Conference wahoo::fishing

    
    I HEARD THAT THERE WERE SOME BIG BLUES BEING CAUGHT OFF OF PLUM
    ISLAND, USING CUT BAIT.  I'VE ALSO CUAGHT QUTIE A FEW BASS AT PLUM
    ISLAND.                   GOOD LUCK IF YOU GO.
                                                  WALT
    
    
    

    There's alot in this conference on surfcasting. Try typing
    "dir/key=surf" which will list all the notes relating to surf fishing.
    
    Suggestions on places to go:
    
    Plum Island Jetty
    
    Parker River Wildlife Refuge Beach (southern end of Plum Isl)
    
    Salem Harbor (Salem Willows Park)
    
    Beverley-Salem Bridge
    and Kernwood Bridge (Salem)
    
    Chain Bridge (Newburyport)
    
    Devereaux Beach (Marblehead)
    
    There are places in Glouscester, but I don't know aboout access.
    
    Tackle Shops: Surfland Bait and Tackle (Plum Island)
                  Pete's Bait and Tackle (Salem)
    
    

    Second time around...keep losing my logical link, damn synch lines...
    
    If the wind in blowing from the east you will find blues in the
    surf. A SW wind as we have been having tends to keep the blues
    off shore. The outgoing tide is better at the mouth of the merimac.
    
    Bruce (a much shorter reply than the original...)
    

    This year, an east wind seems but a distant memory...
    
    Last year, easties were blowing the blues in on a regular basis
    (along with alot more foul weather)...
    
    Mother Nature, where are you in our time of need!

    Folks...for surfcasters, this could very well be the first GREAT
    weekend of the summer for surf fishing. 
    
    A nor'easter is forecast for tomorrow and Thursday. That northeast
    wind should blow the bait and the blues within rod's reach (FINALLY!).
    If the water clears on the weekend, the fishing could be excellent
    for both blues and stripers.
    
    This past week many of the Mass. North Shore beaches have had major
    blitzes due to the weather change. I'm ready...Plum Island and
    Devereaux Beach, here I come!
    

    Where (exactly) is deveruex beach. I have heard there have been
    some good blitzes here but am not sure how to find it.
    
    Bruce

    It's in Marblehead. I know how to get there by "feel", but am not
    familiar with street names. I know that you can get within spitting
    distance by taking Rte 114 off of 128 all the way through Salem
    to Marblehead. At some point in Marblehead you have to take back
    roads. I'll check out the names and get back to you.

    To get to Devereux, take 114 into Marblehead.  At the third traffic
    light you hit, after entering Marblehead take a right.  You will
    pass the Marblehead post office on your right side.  At the end
    of that street take a left onto Atlantic Ave.  About 2 streets up
    on the right you will see a sign for Marblehead Neck.  Take that
    right turn and follow that road for 1/2 mile.  Devereux Beach is
    on the right side.
    
    Good luck!
    Larry

 I went to Plum Island on Saturday. What a joke! First, the walk from the
parking area to the jetty is pretty damn long, especially through the soft
sand. Next, the jetty is an abortion. It is dangerous! Nevertheless, 
perseverence gets fish (or so I thought). So I climbed out along the jetty,
asking anglers about their luck along the way. "Nothing all day." "Fishing's
lousy." "You shoulda been here last week." Wonderful. So I took my trusty surf
rod, tackle box and a bag with clothes and other stuff out along the jetty.
Boy- those rocks were slippery, especially in light of the high tide...

 So I start casting a brandy new hopkins lure. Looks great in the water. Fish
for a while without so much as a follow. I then proceeded to  go through my
tackle box, from poppers to jigs, and everything in between. No luck.
Well, time to head in. "Let's see if I can making it the whole way back without
falling." Wrong thing to think. Seconds later the Doctah is ass over tea kettle;
tackle box flies into the air, bag of stuff in hot pursuit. Now, sitting in a 
hole with blood clouding the water, all I could do was laugh and say "Are we
having G*d D@mn fun yet?" as I retrieved my tackle box and bag and tried to hang
on.

 Warning: do not wear old sneakers when attempting to go on the jetty at Plum
Island.

 I hate when I add injury to insult. :-)

 The worst part was the large contingent of birds working the water on the
ocean side of the Salisbury side of the river. A whole buch of boats were over
there, and you know the fish were as well.

 I can't wait until I can afford a boat. :-)

 The Doctah

    re: -1
    
    Yo Doc....
    		WELLCOME TO THE CLUB !!!!!!!
    
    	Gee, you are one quick guy! Takes most of us a while to "earn"
    our first Jetty scars  ;^)
                             
    	Don't let the loss of blood, snapping of bones, and other fun
    things deter you from trying the jetty again.  If the fish were
    against the opposite jetty, think what the conditions were...
    especially the wind. Wait for the opposing wind, and the rocks you
    were on might just come to life. 
    
    BTW...now that you know how dangerous the rocks can be, may I offer
    some advice to lessen the chances of getting injured?  ...Fine,
    here goes:
    
    1. Travel LIGHT. Most jetty jocks DON'T use tackle boxes. Preferred
    is some type of shoulder bag. You can spend $20 or (much) more for
    a fancy sack with inserts for plugs, squid pockets, etc., or you
    can get a GI surplus bag (I like gas-mask bags or map bags). A lot
    of guys have ones from the German (?) army which are gray, are about
    10 inches deep andmaybe 7 inches square. Almost all 'surf bags'
    can either be worn on the shoulder or on a belt (usually a GI gun
    belt). Don't try to take every bit of tackle you own. Settle on
    a few proven lures, and maybe one to experiment with. Take some
    extra leaders, which have been tied in advanced...it's a pain in
    the a** to tie a new leader while perched on the slime. 
    2. Try not to worry about having extra clothes with you while on
    the rocks. Either wear foul weather gear (even if the sun is shining)
    or get wet (nice this time of year). DO have the dry clothes in
    the car.
    3. Get some jetty spikes! Several things will do here: "korkers"
    are rubber sandals that fit over your shoes or boots and strap on
    securely. The soles have many steel spikes imbedded. "Walt's Walker's"
    are rubbers (you know what I mean...overshoes) with golf spikes
    attached to the bottoms. Or, scrounge an old pair of golf shoes,
    and have the soles glued to a pair of knee or hip boots. Spikes
    of some sort are really a must on jetties. Cuation...don't use ice
    creepers. They don't stay on while you scramble on the jumbled rocks.
    
    There we are...now you're going out on the jetty with your tackle
    over your shoulder, and spikes on your fee. That leaves just your
    rod to be hand carried, and that can be used to help your balance
    or as a 'walking stick'.
    
    Hope this helps.
    
    Bagel   
    	
                      
                      
                                  
    

    
        I know the feeling.....
        I had a bad fall at the jetty two years ago. I lost quite a
        bit of tackle between the rocks. 
        The jetty is not in the same condition it once was in.  I don't
        know what happened to the huge granite rocks that were in some
        of the huge spaces there are there now.  They probably hauled
        them over to the Salisbury side.  That side the state collects
        money on.
    
        I still go to Plum Island to fish, but I have much better luck
        closer to the old CG station.  Also, at the end of the Parker
        Wildlife reservation there are some good spots, on the other
        end of the island.
    
        The jetty just seems to be too costly, healthwise and tackle
        wise.  Also, it's a lot easier to snag gear off the jetty. I
        used to go down to the jetty at low tide to retrieve terminal
        gear other unfortunate fisherman lost earlier.

    Hey Doc!
       There is hardly no walk atall to the jetty on the Salisbury side.
    And there are usually just as few fish over there! ;^)
                                            Denny   

 I knew _somebody_ would be amused. :-) At the time, I was trying to think
of a new swear (having used all permutations of cuss words I could think of).
It's much funnier now. :-) At least nobody else caught fish- I'd hate to be
the only guy who got skunked...

 The Doctah 

    	If you think that's a long walk with just tackle, you ought
    to try it with a 2 and 3 year old (which I also had to carry half
    way out and 3/4's of the way back). Needless to say I didn't actually 
    go out on the rocks. I also got skunked when I went. 
    
    	There is one place about 30' out on the jetty on the ocean side
    that holds a hole where flounders usually frequent. I've seen people
    do pretty good there with sandworms while everyone else was getting
    skunked. It is a little difficult to fish it at high tide though
    as the current is pretty strong there then.
    
    	Plum Island seems to be one of the places that you either hit
    them or you don't. I've gone down in the afternoon though and heard
    "Ya should'a been here this morning !!!!!".

    	RAYJ

    
    any word on blues running around plum island yet this year??
    
    -chris
    

    Schoolys at the mouth of the Merrimac.  Blues have still been spotty
    on the beach front and a little better at Halibut Point.  Tons of
    bait fish being marked on my recorder...the Blues will bite when
    they're good and ready.
    
    /MArk
    
    I heard a few Blues have been taken inside the Parker River behind
    Plum Island. 

    Last Sunday we were getting them off Halibut point close to the
    Annisquam river, about 1-2 miles off.  A lot of boats trolling around,
    most everyone got fish but it was slow between fish.  They realy
    haven't schooled up yet and are fussy.  Went out Tuesday night after
    work and nothing at the mouth of the Merrimac, still nice to be out
    there.  Got 3 after the hurricane went through near the north jetty in
    the big rollers.   The big ones like the rough waters.
    
    Gordon