Plenty of tales to tell about catch successes, failures.
It is one of those Doctor Strangelove days featuring a tiny fish and a giant bear.
We tooled the Char-Jo out of Sesuit Harbor on Cape Cod with high hopes that striper and bluefish reports down Sandwich way were true.
Rene Lariviere opened our motors and we flew there. Aboard were my wife Char, daughter Joanne Corbitt, and former Granbyites Paul and Debbie Davidson.
It was easy to find the hot spot as an armada of fishing craft were at our Scorton Destination, from 14-foot open dorys to luxury boats that we expected the Queen of Sheeba to wave to us from.
The fishing was slow at first as our hula-hula dancing hoochies only attracted weeds.
But Paul broke out 2-foot long plastic pink eels (never saw any eels that looked that color during my many years of scuba and free diving). But the choppers apparently figured they were fancy ladies and wham bam we pulled some New England Patriots-sized interior linemen aboard. We only kept a couple fillets and released the rest as we attempted to boat a big bass, without luck.
We learned later a couple 30- to 40-pound stripers were taken.
The next day instead of trolling 2-foot long hochees we drifted 2-inch long sea worms on the bottom. The flounder weren’t biting but the vicious worms were, apparently slightly angered after being broken in half before being impaled.
The action finally picked up and Rene and I landed two scroungy looking crabs.
Rene caught the only two flounder and was crowing to Char and our daughter Jo that he had a fish on and took time out to smile at me benignly as he played it as if he had a whale with a fat Jonah in its belly.
It was then and there that I knew the fishing god was good and Rene brought aboard a 2-inch fish that was half the size of the sea worm and the little fly it was attached to.
Then it was drift and chow time. I felt like King Tut as Charlotte hand fed me, knowing I wouldn’t feed myself with worm juice on my hands.
The sun, the rock-a-by baby ocean, chow rained down from the heavens, and Rene’s too tiny fish made my day.
ONE BIG BAD BRUIN: Bob Tobin is making a name for himself, not only as a bear hunter but also as the hunter of big bears in Massachusetts.
He shot a 364-pound field-dressed brute that went well more than 400 pounds live weight. This one is slightly bigger than his last buster that field dressed at 331 pounds.
He was hunting from a tree stand.
MASS OUTDOOR EXPO: The Big MOE will be held at the Hamilton Rod and Gun Club in Sturbridge Sept. 23.
MassWildlife will have an exhibit as will a number of guides, sporting camps. There will be entertainment and games.
For more info contact Gary Zima at 413-589-8900; Ralph Gajewski at 508-347-7751, or Peter Mirick at 508-835-2386; all three doers, not talkers.
There will be free parking with shuttle buses at Old Sturbridge Village.
3D SHOOT: Westfield Sportsman’s Club will hold a 3D shoot, open to the public, Sunday at the Furrowtown Road Club in Westfield with registration from 7 a.m. to noon. The fee is $10 and participants must be 12 or over. Participants 12 to 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
FREE BOATING SKILLS COURSE: Holyoke Flotilla of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering a 13-week course beginning Monday at Holyoke Community College.
For more info on registering contact Comdr. Steve Majgier at 413-592-0151.
NO ON LINE GAME CHECKING: MassWildlife reports that due to continued development and testing of the online game harvest reporting, there will be no on line checking for the 2012 fall hunting seasons.
Game must be tagged and reported to the usual checking stations. Hunters are asked to pass the word to their friends. Call your local district offices for checking station locations.
On line check for stations is www.mass.gov/dwele/dfw/recreation/hunting/checkstationhome.htm
NRA BASIC PISTOL: A last reminder, an NRA Basic Pistol Safety Course will be held at the Holyoke Revolver Club indoor range at 413 West Cherry St., Holyoke. Sept.15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pre-registration must be made by Sept. 14.