Feeling my wheaties -with a good weather forecast - I launched the yak to do the Sakonett rocks thing-
My schedule was screwed up by some errands - so I was not on the water until about the crack of 10 AM - and at that hour I figured I was just going to get some exercise - because what self respecting bass was going to be easting in the bright sun.
Rounded the jetty to find FAC seas - and a light breeze out of the SW - with a forecast of 10 + out of the NE and 1 - 2 ft - NOAA at its best -
Mind you I didn’t mind the flatter conditions -but I had dressed for the forecast - in my drysuit - ( I know - call me a pussy - but at my age - if I dump the thing - it takes me a long time to get it sorted out - and for me to get out of the water )
Paddled out to the first set of rocks - and I am rewarded by a healthy and fat 28 incher - ok - so maybe there was one fish that didn’t get the message that it was late morning-
As I paddled further out - my attention was caught by the fact that the swell was increasing dramatically, and as I got further out - areas that I frequently paddle around were all white water
In fact the passage between the western island and the lighthouse had rollers in it - so I worked out front between the eastern islands - and set up in the wash basically where I had been fishing with my Dad the other day.
Like clockwork - you throw the spook into the wash - bam - you are rewarded with a strike
Now mind you there were good 6 ft swells out there - occasionally breaking - dumping me with water - - so the dry suit was an added bonus - ( PS my yak is set up with two air bags of extra floatation - additional buoyancy behind the seat - I am prepared with a spare paddle - a sea anchor - a pump and a cockpit dodger -) and with a lot of time in the yak - I am fairly comfortable in the rougher stuff
Being forced away from the rocks - either by a wave or sensible proximity to a rock - you frequently would loose sight of your plug - as it was two wave sets away - especially when you were in the valleys
Better positioning - casting across / parallel to the waves - in the wash - or getting to a point of a rock - or outcropping of rocks - made it a bit better for plug control - but the fish seemed to have been congregated into areas that required a more frontal assault
Paddling back out off the rocks - and timing your casts at the same time as crest of the swell added at least 30 ft more distance - and the rush in - cast - paddle out - with an open bail - then retrieve worked even better
From about 11 AM on -until about 415 - I was in solid bass heaven - every other - every third cast was a fish
The fish were so turned on that they would frequently blast the jumping minnow straight out of the water - with them following suit(the little ones going completely airborne - the bigger ones just absolutely crashing the plug and making a huge hole in the water on the take
The twitch return of the spook - if missed on the first shot - would be followed by a second, third and fourth shot at the plug -( with sometimes two fish fighting for a plug ) until finally the fish " won" the game - and took the plug
Watching them hit the plug so hard - knocking it into the air - and them seeing them follow up with another strike on it - was worth the proce of admission
The Bass were not yak shy - and would take the plug right at the tip of the boat. Nor were they picky about plug
vs. fly - as thy would take a PB imitation quickly - however I will admit that I didn’t work the fly rod that long - due to the PIA factor in the surf.
The more sudsy the area - the greater the concentration of fish that were holding there - and obviously the closer to the rocks / the bigger the swell - the bigger fish
Frequently fishing between the breaks - you had to have one eye forward - and one eye at the waves behind you - as the noise of the surf - quite frankly could scare the be Jesus out of you.
In one of those bigger sets - I hooked on to a big fish - at the wrong time - as it tried to pull me across a set - and as I tried to horse it - and me out of there with the paddle - the combo of the wave - the energized " beat feet" paddling - and the fish - resulted in a rod that just exploded.
Got myself situated outside the swell zone - and hand lined a very pissed off fish to the yak - and then was forced to fish with a lighter rod for the remainder of the day
Final tally for the day - countless fish from 11 until 4 - from 24 - 36 inches - one or two good surfs across a bar, being towed by a fish - a blown up rod - my drysuit stinking of fish - and totally mangled " striper thumb
"
Returned to the scene of the crime today with the powerboat - in the hopes that I could throw some larger plugs into the wash - and dredge up one of the larger fish that I know are in there - but two hours of continual work yielded only one small bass that I lost at the boat