Shower Brings Cutts

[Mike Etgen]

Headed to one of my local beaches this afternoon for some wading. Weather was changeable, with wind usually in my face and occasional sunbreaks. I had one or maybe two small tugs in the first ninety minutes, and then a brief rain shower swept in.

A cutt tore into my fly just about the time the rain stopped, and as soon as he was free and I cast again, I had another smaller one on. Played him, released him, and two casts later hooked up with absolutely the fiestiest cutt I've ever caught in the salt. I wondered at one point if I wasn't into something else, but when I got it in, I had a deep-bodied, eighteen inch fish, easily the largest of the three.

Each one, and especially the first and the last, put up very spirited fights, and it was a true privilege to catch and release them. I hooked yet another on the next cast, but lost it as I tried to get the slack on the reel and fight it from there.

And that was it; three great fish in less than ten minutes.

I do love those SRCs.

[MrP]

Good job Pastafanarian.

[Warren Perry]

sounds like a case of right place at the right time to me, congrats.

What was the tide soing while you were there?

Warren

[Mike Etgen]

Tide was dropping at the time, but not dramatically; the swing between high and low this afternoon was only three or four feet. The area where I had some action has a pretty brisk outgoing current during the drop, at Purdy, not too far south of the bridge that carries Rt. 302 over to the Key Peninsula.

I think you're right, Warren...it was very much a right place, right time moment, one I surely did appreciate. And it broke a string of fishless days in the salt, going back to Point No Point!

Wish you could have seen the last one...overflowed that trout net I had with me! ;)

[nerevfan]

Congrates, was going to hit Purdy up yesterday, but was up in wallace falls area yesterday. Caught some pretty ugly humpies

[Jim Wallace]

Way to go, Mike. The only way to be in the right place at the right time is to be some place (easy to do) at the right time (not so easy, as often depends on luck as well as knowledge).
That last cutt sounds like it was quite a prize.
Can I ask what fly you were using? And your retrieve? (Just for the record, you know!) Thanks!

Jimbo

[Mike Etgen]

Jim...

Good to hear from ya!

I was using a pale baitfish imitation, cast quartered across the current and allowed to sink and swing downcurrent, then retrieved in erratic strips. The first and last takes were on the retrieve and hard, the second was on the swing and subtle. I think the fly was not the factor; I think I just found a pod of aggressive fish. But, what do I know other than it was a kick?

And yes, the last one in particular was a beauty, and strong to boot.

Now don't tell me you haven't seen some action from the cutts down there in your own private river...;)