The Backlash: August 2015 Newsletter

August 2015 President's Message

The weather has been great for beach-goers, but not the same for fisherpeople. As we sit here, we have a few things on the fire.

The July meeting speaker cancelled, but Steve Davies, Bob Davies, and Joe Gianetti did impromptu talks on their experiences with canal fishing.

We hope to see you at the meeting on August 26, when Danny from Goose Hummock will be our speaker. Also at this meeting, we should be lucky enough to get a report from our eight fishermen who traveled to Alaska on August 7 looking for big salmon and big halibut.

The women’s trip on The Striper with Capt. Jim Luce and first mate Billy, with overseer Barbara Luce, will be on August 19 at 7 a.m. out of Saguatucket Marina in Harwich. If you are around, be there at the harbor to see the ladies off!

The Salties One-Day Derby scheduled for Sept. 12 still needs 12 more people to make it feasible. The dinner alone is worth the price! Please contact Terry Tessein or Bill Dulude ASAP – the application is on our website (www.capecodsalties.org) under the 2015 Events tab.

As I dictate this to my administrative assistant on August 6, thirty-pound stripers are being caught at the canal. The canal is chock-full of bait and, as you read this, you should consider running down immediately to get in on the action.

Regarding membership, it looks like some long-time members have not paid their dues for 2015. I have to assume that this is an oversight, so please get those dues in so that membership chair Paul Stankus can go out on a positive note.

In addition to membership chair, other positions we are looking to fill will be the vice-president’s position, chairman of advertising, the treasurer, merchandise chairman, and chairman of the canal cleanup. All of these people have served for many years, and we would like to see others get involved in the club ‘s activities. We give a big shout-out and thank you to those who have served in these positions!

In closing, this is a reminder to sign up for the Salties One Day Derby on September 12 and for the October Fish Supper on October 28!

Thanks, and hold tight!

Jack (jecreighton45@gmail.com, 508 394-2983)

August 2015 News and Info

2015 Fluke Trip a Success

On July 17 forty two Salties and friends made the trip to Nantucket waters in search of Fluke and Sea Bass. One could not ask for a better day with temperatures in the seventies and winds nearly calm. The wait for boarding was spent chatting with old and new friends, sharing secrets on hot fluke rigs and trading stories about trips from the past.

Soon the call to board the Helen H was heard and the group moved onto the boat and selected spots along the rail in preparation for the day’s fishing. Captain Joe soon had us off of Nantucket’s shores; and enthusiastically trying to catch our limit.

Heavy tides necessitated the use of 12 to 20oz sinkers; but that did not deter even the youngest of our fishermen.

At the end of the day, it seemed all had their share of Fluke and some a mixture of Fluke and Sea Bass.

The winning pool fish, shown below, was caught by new Salties member J B Breitstone and weighed 10.8 pounds with a length of 29 inches. Congratulations and welcome to the Cape Cod Salties! Long time Saltie Richard Halverson took the honors for second place with an 8.1 pound doormat.

See more pictures from the 2015 Fluke Trip at our website.

(Link to Fluke Trip 2015)

July Workshop – Plastic Lures

Terry Tessein presented a workshop on the preparation and storage of plastic lures. Do not use plastic lures right out of the containers. They smell like plastic. Wash them first and then scent them. Terry went over scents available on the market. He highlighted the offerings from Gulp. When scenting plastics, zip lock bags are not reusable, Avoid purchasing cheap plastic lures in bulk. They normally are not of the same quality as name brands. When storing plastics, do not mix brands and colors.

Salties Festival held July 18th

On July 18^th, the Cape Cod Salties presented ‘Fishing Festival 2015’ at the Cape Cod Maritime Museum in Hyannis, under the leadership of Ed Wagner. The location had a very good setup and the Salties exhibits were great, but the turnout was much less than expected. A meeting will be held in a couple of weeks with the Museum to see what changes can be made to bring in more people. The advance advertising in local newspapers for the Festival was extensive; but it did not appear to have made a difference.

Salties station owners included:

Bird Carvings - June Noll
Fish Carvings - Ken Whiting
Bottom Fishing - Ken Dumont
Custom Plugs - Bob Davies
Fly Tying - Joe O'Clair and Barry Sullivan
Club Information and Kid's Fishing - Ed Wagner and Jay Walpole
Kayak Fishing - Ed Janiunas
Website - Jay Pavick
My Fishing Cape Cod - Ryan Collins
Refreshments and Set-up - Steve Israelian

See pictures from the 2015 Fishing Festival at our website.

(Link to Fishing Festival 2015)

Fishing Cape Cod Canal Presented at July Meeting

Due to a cancellation by the July Guest Speaker, Jack Creighton moderated a discussion on fishing the Cape Cod Canal. Panel participants included Bob and Steve Davies, Joe Giannetti, and Jack. The canal waterway is about 17 miles long. However, the manmade canal ‘ditch’ is about seven miles in length. There is a lighted bike-path which is paved on either side of the waterway. These are the areas that are typically fished by the canal fisher-people. The long distances are ‘shortened’ by the use of a canal bike. This is a bike rigged with rear baskets, which act as holders for rods and equipment. Every twenty-fifth lighting pole has a number. So, you can set ‘way-points’ for areas you find fishy. Equipment recommended includes a ten foot rod or longer, 30 pound braided line followed by a 30 pound leader 22 to 24 inches. Incoming tides fished from the Sandwich Marina to the Sagamore Bridge are popular for some Salties. Pay attention to current flow. As the tide changes direction, there is a small period of time where the current rate is zero. This makes for easier fishing conditions. When this ‘calm’ happens around sunrise at low tide to high tide change, the odds of good fishing are increased. Striped Bass are nocturnal feeders and the transition from dark to light is a good time to be at your favorite spot. Fish the entire water column, starting with plugs (pencil poppers are good choices) on top, SP minnows and Sebile Magic Swimmers mid water and jigs, such as bucktails (up to 4oz) and Savage Sand Eels (again, as heavy as 4 oz or better depending upon current conditions) on the bottom. As the season moves into August, live eels take priority at night.

Safety is a key concern when fishing the Canal as the rocky rip-rap shore line is steep and slippery. Korkers and stamina are recommended. Although challenging, the canal is an area that does hold Stripers.

All in all, a great deal of quality information was passed to the membership during this panel discussion; and thoroughly appreciated.

Items for Sale

Periodically, items are posted for sale in the newsletter section of the Website. Click on Newsletter, then click on the Classifieds navigation button on the first page of the Newsletter. Check it out.

2015 Canal Clean-Up Scheduled

October 3rd, a Saturday, is the date set for this year's Canal Clean-up. Bill Cottle, the event chairperson, is looking for at least twenty volunteers to help at this important give-back to the community and Ecosystem event. On a personal note, the Canal Clean-up was my first experience participating in a Salties event; and it was here that I began meeting new friends and establishing future fishing buddies. Besides the camaraderie, the morning starts with coffee and donuts; and the day ends with a great luncheon (this year prepared by Joe O'Clair, Barry Sullivan, and Steve Israelian). So, save the date, meet new friends, help the environment, enjoy the terrific location, and have some great food.
Bill would like to thank Paul Stankus, the past chairperson, for his service and guidance, as Bill takes the reins for the event.

By-Laws Update

The proposed changes to the by-laws to change the minimum age requirement for individual membership from 16 to 18 and to establish a new membership category, Junior Membership, were unanimously approved by the membership. The changes to ARTICLE VIII MEMBERSHIP are as follows:

Section 1. Any person interested in the purpose of the organization and has attained the age of 18 may become a member upon submission of an application.

Section 2.d. Any person interested in the purpose of the organization and has not attained the age of 18 may become a Junior Member upon submission of an application. Junior Members shall have voice and vote in all matters and shall not be assessed annual dues.
See the entire set of By-Laws in the Salties Website.
(Link to By-Laws)

Fishing Events

Captain Bob Luce Memorial In-House Derby

Winners of the Derby were announced at the July meeting:

· First place was John Sorcenelli with a 40” bass
· Second was Ken Whiting with a 38” bass
· Third place was Terry Tessein with a 36” bass

Ladies Trip Aboard the Striper

The women’s fishing trip on The Striper with Capt. Jim Luce will be on August 19 at 7 a.m. out of Saguatucket Marina in Harwich. Please remember to take Photos and send them to JayP at pavicks71@gmail.com.

8th Annual One-Day Derby Sign Up by Aug 15

Only 25 members have signed up for the one day derby. A minimum of 40 is required. Send in your sign-up sheets now (include your spouse, partner, or friend for the supper).

(Link to One day Derby Form)

2015 In-House Annual Fishing Derby Update

Striped Bass Length rules have been updated. Bass can be entered with a minimum size of 28 inches, if participating in Catch and Release. Striped Bass length rules remain at 36” for non-Catch and Release participation. Bill Cottle, Derby Chairperson, also announced that an unspecified prize will be presented for the first Derby entry submit for the season; so start fishing now!

Current placements:

Bill Cottle - Striper - Fly Fishing
Jay Pavick - Striper Catch and Release from a Boat (Length 35.5")
William Nicholson - First Derby Entry Prize
Joe Healy - Bluefish - Surf (11lbs 3oz)
Ken Whiting - Striper - Charter Boat ((Length 38", Girth 23")
Kenra Whiting - Striper - Ladies Charter Boat (Length 36". Girth 22")

You can find the link to the In House Derby Form here:

(Link to In-House Fishing Derby Form)

Salties Fishing Around

Membership and Family Fishing

Below left, Dick Nicholson holds a 42 inch beauty. below right Joe Apiscopa’s grandson, William, lands a fluke at the Salties Fluke trip.

Below left, Steve Israelian’s granddaughter, Sophia, catches her first Scup. Below right, Steve Misiewicz displays a fine fluke from the Salties Fluke trip.