THIS WEEK’S BEST BET:
When you live at the end of a dead end street at edge of the woods along the river bank you can’t expect help and when it come it does not come quickly. In anticipation of the storm I began making my calls early but when the storm hit the Coles River it roared in with a vengeance. It tore down power lines and piled up 3 to 5-foot drifts that shut down all the services we sometimes take for granted.
For over 30 years Tim Coleman and I worked the Eastern Fishing and Outdoor Expo in Worcester manning The Fisherman booth and presenting seminars, and during that time we usually lost at least one and occasionally two days due to the winter weather that region is infamous for but nothing on the level of the Nemo storm. Winter hurricanes are rare enough but when the snow is blowing sideways it’s quite a sight. In all the years I have been calling the South Coast reporting stations that remain open year round to service their customers that pursue winter sports we have to go back to the Blizzard of ‘78 when they were this hard hit. With the early warning and a head start on the cleanup we are digging out and all I have to do now is find someone with a working phone line so I can send this report and keep my record of uninterrupted weekly reports intact.
FALL RIVER
He would never say I told you so, but Mike from Buckos Parts and Tackle was right on with his prediction of the weekend storm. The ice fishing went out with the storm and Mike said the winds have roughed up seas so much that the water would be so stirred up it would take some time to clear. A few of his customers are taking advantage of cod fishing on the Rhode Island boats while others are waiting for the ponds to either open up or re-freeze so they can get back to fishing.
NEW BEDFORD
Charlie at CMS Enterprises recommends that anyone who is interested in rigging up for tuna fishing gets in to see them soon. He and his staff are extremely knowledgeable in rigging and building stand up tackle that anglers in center consoles can use to get involved in this growing fishery. Located on the island in New Bedford Harbor they keep live eels carred up and catch schoolies in and around the pilings of the old bridge. Last year there were quite a few jumbo tog caught up against the abutments of the Popes Island Bridge and that fishing took place very early in the season.
WESTPORT HARBOR
The Westport Angler was probably buried under the two feet of snow that covered Westport over the weekend but Lee Woltman was out and about checking on the boat ramp and the low road at East Beach that usually takes a hell of a beating in these storms. Last year we had word of one man catching white perch from the Hix Bridge during the last week of February near the bottom of the outgoing tide.
FALMOUTH
Survival rather than fishing was mantra of Jim at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle as the winter hurricane bore down on Cape Cod this weekend. The big guy has kept busy rigging wire line rods and reel with his Dacron connectors that prevent lire fatigue and kinks when trolling or jigging. He has not heard anything on saltwater fishing thus far but reminded us it won’t be long before the squid boats are working Nantucket Sound and kicking off the saltwater fishing season.
BUZZARDS BAY
The crew from Red Top Sporting Goods has been keeping busy with freshwater fishermen who have been jumping from hard to open water fishing so far this season. There are quite a few local ponds that have some very nice trout and Peters has some salmon as well. They have shiners and worms and anything else you might need to spend a few relaxing hours.
We are still attempting to hook up with Dick from Maco’s Bait and Tackle who has been seen coming in and out of his shop this winter. He and his sidekick Rosie are stocking merchandise as it comes in and he has promised us a good supply of the big eels his shop is famous for.
SAGAMORE
If you are looking to set aside a good supply of Savage Sand eels you might want to stop in and see Jeff at Canal Bait and Tackle who has a good supply at this time. That was a red hot lure in the canal last year and we know of several guys who did well using them in Woods Hole. Stop in to see Jeff and Bruce and learn more about their annual contests.
ORLEANS
The snow is going raise hell with the fresh water fishing on the lower cape but Danny and the crew from The Hook-Up has been busy rigging and building gear for their popular Big Game Blast. Danny is hoping the snow melts and the ponds open for good because he and his gang have had a great deal of luck while shore fishing much of the water inside of Nickerson State Park. Stop in and ask him what pond has been the best producer.
