Following the morning tease, a slow or steady pick commenced and lasted through most of the day, and guys were picking away at fish as long as they could maintain casting stamina. Though the day bite was very good at times, never was there a frenzy feel or blitz feeling to the action. Instead, it was a choose some good looking water and keep casting metal kind of thing, but do that long enough and double digit numbers were attainable.
 |
| A steady day bite under sunny skies lasted most of the day on Monday and Tuesday, though was better Monday. The night bite was also very good on Monday. |
A Dark Cloud has Moved in . . . It’s Part of the Surf Fishing Experience . . .
Every person who fishes will at some point or another go through what I am experiencing right now which is a ‘funk’. It is something that happens eventually to everyone no matter what skill level or years spent fishing, and it happens regardless of preventative measure or steadiness of mind. I typically have one or two per fall season, and they usually last anywhere from 2-5 days. It’s my equivalent to a period since my body parts don‘t allow me to experience the real thing.
It began on Sunday night during my dreams. Everywhere I looked, to my left and to my right, everyone’s rod was bent but I couldn’t even get a hit. Then I got hit- with an inflatable pool that smashed me up against my Jeep and possibly broke a rod or something. Next I was on another beach, and I got the ’you just missed it’ from everyone when I pulled on. Even though it was ‘only a dream’ I got stuck into that mindset, the one when everything is going wrong and you say ‘What else can go wrong?’ And then of course you find the answer to your question. Maybe a better question would be ‘What can I do different to get off this track?’
Anyway, I woke up to my snooze alarm in the funk. It’s like a dark cloud has moved over, there is just something different. ‘Ok’ I told myself. ‘It’s here, but let’s just take it easy and let this thing run it’s course.’ I got to the beach and I knew there would be fish. ‘Once I get a few fish I’ll be out’ I told myself. The sun started coming up and the fish were popping everywhere- and they wouldn’t touch a thing. I watched them pop all over the surface for a good hour and threw everything at them. The only hits I got were on a popper which is normally a goofy thing to throw during a sand eel bite. One hour of boiling fish and I couldn’t get one to the beach.
I regrouped, and moved to another beach to fish the bars since the fish would probably start biting in the rips with the dropping tide. I pulled on the beach and spotted Rick with a bent rod. A guy to the left of Rick a few sandbars down also was hooked up. ‘Ok. This looks good. Right?’ Wrong. I went out on the sandbar next to Rick and fished the other side of the rip. One fish, two fish, three fish . . . Rick was banging them up pretty good. Four fish, five fish . . . And all I had was a half ass hit. ‘Screw this I’m going home’. And I left.
I had some things to do at home, but it was hard to function fully knowing that fish were definitely happening up at the beach. Forget about those stupid fish. Then later that afternoon Donald called me, ’You better get back up here. I had four fish in only 20 minutes. I have to go a meeting and I just left them biting.’ Ok Donald . . . Fine . . . You sold me. After a few hours of distracting myself with other things I felt better. ‘Ok. Time to get back to it now. I’m refreshed and ready.’
And then I turn the key to the Jeep. It sounded like someone shooting a machine gun. Damnit! It was idling so rough it felt like an earthquake. What the hell is this? This is just like that dream last night! The check engine light started flashing and I smelled unburnt gasoline coming from everywhere. I immediately turned the motor off. ‘Ok. It’s not over yet.’ I figured first I’d go up to the beach and catch a few fish, relax, and then deal with the car in an hour since I couldn’t drive it anyway. I went up to my local beach and couldn’t get more than a soft hit. Only 15 minutes after and only a half mile away from where Donald caught his fish I couldn’t even get a real hit!
So it goes. I rode with Donald today and we were on the beach from 1:30 pm until sunset. I had one hit and he caught a fish. ‘I’m telling you we were nailing them this time yesterday but they’re not here today’. I know Donald. We watched some other people catch some fish. I saw Dave hook up on 2 fish within 10 minutes. Then Steve came up and told us some impressive numbers from last night’s night bite and the day bite and how he caught 5 fish in 5 minutes on some magical sandbar earlier today . . .
Since I can’t have the real thing, this will suffice as my period. I’m irritable, moody, lazy, and I feel like I ate too much. After not catching any fish with Donald, AAA came and towed my Jeep away. I know there is a good chance of a night bite right now, but all I want to do is sit down and curl up in comfy clothes since I am car-less and fish-less.
This too shall pass . . .
