I saw yesterday a spike in water temperature so with patients not coming in until mid-morning I figured I'd give it a go. A quick look at todays USGS website shows the water temperature dropped a few degrees overnight, which I think can turn off the fishing, not that its really on yet.
One thing that I have learned and witnessed first hand, probably something I never have when fishing before, it how quick a bide tide flows and ebbs. The tidal line here in Trenton lies somewhere between the Trenton Makes and Calhoun Street bridge. Below the Amtrak bridge is where you can watch and wait and quickly see what a nine foot tide looks like. Its about a little over one foot per hour. If you've ever stood in the water waving a fly rod, you know how time just goes without noticing. well, when you take a shot and wade out on the near or dead low tide, you better watch your surroundings very closing. Its not just the incoming water you have to worry about, its also the force of the water around you that you'll have to wade your way out of.
I met up with a guy on kayak, I could tell he was in the know. He started way out over in what was left of the bigger water and worked his way back, with both a fly and spinning rod. He didn't catch anything, but "knows a guy who knows a guy" who said decent striped bass are being caught now. So I'll keep trying, waiting for he males and females to arrive and the resident fish to wake up and start biting.
For a laugh I thought I'd post the migration map courtesy of One The Water magazine. It shows that 20 punters, 30 inches and 30 pounders are making their way past Rancocos Creek and should be arriving any day into Trenton, thats if they get past the Maryland and Delaware commercial fleet that continue to decimate the breeding stock.