On board this am I had repeat clients, Gary Condon, Kevin Erickson, and Matt Daley for LT striped bass. We figured out today that Gary and Crew have been fishing with me for FIFTEEN years! My, how time flies… Dead-calm on the bay and a stunning sunrise. We found bait right off, but no fish under them yet… Then, first drifts of the morning and we start to pick off singles with Baymen Jigs on the last hour of the dropping tide.

When we hit slack, we switched up to topwater poppers and fished the cuts and flats and started picking up some more fish. Then the tide turned and the bay started to look very fishy! Saw some birds, had fresh fish coming into the channels running along the edges. Nailed some decent schooled bass in SIX INCHES of water!

And then it happened. I was unhooking a bass that hit a popper with treble hooks. Had my gloves on, using pliers, done it a million times. But  the million and one time this fish does an odd shake and the hook goes through my glove and into the base of my index finger. The fish does another wiggle and pushes the hook in, pops it through a second hole, and then back into my hand… OUCH! Gary and I get the fish unhooked and releases and Kevin and I cut the glove off my hand. Then I try and try to get a pair of cutters around a very strong treble to no avail. I try pushing the hook through a new hole but could not move it.

So, we had to cut today’s promising trip and short and I am on my way to the doctors…

YESTERDAY

On yesterday’s trip, I had Billy Tedeschi on board but we never left the dock. The chain lightning around the bay started at 5:00am and was still going at 8am. Massive bolts about every ten minutes and a few of them covered half the bay. One of the BAYMEN hard and fast rules is: “If we see lightning or hear thunder, we don’t mess with it.” We play it safe always.

So, a couple blips in the schedule, but we got the charters re-booked and will be back at it shortly.

One more thing of interest. I am evidently accident prone this month. Three weeks ago I flipped over the handle bars of my mountain bike. Two days ago I slammed my own hand in the car door LOL…! And today – a fish hook in the other hand. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Tight Lines & Stay Posted:

Capt. Dave, BAYMEN www.baymenlife.com