In mid-December 2024, we obtained the unhappy information of the passing of Janet Messineo, legendary surfcaster, taxidermist, and beloved member of the fishing neighborhood on Martha’s Winery and past. Janet’s presence within the surf will probably be deeply missed, however we will be grateful that she shared so a lot of her tales in her e-book, Casting Into the Mild, and in magazines like On The Water. In that approach, she’ll proceed to encourage striped-bass obsessed surfcasters for generations to return. The next is one in every of our favorites, from the July 2005 Problem of OTW. – Jimmy Charge
Folks typically counsel that it comes naturally for me to fish alone on the seashores of Martha’s Winery at evening. Imagine me, I wasn’t all the time so courageous to fish in the dead of night. Often, I nonetheless get the heebie-jeebies, particularly if I’m alone across the Aquinnah Cliffs. I’ve undoubtedly had various nights after I felt my hair stand straight up on finish. The issue is that the striped bass fishing is nearly all the time a lot extra productive in the midst of the evening, and that’s why I preserve going again.
I began fishing within the evening with my pal Tim White virtually 30 years in the past. We might stroll nice distances alongside rocky seashores on the north shore, carrying solely the naked requirements, clad in hip boots, outdated denims and hooded sweatshirts. Neither of us had a 4-wheel-drive automobile at the moment. Being feminine made it troublesome to get the hard-core fishermen to take me severely. I requested loads of guys if they might take me with them, however not many got here via. Some simply snickered at me. It didn’t take lengthy earlier than I noticed that if I wished to go fishing, I must go on my own. It took a while to really feel comfy on the market, although.
The primary terrifying expertise I can bear in mind was on Anthiers Bridge, often known as the Huge Bridge, in Edgartown. I didn’t even have my driver’s license on the time. Having lived on the island since I used to be a teen, I by no means felt it was a necessity to have a automobile or drive in these days. I requested my boyfriend, Duane, to drop me off on the bridge in the midst of the evening and are available again to get me earlier than he went to work within the morning. Sadly, he agreed. Effectively, silly transfer for a novice fisherman, for positive! My fishing tools was fairly primitive, and I didn’t even have a kind of headlamps that all of us use lately. I had this monumental flashlight strung on a rope round my neck. As I walked, it swung forwards and backwards with a pressure that might knock me out of steadiness. I bear in mind my adrenaline flowing with pleasure for the primary half-hour after Duane left me alone. I tossed my eel over the railing into the present and settled in with the anticipation of catching a pleasant fish. As soon as the quiet of evening set in, the horror present started. The silence was quickly damaged with the loud “QUOCK, QUOCK” of the evening herons taking to the sky. That actually modified the ambiance and my focus from catching a fish to staying alive! Then got here the rats. I had caught fairly a couple of fish from that bridge throughout daytime and by no means noticed a rat. I used to be undoubtedly an intruder of their busy world of scampering forwards and backwards throughout the bridge, and I used to be fairly scared. I began to quiver, and it really obtained to the purpose the place I didn’t desire a fish to take my bait. What if I obtained a fish on and stepped on a rat? What if my flashlight obtained hung up on the railing and knocked me over? What if I obtained an enormous fish and as I labored my strategy to the jetty to land him, I fell within the water? (That did occur at a later date.) That was the top for me. My creativeness had simply run wild with worry. The worst of it was that I used to be stranded till dawn. I reeled my line in and located what I believed was the most secure nook on the bridge and curled up right into a ball to attend for morning. Poor Duane! I used to be so upset when he got here to get me. He in all probability thought he would discover me with a recent striped bass for dinner, however as a substitute I advised him, “If I ever ask you to drop me off in some godforsaken place in the midst of the evening, DON’T take heed to me!” Not lengthy after that I obtained my driver’s license.
One evening, after I might drive myself, I used to be at Squibby. I don’t understand how lengthy I wore that foolish flashlight round my neck, however I bear in mind having it this explicit evening. I additionally had a kind of small plastic Plano sort out packing containers that doubled as an uncomfortable seat. I by no means knew the place everybody else was as a result of, after I went fishing, I appeared to be alone more often than not. Even a few of the nice fishing spots I had heard about have been desolate, hmmmm! Anyway, I tossed out my bait, squid I believe, after which instantly I jumped from my little perch with a tremendous hit. I set the hook! I used to be on! Oh my God, I simply knew this was the most important striper I ever caught. I used to be pumped, knees knocking and coronary heart pounding. As I obtained him near the seashore, I began to worry that one thing wasn’t fairly proper. Then with my trusty flashlight aimed on the fringe of the surf, from the darkness I noticed this lengthy, darkish, ugly creature. It was an enormous conger eel. He needed to be properly over six toes lengthy with an enormous girth. My very first conger, large tooth and all. I tugged and tugged to get my hook free from his fierce jaws, to no avail. I attempted standing on him to offer myself some leverage. That didn’t work both. I used to be scared to dying as soon as once more. I ended up slicing my line, packing up as shortly as doable and working to my automobile with chills up and down my backbone.
Yet another scary evening I had was on the jetty at West Chop. I used to be trapped on the top of the jetty by a skunk that wished my bait. After I threw all my squid towards him, he nonetheless held me hostage for a very long time. I simply couldn’t shoo him away and the water crashing over the top of the jetty virtually seemed inviting. He lastly left me room to go and I arrived dwelling, grateful that I smelled no worse than after I’d began the evening.
Because the years go and I preserve at it, these hair-raising experiences change into few and much between. Now and again, the “boogeyman” exhibits up at one in every of my favourite spots. I can really feel him. Typically I let him have the evening and I am going dwelling. Then once more, we’ve got nights after we share the seashore fairly comfortably. Coming upon one other particular person will be most startling, particularly after I assume I’m alone and begin singing the Oscar Mayer wiener jingle. That’s not solely scary but in addition embarrassing.
Island fisherman Alex Friedman and his pal John Lee, who was visiting from Narragansett, Rhode Island, stopped by my store final week. He introduced his 49-pound striped bass that I mounted in 1992 again to my store (Island Taxidermy Service) for a dusting. Bachelors! Alex labored on Penikese Island for 5 years as a workers member and trainer; he’s now educating right here on the Winery on the Constitution Faculty in West Tisbury. He stated Penikese Island has the perfect striped bass fishing on this planet. I consider him! Alex stated that for him, fishing in the dead of night in all probability seems like taking part in the piano if you happen to’re blind – you’d get a greater really feel for it! “The precise fishing isn’t any drawback, however you want a flashlight as soon as your fish is landed as a result of every little thing that comes after that may be fairly darn onerous, from unhooking the fish to tying knots.” His least favourite factor about fishing at evening is “eel tangles” or any sort of line tangle that all the time appears to be worse in the dead of night. Working an in depth second is getting blinded by headlamps. John and Alex each swear by pink lenses on their lights. They stated that you just don’t lose your evening imaginative and prescient in any respect. I believe I’ll strive that this season.
He advised me an exquisite story about catching his 49-pounder. He stated it’s the greatest striper he’s ever caught, and it was on an evening when he drove all the way in which to one of many salt pond openings and forgot his flashlight. He was alone, with only one fisherman on the opposite aspect. “The wind was blowing northeast. It was a wet Thursday evening in July of 1992. I had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, and I do know it was a Thursday as a result of the Simpsons have been on TV, so I waited until 8:30.” (I simply love the way in which all fishermen can bear in mind the minute particulars of catching their most luxurious fish however have a troublesome time remembering the mundane tasks of on a regular basis life.) He continued, “I went right down to the opening with a floating Bomber, and on the fourth solid, bang! I used to be utilizing a brief rod, and with no rocks round, the fish simply ran and ran. Now I didn’t have my flashlight, however the man on the opposite aspect did however I used to be attempting to play it cool, after all, not wanting him to see what I used to be as much as. I landed the fish and my knees began shaking as a result of I might see it was a giant fish, however I had no thought how large. I managed to hump it again as much as the truck. I turned on my inside gentle and will see that it was proper round 50 inches. At that time my arms began shaking so unhealthy I might solely take two extra casts and determined that I needed to go dwelling. Since that evening, I now carry two flashlights, one round my neck and one in my bag, and generally I even stash a 3rd.”
John Lee grew up studying Jerry Sylvester’s e-book Saltwater Fishing Is Straightforward, and the truth that massive striped bass have been caught after darkish on the Slender River Inlet close to his dwelling in Rhode Island was no secret to him. His first try fishing at evening was the evening after his brother had taken a 38-pounder at that inlet. He ventured out alone and needed to wade round 150 yards to affix the opposite fishermen already there. He was a younger child, about 15 years outdated, and I can actually perceive how he felt intimidated fishing amongst grown males. The moratorium was in impact and also you have been allowed one fish at 36 inches. He hooked into a pleasant fish and a man came to visit to assist him land it. It was clearly larger than 36 inches, however one way or the other the stranger satisfied John to take it! So, 1985 was the turning level for John. He was bitten by the nighttime fishing bug and began to focus on large bass within the evening. The darker the evening, the higher he likes it, however as soon as his creativeness will get preoccupied with skunks, Sasquatch and the boogeyman, he’s achieved. He feels that the skunks simply know he’s afraid of them, they usually discover him and comply with him down the seashore.
Alex and John have been fishing collectively down by Watch Hill on a nasty, darkish Halloween evening into the tooth of a southwest wind. John had an enormous fish on they usually have been scrambling down the seashore over the rocks to maintain up with the fish that needed to be properly into the 40-pound vary, and the fish was undoubtedly in management. The fish ran east, heading for a boulder the scale of a shed. Though John is taller than Alex, Alex grabbed John from behind, across the waist to raise him up in order that his 10-foot rod might clear a giant boulder in entrance of him. Now that’s a fishing buddy! He labored the fish proper into the wash, however sadly, his line had sustained an excessive amount of injury from the rocks and it parted they usually misplaced the fish. John stated, “We had an excellent evening anyway, Alex whaled them on Bombers, and I used to be utilizing pogie chunks. Jerry Sylvester all the time talked about ‘the evening sport’ and I believe the evening sport is THE sport. I’m not likely loopy about fishing beneath the complete moon, though fishing with bait might repay. I get a significantly better feeling with no moon. However it may be eerie fishing at evening with a pea-soup fog, a brand new moon, Level Jude lighthouse going off behind you and also you’re alone, wading out 100 yards from shore into the darkness. It could get bizarre, nevertheless it’s nice, too – it tunes the senses, ready for a bump. I do know plenty of guys that fish daybreak or early night, however more often than not I fish between 8 p.m. and midnight. I work within the day and I get pleasure from having dinner and hanging out with my spouse for the night. When it’s a full moon I normally keep dwelling.”
I had a pleasant chat with John and Alex and realized some new methods that afternoon.
Now, more often than not, for me, the noises and shadows in the dead of night are simply recognized. Wind via the timber, surf crashing across the rocks, rats or skunks scampering forwards and backwards, an occasional deer working by and even bats flying across the tip of my rod every time I solid.
When the solar units and I’m standing on the water’s edge after a tough day in the actual world, I’ve the sensation that every one is properly and I’m alone with my Maker. Once I take into consideration these early years after I was studying to fish, I nonetheless surprise why I stored at it so persistently. Once I wasn’t scared out of my thoughts, I used to be coping with tangles in my line and leaks in my waders and puzzled what species of creature was going to assault my bait.
I’m not precisely positive what facet of fishing has possessed me and why. Might it’s being with nature? The hunt? The sport? The fish? The successful? The defeat? The catching and retaining and consuming? The celebs? Moon? Rain? Solar? I ponder! I do know that it’s change into part of my being, and like my expensive pal and inspiration Charlie Cinto says, “So long as I can put one foot in entrance of the opposite, I’ll be fishing.”
