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Here is a lesson I learned today.
Had the day off. Too windy to boat fish today, too rough or wrong tides for a predawn effort at the usual shore spot. Couldn't bring myself to drive to Sandwich and go scouting. Depressing, so I started cleaning the cellar. By 11am I couldn't stand it so I took the dog for a walk. Took a rod and a few plugs.
Horrible conditions. Slack high, screaming SW wind, dense rain, mid day, no bait.
First cast I catch the largest bluefish I've caught in years.....maybe 16 lbs. Then 4-5 small bass. Hey, this looks good all of a sudden. So I plug a mile of rocky shore with loads of structure.....nothing. Get to a sand swimming beach.....boom....another blue probably 14+lbs (picture).
Now I am happy, the tide is ebbing, nearby are a couple of jetties one which fishes well on the ebb. I walk to them and carefully fish them the way I know best....nothing but a few misses (probably decent blues again). So out of boredom I throw a cast cross wind and skitter the pencil past a rock pile between the jetties where in 40 years I have never raised a fish and usually ignore. KABOOM!!! One of the largest striped bass I have ever seen jumped that plug and rolled all over it. Got a great look at it. More likely 50 than 40 lbs. I missed it, then missed a 30lb fish following it, and then hooked a 3lb fish in the aftermath, which was retrieved and unhooked faster than any 3 lb fish in history......all to no avail. Chance blown.
I go to really great extents to put myself in prime striped bass spots at prime times. Yet one of the best fish I am ever likely to have a shot at, shows up at 1 in the afternoon on a dark day with too much wind, dead water, and in a spot I considered garbage, at a time I wouldn't ever choose to fish seriously.
Live and learn, and remember, you don't learn unless you step beyond what you know.
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