First from our family at The Average Angler to yours, Happy Thanksgiving and the start to a great holiday season. Earlier this week I predicted that if your were going to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, then sadly you would miss great fishing here at home. Well, hopefully you had a great time on 5th Ave, in New York City that is. I was out way before first, false, or any sign of light. Absolute beautiful morning. Conditions weren't super- slight NE wind, flat water, gin clear, not a sign of anything.
Started out with a few guys on the end of Brighton Ave in Deal, we had a couple of laughs and that was about it. We did more watching and waiting then blind casting. I counted 26 guys in Deal, not a fish, not a sun dial, not a herring, not a short. I made my way south back to Asbury Park, zilch, from 3 am on. Then I decided since it was 730 am to head up to Sea Bright, where there was some mention of a possibility of a sighting of one fish, maybe within the last two weeks. So I made some stops along the way, Pullman, Park, Takanasee, Monmouth Beach, and finally Sea Bright. Same conditions. Incoming tide with high around 930. Tons of stationary boats at the Shrewsbury Rocks. There wasn't anything to see or do. I did spend some time fishing, or casting, off those short groins behind the municipal parking lot, and the much needed Johnny on the Spots they have there, thank you Sea Bright.
I was following some reports from down south and according to Betty and Nicks they had great fishing in Seaside Park, near the piers, where I was two days ago, down into Island Beach State Park. They reported that Bob Popovics caught a 30 pounder, of course on the fly rod.
So we will continue to wait for the next bunch of fish to leave New York and show up. It seems they may leave New York, show up here for a minute or two, but land some where in that Mantoloking to Barnegat Stretch with a little more regularity and for a longer duration. I'd like to see how those boats did today. They were out there in bunches, and not moving much.