But watch a 40-pound striper smash up the surface chasing down a mackerel skipping across the top of the canal or a bunker fleeing for its life off the Jersey jetties, and “lazy” will be one of the last words that comes to mind.

Though we posted this video a couple months ago, here’s a quick clip of some of those lazy 40-pounders chasing down some adult bunker (video by Tom Lynch, angryfish.tv)

Snagged baits can be kept for later use, brought to another location or used live right where you snag them. If you’re going to live-line the baits, the best practice is to transfer the bait onto a more catch-and-release-friendly hook, like a circle or J-hook, but in some instances, particularly when surfcasting, “snagging and dropping” is the only way to keep your bait in the strike zone.

A tasty little morsel (to other fish) secured with a 7/0 snag hook. This bunker would be chunked up and fed to a brown shark a half-hour later.

But, as useful as snag hooks are, I’ll be the first to admit, I rarely bring one with me, unless I’m heading out with the intention of snagging baitfish. And on more than a few occasions, I’ve been caught flat-footed by forgetting to pack a weighted treble.

On a trip back from the canyons with OTW Design Manager, Andy Nabreski and occasional OTW contributor, Larry Backman. The overnighter had been slow, a couple longfin tuna the only payoff for the long run and missed sleep. Just within view of the Vineyard, the calm seas sprouted fins, and white marlin appeared in incredible numbers. Unfortunately, they wanted nothing to do with our trolled lures or frozen ballyhoo (having some live squid or live legal-sized scup also would have been a game changer). On several occasions, we spotted the marlin balling baitfish, and the baitfish schools actually sought refuge by hanging next to the boat. We sat there dumbfounded, trying to snag the baitfish with metal jigs to no avail. The white marlin continued to feed and we continued to try to entice them, but all was for naught.

In the surf, bunker and mackerel also provide snagging opportunities. I can’t count how many times I’ve watched a parade of big baitfish and giant bass move past while my snag hooks are at home and my lures are getting ignored.

Assorted sizes of snag hooks.

So the moral of the story is, get to your local tackle shop, buy a few weighted trebles (5/0, 7/0, and even 10/0 sizes depending on the bait size), keep them nearby on the water, and when the opportunity presents itself, start snaggin’.

Just be cautioned, simply possessing one of these hooks on some freshwaters, like the Great Lakes tributaries, could get you into trouble, so make sure you’re clear on the local regulations before swinging one of these grappling hooks.

Joe with his 45-pound, 8-ounce fish weighed in at the Tackle Box in Hazlet, NJ

The same day, Joe Bartnicki Jr. weighed is his first fish, a 24-pound beauty, to nudge his brother Hunter just out of the youth first place for the May monthly prize.

Joe Jr. with his current junior division first place fish. Joe landed this 24-pound fish the same day as Sr. landed his 45-pound fish

Hunter was the first junior angler to weigh in a fish this year bringing in a 20-pound fish on May 4^th.

Hunter Bartnicki with his 20-pound fish. Hunter was the first junior angler to weigh in a fish this year!

Don’t forget that Father’s Day is June 17. Sign your dad up for this year’s cup to have a chance at the ultimate Father’s Day present…

A brand new Hydra Sport 2300CC!!

Fishermen Wayne Walgren, Joe Lavine & Dustin Soule arrived just in time, as the woman was suffering from hypothermia beginning to lose her grip on the buoy.

Regular commenter and reader of the Fishing Forecast, Wayne Walgren (“Waleye”), was the captain of the fishing boat that was able to rescue the couple. He posted the following comment:

Hey boaters and shore fishermen(women)…be careful out there ! Water temps very cold. Fished a woman and a man out of the water in Cordage Channel in Kingston/Plymouth on Monday. We almost lost the woman. Be careful! and wear that life jacket!

P.S. On The Water Magazine… thanks for the fishing updates..We would of not saved that woman and man if your fishing updates did not get us out there. We were the only boat fishing… caught 12 stripers by the way!

Thanks to all three fishermen for their actions. See the news video here.

Rugged Shark Swordfish Sandals
www.ruggedshark.com
201-342-1200

The perfect boat sandal need only do three things: dry quickly, fit comfortably, and not become haunted by that unmistakable odor, the ghost of saltwater-soaked shoes. My search may finally be over now that I’ve discovered the Rugged Shark Swordfish sandal. This season, I wore the sandal on wet boat decks, in a kayak, and while wet wading on sandy beaches. It has a good, grippy sole, a comfortable, cushiony, stable construction, and an innovative water drainage system. The footbed of the sole doesn’t absorb water, it channels it out of the foot compartment where it exits through a vented arch support that looks like shark gills on each side of the shoe. The placement of vents allow water to drain out of the shoe but does not allow them to wick moisture up from a wet boat deck – a problem I’ve experienced with other water sandals. And when the water is gone, air flows back into the shoe to promote rapid drying. The Swordfish has a quick and easy bungee lacing system and a Velcro heel strap for a snug and comfortable fit. The shoe’s neoprene lining was a bit uncomfortable the first time I wore the shoes, but after the short break-in period, the shoes were nothing but comfortable. Most importantly, after a full season, I’m happy to report that the shoes are odor free!

Point Jude Deep Force Jigs
www.pointjudelures.com

Point Jude happens to make some of my favorite metal lures on the market, and when owner Joe Martins informed me that they were introducing a new Japanese-style jig, I had to check them out. The lures have a deeper body than other Japanese-style vertical jigs, which does well to imitate herring, mackerel and other large baits found offshore.

On my first try with the jigs, I didn’t get to evaluate how well the bluefin liked them, mostly because the bass and blues wouldn’t give me a chance to get the jig in front of a tuna. On my next tuna trip, the jigs saved the boat from the skunk when an otherwise lifeless ocean yielded a dozen cod that attacked the jigs as soon as they hit the bottom.

The tape added to the sides of the jigs holds up better than I’d expected, and the jigs sunk quickly to the desired depth. Other anglers have had great success fooling tuna with the jigs, and I’m holding out hope that on my next tuna trip I’ll enjoy the same result.

Tim dedicated his life to fishing, including working for 27 years as managing editor of the Fisherman Magazine’s New England edition, followed by 10 years of freelance writing. Tim has written hundreds of articles in various regional and national magazines, including several articles in On The Water in recent years. To read one of Tim’s articles, follow this link to “Midnight Mosaic,” an article published in the April 2011 edition of On The Water in which Tim reflected on a lifetime of striper fishing, including his love for the beaches of Rhode Island.

Steve Rupinski weighed in this 43.5-inch 32.9-pound bass at Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom on Tuesday, May 1, the first day of the tournament.

. If you haven’t signed up for the Striper Cup yet, now is the time. Big stripers are moving north right now, so be sure to register before you catch your fish of a lifetime.

I’m also a major fan of squid, and for more than one reason. First off, they’re delicious. Fresh calamari, prepared properly, is gourmet stuff. A lot of gamefish seem to think so, too. Squid is a delicacy to stripers, fluke, sea bass, swordfish and many others. Every spring I like to fish for squid, and whatever I don’t fry up gets vacuum-sealed, frozen and used for bait.

I’ve always heard about local anglers targeting squid during daylight hours, but up until today I had never gotten a chance to give it a try. All my squidding has been done from shore at night, usually among an odd cast of characters at the local pier, huddled around the light post.

On the south side of Cape Cod, the waters off Mashpee and Hyannis seem to hold the highest concentrations of squid. There are usually a few commercial draggers in the area that can help you pinpoint the action. On our trip, all the action was in 20 to 30 feet of water, off of Cotuit.

Jon was the first one to hook up. The squid was on the smaller side, but it was still a good sign. It’s a good idea to let them hang off the side of the boat for a bit so that they squirt their ink into the ocean, not into the boat.

The average squid we were catching was around 10- to 12-inches, like this one proudly displayed by Rich Emberg. Squid are amazing creatures, and when threatened they change colors pretty dramatically.

Small Yo-Zuri jigs seemed to produce best. Green, pink and white are usually the best colors. Some days the squid can be downright finicky.

Squid are equipped with two long, retractable feeding tentacles that they use to capture their prey. When you hook one, it’s important not to set the hook too hard, and reel them in slow and steady, or else all you will catch is tentacles. This feisty squid regained his freedom shortly after the photo was taken.

Squid like to squirt ink and water all over the place when they reach the surface. Get them into a bucket as fast as possible.

I like to call the big squid “Nemos.” This large specimen will make a primo swordfish bait. Hopefully I’ll get to meet this squid again this summer in the Canyons.

This is the rig that worked well for me. If the water is clear and free of mung, it’s not a bad idea to add on another dropper loop and jig to help cover more of the water column.

Rich with a double-header. The big squid on the right would be the “pool winner” for the day, it was over 20-inches long. A true whopper. We ended the day with 45 squid between the three of us in about five hours of fishing. Not a bad day on the water.

OTW Editor Kevin Blinkoff with a 30-pound striper that hit a Super Strike Little Neck Swimmer.

Super Strike Rattlin’ Little Neck Swimmer
www.superstrikelures.com

It took some convincing for me to believe a plug as odd-looking as a “bottle plug” could actually fool striped bass. When I first fished a mass-produced wooden version of the plug, I very nearly gave up on bottle-style plugs altogether. The plug rolled, turned on its side and looked nothing like an actual baitfish. It wasn’t until I began fishing the hard-plastic Little Neck Swimmer from Super Strike several years ago that I began to see the true potential in these lures. The Super Strike bottles dug well and swam true in even the hardest-pulling currents, and allowed me to present a larger-profile lure to fish holding in fast-moving water, which over the years has helped me land more than a few large striped bass on these lures. Since they’re made from plastic, you can count on each Little Neck Swimmer to swim true and not roll. Thanks to their shape, the Little Neck Swimmer was always a long-casting lure, but in 2008, when Steve Musso began adding several bb’s into the hollow chamber inside the new Rattlin’ Little Neck Swimmer, the plug really began casting like a missle. By consistently putting good striped bass on the beach, the Rattlin’ Little Neck Swimmer has earned itself a permanent spot in my plug bag.

Here’s where it gets really interesting: Shane took his fish with a cross bow, which requires a special permit for hunting and fishing in Massachusetts.  Carp are one of the few freshwater fish in Massachusetts which can be taken by either using a hook, line or bow and arrow.  A line on the crossbow bolt is connected to a reel, which is attached to the bow.  When the bolt is released, the angler can then use the bow to reel in the fish.

I had no idea that carp could be hunted with cross bow in Massachusetts. And while I’m sure that some folks will say that bowhunting carp isn’t sporting, I have to admit that it sounds pretty exciting – just too bad there’s no option to release the fish to fight again. Perhaps someone could invent a bowfishing arrow with a suction cup tip?

While Shane’s catch is certainly an amazing one deserving of recognition, I do think that there should be a separate record category for fish shot with a cross bow, versus caught with a traditional hook and line.

Photo courtesy of MassWildlife

UPDATE: It turns out that the big mirror carp of Lake Quinsigamond was well known to carp fishing enthusiasts. Mirror carp have unique scale patterns that allow them to be identified as individuals. This particular carp had been caught and released several times in recent years and even stood as the US Record for the Carp Anglers Group. You can read more at Carpiopedia.com.

Jerome Moisand poses with his personal best mirror carp. The fish was released and later captured by cross bow and weighed-in for a Massachusetts state record.

If you find the right spot, you'll be able to fill your bucket in under an hour.

When I first moved to Cape Cod 17 years ago, I quickly became schooled in the pastime of quahog collecting. Fresh out of college, I was ripe with enthusiasm for my newfound home,  but I quickly learned that it is a rather expensive place to live. I was working at a t-shirt factory making a piddly wage, and my paycheck seemed to disappear with the passing of each weekend. My hobbies of chasing fish and pints at the bar was costing far more than I expected, so I began looking for ways to cut corners on expenses.

My first education on quahogs came from Jim Young at Eastman’s Bait & Tackle.

“If  you can dig a hole, you can dig a quahog!” 

Jim explained in his coarse, rather serious tone.

“It’s not rocket science. Just don’t buy one of those cheap rakes… get a good one.”

So I took big Jim’s advice, and I bought the finest quahog rake the shop had to offer. It would turn out to be one of the best investments I ever made.

There is nothing particularly appetizing about a raw quahog. They live in the mud. They have a thick, lifeless gray shell. They are stubborn and tough to shuck open, and once you do finally manage to pry their armor-like shells apart, you are greeted by a slimy, booger-like mess that is far from easy on the eyes. To the squeamish, they are gross. But to a seasoned, salty chef, they are are one of the finest ingredients found in our local waters.

Over the years I have experimented with countless recipes for quahogs, and just about all of them make for good eats. Dishes like stuffed quahogs, clam chowder, clams casino, pasta and clam sauce, clam cakes, clam balls and clams with rice have all found a home in my line-up of quahog recipes, and they are all delicious. A few years ago my wife stumbled upon this recipe on the internet. At first I was a bit skeptical, but it seamed intriguing, especially the booze and fire part, which we will get to shortly. We gave it a go (with a few alterations), and the result was a delicious appetizer, similar to a stuffed quahog, yet with a very distinctive, sweet and spicy flavor.

Grilled Clams Sambuca

Quahogs are graded into three categories, depending on their size. The smallest, barely-legal ones are called littlenecks. Mid-sized ones are called cherrystones, and the largest ones are “chowders” or just simple called quahogs.  Cherrystones are ideal for this recipe.

Start by giving the cherrystones a good scrub under cold water. Quahogs have very little sand inside their shells, any grit found in them usually comes from sand and mud lodged in the crevices of the shells. Wash them well, and you will be rewarded with sand-free clams.

The next step is to place the cherrystones in a dish towel, and pop them into the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. No more, no less. This will shock their abductor muscles, and makes them much easier to shuck.

15 to 20 minutes in the freezer will make the cherrystones much easier to shuck.

Now it’s time to open them up. This is a skill that can only be mastered through practice. Always go in on the rounded, not the pointy, side of the quahog, and use a proper knife. You don’t need to muscle the knife in; if you pick the right spot it won’t take much pressure to pop into them.

Put the knife in on the rounded side of the clam and run it straight through the middle. This will cut your shucking time in half and extend your supply.

I learned a great shucking tip from my good friend Ian Campbell two years ago. Ian was once a chef at a high-end restaurant, and one of their specialties was clams casino. Ian taught me that if you run the knife straight down through the middle of the quahog, you can split the meat in half, leaving you with two portions from a single clam. This will extend your clam supply, and cut your shucking time in half. It’s not ideal for all recipes, but perfect for this one.

Six cherrystones become a dozen when you split them in half.

Once all your clams are shucked, put them in the fridge and make the stuffing.

STUFFING RECIPE

4 ounces diced chourico (spicy Portuguese sausage)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Franks hot sauce
1-2 tablespoons butter
Dash of salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
paprika
2 tablespoons Sambuca or Pernod (licorice-flavored liqueur) I buy the small nip bottles and use about half of one
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

Sauté the diced chourico for a few minutes, then add the onions, peppers, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until the vegetables are almost done. Add the butter, spices and hot sauce and crank the heat for about one minute. Push all of the ingredients to one side of the pan. Add the Sambuca, stand back and ignite it! It should burst into flames, which will burn off the alcohol. Turn off the heat, and mix in the panko. Taste and add more seasonings if needed.

Fire! Fire! Fire! Use a long handle-match or an aim-and-flame lighter to ignite the booze. Stand back!

Now stuff a heaping spoonful of this delicious mixture on top of each shucked cherrystone and fire up the grill. you’ll want medium high heat, make sure the grill is good and hot before adding the clams. Place the clams on the grill, close the lid, and cook for about 6 minutes. The clams can quickly burn from below, so keep a good eye on them. Serve them up with a lemon wedge and a splash of hot sauce, and you will be treated to an amazing appetizer fit for a king.

Pop the clams on the grill for 6 minutes, and you will have a mouth-watering appetizer ready to eat.

If you’d like to learn more about digging clams, check out my article from the February 2007 Issue of On The Water Magazine, Happy as a Clam