to hit a bottleneck point up inside a salt bay. The expectations were pointed towards small bass, but a quick text to one of my sharpie friends told of a push of weakfish in the general area. The spring sun felt more like summer, following a warmer-than-usual winter, which carried into May as I slid into the rippling current. The chill of the water belied the reflecting sun, but you could feel the fish were there; a sense was in the air. I let fly my first cast, and sure enough a school bass took my 5-inch bubblegum plastic jig. I followed with multiple fan casts across the edge of the current, and while I was getting bites, the pointed end just wasn’t finding purchase. Schoolies? Weakfish? Plan B time.

The author pulled this Spanish mackerel from a school of other mixed pelagics last fall, success found by throwing small, plastic swimmers when others tossed tins.
The author pulled this Spanish mackerel from a school of other mixed pelagics last fall, success found by throwing small, plastic swimmers when others tossed tins.

I had outfitted my bag with a variety of options including one that I had picked up the previous April while targeting trout and redfish in Florida. Cutting off the Fin-S Fish, I tied on a 3/8-ounce jighead and fastened a 3-inch Gulp shrimp and began working the calmer waters where the bay opened up. I bounced the jig on the bottom a couple of times, which was all it took for the first of many hookups. To my surprise, this wasn’t a bass or a weakfish and as the mottled spots on the back came into view, I was tight to a nice fluke. Indeed, the summer flounder were hitting the Gulp with abandon, and a couple of hours later I headed to a late breakfast after a dozen fish, with a couple of legal length, and the rest just shy. Gulp shrimp and swimming mullet have since found a place in my traveling tackle and continue to make a difference.

In certain years, May will see a serious squid run in the Cape Cod Canal, such as last year, and the result was super-sized stripers having a feast. A few years back we had a similar run, though this was more a matter of days than a couple of weeks. Memorial Day weekend was feeling more like mid-summer, and the fishing was essentially dead on arrival. As the morning wore on, the sun was hot, the squid were gone, and the macks were thin. I hopped from spot to spot looking for action, and then, close to wrapping it up, I pulled into the Canal Visitor’s Center and started my final walk towards the power plant. It was there that my outing was saved as I got to the bridge and spied through the outflow which was nearing low water. Searching for crabs and other tasty offerings along the edge bottom was a chunky tautog, and I had a perfect appetizer for him. The Gulp shrimp hit the bottom, the fish sucked it in like a vacuum and I found myself in a dance along the rusty outcropping. A short-but-determined battle soon resulted in a tog pushing double-digits up on the service road. Certainly not what I expected when leaving the house that morning, but a great way to turn a fruitless expedition into a salty memory.

Having a variety can not only save the day in spring, but being versatile can also pay out again in the fall when the available species list expands greatly with the arrival of pelagics such as false albacore, bonito, and Spanish mackerel. It was the latter that made a huge splash in the fishing reports last year as Spanish macks invaded the inshore waters in numbers not typically seen in the Northeast, along with bonito. Adding a number of peanut bunker-sized plastic swimmers were a good option when the jigs weren’t cutting it. There’s a saying out there, “don’t sweat the small stuff.” Well, I’d argue, “do sweat the small stuff,” and keep a variety of options at hand as you never know when it just might save the day!

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