Martin James MBE – Has A Last Grand Slam

A few years ago my travel agent called to say American Airlines were starting a daily service from Manchester to Boston between May and October, a time schedule which covers the best times of the year for striper fishing, Previously I would have to take two flights, unless I travelled to Heathrow or Gatwick. This of course entailed a long drive south. With the new Manchester Boston service I was able to leave Manchester at 10 o’clock in the morning, arriving in Boston just after 12 noon. Clearing immigration and customs, I could then pick up a hire car, and within an hour I could be at a striper fishing location.

Rhode Island was the first venue for stripers. You had a choice of fishing offshore or inside the various bays. When you have travelled thousands of miles, the last thing you wanted was to be sitting around in a hotel if it was too rough to go afloat offshore. No problem in Rhode Island you had Narragansett Bay offering excellent fishing for stripers and bluefish.

One day as I was casting flies for stripers, I watched five big Bluefish hitting menhaden, a baitfish that bluefish just rip to pieces in their feeding frenzy. From my experience if you’re looking for a guide in this area there is only one to consider, that is Captain Jim White Massachusetts has a lot to offer the saltwater fly fisher, three locations spring to mind Cape Cod, the offshore islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard home to the wealthy.

I well remember fishing the flats at Cape Cod with Capt. Andrew Cummings being surrounded by dozens of big stripers and bluefish, in the gin clear water I had a great view watching a striper or blue savage a fly, it’s something special. 

My First Albie

Along the Connecticut coastline fishing in Eastern Long Island Sound could be excellent. In 1992 an angler caught a striped bass of 75 pounds from New Haven harbour, the third largest striper on record. I got to know this area when Ed Mitchell’s first book Fly Rodding the Coast was published by Stackpole books in 1995. I arranged to record an interview with Ed, while I was across at the Thomas and Thomas rod building plant in Greenfield Massachusetts. Ed suggested I stay at his beachside home for a few days. We fished, chatted and recorded an interview for my BBC angling show. It was during this trip that I met Dixon Merkt, when Ed and I joined him on his boat for a few hours. I enjoyed the experience and we caught quite a few stripers.

Having met Dixon the previous year, I booked him for a week’s fly fishing in the Eastern Long Island Sound of Connecticut. Captain Dixon Merkt is an author and writer, also a very enthusiastic duck and goose hunter with a great knowledge on the history of duck and goose decoys. His book on the subject is a must have book for many people. I couldn’t have wished for a better guide.

I will not forget my first days fishing, Dixon had told Ed I was across and invited him to join us. On the boat dock, Ed, Dixon and I discussed the weather, it was touch and go if we would go afloat. The wind was blowing twenty knots white caps were rolling down the Eastern Long Island Sound. Dixon said “Do you want to fish Martin” I thought if Dixon is willing to go afloat it must be ok.

I answered in the affirmative. The first few miles were pleasant enough as Ed, Dixon and I fished our way down the sheltered coastline catching stripers. We then crossed the Sound to fish a rocky shoreline, the boat bounced around, the occasional white cap crashed over the bows. Looking around I could see huge boulders being lashed by an angry sea. One minute they were visible the next they had disappeared in the spewing foaming wind lashed green water. It was planned we would target the Albie’s.

Dixon shouted above the howling wind, Albie’s off the port bow at fifty feet. One minute I could see the horizon, the next just a wall of green coloured water before it hit the boat. The boat shuddered from bows to stern. As I pulled off enough line for the long cast I dropped it on the boat deck, after three false casts I then shot the line. Counting down to five I started a fast retrieve. After retrieving some twenty feet of line I felt a hit, setting the hook, I felt a powerful surge as the rod tip was savagely pulled down, line was stripped off the reel in a blur. It felt as if I was hooked up to one of the submarines stationed in the town of London further up the coast.

My Tibor reel hummed nicely, and so it should at around £400-00. Line was being steadily taken; Dixon shouted “Put on more pressure”. This slowed the fish down; I started to pump the fish back to the boat while Ed was hanging onto my coat to stop me going overboard in the bucking and rolling boat. I also decided to kneel down so I could lean against the boat. Ten minutes later I had the fish close enough for netting. It was a good fish about 12lbs and a team effort and high fives all round. I punched the air with joy and relief. We then departed for the calmer water, I wasn’t sorry. We spent the rest of the day fishing for stripers. I want forget that first Albie which was all down to Ed and Dixon with a big chunk of luck. I had many more great trips with Dixon.

The Big Three-Striper Albie and Bluefish.

During a trout fishing session on the River Ribble I was telling my friend David Jones of Bury about my next striper fishing trip, he expressed an interest. Having had some trips to the Caribbean with David I realised I would enjoy his company, if my Multiple sclerosis played up I would be in good hands.  The following year David and I arrived in Old Lyme Connecticut, ten hours after leaving Manchester airport. Having picked up the hire car in Boston we headed south on I 95 a pleasant drive of less than two hours to Dixon Merkt’s house in Lyme. Where we were greeted by Carol, Dixon, children David, James and Lisa plus three dogs a black Labrador, a King Charles spaniel and a Beagle.

After the usual welcome and a mug of tea the conversation turned to fishing. Dixon said “The False Albacore known as Albie’s arrived two days ago also there are plenty of bass and bluefish, the forecast is good for the next few days” It was the news we had wanted to hear. David is now a great fan of the Albie’s, while my first choice fish is the striper. Having said that I enjoy catching any fish.  We all then went off for a relaxing dinner in an Italian restaurant a few miles down the road.

For our first day afloat conditions were perfect, light winds from the SSE high water at midday a blue sky and warm sunshine. We boarded Dixon’s Surf Scoter a 24 foot centre console Mako, designed with safety in mind and to cope with the rough waters of Long Island Sound. Its equipped with all the safety features you would expect on a charter boat, including ship to shore radio, telephone, echo sounder and fish finder. Though I haven’t seen the latter used in all my trips, Dixon’s experience, great eyesight or the spotting of diving birds, often a combination of all three usually puts you on the feeding fish. Captain Dixon Merkt comes highly recommended with over fifty years of ocean sailing, including many years as a member of the prestigious New York Yacht Club. 

Once on board Merkt’s Mako you certainly feel you’re in safe hands. We slipped our mooring at Old Lyme on the mouth of the Connecticut River. A few hundred yards further downstream we passed under the railway bridge into the sound. On my port side is a large salt marsh where I could see several groups of ducks, also a couple of egrets,  Suddenly an osprey dived, it didn’t miss its target as it lifted off the water with a fish of about 2lbs in its talons.  Further down the marsh a skein of geese were flying across the Sound, and various gulls and other wading birds worked the tide line.

A light wind ruffled the surface. David and I had made up two Thomas and Thomas rods, one a Helix 9 foot nine weight with a Cortland ghost tip line to which I had attached an Albright knot, a nine foot Gamma Blue water leader with a tippet of 12lbs. The rod was an Horizon 9 foot nine weight matched with a Teeny 300 grain shooting head. The latter rod a faster action than the Helix. I would use this model should the wind get above twenty knots. David used the same model of rods, choosing a slow sink tip on one; the other rod was matched with a floating line.  He had also tied on a nine foot leader with a 12lb tippet. Dixon gave David a Deceiver fly to use.

On Dixon’s advice I tied on a size 2 white and chartreuse Clouser minnow to complete the Helix outfit. Fifteen minutes after leaving the mooring slip, Dixon throttled back the engine as we moved within casting distance of the shoreline of the marsh I made a cast dropping the fly to the edge of the marsh. Two short strips, a fish hit, and strip striking I connected with my first bass of the trip, within seconds David hooked his first fish. As Dixon poled us along the marsh, we caught several more bass, we also missed some. Dixon said “Wind in we are moving.” 

Turning the ignition key the motor hummed into life then increased in sound as the motor was opened up our guide soon had us skimming across the sound towards the Teapot Lighthouse. As we neared the lighthouse I could see lots of diving birds, several small boats were moving into position. Dixon throttled back, the bows dipped I could see bait fish crashing from the water, Albie’s, blues and stripers were hitting the bait fish. Dixon said “It’s not often you see all these fish together. If we hook blues they will bite us off. Blues are part of the piranha family with a mouthful of razor sharp teeth.”

Dixon shouted “There are some big stripers” I decided to use my Horizon rod with the sink tip and a size 3/0 Deceiver. Pulling off some sixty feet of line, I made a long cast, then quickly retrieving the line back in the boat for my first cast. With the fly in my left hand, I watched the water looking for one of those bass “3 O’clock fifty feet” said Dixon. Making one false cast I shot the line, then made several nine to twelve inch strips; suddenly I felt a savage hit. A firm strip strike connected me with a very angry fish that went off like a greyhound. The reel whirred as all my fly line disappeared, and then I am into the backing. Down deep in the water I could feel the head shaking from a heavy fish. I would then get some back on the reel, before the fish took some more. 

Thankfully I was getting few inches each time. I could sense the fish was slowing up in its effort to break me off or get rid of the size 3/0 barbless hook. More pumping and I had the fish coming towards the surface; fifteen feet below the fish dived I was forced to give line. Twenty feet of line was gone then slowly inch by inch I retrieved it all back.

As the leader appeared I could see the fish it was a good one, perhaps a twenty pounder I hoped, slowly I retrieved the leader until I had the fish on the surface, it had a mouth like a bucket. Dixon leaned over the gunwale and grabbed the leader then my fish by the bottom lip and lifted the fish clear of the water. Reaching for his Bogo grip he weighed the fish saying 22lbs. I punched the air saying “Yes that will do me” Dixon then shot a couple of pics before we watched the fish swim off hopefully to grow into a forty pounder.

Meanwhile David was fighting a good Albie, checking my leader then hook point I made another cast. Counting to three I started to retrieve, on my second strip I felt a hit then set the hook. I was into another good bass. Several minutes later Dixon lipped another good bass. It weighed 18lbs. It was one of those good days. Meanwhile David had landed his Albie. Then all was quiet as the bait fish moved away. We moved off looking for more bait fish shoals.

During the day we fished several shore marks catching more bass averaging some five pounds, I then caught a bluefish; I now needed an Albie for my Grand Slam.  Suddenly Dixon shouted “Albie’s” offshore looking towards the horizon we could see diving birds, as we got in closer Albie’s were often coming out of the water in their pursuit of the bait fish. Five minutes later we were within casting range. David and I quickly had a double hook up on our first casts. These fish quickly had us well into our backing, and then it was a real tug of war. You never know when an Albie is tired. It’s a fish that never wants to give up.

It might have been ten minutes before Dixon had a chance to tail David’s fish estimated about 8lbs. Meanwhile my fish was getting near the surface; suddenly the leader appeared I could see the fish. Dixon said “That’s a good Albie Martin” he grabbed the fish by its tail, swinging it aboard. I took out the barbless hook as Dixon picked up the Bogo grip weighing the fish at just over 10lbs a good fish for this part of the ocean.

As the Albie’s get further south to Harker’s Island North Carolina they would probably weigh fifteen pounds or more. Several more Albie’s were caught before the action was over. The bait fish had gone and with them the albies. It was back to the shoreline hunting for bass. All too soon the fishing was over for the day. Three happy anglers cruised back to the mooring site in the setting sun