Cape Lookout--clams, but no feesh

[FishSchooler]

Came back from camping at Cape lookout a little while ago.
Lots of clams, but no feesh.
On saturday, we caught the evening low tide--around 2.something. You dont need that low of a tide to catch clams! We caught at least eighty for the eight of us with licenses. Just use a rakes that tines are 4-5 inches long and rake away. We had a clam gun, and we sucked up 2 soft shells and a sand shrimp.
Next day in the morning, surf casted on the beach with shrimp, clam necks, even a small kastmaster at least 100 feet into the waves with the incoming tide. Nothing. I can't tell whats a bite or just a wave! I can't tell what the riptides are either...:think:
We wanted to get more clams that evening again... so we went to the same spot, caught around 50 I guess along with 3 razors and 6 of the better kind (i forgot the name).
Next day, we went to catch the low tide in the morning and saw crowds and crowds clamming, but didn't stop. We went to short beach to see the tide pools, instead, got a bunch of HUGE mussles. Those things must be 6-8 inches long some of them! I also saw someone wearing a shirt that said "Kodiak"... :think:
Then we went back to the cheese factory, got our fill of cheese and icecream, then left for home.
no feesh... next time, I need some serious perch tips on where, what, and how!

:dance::dance::think::think::clap:

 

[1aB]

"FishShooler", by "riptides" do you mean outgoing water? Like, breaking waves cause water movement towards shore which will return back out to sea? Often the rips will be flowing out through channels which can be distinguished by the lack of shoreward bound breaking waves over them since they will be deeper than surrounding flats. Or, examine the flow movement of residual wave foam for areas of sideward & outward migration. If you have difficulty identifying this, I would suggest trying the area where sand beach transitions to rock especially if there is a point formation. Shoreline walking cast & retrieve lure presentation might be more efficient in locating feeding zones than bait & wait technique.

 

[FishSchooler]

"FishShooler", by "riptides" do you mean outgoing water? Like, breaking waves cause water movement towards shore which will return back out to sea? Often the rips will be flowing out through channels which can be distinguished by the lack of shoreward bound breaking waves over them since they will be deeper than surrounding flats. Or, examine the flow movement of residual wave foam for areas of sideward & outward migration. If you have difficulty identifying this, I would suggest trying the area where sand beach transitions to rock especially if there is a point formation. Shoreline walking cast & retrieve lure presentation might be more efficient in locating feeding zones than bait & wait technique.

If the riptide I was looking everywhere was outflowing water, there should be fish everywhere. :lol:
Online, it showed a perchy riptide. Breakers flow to the side of it, then all that water flows back in one funnel.

 

[1aB]

Sounds to me like that "funnel" was a rip channel which should be dragging morsels into waiting perchy mouths. So, why were there no perch for your waiting mouth?

 

[FishSchooler]

Sounds to me like that "funnel" was a rip channel which should be dragging morsels into waiting perchy mouths. So, why were there no perch for your waiting mouth?

i couldnt find a rip channel... or I dont know what they look like in real life...

 

[1aB]

Oh, I got it, the reality wasn't the same as the online pic. I take it you were fishing from the beach - were there any rocks within accessible distance? The two corners where the beach ends & rocks begin will usually have an outgoing current channel. Rocks or islands obstructing breaking waves will create deeper pockets & channels on the shoreward facing sides, and may also suck wave outflow from the sides. Sufficient flowing fresh water cutting through the beach may dredge a channel in synergy with wave outflow. However, if all your accessible beach that you observed at low tide was featureless and flat, the outgoing water is probably sheeting under the breaking waves as undertow. So, lacking aggregating bottom structure the perchies could be anywhere and you'd need to walk & cast till you locate them. I'm thinking tho that clamming flats that go dry at low tide are not the best fishing environment, better perhaps to hunt perchies at beaches with a steeper shoreline drop off and deeper uneven bottom contour.

BTW, I learned by experience that exceptional results often requires exceptional effort. Perhaps your perchy honey hole is waiting beyond where most folks are willing to walk.

 

[Oregonchris]

Sounds like you had a blast! Did you try the cockles yet? I dont mind them steamer style if they are small but if they are bigger I think I would prefer them in a chowder.

 

[FishSchooler]

Sounds like you had a blast! Did you try the cockles yet? I dont mind them steamer style if they are small but if they are bigger I think I would prefer them in a chowder.

Oh yeesh, all gone they are. We didn't/dont have the ingredients to make chowder, but we fried them with some green onions, black beans, and a bunch of other chinese spices. We chinese seem to toss everything that tastes good into one big pot. :lol: