The One That Got Away

Everyone has a story about the one that got away. That one fish of a lifetime. You had him so close to the boat, victory was yours and then bam! He’s gone. A simple twist of the head. A fray in the line. A snag. Gone! If you fish on Cape Cod as much as we do then you’ve got more than one story to tell. Let me tell you one of mine.

The Ghost of Pollack Rip

I’ve been fishing on Cape Cod for over 20 years and I’m a true believer in the ghost fish of Pollack Rip. There have been numerous 30, 40 and a couple 50 pound stripers caught off of Pollack Rip over the years so I know that there are some real big cows out there. But there is also something else. Something really large.

I have been witness three times to hook ups on something really big. I mean really big, so large that it spools your line like a hot knife cutting through butter. Now, I know what you’re thinking, getting spooled isn’t that unusual but this one, this one is different. This ghost fish spools you like no other fish. This ghost acts like it isn’t even hooked. Not a care in the world, it seems to have no idea. There’s no rush on the line, no great excitement to it all other than everyone on board watching as the line quickly vanishes from the reel. It happens so fast that there isn’t time to run to the front and put the boat into gear to chase it down. It just grabs the line and in a flash, it’s over and gone.

Smart fish!

The ghost fish, well this fish is smart and cunning because she seems to always know which line to grab. It’s always the newbie or the least experienced fisherman on deck. The line is half spooled before he even realizes what’s going on. “Holy crap, what do I do?” yells the novice. It takes all I have in me not to grab the rod from his trembling hands!

There was the one time that I made it to the helm. I put the boat into gear to spin the St. Pete around and begin our pursuit only to look back and see the novice cranking down on the drag. Pop! Gone! Story over! Calm, stay calm and for the love of God, don’t throw the man overboard!

The crazy thing about it, it always seems to happen on a dark, foggy day. Although, if you fish off of Monomoy on Bearse Shoal or Pollack Rip, that seems to be most days. The fog and limited visibility seem to add cover for the ghost fish and it adds just the right amount of an eerie feeling to it.

It’s just a Tuna…

Some say that it’s just a big tuna fish or perhaps a seal. It might even be a great white, we’ve seen more than our fair share of those lately. I’m not sure what the ghost is but I’m going to keep trying to land it. I have to find out what’s out there. Someday I’ll find out.

Got a story about the one that got away? We’d love to hear about it.

Until next time, tight lines and smooth seas.

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