[merch]

The breachways in RI are great places to fish. They are incredibly productive and always have the potential of yielding some very big fish. I been fishing them for 10 years or so and I fish them a lot all year. I don’t consider myself an expert but I think I’ve patterned them well enough over the years to be able to use them with fairly consistent success. Due to the inherent productivity of these spots they are well known, and one of RI’s worst kept secrets. Each of these breachways has several groups of “regulars” who call the places their own. It is these “regulars” I will be talking about in this post.

I’m not talking about the people who go to the breachways alone (or with a buddy) at night on a regular basis. I’m talking about the “regulars” who go down to the Breachway with five of there closest friends on any given night then complain about the crowd in “their” spot when a single fisherman comes down the rocks to join in.

These are the same guys who are masters of the rotation. Don’t get me wrong, the rotation works and is necessary to maintain order but these guys have their own system and look out if you’re trying to mix it up a little. These “regulars” have efficiently mastered the fast rotation technique which allows for all of them to cast and retrieve as many times and as frequently as possible while out on the end. It works and is perfectly suited for blitzing blues and schoolies but comes up short if you’re trying to search the area for fewer, bigger fish. I don’t know about you but casting in the same spot with the same drift all night for the sake of speed doesn’t make much sense to me.

These are the guys who will yell at you to get your line out of the water when they hook up but will be casting over you shoulder as soon as you do so they don’t miss the “blitz”

These are the guys who will always tell you what you’re doing wrong, how you should do something, where to cast, when to cast, etc. They will always have a comment when you screw something up and always be laughing and commenting quietly when somebody has a problem. And have you ever got tangled in one of their lines? Forget it! You’re lucky if you don’t get thrown off the rocks because trust me, it’s your fault not theirs. Right?

These are the same guys that apparently know everything there is to know about fishing the breachway but for some reason they still bring every plug in the truck when they go out there (I prefer to travel a little lighter). These guys are “regulars” or “sharpies” right? If so how come you never see them anywhere else besides the Breachway? Don’t they fish anywhere else? You’d think the way they complain about the crowd they’d find their own fish somewhere else. They’re only catching schoolies, blues and the occasional keeper fish at the Breachway anyway.

OK, OK. I’ll stop bitching now. But for all you beginners out there interested in giving these places a shot but are afraid to screw up or piss off the “regulars”, don’t worry. Go down there and fish. You are as welcome as anyone else down there and there will always be a true fisherman or two there to give you some real advice and guidance. I’ve learned a lot about fishing and different types of fisherman down at these places and everyone truly interested in striper fishing should try them occasionally. Start with a yellow bomber. You’ll be pleasantly surprised, maybe even amazed.

Sorry for all the bitching but I needed to vent. Anyone else have the same types of experiences?