Moonlight

The moon is full outside my window and I am fidgeting in bed, unable to sleep. I know thatthe tide has already dropped halfway on my favorite beach. I am contemplating getting my butt out of bed and shooting down the highway to catch the bottom of the tide. I can come up with a million excuses why not to go. I am tired, its been a long week, its a full moon, wind is not right, there might be a weed in the wash…. and only one reason to get up. Because I am a surfcaster, and surfcasters don’t let a good tide go to waste. Half an hour later, I am up to my armpits in water, casting onto the bar that is now almost tdevoid of water. I work my needlefish through the white water, letting it slide off the bar and into the trough. My efforts are not being rewarded, and I am quickly starting to curse myself for leaving my warm bed. I switch to a darter and after admiring the moonlight that has  illuminated the beach,something clicks in my head. Next cast, after my plug lands in the water, I  work it like a pencil popper for few seconds. Then I let it rest for a moment before engaging the reel, and retrieving a darter normally. Bam! Fish On! After a spirited battle I slid a respectable striper on to the sand. Next cast, I repeated the same retrieve sequence and I am hooked up immediately. The action peters out quickly so I switch to a sinking Little Neck popper. Instead of just crawling it under the surface, as I usually do at night, I pop it like I its daytime. Wouldn’t you know, another striper finds this retrieve to its liking.

I’d love to tell you that this was all conceived in my head, but I’d be lying. Just like many experts who claim that they reinvented the wheel. Truth is, great Don Musso of Super Strike fame shared this little nugget with me few years ago when I interviewed him for a Fisherman magazine article. He said that on the fool moon nights, it pays sometimes to work your plugs like a pencil popper for few moments, before initializing a regular retrieve.

The succses in this sport is very dependent on its history, and I am thankfull to those who have invented or modified lures and equiment over the years. I am certain that someone passed this little nugget to Don long time ago. I was just honored that he shared it with me. Besides the actual act of catching fish, the most enjoyment I get out of this sport is when someone tells me that something I have said, or written has increased his or her success. What more can you ask from life then to have a great family, good friends and to be able to help few people along the way? Think about that next time you are asked for a helping hand…. we can all use one at some point in our lives.