Who Said There Is No Wildlife In Boston, MA?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjnzYr9WDZs&feature=youtu.be

This video is of me on my back porch mouth calling (using a diaphragm call) to turkeys. I was trying out my new WoodHaven Custom Call, the Stinger Pro Series. It works very well and is easy to use. Anyone looking for a cheap, easy and incredible sounding mouth call, this is the one for you! 

The Everglades: Volume 1

For some reason, getting up at four in the morning to go fishing is a hundred times easier than getting up at four to go to work or school. This Monday, Cast and Blast rep Zak and I found it incredibly easy. We made the two hour drive down to the Everglades to meet a family friend, Dick Vincent, who would be taking us fishing. I thought it would be challenging to stay awake during the drive down, but blasting music sure did a good job of keeping us up. By seven o’clock we arrived, more than ready to hit the water.  

The trip out of the tiny marina felt like it took ages, but when I checked my watch it had only been twenty minutes. Finally we were out of the no wake zone and we picked up speed. We reached our destination: a beautiful patch of tangled mangroves and oyster beds. First, we would be casting Gulp shrimp on green jig heads to the mangroves, hoping to catch trout, snapper, redfish, snook or even tarpon. However, for the first five minutes of fishing, the ladyfish (pictured below) wouldn’t even let the Gulp hit the bottom. 

  We threw in the trolling motor and continued up the mangroves. About ten jacks, five ladyfish and a couple snapper later we moved to another nearby spot that Dick knew would hold red fish. I pulled out my trusty eight weight Helios 2 fly rod paired with an Orvis Hydros reel, and we began to pole the flat looking for redfish. Mullet were all over the place, kicking up the mud, so we poled around the corner to find clearer water. The first redfish of the day (and my life) swam by at about twenty yards and I cast my crab pattern about ten feet in front of him. Strip, strip… The red fish spooked and darted to the deeper water. We would have to find another. Thirty seconds of poling later, I made a blind cast in front of us. As soon as it hit the water a huge over slot redfish slammed the fly and snapped my line on one of the oyster clumps that covered the bottom in about a half second. The disappointment hung heavy in the air.

I switched off with Zak for a while, who seemed to have bad luck that day. Immediately after we switched off again, I made a blind cast in front of us. Strip, strip… BOOM! The fish peeled line off of my reel, fleeing into the deeper water.  

 He kept making short runs, and every time he came near the boat it seemed he would get another wind and make another run. Finally he came near the boat, but kept his head down and swam under the boat, towards the sharp oysters closer to shore. My eight weight was in for a work out, doubling over almost completely as I pulled him out. Zak grabbed the leader and it was game over for the slot redfish.  

We fished the rest of the flat unsuccessfully before heading to a sea trout spot. We pulled up to the mangroves and began casting our Gulp once again. For sea trout, Dick’s favored color is brown with a chartreuse tail. It had been five minutes with nothing when Zak hooked a small snook which put on quite a show with jumps and head shakes. 

  A few minutes later, Zak skip casted under a mangrove and slowly worked the Gulp back towards us. WHAM! A fish slammed the lure and his head shakes began. A few quick cranks of the Shimano Sahara and a gorgeous sea trout, a beautiful 16 inch fish, was in the boat. We continued to slam fish (including another slot red) at that spot until we decided to pick up and try for tarpon.

We reached the flats, grabbed the ten weight and began poling. We covered the entire flat with no tarpon to be found, but I caught my first lane snapper (accidentally, and on a tarpon fly!) as well as my first sea trout.  

 Not much of a battle on a ten weight, but what beautiful fish! We tried a few more spots, caught a ton of fish including including a nice 14 inch trout and slammed the jacks and snapper before trying the last spot of the day. We pulled up to the mangroves, dropped the trolling motor in, and I took my first cast. As soon as the Gulp shrimp hit the water a huge swirl erupted. All of a sudden, my drag was screaming and a large snook rocketed out of the water. Zak, Dick and I all yelled at the same time, SNOOK ON!! My heart was pounding as the fish pulled with all its might towards the mangroves and oyster beds, which meant it’s freedom. Fortunately the Sahara’s smooth drag handled the fish well, and before he reached the mangroves I turned it’s head. Surprisingly, the fish kept on the surface, jumping constantly with head shakes worthy of a tarpon. Finally, Zak was able to reach out and grab the leader, and as soon as he did so, the hook (which had barely been in the snook’s lip) pulled. He lunged over the side of the boat, grabbing the now free swimming snook by the lip and pulled him in. It was by far the most amazing landing of a fish I have ever witnessed! I could not have been more thankful for his cat-like reflexes than I was at that moment!  

SUMMARY: I caught my first redfish (on fly!) , sea trout, lane snapper, and snook over 14 inches. Zak caught sea trout, snapper, snook, ladyfish and several other species. 

 

I would like to say thank you very much to Dick Vincent for taking us out for the best day of fishing I have had in six months! Zak and I could not be more grateful. 

Snook in the light

 

The ride out

A puffer fish I caught on fly

The two slot redfish of the day!

 

A tasty mangrove snapper on the filet board

The second slot redfish of the day

One of the redfish had a heart shaped spot!

A medium sized jack crevalle caught on fly

Tight lines,

Cast and Blast

On Becoming a Hunter

Over the past few months I have gotten increasingly more questions from people regarding getting into hunting. I was fortunate enough to grow up in an outdoors family and was taught about and how to hunt when I was very young. This, however, isn’t the case for many people. If you don’t have any family members who hunt, you can still be introduced to it with a little work. 

To be a successful hunter it is key to have someone to learn from. Sure, the internet is stockpiled with information, but it is simply not the same. The internet can’t help you track a deer in person, or show you where to hunt on the property you have permission on. Finding that person may be quite simple, or it may be very challenging. Ask your friends and family if they know anyone who hunts, and try to contact them. If they don’t know anyone, you can contact your state Fish and Game Department or local shooting/hunting club. There are mentorship programs at clubs, and many states provide outdoor camps to teach hunting, fishing and trapping. 

The next step is locating a place to hunt. It can be public land or private property. Just make sure to go through the proper channels, and be sure of your permissions. Obtaining a bow or gun can be tricky, especially if you are under 18. Be absolutely sure that you comply with all State, Federal and local regulations. 

Good luck, happy hunting. Hopefully our paths will cross in the woods some day.



A buck taken by me when I was 12.



Preparing For Turkey Season

With MA turkey season rapidly approaching, I could not be more exciting to bag some big toms. For a successful turkey hunt to take place, a lot must happen. Preparation is key for this species as it is challenging to bag one of these creatures without the correct gear and knowledge.       

When packing, I make sure to bring….                                             First, and most importantly, either my bow or 12 gauge Remington 1100 with #4 shot. For calls I bring either a loud box call or a slate call as a locator, and a diaphragm (mouth) call for sealing the deal when the turkey is in close. Next I pack decoys. Nearly all decoys work well, but I certainly have my preferences. I prefer an inflatable hen decoy with a hard head for looks.

(Photo credits to Midway USA)

 It is far easier to carry, and works just as well as any other. If I am sitting in a blind where I know there are roosted turkeys nearby, I would chose to bring a jake decoy and a hen. 

(Photo credits to Bowforum.com) 

This will help me bring that tom all the way into the setup. Light but warm camo, camo face paint or a face mask and gloves are important as well. There are two main techniques that I use while hunting these birds. The first is a call and sneak method. This is when you walk around calling, and when a tom responds you move in and set up as close to them as possible. This is by far my favorite way to hunt them. The second way I will hunt for them is sitting in a blind or in the woods near their roost with decoys set. When you see or hear them fly out of their roost you call them into the decoys, hopefully close enough for a shot. Key things to do in order to get a turkey: know where they are before you hunt, have the correct gear, and know the terrain so that you can get into the right position to bag that bird. Don’t bother hunt in the rain, they just won’t talk! Finally, remember that a ton that has had some hunting pressure on him recently may walk into the decoys without gobbling. We wary of those sneaky birds, as they always seem to walk out of the woods when you are in the most compromising positions! 

(Example below by some funny guy on YouTube) 



Good luck to all of my fellow turkey hunters, shoot straight! 

Ghost of the Flats

One of the most notorious fish of the flats is the Grey Ghost, or bonefish. Bonefish are some of the most challenging and difficult fish to find, hook, and land on fly. When I was around ten years old I went on my first bone fishing excursion off of Grand Bahama Island. It was with an outfitter called East End Lodge, an affordable and incredibly well run lodging service with superb bonefishing. My entire experience there was incredible, from the people and food to the fishing. The day we got there we headed out on one of their Dolphin Skiffs with our guide Simeon. Within twenty minutes we were on pristine flats casting to tailing bonefish with Simram flies. A school of four or five bonefish began to swim our way, and my cast landed a couple feet in front of the nose of the first fish. Strip, strip, wait…. Strip, set the hook! The bonefish took off at an amazing speed and I found myself in my backing almost immediately. Five minutes later we landed my first bonefish ever, a five pounder! We took a quick photo and released the beautiful fish to fight another day. After that one fish, I knew I was “hooked”!