05.17.21 Nothing in the salt but the river is alive....

     Well back from Texas and time to start fishing around work. Sun day morning dead low at sunrise in the salt and it was a pretty morning and that was it. Hard to find water on this beat so it was climbing out to the front of the groin and fishing left and right of the tip. Bunker was splashing happily around a ways out with nothing on them. The bass and blues bite seems to be more of an ocean county thing, for now. 

     In the river on the higher tide the small schoolies seem to have set up shop and are eager to eat flies. These aren't the fish I'm looking for as several river sharpies say May and June is a great time to get into 26-32" fish, early light, and even on topwater. It's hard to leave fish to find fish so I'll

enjoy it out here while it lasts. I'm tempted to pair down my rod sizes, going to a 9 and 8 weight, however throwing the 450 calls for a heavier rod. The heavier rods are not so much for the fish size, but being able to get the flies down where they have to be to be presented properly. 

     Early this AM I tried the popper without a tap but did get the below fish to cooperate with a smaller Andrew fly at the upper part of the flood tide. Water temps are holding below 60, but that should change with the hot spell that is coming this week.