Well here's the current situation. Thanksgiving in less than two weeks and the below pic is of my kitchen. We are having the whole family over. It's crunch time. Luckily, in one way, things are slow with the office, fishing trips, and wood splitting. Helps me for time to play Bob the Builder but not when it comes to counting the Benjamins ($$$). Today I had to make the trip to Red Bank to pick up my daughter from school and take her for a bite to eat. I had to work on the kitchen in the AM but left a tad early to hit the beach.
I left at 1130 which put me at Marine Place at 1230. It was outgoing, flat, and no signs of birds or bait. Did the next stops. Pullman. Rosa Maria or whatever it is. Little Monmouth. Ship Ahoy. Lot C. Went back down to Tradewinds and just figured I'd make a few casts. Boats out aways. Birds working from time to time. Boring.
It was about 145 when I started to check my watch. Guys scattered up and down the beach every 1000 feet. Didn't see anyone catching. Then I saw the birds in front of Donovans out about 1/4 mile, then 800 feet, moving north, and fast. I looked down at my watch it was 2 o'clock. Pickup is at 230.
So I hurried to Ship Ahoy and when I pulled up three guys were just leaving, unaware what was about to happen on the beach. I jumped over the parking lot barrier and hurried across the sand. The birds were just over the bar and the bass were chasing peanuts. It was 221. There was one guy there and I was number 2, soon to be joined by over a dozen. I usually don't repeat pics in the posts but it helps the story. Knowing I was short on time and knowing the bait and birds were heading north this was it for me.....get it done in a few casts and leave. It was now 219.
I made my way down the trough and up onto the bar. There were still some bass chasing but most had moved north and the fisherman did also. You can see that I am alone on the bar. Before I left I took this pic which is grainy and out of focus because its from a distance but you can see the fish trapping bait on the beach. Some older guys didn't give chase and just stayed put others went with the birds. I wish I could have stayed and played the fish on the fly game, but not today.
This weekend will be a blowout as 30 plus mph winds will blow from the NE. That will shut the peanut run down, IMHO, and then we will have to see if the early winter sand eel and herring fishery kicks in. Boats are still on them but I'm going if I don't have someone paying me to go, besides, its an all day affair and I just don't have the time. Below is a pic from Betty and Nicks FB page sowing a kept fish from the beach....sand eels!
And this fish.....oh this fish. 67 pounds weighed in at a Staten Island tackle shop. What do you do with that fish? If its not for a fish-of-a-lifetime skin mount then, to me, its a total waste. Outside of this fish, don't think that guys aren't putting abetting on these fish this fall. People know posting pics of dead fish isn't cool these days, but, outside of the words that say "released" "played catch and release" and "let them go to swim another day" there are still dead ones in the cooler and a more fitting wordage would be "release in the grease".
