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Albies 2023! Nov 6-10

Started by Woolly Bugger, August 10, 2023, 15:40:28 PM

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Phil

Excellent stuff, sir!  :cheers

trout-r-us

I see the calm conditions didn't quite last 'till the end. 🙁
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"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."
― Heraclitus

Onslow

Looks like the weather cooperated for the fine outing.  Nice work!

Woolly Bugger

3 good days, two sporty days

I boated 9 Albies and broke one rod.
ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Woolly Bugger

#19





#23 93, 94, 95, 96, 97 Unseasonable warm, mostly sunny, a cold north wind blew on the last day. Gas $2.99

I planned this trip last year, but it was put on hold when my mother fell in September, she was out in the yard picking figs off of a tree when she got wrong footed and tumbled to the ground. This resulted in several compression fractures in her spine. After a brief stay in hospital and some psychical therapy I brought her home with hopes of a quick recovery. That didn't happen and it took a long time for her to regain a semblance of independence and it became evident that that the five days in November would have to be postponed until 2023. Months of physical and occupational therapy ensued, and she gradually regained enough independence for me to take some time away. In 2022 I had fished over 200 days prior to her fall. This year I only managed to get out 92 days in the same time period. I was a bit apprehensive about taking off this year, but friends and family and neighbors stepped up to make it happen. With mom's 98 birthday just around the corner, I drove on down to Harkers Island to spend five days fishing for False Albacore with Capt. Sarah Gardner.

Pulled in around 5 and Jamie scored some oysters, I slurped down a few along with some beer, Jason provided the bourbon. Shrimp and grits for a late dinner and then off to bed for an early rise. Well, those oysters did a number on my system and the next morning I declared, "I'm not getting on a fucking boat!" Well, 20 minutes later after a, what can only be described as an intense raw shellfish reaction clearing out my system, I was able to get down to the dock. I started off the day feeling about a 2 out of 10, but steadily improved as the day wore on, and ended up feeling like an 8 after the last albie was caught.

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Monday, Day 1 6:15 AM #93

Jamie, Jason, and I headed out in calm seas and unseasonably warm weather. It didn't take long for us to get into fish. The action as usual was fast a furious. Small pods blitzed bait and were gone in minutes. You have to be ready to make that cast. I hooked a fish early and I lost it quickly due to a bad knot. There really is no excuse for that, and I should have taken the time to rig the night before. Never mind, Jamei and Jason were hooked up and landed fish. Back on deck I had the next shot and connected. We rotated positions and caught fish after fish. Jamie ended up with 4, I came in second with 3, and Jason had 2. It slowed down in the afternoon. We saw some enormous balls of bunkers with sharks feeding and the occasional Albie working in the mix. It was a stellar day and it looked like the fish were finally arriving to the relief of all the guides as the previous week was slow.

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Tuesday, Day 2 6:15 AM # 94

I was solo, couldn't round up a companion, but it was nice to have the boat and fish to myself. The Capt. admonished my casting and gave me some pointers. I really need to develop a strong backhand cast. We got into a decent blitz and with cast after cast I was denied, they just didn't want my fly. Pick it up and shoot it again, and again. I don't remember it I changed flies or not but finally I got into a fish. And then I caught another one. It, like the others, took me into backing in seconds. It made several runs, towards the boat, which instilled panic and furious reeling, and long hard runs into the backing a second and third time. Finally, I got the fish into the boat and Capt. Sarah had grabbed the leader and was about to boat the fish when it got loose and dove down and under the boat. It all happened in an instant. The fish swimming, diving, the rod bending, fish disappearing under the boat, the rod bending more, my attempt to save the fish and the rod were in vain. The Scott Sector 8 wt., exploded with a sickening crack. The butt section broke it two places and the second section broke about 4 inches above the ferrule. I now had a seven piece rod.


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Several more attempts were made using Capt. Sarah's Sage. We had to head in early as she had a prior commitment.

Wednesday, Day 3 6:15 AM #95

Justin, Jamie's friend came in to fill up the rest of the week. I can't recall the exact sequences of the day, but what I do remember is that Justin had a number of fish on the line, reds and albies that he failed to bring to the boat. Some broke off, some just got off, but it wasn't for lack of trying. I connected with four fish and boated them all and Juston, despite multiple hookups only had one albie on his score card. The weather was perfect, comfortably warm, not necessarily albie weather., but we did manage to get to the east side.  As the boat approached a pod of busting fish, I began to cast the the #2 clouser came back and smacked me in the forehead. I reached up to remove it, but it was firmly planted, and I called out for the Capt. She grabbed her pliers and smashed the barb and backed the hook out. I remarked that I was disappointed that she didn't take a photo first. She then yelled at me about making a cast before the boat stopped. The upside to this is that when I went in for my annual physical, my doctor noted that I was due for a tetanus shot this coming summer, but that Medicare wouldn't cover it without an injury. I pointed to the wound on my forehead and after taking out a ruler, measuring and making notes, she said that would qualify.

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We saw a pair of ocean sunfish, which was pretty cool.

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Thursday, Day 4 6:15 AM #96

We hunted and fought the wind and the day generally sucked, many called it a blow day, we made a valiant effort, but only ended up with the blues, bluefish that is and Justin caught a bunch of lizard fish. We called it and went in early.

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Friday, Day 5 6:05 AM # 97

The wind was going to shift in the afternoon, but it was favorable for the eastside in the morning, but the shoals were angry and coming back could be hairy, so we didn't go over. We did run into some sporty seas and a few opportunities for albies but shot were blown and fish were lost. As it turned out most of the action was on the eastside way up above the lighthouse. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

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So, everything worked out with mom and my gf got to experience what it's like to deal with dementia. However, on Friday morning, I didn't see any movement in the house by 11 o'clock and mom never got up later than 9:30, so while out in the ocean I sent a text message to a neighbor, and they went over to check on her. Everything was ok, she just slept in on a dreary morning. I hit the road late Friday afternoon and was home by 9 o'clock. And she's been on her normal wake-up schedule since then. Go figure. Today as I write this, she is 98!


I'll be back next year for five more days of wind, weather, and rod busting fish.






ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Dougfish

"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
 Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? "
Kelly's Heroes,1970

"I don't wanna go to hell,
But if I do,
It'll be 'cause of you..."
Strange Desire, The Black Keys, 2006

driver


Phil

Thanks for taking the time to put this report together, Keith. It felt like being there and was a great way to start the morning! Good stuff.  'c;  :bow

driver

Saturday 11/18: I made one cast to a pod of albies. That was it. Seas decent.

Sunday 11/19 saw maybe 2 fish. Seas rough.

Monday 11/20 saw none. Seas, FML. At dock 9:30am

Tuesday 11/21 South wind 25kts. Did not fish

Wednesday 11/22 will not fish 30kt wins from south.

This fucking sux.

Woolly Bugger

Scott is on the way back homeYou cannot view this attachment.
ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!