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Author Topic: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures  (Read 151725 times)

Dispy

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #690 on: Jul 14, 2016, 11:56 PM »
Finally on the water and not missing a beat....it feels so gooooooood! A few more bugs to work out and it is off to officially start our Atlantic Adventures. I even enjoyed a sunset nap in the cuddy...lol

















"Meet the new with your ears, eyes and mind wide open, and your mouth tightly shut."

meatandmetal

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #691 on: Jul 16, 2016, 05:25 AM »
Great to see you back out Tom. Those boys of yours are getting big. Time flies by.

Dispy

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #692 on: Jul 19, 2016, 12:34 PM »
Great to see you back out Tom. Those boys of yours are getting big. Time flies by.
Thanks Denny, been testing her very hard and after  35 hours of run time, I deem her seaworthy......off to the salt at 0300 for a much needed blood bath and offerings to the gods......time does fly for sure and both boys have been packing on the weight and hitting gym with dedication...hopefully they'll be up to the BT test when the time comes.....some reports of some nice BT showing up...won't be long.
"Meet the new with your ears, eyes and mind wide open, and your mouth tightly shut."

Seahunt

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #693 on: Jul 19, 2016, 06:20 PM »
Good luck out there, Tom.
Hope ya kept some Simple Green on board to swab the bloody decks with.

meatandmetal

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #694 on: Jul 19, 2016, 06:31 PM »
There has to be something to "Simple Green - Mister Clean - Grease Magnet"?

Dispy

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #695 on: Jul 20, 2016, 09:50 PM »
Day One Ocean Trip:

Departed at 3:35 am and arrived at Cashman's at 4:30 am, what a beautiful morning to be alive and be as one with great Mother Nature. Cool morning temperatures gave way to a sensational sunrise on the salt. Such serenity and a much needed inner connection with nature. Deer were feeding along the banks of the river as the river levels dropped. Birds were dive bombing all over the place as we left the mouth of the mighty Merrimack for a few hours of bait catching. The river temperatures were 72*f at the surface and upon exiting and heading south, the temperatures dropped to 65*f. The Mackerel were eager to meet our offerings, both jigs and Sabiki rigs. One livewell full, we ventured further south to Ipswich Bay in search of a few pre-determined areas that I had found appealing while scouring my maps. All paid off with great dividends and held large quantities of Macks. After few hours spent confirming 5 separate Mackerel bathymetry patterns , we then traveled north to see if the pattern would hold true. Water temperatures north of Breaking Rocks were at 62*f.  80 feet of water held several schools in all 5 patterns, saddles, humps, rock to mud, sand to mud and steep break lines leading into deeper holes all were validated, in various locations. As a matter of fact, we had so much fun dissecting and discovering these multiple patterns, we forgot about our second goal, locating offshore stripers and/or possible Bluefish.  After running to Shoal Ledges, Hampton Harbor, Breaking Rocks we decided to live line Macks at the mouth. Thousands of 3-5" baitfish were visibly shadowed by decent sized non biting stripers. What a sight. At 2:00 pm, we hit the inside river hooking up with many 20-30" stripers bottom bouncing live macks. Exhausting our livewell stocks, we ran offshore again to see if the existing Mackerel pattern would still work. Confirmed, loaded up again and returned to the river. By 4 pm the multitudes arrived and the madness that only the Merrimack brings, began.

All in all, a great day to explore and test theories, locate new areas outside of the known bait spots. I gained a whole new level of appreciation for those that successfully drift the jetties. Normally, under the power of one outboard, I had no major issues holding position. Now having independent twin counter rotating outboards,  it was nerve racking and at times, very stressful. I pushed the limits of the Dusky under the adverse incoming and out going tides and came away with a strong confidence level of overcoming my limitations and those of the boat itself. The control is endless with the twins. We left the river at 7:10 pm.

Given the levels of concentration, safety and awareness needed to sharpen my boat control skills, I could not take very many pictures. The boat ran great and all possible emergency protocols were exercised and practiced with Zachary and our guest for the day. The decks were bloodied, fish were caught and the gods were pleased and so were we.  This weekend will put us out 35-40 miles offshore in search of new groundfish locations to break away from the packs of fisherman.

A couple of pictures of Zachary in his morning eagerness to his flat out arm killing jigging day :o



"Meet the new with your ears, eyes and mind wide open, and your mouth tightly shut."

Dispy

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #696 on: Jul 20, 2016, 10:15 PM »
And before anyone gets their panties in an uproar, I am well aware of the law on attaching to a buoy...a situation arose where a safety related issue presented itself and it had to be done.
"Meet the new with your ears, eyes and mind wide open, and your mouth tightly shut."

zwiggles

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #697 on: Jul 21, 2016, 04:24 PM »
Sounds like a good time. Thanks for sharing the story.

Dispy

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #698 on: Jul 27, 2016, 10:52 AM »
Relatively smooth waters and feeling rather invigorated I sailed over 78 miles in search of "new to me" out of the way humps in search of new baitfish areas and to explore the depths that Scantum, The Cove, Hampton Shoals, and the Isle of Shoals has to offer. While I enjoy the companionship and days fishing with my sons, a mutiny/disappointment of sorts left me crewless, however, fishing solo does have its advantages. The lack of pressure to put people on fish, the solitude, the opportunity to reflect upon one's inner self, to step back and enjoy the smell of the salty air coupled with the permeating fish oils from a predator feeding frenzy, breaking shools of fish, dive bombing birds and of course the warmth of the rising sun. Simply stated, it has been far too long since I have enjoyed the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean and the feeling of just how small we are in comparison.......

Heading east I briefly stopped at Breaking Rocks to catch a few Macks to use for chum as the day progressed. They were found anywhere from 35 to 85 feet of water and they were easily caught on various sized Diamond jigs and Sabiki rigs. I felt like a jigging machine, armed with a rod in each hand rhythmically pumping my offerings to the biters below. After a brief cadence adjustment, it was game on. I filled half the livewell before leaving for both shoals. Stopping at Hampton Shoals, I found macks and small cod..keeping in the back of my mind that August 1 is Cod season but I will venture to more proven grounds and opt not to fish for the often wormy fish that close offshore areas often yield.

Next stop, the Isles of Shoals. In her splendor, the light house caught my eye and afforded me a few pictures...it has been 15 years since I've seen her up close and personal. Ah, such magnificent beauty! There were a few boats working around the islands, some fishing the rocks for stripers whiles others loaded up with bait. A perfect time to breath deep!! Macks and harbor Pollack were eager to meet the hook and her waters provided many tinkers, the perfect size to run through the grinder for tomorrow's day at sea with the boys and their grandfather.

I spent the rest of the day marking fish along the inner side of Jeffreys Ledge and planning my navigation routes for Sunday. Another solid 14 hour day on the salt in books.

Sunday's trip found us departing at 3:30 am, fueling up with 122 gallons and reaching the launch site at 4:45 am. Two five gallon buckets full of chum and a gallon of clams we set out to load up with live tinkers. It had been a very long time, maybe 30+ years, since I have fished with my father. I felt like a little boy waiting for his dad to return home from work and take me to the fishing hole...and to have my sons along was a bonus. Overwhelming memories flooded my thoughts of the many weekends we'd spend out on the salt in my youth. New memories were forever etched into our minds. As life tends to get in the the way of things, I realized how important and short life really is and will make more of an effort to spend time with my dad and sons.

We spent the better part of two hours loading up the livewell before heading out to deeper waters for ling and haddock. Something did not feel quite right when we arrived to my first fish holding area I located yesterday. The winds picked up and so did the swells. It was time go! Always trust your gut feelings. Upon reaching 5 miles offshore, we were greeted by a pod of porpoises and a few spectacular whale breachings. As quick as I grabbed my camera, they were gone. We finished up the day having laughs and sharing old fishing stories in Mackerel waters, the youngsters, including myself, were schooled by a very wise old Salt.......and Dad, if you are reading this...thanks for a great day!

A few pictures from this weekend:

 





FLAG!!!!  ;D


BIP Double




 
"Meet the new with your ears, eyes and mind wide open, and your mouth tightly shut."

meatandmetal

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #699 on: Jul 28, 2016, 05:21 AM »
Great story Tom. A day to remember. Time does go by fast so enjoy the moments while you can.

Seahunt

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #700 on: Jul 28, 2016, 03:06 PM »
Nice that you were able to get back out on the salt after your long hiatus, Tom.

And with three generations, wow!  8)

zwiggles

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #701 on: Jul 28, 2016, 03:11 PM »
Great report and story. Thanks for sharing.

Dispy

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #702 on: Jul 31, 2016, 08:58 PM »
Thanks fellas, making up for lost time...and not complaining....suddenly BIP feels so small! LOL.   

A few pictures taken by a photographer friend of a new resident family of the lake.



"Meet the new with your ears, eyes and mind wide open, and your mouth tightly shut."

Dispy

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #703 on: Aug 03, 2016, 07:51 AM »
Another beautiful day on the salt. On the river by 4:15 am, it was all about loading up on mackerel and setting up for stripers. The action was fast and furious as 4 of us hammered away them. We filled the livewell and a 50 gallon bag full in less than an hours time. A few drifts into the mouth later and striper action, we had a double........unfortunately both stripers were dropped. Multiple sturgeon sightings were witnessed as they were feeding along the outside curl of the south jetty. Around 8:30 am the bite slowed, numerous Captains were flooding the radio with non existent action reports.

Off to deeper water.........and multiple species later.........





















"Meet the new with your ears, eyes and mind wide open, and your mouth tightly shut."

NH_RED

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Re: BIP Gang- Ponds and Lake Adventures
« Reply #704 on: Aug 03, 2016, 02:13 PM »
great pics! Nothing better then spending time with the boys no matter how or where!  Love the comment etched into memory! reminds me of that Flip Pallot guy from ESPN walkers Cay chronicles morning fishing show.

 



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