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The wife granted me a couple days reprieve late last week so I headed down to Assateague on Thursday after lunch. I picked up some squid and shiners at Bucks (???) on 611, and was ready to launch by 3:45. Matt was working at the kayak rental shop, so we exchanged a little board talk and then I hit the water.
I paddled across the channel to the far side of the bridge then drifted north toward the inlet for a good two hours. After thirty minutes of nothing happening, I started daydreaming -- which of course is when the drag started running. I'll blame it on the cold medicine, but I was about 5 seconds slow and nearly capsized thanks to my exaggerated reaction. A few minutes after that, I started feeling the nibbles and got my first croaker. Over the next hour, I caught five or six more, or maybe the same one five or six times. None of them really had any size, and by 6:15 I was ready to make another drift. Unfortunately, it took me a solid 45 minutes of paddling against the tide and wind to get back to the bridge, and I realized I didn't have it in me given the heat and the time.
On Friday, I was going to put in at my buddy's house on 33rd St in OC, but even at 8:30 am, the jetskiers were out en masse. (Of course, I meant to get out earlier, but drinking till 2 am can derail the best plans). I headed back down to Assateague, but by that time, the tide was pretty slack. I didn't catch much (just 2 croaker) for the 3 hours I was out, but was able to sweat out the hangover. Around 12:30, I was getting ready to head back in when the drag started screaming. Folks on a party boat about 100 feet away were laughing at me as my I was getting pulled through the water with my rod doubled over. Although the fight was really good, I regret to say that it was just a smallish skate, and I ended up cutting the line after seeing it. I hate leaving hooks in, but there's no way I'm skilled enough to bring the thing in the boat and unhook it without risking serious injury.
Anyway, looking forward to getting down there again some time in August. Even when I'm not catching, it beats the hell out of work.
I paddled across the channel to the far side of the bridge then drifted north toward the inlet for a good two hours. After thirty minutes of nothing happening, I started daydreaming -- which of course is when the drag started running. I'll blame it on the cold medicine, but I was about 5 seconds slow and nearly capsized thanks to my exaggerated reaction. A few minutes after that, I started feeling the nibbles and got my first croaker. Over the next hour, I caught five or six more, or maybe the same one five or six times. None of them really had any size, and by 6:15 I was ready to make another drift. Unfortunately, it took me a solid 45 minutes of paddling against the tide and wind to get back to the bridge, and I realized I didn't have it in me given the heat and the time.
On Friday, I was going to put in at my buddy's house on 33rd St in OC, but even at 8:30 am, the jetskiers were out en masse. (Of course, I meant to get out earlier, but drinking till 2 am can derail the best plans). I headed back down to Assateague, but by that time, the tide was pretty slack. I didn't catch much (just 2 croaker) for the 3 hours I was out, but was able to sweat out the hangover. Around 12:30, I was getting ready to head back in when the drag started screaming. Folks on a party boat about 100 feet away were laughing at me as my I was getting pulled through the water with my rod doubled over. Although the fight was really good, I regret to say that it was just a smallish skate, and I ended up cutting the line after seeing it. I hate leaving hooks in, but there's no way I'm skilled enough to bring the thing in the boat and unhook it without risking serious injury.
Anyway, looking forward to getting down there again some time in August. Even when I'm not catching, it beats the hell out of work.
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