Die-hard shore whipper Matthew reviews the past year is such rich detail, it’s hard to believe he’s *just” a 10th grader.

Matthew: 2021 was an interesting year. Whether you’re glad or sad that it’s over, Happy 2022, and may this year be better than those in the past. In terms of fishing, it was a very up and down year. Meaning, when it was good, it was great, but when it was bad, it was BAD. For some reason, there was no in-between in 2021. In the summer of 2021 (after many months of horrendous fishing), a rather unexpected surge of big fish took the fishing community by surprise. More big fish were being pulled up than ever before, and many benefited from this uncommon event. I landed my personal best papio, then again, then again, and then again. In other words, they just kept getting bigger. The oio bite was also flourishing, and many took those opportunities. The Halalu run may have been one of the best in the past couple of years. However, the Oama run arrived late, and when it did, it was rather underwhelming. 

But, the summer of 2021 was amazing. It warmed the hearts of many fishermen whose fruitless spring efforts had finally paid off. It was by far my best summer and according to some of my friends, their best summer as well. Too bad summer can’t last forever…

Once August closed out, so did the bite. Just like a switch was flicked, the Papio bite suddenly turned dry, all but one oio spot (for me) dried up completely, and the bad weather started to pour in. In fact, that bad weather still is plaguing many fishermen currently (written 1/2/22). The after effects of this current storm will probably leave the flats muddy and unfishable for at least a week or two. It may change the structure of some spots, shifting sand and mud to places they weren’t before. 

Anyways, that one last Oio spot that I continued to hit until probably around November dried up eventually, and so did my hopes of landing my personal best before the end of the year. I tried moving to different spots, but all I could really find were rats, with maybe one 5# oio mixed in every once in a while. The Papio bite continued to stymie anyone’s efforts who actually bothered to try. Many were hoping for a change of pace in December, and that’s what they got. It got even worse. December may have been the worst month of fishing that I have ever experienced. I was able to pull a few Oio out of it, but absolutely nothing in terms of Papio. Many of my friends shared the same struggles as I did. 

So, new year, new fish? Maybe? I still haven’t gone fishing yet this year due to the thunderstorms. ****I will go fishing in any amount of rain and wind, still stubbornly casting away, but the moment thunder is heard, I don’t want anything to do with it. Don’t mess with thunderstorms if you’re holding something that’s basically a lightning conductor in your hand.****

Hopefully we’ll see reason to believe that 2022 will be a better year for fishing. Whatever happens, the summer of 2021 will go down as one of the best summers for fishing ever, if not the best, and the winter will go down as one of the worst. Maybe 2022 is due for a little more consistency (it really does owe us some!). Have fun out there, stay safe, and tight lines.