Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Almost there, Really!!

Went out on the boat twice over April Vacation. Both times were very relaxing and I was more concerned with getting comfortable with the boat again and chatting with the family than fishing. Did I just say that? Anyway, on Saturday I had to convince Christine that we were not crazy for going out this early. There were enough boats being trailered on the road and out in the water for her to feel comfortable. Phew. The seas were almost flat calm so this was very nice for everyone because our last trip with the entire family was much too rough to enjoy. I was hoping to get up into Onset Harbor or Buttermilk Bay to see if there were some fish or seals, but the kids got a little bored around Mashnee Flats so we turned around.

Then, on Thursday I took my mother out while Christine and the kids went geocaching. The seas were around 2 to 3 feet, but the temperature was mostly comfortable and it was nice to just chat about life with my mom. Ocean temperatures were a good 4 to 5 degrees warmer on Thursday then they were on Saturday. Good weather to blame for that. We went into Red Brook Harbor and the water actually reached 57 degrees. This was the only spot I took a few casts, but this was mostly just to get my line wet for the first time and cast the new Hogy Skinny.

Fish reports have more and more fish being caught on the south side of Buzzards Bay area like Marion etc. Even a report of a couple keepers. Usually the first keeper out of Woods Hole comes the first few days of May so maybe this weekend I will see what is happening there.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Can't wait much longer

I am ready to say the least. This week is the weather that we have been waiting for on the Cape. Should be coming close to 60 degrees almost everyday. So, with April vacation coming up and this nice weather I checked out the 10 day forecast. Looks like one week from today it is supposed to be cloudless skies and 60 degrees. Perfect time for the first outing of '08. Not expecting to catch much. Just hoping to get out there and get comfortable with the boat again. I will probably attempt to make my way up some rivers and deep into harbors to look for some small schoolies, but not top priority.

I am looking forward to using this new product form Hogy this spring. The Hogy Skinny is their new line of soft plastics which are made to imitate small bait like seaworms etc. I got some yesterday from Gene Bourque and rigged them up last night. I will probably be casting with Gwen or Thomas' rods which are 6 footers with 10 lb. test line. Good way to start. C'mon sun, I am rooting for your warming capabilities. Water temperatures usually need to be approaching 50 degrees to have a shot. Wish me luck on a successful vacation.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

I won!! All skill, I swear

Yeah!!! I won the NCAA tournament pool at work. We had over 20 entrants in the winner take all format. I actually entered two brackets this year. My first bracket I picked very few upsets and decided that I would just do the picks as fast as possible and not over think it. This left me with four number one seeds in the Final Four, that will never happen. But, it did. My second bracket was my upset bracket that found only one top seed making it to the Final Four, NC, Louisville, Texas and Pitt. I had NC winning this bracket. After I entered my picks and they were finalized I kept thinking that maybe I wanted to change my pick to NC in both brackets and have them beating Kansas in the Fianl Four. I also pondered giving Coach Cal's team the nod, but that was my heart talking and whenever I choose with my heart I lose. I have been doing these NCAA brackets ever since my Junior year of college when UMASS made the Fianl Four. I normally do very poor on these brackets. Last year, I picked the entire Elite 8 correctly, but only had one team advance to the Final Four. A good start. Over the years I have picked Kansas to win it all a few times including when they had Pierce, Pollard and LaFrentz. What a great team and I still can't understand how they lost.

Watching the Championship Game on Monday night was exciting. Kansas was playing well and I just kept telling myself that I did not care who won. If Kansas won then I got the $$ and if Memphis won then chalk one up for former UMASS coach, John Calipari. Memphis blew a 9 point lead with 2:12 left to go. They missed 5 of 6 free throws down the strech, made a horrible foul and turnover that ended up being turned into a 3 pointer. 5 points in about 20 seconds. Lastly, even though i love Coach Cal I need to point out that he really made a mistake by not calling a timeout with 10 seconds left to go. His team should have fouled Kansas on the way down the court before attempting the final three pointer that sent the game to overtime.

Here is the link to my bracket.

http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/347849

Friday, April 4, 2008

Why am I so cheap? Dad?



Well I am consistently seeing these guys on message boards talking about all the reels and rods that they have. Penn, Abu's, ZeeBaas and Van Staal. Hundreds of dollars, for the REEL. Then they talk about their rods Lamiglas, Tsunami etc. Yes, hundreds of dollars. Some of these guys are fishing with outfits that are worth close to or over $1000. Did I mention these are surf fisherman? Don't even get me started on how much trolling guys spend on their reels and rods. A nice reel goes for about $1000.

When in Mexico with my parents my father became quickly known as the crazy barterer. "Mr. Cheapo" is what one of the store owners began to call him. I am not sure if it is just his fault though. Honestly, Christine and I are both teachers with two children under the age of 10. Oh yeah, we have a house on Cape Cod, two cars and a brand new boat. Obviously we have spent some money on things and do not have extra cash laying around for $1000 fishing setups.

I will continue to use my Ugly Stick with the stock Shakespeare reel it came with until it goes down. When the reel dies (which could be soon) I will feel quite comfortable buying a nice Okuma reel in the same size that will cost well under $100. I have two trolling setups for the boat. One is a setup that my father bought when I was about 6 years old and it still works. I am also thankful of the great birthday present that my mom got me this year. A nice boat rod with a large Penn Senator reel. I have two other light tackle setups for bluefish and schoolie stripers. These are freshwater setups that combined cost me under $100. I love them both, lots of fun to fish with.

Don't get me wrong, if I had the money I would buy a Lamiglas rod with a ZeeBaas or Van Staal reel in a second, but for now I will concentrate what I am putting in the water rather than what I am holding out of the water.