When customers come in to The Hook-Up! Bait & Tackle
they are amazed by the photos on our "Wall of Shame". Sure the pictures of
900 lb Bluefin Tuna demand respect, but "H-O-L-D--O-N", what are those pictures
of 15 lb Broodstock Salmon, monster Brown Trout, fat Rainbows, 6 lb Largemouth
Bass, huge Smallmouth and Yellow and White Perch that would make an ice
fisherman's jigg'in finger twitch? They are a snapshot of the
GREAT FRESHWATER FISHING FOUND ON CAPE COD!
May
5, 2010
I caught up with Dan, who is on vacation, at Cliff Pond
Wednesday morning at 5:00 A.M. His good friend Ron was visiting and along
with Winslow we set up at the boat ramp for a morning of fishing. These
guys had fished Cliff Pond the day before and were slamming the rainbows on
PowerBait on their afternoon trip. I resisted the temptation, and set-up
with shiners under a slip bobber in pursuit of something bigger than the
rainbows. The shiners were doing the trick, while a few rainbows were
falling for the PowerBait, nice Brookies and Browns were being taken on shiners.
Another angler set-up nearby and nailed a 5+ lb largemouth. We will be
fishing all week. Oh yeah...If you see Dan ask him about his kayak
adventure, where the bass won....! Capt. Rich
April 28, 2010
Finally!, finally a
decent day of fishing. Hello sweet water fans. This past weekend proved that
the freshwater angling is turning on. Over the last few weeks Capt. Rich,
Winslow and I have made numerous trips to Cliff Pond with only average results.
Our good buddy Win Crocker fished Cliff Pond earlier in the week and bagged a 5
lb brown trout and a 4 lb rainbow! I was busy with The Hook-Up’s! Children’s
freshwater tournament during the week and I was dying to wet a line on Sunday
morning. The thought of hooking up with a 4-5 lb brown trout really got me
going. The three of us made plans for Sunday morning. As usual, I was up
early, like 3:00 A.M. early, and headed to Cliff Pond. I arrived in the dark
around 3:45 A.M. We had SW wind to our back and calm water. It was warm, about
50 degrees. Fish were rising and everything seemed right. While waiting for
Capt. Rich and Winslow I began casting a broken-back Rapala, casting and
retrieving slowly. After a few short hits I hooked up with a big fish. It was
still dark but I could see the reflection from my lantern as he jumped
repeatedly out of the water. As the fish came close he jumped again only to
spit the plug. Oh Well, That’s why they call it fishing, not catching. Within
the hour Rich and Win arrived and we all started bait fishing with shiners on
top and on the bottom as well. Capt. Rich moved around casting a stick bait and
had some solid strikes, finally hooking up with a few trout.
 Rich
was also having good action on his slip bobber which he had set about 5 feet
below the surface. I took the hint and went back to the truck to get my rod
that was rigged with a slip bobber. It did not take long after baiting up that
I started getting bit. After landing a rainbow, my bobber was down again but
this time it was taking drag easily. This was no trout. After a five minute
battle, Winslow waded out with the net and scooped up my fish. It was a
beautiful broodstock salmon weighing 5 lb 12 oz with a length of 30 inches. It
wasn’t the biggest fish, but it sure felt good tugging at the end of the line.
We continued to fish all morning with lots of action, Winslow hooked up on a
big fish only to get wrapped up on some structure and breaking him off after a
ten minute battle. Shiners were definitely the bait of choice. The morning’s
total saw one two pound largemouth, seven or eight rainbows, one chunky brook
trout, four brown trout, the salmon and a half dozen nice yellow perch. Finally
a fun filled morning with plenty of fish caught.
WINSLOW ON THE NET
DAN
WITH A NICE CLIFF POND SALMON
Monday morning (4/25), Capt. Rich and
I returned to Cliff Pond only to find a steady rain and a stiff easterly wind
coming off of the ocean. I think the phrase Rich used was that “We were in the
shit”. As crappy as the conditions were the trout did not seem to mind. Slip
bobbers were out of the question in with that wind in our faces. In just two
hours, with shiners on the bottom, we caught and released sever tiger trout up
to 18”, 5 brown trout and three feisty rainbows. The water temperature is
around 50 degrees making for perfect trout and salmon fishing.
May is just around the corner and
water temperatures will rise so take advantage of this great fishery before
summer heat puts them down. I am on vacation the first week of May and will be
camped out at Nickerson State Park for four days. Team Hook-Up!, as well as
some good friends from Western MA (hopefully my brother) will get together for
some fun and fishing. I hope the weather cooperates. I’ll keep you posted and
try not to be distracted by the arrival of striped bass in the area. Until next
week, Tight Lines.
Lt. Dan
April 20, 2010
Hello Freshwater Fans! It is April
19th and spring is in full swing. Our children’s freshwater fishing
tournament is off to a great start. It started 4/17 with raw temperatures and
rain to boot, but the kids brought in some nice fish to weigh-in. During the
afternoon I saw numerous 5 pound largemouth bass brought in as well as fat
yellow and white perch, pickerel and a few trout. These local kids really know
the hot spots and do not reveal any tid-bits of information. The tournament
runs all week and hopefully the weather will be nice. I will keep you posted.
After seeing all those beautiful fish
brought in (and released), Capt. Rich and I made plans for Sunday morning. We
have been hammering Cliff Pond, casting, trolling drifting and shore fishing
without much success, so we decided on Goose Pond in Chatham.
When we arrived at 5:30 A.M. it was
cool, around 45 degrees and overcast. We also knew rain was on the way. The
water at Goose Pond, like all other Cape ponds, was extremely high. You needed
chest high waders to be able to cast out to the “drop-off”. As we set up we
could see trout rising everywhere.
We both started casting spoons, Rich
moving to the left and I to the right. After ½ an hour and no strikes we
started fishing with bait (shiners & worms). Rich suspended his shiner under a
slip bobber and I tried my shiner on the bottom and suspended. It started to
rain, steadier by the minute. With the temperature around 45 degrees our
fingers were cold. The action was slow and we only fished until 8:00 A.M., but
we still caught a few fish. Capt. Rich bagged two nice brown trout (crawlers
floated just off the bottom) and I landed one rainbow and a decent largemouth.
You would think that with overcast conditions the fishing would be great, but
you never know. I suspect the large amount of run-off and high water levels has
something to do with the fishing lately. All I can say is that it is going to
get better. If not, remember a bad day of fishing is still better than a good
day at work! See ya on the water.
Hello Freshwater Fans! I hope
everyone enjoyed their Easter weekend with family and friends. The weather was
decent and as tradition holds, Team Hook-Up! Started early on Easter Morning.
Capt. Corey was home from Mass Maritime, Capt Rich and Winslow had afternoon
plans as I did, so we planned to meet at fishermen’s landing at Cliff Pond. ETA
was 6:00 A.M., but the whole crew was there at 5:30 A.M. My old friend Adam
Burt and his son Adam Jr. were spending their holiday on the Cape, taking
advantage of some recently stocked ponds. They stopped by “The Hook-Up!”
Saturday afternoon, after catching numerous browns and rainbows in the
morning. They decided to stay one more day so we could all fish together Easter
Morning.
Cliff Pond Sunrise Saturday April 3, 2010
Capt. Rich brought his boat so we
could shuttle people to the other side of Cliff Pond, away from the boat ramp.
We have had some success there in the past and have “dubbed” the location
“salmon cove”. The weather was strange to say the least. It was warm, around
45 degrees, with a SSW wind and fog over the water.
It took about three trips to
transport all of us and our gear to the other side of the pond. By 6:30 A.M. we
were set up. We fished shiners, crawlers and PowerBait. The wind was in our
face and continued to build. The fishing was slow with Corey and I having some
short strikes. Capt. Rich trolled the shoreline with a spoon and a plug to no
avail.
Adam Jr. with a nice Cliff Pond Rainbow
Around 9:00 A.M. Corey and Winslow
grilled up some awesome burgers and beans for brunch. Adam Jr. started to
get some action on PowerBait. Capt Rich quickly moved down the beach near Adam
Jr and started to pick up fish. I followed suit (when in Rome)… Adam Jr. is a
trout fishing maniac, the kid can fish. By 9:30 the sun came out and Adam Jr.
had four rainbows on his stringer, Capt Rich 3, and myself 1. PowerBait was
doing the trick. The fish became more and more active. Everyone started to
catch fish, mostly rainbows averaging 15 – 18 inches. Around 11:00 A.M. we
started packing it in. We probably caught between 25 and 30 trout, most of them
in the last hour of fishing. We kept nine large trout for the smoker and
released the rest. I will be firing up the smoker at our 10th Annual
Open House at the store on April 17th. We will also be having a huge
tent sale with lots of discounted items. Smoked fish is just one of the treats
we will have along with cold cuts, stuffed quahogs, pork roast and more. The
fishing is getting better and better. Hopefully we can add a salmon to the
smoker. Spring is in full swing, so take advantage of the great weather and get
out there.
Lt. Dan
Winslow and I fished Cliff Pond Saturday the 3rd and Tuesday the 6th.
We were determined to look for a salmon or big brown on the troll. You can go
to Cliff Pond and fish PowerBait and catch rainbow after rainbow, but Cliff Pond
holds some huge brown trout, lunker smallmouth and broodstock salmon. I have
never caught a largemouth bass in Cliff Pond, but by experimenting with our
trolling techniques, I came up with a nice bucket mouth on Tuesday, along with a
smallmouth.
Capt. Rich
Capt. Rich - Trolling up some Cliff Pond Bass
Winslow and I hit Cliff Pond again (4/11/10) hoping to
hook up with some big fish. Salmon, big browns, smallies... We
trolled a variety of spoons and plugs, and then deep dragged shiners in 20 - 30
feet of water, just off of the drop off. Nothing was working! We
set-up on shore and started to pick up some fish. Rainbows on PowerBait
and crawlers, and a few strikes on shiners (on the bottom). We have been
frustrated at Cliff Pond. We are not interested in rainbows on PowerBait
and cannot pick up Salmon or big browns with other methods. One angler
passed by on a homemade surfboard cruiser, trolling for big fish.
 
Capt.
Corey with a nice Cliff Pond Brown Trout
Capt. Rich with a hefty Sheep's Pond Salmon
 
Sunrise at Cliff Pond
What did Forest Gump say about where the sky ends and the
earth begins?
A TIP FROM CAPT RICH
 Dan
often mentions my SLIP BOBBER in his articles and
asked me to describe it for you. So here it comes. The slip bobber
is a bobber that allows you to place the bait at any depth, while still
maintaining the ability to cast. There are many variations of this set-up
but this is my preference. The secret to the slip bobber is the "BOBBER
STOP" the one I use is a tiny rubber stop, that you place on your line.
It grips the line and will not pass through the bead above the bobber but will
pass through the rod guides when casting. Here are the things needed and
steps to putting a "SLIP BOBBER" together.
First - Run your
line about 8 inches through the wire loop where the Bobber Stops are stored (see
illustration below)
Second - Place a
bead on the line
Third - Run line
through the Slip Bobber.
Fourth - Tie on a
swivel
Fifth - Add an 18"
fluorocarbon leader and hook.
Once the Bobber Stop is on the line lubricate it and
slide it a distance from the hook that represents the depth you want the bait.
After you cast, the line will slip through the bobber until the bobber stop hits
the bead and your bait will be at the depth you want. You can add a split
shot down near the bait if you want to keep the bait down or let the bait swim.
This is my #1 set up for Broodstock Salmon. Good Luck, Capt Rich
DAN'S TIPS
THE
I spoke a little about
The Worm Blower a few weeks ago.
It is an awesome tool to add to your arsenal of freshwater gear. For very short
money ($3.69), it can definitely help you fill your limit or just add to the
overall amount of fish caught. There are a few different ways to float a worm
off the bottom. I like to thread a 1/4 to 1/2 ounce barrel sinker up the line. I
prefer to use only 4 to 6 pound monofilament. Then place a split shot, to stop
the egg sinker, at the distance above the bottom that you want the bait, and
finally a circle hook. Capt Rich likes to add a Fluorocarbon leader and
uses a Spro Swivel as the stop for the egg sinker. The Fluorocarbon is not
only transparent below water but abrasion resistant to rocks, stumps, and the
fish teeth.
When baiting the worm I start from the tail end hooking
it 2 to 3 times close and exposing the remaining 3-4 inches to be filled with
air. Just stick it in and squeeze some air in. Test it in the water before
casting to be sure it floats. Casting the rig is a delicate procedure. You do
not want to whip it out causing the worm to fly off and having to re-bait.
Myself and the guys prefer to wear chest waders to allow for more casting
distance. After casting, allow the worm to settle, place your rod in holder, and
slowly reel in any slack line. Be careful not to drag the barrel sinker on the
bottom. This will cause the sinker and bait to get snagged up in weeds. Your
worm will now be floating about 15-18 inches off the bottom. We like to attach a
type of strike indicator (a bobber attached to a paper clip). Hang the paper
clip on your line between the first and second rod guides and when a fish
strikes it will either go up or go down if the fish is swimming towards you.
Raising the rod when the line is going out will hook the fish, especially
when using circle hooks. Circle hooks are designed to self hook the fish without
you having to forcefully set the hook . Capt. Rich prefers another method
similar to mine where he places a SPRO Swivel below the egg sinker as a stop
instead of the split shot. Both methods are shown below.
 
Strike Indicator
|