Cashing In

The ingredients for serious thunderstorms were mixing all day. They finally materialized in the afternoon and we waited until they passed before our sunset bait-snagging mission.  A friend and I were soon cruising along a stretch of shoreline that has been home to bunker for the last few weeks.  They were right where we left them last, but teasing us just out of casting range. After back-tracking a half mile west, we witnessed another school getting sliced and diced by bluefish. No doubt there were also bass underneath, cleaning up their mess.  We only had a few cracks at snagging before the bait moved out of range for good.  On our furthest casts with weighted treble hooks, we connected with four hard-earned baits that would soon pay huge dividends.

Three of us arrived to spot B in fading light. Our fourth partner had already been there for a short while, slinging rigged eels to no avail. Conditions were ideal with a light southwest breeze and a low outgoing tide. We cut up the crunchy bunker and each took a most-coveted head section.  All was quiet for over an hour until dead low tide. What at first felt like bunker lightly tapping my line, was really a striped bass mouthing then dropping my bait. The fish came back not 10 seconds later, this time making its presence known by peeling several yards of braided line from my Baitrunner. The bass soon thrashed on the surface in the shallow water, with the sound of the displaced water giving us an idea how large she was. A short and memorable battle ensued and I was shaking with adrenaline as my largest surf-caught striper slid into my lap. After cooperating for a quick photo, the fish swam off strong, leaving a lasting impression for one happy angler.