The Striper Bass are out there! Even in the rain...

I've been catching small striper bass in Narrow River which lies between Narraganset and South Kinstown. I usually fish with a friend or my son pictured here on Father's Day with a 24 inch striper we pulled in just off the seawall in the Pier. We also caught a small but strong bluefish and both are safely back in the Ocean. Of course you all know we have had a serious amount of rain lately. I thought it would be wise to run the engine and charge the battery so the bilge pump would keep going. I took the boat out of the river mouth and buzzed along the beach on a glorious break in the weather. My experience has been that the fishing is usually not that good after heavy rains. I have no statistics to back this up of course but it has been my experience over the years. But what the heck, why not drop a line in the water while I charge the battery right? I was trolling an umbrella rig along the seawall relaxing and enjoying the view not really expecting anything to happen. It is quite peaceful out there watching the hustle and bustle of the seawall activity from that perspective. All of a sudden I heard the familiar (or not that familiar) clicking noise of the reel and heard the line being peeled away. I thought "oh no the rig has snagged the bottom" so I put the boat in neutral and grabbed the rod from the rod holder. I quickly realized it was not the bottom because of the bouncing of the rod. I thought maybe it was several small fish (bass or blues) which does happen periodically with the umbrella rigs. Or maybe? Maybe it was a big striper...which immediately got my heart pumping faster. It was at this moment I realized I was alone and neglected to prepare the net. If the event had been filmed it would have made for a good comedy. After some time I got the fish to the side of the boat. I held it there with one hand and unbungied the net from the side of the boat and then tried to extend the handle. I was eventually successful (as you can see) but was laughing at myself while nervously trying not to lose the fish. I filet the 36 inch striper and gave it to friends and family who reported that it was a delicious fish. Some were lucky enough to cook it only an hour after I pulled it out of the water. This is a nice way to get your seafood...