Posted on February 1st, 2020
Day 1 of the Great American Outdoor Show is in the books and it was a busy day indeed. Handed out a lot of info and met a lot of folks that want to Fish in OC……just like Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star did today.
Sure was a grey day for toggin. Would turn into a great day for some anglers too..
After preaching all week we were due yet another gale wind on a Saturday, Friday morning’s forecast changed up, promised instead diminishing NE winds this first day in February. Was right too. For a while..
Sea conditions were about nice at first—incredibly so for a NE wind. Overcast was complete. At 6:30 am it was just as dark as it had been at 4:30 the day before.
Dropped a 24 block unit plus a reef pyramid and kept going.
The bite, predictably, was not robust – scratchy. A lonely short at first; then about 15 minutes into our first drop Matt Brough of Drexel Hill PA (23 spot) established proof of concept with a 25 inch female tog he tagged & released. More would follow – slowly.
At 10:35 the sun popped out & winds shifted a bit further east. The bite improved.
Here come a double-digit male, more keepers – a few short females were tagged.
With NE winds now at 20 the question then became not ‘will they bite?’ – but ‘can we stay..’
NE at 20 is plenty of wind to build a set. A nasty set. Turn for home weather.
Never happened though. Wind switched back up to the N, then more NE. Switchy. Wind has to lock on to a compass point to build a sea with just 20 knots.
Moved to a new spot around noon – tried a fresh drop. Slow and scratchy bite again but the quality improved.
Billy Watts Jr of Long Island set a new personal best and took everyone’s pool money with his 14lb 10oz – 27.5 inch tog.
Nice fish..
Joe Mole’ of Long Island (blue & orange hoodie) could have easily bagged out but chose instead (as ever) to tag most of his.
Kevin Barcavage (orange safety coat) also tagged legal females.
Billy Watts Sr (seated) boxed a good one.
Mo Moewheeler of Pasadena MD (black hoodie) shows off a nice male.
Also in the group snap are Kevin McManus of Long Island – Mike Easton from Baltimore – & Al Rygiel of Reston VA.
