Sushi Bars are all the rave right now, and your host is no stranger to $100+ dinner tabs resulting from gorging himself (and his dates) on spicy rolls, sashimi and saki. We all love sushi, but how many of us have what it takes to forgo the restaurants and get our sushi the hard way? Junkfish loves a challenge, and it was with this goal in mind that he set out with his father (”Bwana”), brother, and best friend Edward to fish with Captain Jim in the cold, clear waters of Provincetown, MA.
Come with Junkfish as he puts himself to the test on the fishing trip of a lifetime, trying to hook and land perhaps the world’s strongest fish on insultingly light tackle. After losing his car keys, Junkfish was forced to wear only the clothes he had on that morning - jeans, a t-shirt, and flip flops - and put his battered body on the line for the good of all sushi lovers everywhere….tune in and let us know what you think!
Junkfish Jordan and his closest crew carry on an annual tradition aboard the Stray Cat, heading from Hyannis to the fabled rips of Monomoy for some striped bass action. Captain Ron Murphy and his son Brendan always put the guys on huge fish, and this was perhaps the greatest fishing day of all time! It was a slow start for Mike, who never lost his smile and stuck with it long enough to catch innumerable linesiders. Junkfish’s best friend Edward got the “fattest fish” award and his OTHER best friend and favorite fishing partner, Pete, took home biggest fish honors with the last fish of the day! Dad and Jordan Brother #2 delivered solid performances as well.
Cape Cod and Monomoy
Captain Ron probes the many shallow-water “rips” created by currents accelerating over miles of sandbars that are the result of erosion from the National Seashore of mainland Cape Cod. Whether casting poppers to the marauding schools of “squid hounds” or trolling the captain’s squid flies on fly line, the tackle is always light and the action is always fast and furious.
Striped bass are made for feeding in strong currents, with a wide, powerful caudal peduncle and fin, a stout body, and a protrusible jaw that allows it to suction feed. There are two bones of the jaw - the maxilla and the premaxilla, that are fused in some fish (bluefish, for example) but separate in the striper, and the premaxilla rotates the maxilla out to form a “pipette mouth”. Flaring its opercula and sucking water through its buccal cavity, these predators can create a tremendous amount of suction to draw its prey into the mouth. This is more than just interesting, it can help you on the water. For instance, if you see slashing and splashing fish underneath birds, it’s a good bet you’ve got bluefish “chopping” their way through peanut bunker. If you see “porpoising” fish that are coming completely out of the water in a head-dorsal-tail manner, it’s probably a ram feeder like a false albacore or bonito, swimming through its prey. And if you see boils without a lot of splashing, it’s going to be striped bass who are swirling and sucking bait in rather than biting or swimming through it.
Its teeth are like sandpaper, and serve mostly to prevent prey from escaping. Opportunistic feeders, stripers will target squid, eels, herring, menhaden, scup, even invertebrates. Turnabout is fair play, and striped bass have to be on the lookout for sharks (great whites have been spotted off Monomoy!) and the hundreds of seals that call these sandy islands their home.
You will catch a lot of fish on the Stray Cat. Brendan, the first mate, will filet you up a mess of striped bass, so make sure you have a plan to cook it. Try the captain’s ceviche recipe for an appetizer, and make sure to prepare some of the catch “Junkfish Style”, coated in olive oil and old bay seasoning and grilled to perfection. Pair with Prosecco or some White Haven Sauvignon Blanc, you’ve earned it!
Enjoy the video and make sure to give Monomoy a try!
Battling the fierce WINDS of Islamorada, Junkfish and his friends finally hooked into some action. Watch as your host takes you around this “Sportfishing Capital of the World” and learn about one his favorite quarry, the false albacore - a fish the locals call “bonita”, not to be confused with the Atlantic Bonito. Will he be brave enough to dive into the deep blue offshore waters patrolled by Great White Sharks? Watch the video and find out!
Get the high resolution version here.