Schools out but its a busy time of year for everyone. Yesterday I had the pleasure of a proud dad as I watched Juliet walk and graduate from FIT at Radio City Music Hall. So Juliet and I have walked, her sister Sara graduated today with her Doctorate in Spanish, and then Erin moves up to high school next month. Its a great feeling to watch as your kids reach and surpass life milestones.
Today I had a break in the action and ran down to the river in between buts of rain and the dreaded honey-do-list. I fished the usual spot but then decided to explore the skinny pocket water upstream a bit. I am glad that I did. I have fished pocket water before. From the New Jersey trout rivers to water behind my once house on the West Branch of the Ausable River in New York. But today was the first time I high stuck my way around the rock field for striped bass! And they didn't disappoint.
While I am still in the hunt for some bass over 28 inches I found it a blast landing a half a dozen in the fast water. One came on a good cast and drift just on the inside seam behind a large rock. I saw the flash and the take which made someone like me, who is more visual than not, very excited. I watched a solo angler in a jet boat find a honey hole as he picked in between the bridge piers.
It really is fun finding a new fishery and having to deal with the river flows and a tide at the same time. It creates different opportunities in different parts of the river some close to each other due to the tide line which ends in the stretch that I fish. So, over here its river fly, and just over there its river flow and tide, with a tidal range up to 9 feet depending on how much water is around.
I have been hitting it mostly during the day on the ebb tides and need to try when the water is up and the light has faded. Problem is with water up access is limited and the backcast becomes an issue. Today I was roll casting my fly into the pockets, and hope to do some more pickin' soon.
