Aaahhhh....nice to be home. Had the alarm set for 445 a.m. figuring that after a quick coffee stop I would be arriving at the beach just as the tide started to flood. Found the beach empty except for an angler plugging off the front of a neighboring groin and another soaking bugs just off a productive cusp.
I was looking for some early morning striped bass that may be up looking for a meal. They're around, it just takes patience this time of year. I worked the south sides of the groin as the NW wind made casting into the white water a little easier. I stayed with a chartreuse and white Clouser before moving to the beach and then another set of rocks.
On my third cast I connected with a short fluke and then caught seven within a 30' radius using identical casts, drifts, and retrieves. The above fish taped out just shy of 20 inches and made the trip home for dinner tonight. The best part of the morning came when my inquisitive seven year old Erin wanted to watch intently as I filleted the fish. Afterwards we dissected it and went through a quick anatomy and physiology lesson about fish coloring, shape, and how food is ingested and digested, and how the fish breathes. That interaction was priceless.
It's a great time of year to explore fly fishing the Jersey salt. You can wet wade and cast to fluke and striped bass that are roaming or are set up in the sloughs and troughs just below the wash. More importantly starting or polishing up your fly fishing skills now will put you in a great place come fall when fly fishing for striped bass, bluefish and albies comes into it's own.
Walk and wade trips are $200 for one angler for four hours and $300 for two, with drinks, snacks, and use of equipment and flies included. Call 732.261.7291 to set up a trip.