I fish Cuttyhunk island each year because the diverse fishing spots on this small island is unmatched. I missed 2020 because of the COVI19 global pandemic. Getting the Pfiser vaccine has given me the protection and freedom to fish with friends. This past weekend I had the opportunity to fish Cuttyhunk with the Massachusetts Striped Bass Association (MSBA). Being back on Cuttyhunk felt amazing!
On the first night, I found a new spot. While perched on my new rock, I made a bomb of a cast between chest-breaking waves. At nearly the end of my retrieve…BANG! Fish on!! At first, I literally could not move the fish. Eventually I managed to surface the fish….OMG….it was HUGE! The fish then started swimming against the lateral current and pulling line like there was no 40 lbs of drag on my ZeeBaas reel. As soon as the fish passed over a submerged rock with seaweed tentacles, my line went slack. A fellow MSBA member saw the fish!! I am still grieving over the loss of this mont’ah strip’ah that I lost on a Linesider69 dart’ah. I may need therapy.
With the adrenaline flowing through me at high speed, I continued casting every plug in my bag. Nothing! I then reached down and pulled out a High Hook B2 from my DIY Side Aram. On my fish cast, fish on! I reeled in this fish as fast as I dared while angling my rod to avoid that fish-releasing rock with seaweed tentacles. Hoisting the fish using my 80# Ande leader up onto my new rock, required Cirque du Soleil balance.
The MSBA have been coordinating and hosting fishing events since 1950. Their work is exemplary. For this trip, they rented the entire Cuttyhunk Fishing Club. We ate like kings and queens. We fished like we had no food in the fridge. We shared fishing and life stories while drinking Portuguese grape juice after our trips under the blanket of night.
The conversations were delicious! The fishing was fantastic!! The catching was challenging!!! I would not have it any other way!!!! I am stocking up on Linesider69 dart’ahs High Hook B2s in preparation for my Cuttyhunk 2022 trip. Striped bass at “Heartbreak Rock” beware!
