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Bluefish (Should) Fear Him – 10 Fish In 20 Minutes

Bluefish Woods Hole
Written by Brian Tarcy

WOODS HOLE – Joe Walsh wanted albacore. He got bluefish. They were not in a barrel, and he did not have a gun… but it was sort of like that.

This fish story really happened. No, really. When Walsh, 35, of Sandwich arrived near the pier behind the National Marine Fisheries Service, he was looking for albacore, which, he said, “are just fun to catch.” (SEE SLIDE SHOW BELOW)

Bluefish Woods Hole

Joe Walsh of Sandwich. CAPE COD WAVE PHOTO

Mike Tucker, 51, a property manager in Woods Hole, was also fishing for albacore. He was nearby, on the pier.

“They are known as incredible battlers and they are very fast.

They are a very fun fish to catch and a beautiful looking fish to boot,” said Tucker. Tucker did not catch any albacore. He saw a couple of other fishermen on the pier catch one. Tucker, instead, caught a few bluefish, he said.

Bluefish Woods Hole

A flying fish? CAPE COD WAVE PHOTO

So did Walsh.

Walsh had spent much of the day fishing at the Cape Cod Canal before he decided to head to Woods Hole for a few casts.

The canal, said Walsh, 35, a plasterer, “was absolutely dead.”

This spot was the opposite of that, at least for bluefish.

Bluefish Woods Hole

The first nine bluefish Walsh caught. CAPE COD WAVE PHOTO

It was somewhat amazing to watch as he threw a cast and then reeled in a fish. Every other cast, it seemed, he caught a bluefish and then lifted it in the air to land on the lawn behind him. 

“I can only keep ten,” he said. “That’s all we’re allowed to keep,” said Walsh, just after he caught his tenth fish.

He planned to use the bluefish as bait to fish for tuna or sand shark later from the beach. Pointing to the fish he caught, Walsh said, “That’s a bunch of chum right there.”

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About the author

Brian Tarcy

Brian Tarcy is co-founder of Cape Cod Wave. He is a longtime journalist who has written for the Boston Globe, Boston magazine, the Cape Cod Times and several other publications. He is the author of "YOU CAN'T SELL RIGHT FIELD; A Cape Cod Novel." He is also the author or co-author of more than a dozen mostly non-fiction books, including books with celebrity athletes Cam Neely, Tom Glavine and Joe Theisman. His previous book was, "ALMOST: 12 Electric Months Chasing A Silicon Valley Dream" with Hap Klopp,who created the iconic brand, The North Face.
For more information, see Briantarcy.com
Brian is a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan with a long-running NFL predictions/political satire column connecting weekly world events to the fate of his favorite team, now at Whatsgonnahappen.com.

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