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Cermele: Fish That Save The Day
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August 27, 2009
Cermele: Fish That Save The Day
By Joe Cermele
This Tuesday I caught a bunch of false albacore on the fly. They were boiling all around the boat. Ten of them would follow a hooked fish. Backing was stripped and knuckles nearly busted. Sounds great right? Of course it was, but the trip target was bluefin tuna. Let's just say that bite left a bit to be desired. Rather than pound sand over it, I found a day-saver in the albies. Day-savers, in truth, have made for some of my most memorable trips.
A fishing day always needs to start with a solid plan, but I know too many people that lose their cool when that plan goes to crap. Some of those people would have sooner gone home than catch (inedible) false albacore for the fun of it.
I fished a river in Alaska last summer known particularly for giant rainbows. Well, I couldn't find any of them and quickly got more interested in fighting chum salmon than continuing to look. I was dead tired when the day was over, and it remains one of the most epic fishing experiences I've ever had with countless chums landed. Finally, I'll forget about stripers real fast when big bluefish are just hitting anything you throw like a freight train. I'm not too proud to love the underdogs.
So what's your biggest day-saver species and do you get flustered when the target doesn't show? I've gotten pretty good at making lemonade out of whatever's biting.
JC
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Comments (14)
Thats a very good moral, make the best out of whatever you get. My biggest day saver was a trip to Trout Creek, Mt. last year, we went to go catch some of the HUGE bass that call that place home, but instead all we could find was 6-8 lb. sucker fish. So like the article above we just had fun with it, and besides they were some of the best fighting freshwater fish I have ever caught besides pike.
When the Largemouth shut down I go for Bluegill or Crappie
No purist here though, target species consists of any thing that bites, for me the bottom line is catching fish, they all bite and fight. It is a matter of enjoyment.
How much fun were those false albacore on a fly rod?
RJW...perhaps one of the most fun fish you can catch on the fly. They go and there's nothing but backing on that reel for a LONG time.
Carp always make for a great underdog day on the water. It is a little frustrating when you looking for dinner though...
Trying get some of the first Tarpon arriving in the Pamlico Sound back in June proved to be fruitless. But a small bit of marsh in the middle of nowhere provided a topwater red drum bite I won't soon forget. Me and my fishing buddy caught drum(5-8lbs) on every cast for 2 hours.
Joe-
Your my kind of guy,that I would like to fish with!
Staying positive,lookin' for the opportunity and makin' the most of it!
I don't care for whine,make mine lemonade!
S-W-E-E-T!
I don't mind when they they show. My best day saver was a striper I caught while fishing for trout on the lower Saluda River, a cold tailrace section, in SC. After 5 hours of fishing I was happy to hook a 3lb striper on a 5wt. He wasn't huge but definately put a grin on face when he slammed my nymph, and took off with it.
had a few mornings of the beach when croaker and kingfish were the only thing hitting.
Sometimes you'll get an upgrade. Got into some pompano when after speckled trout.
Sometimes sheepshead will save the day if you're fishing smallmouth in a river. Most of the time you catch a lot of both, but somedays only the sheepshead are biting much and they fight like hell.
Late in the Spring steelhead season the suckers will start to run. Somedays it's sucker after sucker with only 1 or 2 steelies mixed in. I've never complained.
Fishing is about having fun and relaxing (unless your on deadliest catch), but it does help to catch the big one once and awhile.
I've caught gar when the bass wouldn't bite (especially in the middle of the day) and in the salt I've caught spadefish off a little inshore wreck and they are fine eating, if a little hard to clean. Ladyfish and blue runners will stretch the string on your light tackle if the target species aren't cooperating. It can all be fun.
There's ALWAYS plan "B" When the bass aren't biting, I target bluegills & Cats,with live night crawlers, they can be a REAL day saver, plus are good table fair. and if I'm lucky, a bass will take the LIVE offering as well. Then There's ALWAYS plan "C"
The biggest day saver for me were saltwater catwish... after our trip for pompanos and mangrove snapper did not work out so well, we went to a place where we thought there would be some catfish and had a blast catching cats for the rest of the night.
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Thats a very good moral, make the best out of whatever you get. My biggest day saver was a trip to Trout Creek, Mt. last year, we went to go catch some of the HUGE bass that call that place home, but instead all we could find was 6-8 lb. sucker fish. So like the article above we just had fun with it, and besides they were some of the best fighting freshwater fish I have ever caught besides pike.
When the Largemouth shut down I go for Bluegill or Crappie
No purist here though, target species consists of any thing that bites, for me the bottom line is catching fish, they all bite and fight. It is a matter of enjoyment.
How much fun were those false albacore on a fly rod?
RJW...perhaps one of the most fun fish you can catch on the fly. They go and there's nothing but backing on that reel for a LONG time.
Carp always make for a great underdog day on the water. It is a little frustrating when you looking for dinner though...
Trying get some of the first Tarpon arriving in the Pamlico Sound back in June proved to be fruitless. But a small bit of marsh in the middle of nowhere provided a topwater red drum bite I won't soon forget. Me and my fishing buddy caught drum(5-8lbs) on every cast for 2 hours.
Joe-
Your my kind of guy,that I would like to fish with!
Staying positive,lookin' for the opportunity and makin' the most of it!
I don't care for whine,make mine lemonade!
S-W-E-E-T!
I don't mind when they they show. My best day saver was a striper I caught while fishing for trout on the lower Saluda River, a cold tailrace section, in SC. After 5 hours of fishing I was happy to hook a 3lb striper on a 5wt. He wasn't huge but definately put a grin on face when he slammed my nymph, and took off with it.
had a few mornings of the beach when croaker and kingfish were the only thing hitting.
Sometimes you'll get an upgrade. Got into some pompano when after speckled trout.
Sometimes sheepshead will save the day if you're fishing smallmouth in a river. Most of the time you catch a lot of both, but somedays only the sheepshead are biting much and they fight like hell.
Late in the Spring steelhead season the suckers will start to run. Somedays it's sucker after sucker with only 1 or 2 steelies mixed in. I've never complained.
Fishing is about having fun and relaxing (unless your on deadliest catch), but it does help to catch the big one once and awhile.
I've caught gar when the bass wouldn't bite (especially in the middle of the day) and in the salt I've caught spadefish off a little inshore wreck and they are fine eating, if a little hard to clean. Ladyfish and blue runners will stretch the string on your light tackle if the target species aren't cooperating. It can all be fun.
There's ALWAYS plan "B" When the bass aren't biting, I target bluegills & Cats,with live night crawlers, they can be a REAL day saver, plus are good table fair. and if I'm lucky, a bass will take the LIVE offering as well. Then There's ALWAYS plan "C"
The biggest day saver for me were saltwater catwish... after our trip for pompanos and mangrove snapper did not work out so well, we went to a place where we thought there would be some catfish and had a blast catching cats for the rest of the night.
Post a Comment