Saturday, March 30, 2019

03.28.19 Wrong tide and time but nice to get out....



      Busy spring as school is winding down to the last month and the lease is up for the apartment in Red Bank. The weather was supposed to be nice and although my window of opportunity put me on the water around 8 am and on the low tide it felt good to find my gear in the basement, put on the no-leaking Simms waders, and give it a go. 

     Found a few guys soaking clams and worms and they were enjoying just being out than catching. I found the bar that came off the flat and worked the area for about 45 minutes before heading in. Action has started to heat up in the bay for the die hards. Mostly smaller fish on the beaches but guys out in the boats are finding marks. These fish tend to be bottom hanging and looking down thats why bait makers, bunker chances, clams, and worms, do better than flies early season. 


     One thing I remembered while out in the water, remember, if you are like me and have a stripping basket set-up for the bay and beach make sure you grab the right one. I grabbed the one with holes, which isn't perfect when wading up to your waist. The water intrusion just make the fly line float and adds resistance when shooting line out of the basket. This week we should see a warm-up and the low er tide mornings will make the flood tides onto a warm muddy bottom better for fishing in the afternoon. Enjoy!



Wednesday, March 27, 2019

03.27.19 Almost time.....


    And so it begins. I grabbed the above picture off social media of an early season schoolies that fell for a clam. Its usually bait that gets the early worm, with worms one of the baits that gets the early fish eating. The bay is starting to heat up and the bunker have already started to invade with early reports of bass following them in. 


     Last week we had a huge bunker kill in the Shrewsbury as either the bigger fish or seals had chased the large number of aunt bunker in and depleted the oxygen levels causing them to die. Below is a grab of the water temps in the Raritan Bay in Keansburg and I like to see that we are almost at 50 degrees depending on the tide. Tomorrow I might have a shot at getting the waders on and giving it a shot. It will be nice to just walk the sand and make some casts in the western part of the bay. 

Monday, March 4, 2019

03.01.19 Rivers and bays are open......


    It's time! Now the rivers and bays are open so early season striped bass fishing has begun. Above is the first of the year legal bass taken from the Mullica River and weighed in at the Absecon Sportsman's Center on March 1st. Guys our soaking worms and clams will have the first shot at the fish and in a few more weeks the fly anglers will get their shot. 

     There seems to be a growing population of anglers realizing the poor numbers of striped bass out there and are at least considering catch and release. Below is a screen grab from Facebook showing what happens when commercial anglers find the fish. I still don't know how the species survives and the with their heads in the sand can't see that something has to be done regarding responsible harvesting. I say, 'Make it a game fish".


     I'm gearing up for the spring ready to take first timers and experienced anglers alike out for some fun on the sand or on the boat. The goal isn't to just catch fish, but to learn the sport, improve you casting, learn about the species, and have fun. Call 732 261 7291 or email me to book a trip. School's done in April and I'll be brain free and ready to fish.