I had two parties cancel trips in a row as the weather called for inches of rain to fall over a several day period. On a bite which I knew was about at it’s peak and either side of the peak would be considered epic, even world class, I started making phone calls to fill the cancelations. Several of my regular Striper Anglers were quick to jump at the opportunity of EPIC! My void was quickly rescheduled with fly, spinning and topwater anglers over a two day period and a weather pattern predicting 6 inches or better. The only good thing about the weather prediction is I too made a prediction. I was confident I could produce fish and I knew my anglers wouldn’t second guess my call despite the weather, not this crowd. They’ve all fished with me before, some since the creation of FishIBX. They’ve seen NC Striper fishing at it’s best, they’ve fished the rain, snow, heat, some of it all. Often times quick transitions in weather will scramble the brains of even seasoned anglers, the water will be too muddy, too strong, too thick, too sunny, too cloudy, too whatever and sometimes this is all too true. But this time I had hardcores ready to celebrate the mass exit of post spawn Stripers. Grundens on, the trips were underway. Single barbless hooks by choice, the boys knew I was aiming for the fence or had lost my mind. I knew they were experienced enough anglers to set hooks and not drop slack in the line so loosing fish was out of the question. With bent barbs I could release fish fast without removing them from the water. I highly recommend this practice in water temps that reach or exceed the high 70’s. Upon arrival a lure enters the sheen, WHACK! Game on, in the rain I kept a dehooker rolling for the next 5 hours. I never made a cast, unhooking and rigging consumed me! After 5 hours its off the water for lunch then a scheduled return for more action. Whack! and yes, more rain is again in the distance. Dehooker in hand, Grundens on, the release process begins taking us to dusk. At this point I was digging deep, the record of caught and released Stripers for FishIBX in a day had long been shattered. Every angler had shattered personal best and witnessed a bite they hadn’t experienced over their lifetime of fishing. My hands were waterlogged, even had a resemblance of a career block mason crossed with an avid rabbit hunter. Off the water it was time to refuel and take a nap before the next day started. Up before the sun I found myself enjoying a nice cup of coffee in a shower of rain. The few hours of sleep were enough to dry me out and the coffee was enough to get my brain going for the days game plan. Day two I decided to make a run. My guts were telling me to do so and what we experienced could of made a National Geographic show. Cast after cast after cast into exploding bait. To dissect what had taken place, the first half day set records, the second part of my full day total took it to yet another level all together. On the second day I was in disbelieve. Doing the math even I would have questioned it’s impossibility, however with a solid plan, experience and willing fish the process became a dance, an unbelievable experience with mother nature. I’m not going to throw a number, you probably wouldn’t believe it anyway and to reproduce it again might come like a comet. But this time I could see it shaping up, I predicted it to be special and God gave us the opportunity to take part. For the anglers that experienced it first hand, I’m certain that permanent etch is burned deep in their brain……
