Dispatches from fly fishing for striped bass and more along the Jersey Shore and the Delaware River theaverageangler.com 732.261.7291 colin@theaverageangler.com
A quick forming set of tornados came through Bucks County PA and jumped the river at Washingtons Crossing passing just east, by blocks, of our house in Titusville. Power outages, downed trees, and structural damage are evident throughout the area was the storms path headed down Route 295 before losing its steam. I had left for Cape May before the storm so Theresa had to batten down the hatches and protect the chickens from the blow.
What I did find when light showed up was a jellyfish hatch that covered the beach scarp and my fly with just about each cast. By the time I left and the tide was midway, there was a sheen on the water and the water column was full of them from top to bottom. I looked it up and found them to be salps, which belong to the family tunicates, and are more related to human beings than jellyfish, although that it was they look like. They are usually in long chains, but separate as they drift into shallow water and in the breaking surf. (Source HERE)
I casted to areas that looked fishy and at one pit saw something a little on the large side pushing some water along the bank. I gave chase, for a little bit, but after slogging my way through the muck in Alabama-like humidity I gave up. This beat would definitely be better accessed with a kayak, where you could start on the incoming tide and then float with the ebb all the way down to the main river.
I didn't have a bump, and from what I hear there are no bumps, just swings and misses or heart stopping blow-ups. They say August is prime time so maybe there's some time from me to learn something just enough to find one of these toothy critters. They say they are great eating......we'll see.
They have live music and a good crowd throughout the day. We scored a bar seat at 430 but after that it was a wait, and 1-1/2 hour waits to get in on the busy days and times isn't unheard of.
One word of caution. Make sure you eat while you are there. Its the kind of place where you can forget the drink counts and before you know it you'll be a little wobbly. So have a designated driver or an Uber card ready just in case you need it. You can see more on their Facebook page HERE.
This summer we have enjoyed some normalcy, well at least corona normal. While the numbers are down from spring and now into summer there has been an uptick across the county of cases. The virus is kind of like waiting for albies to show up, you see none or less in the summer, and then in the fall they show up, and then show in good numbers.
A lot, not all, of people have been vaccinated. I know it has wrecked several members of my family, including myself. Those with preexisting conditions, especially those with autoimmune disorders, are susceptible to having more side effects then those who don't. The reactions are a case by case basis, who cannot broad stroke this one away.
I am not an antivaxxer. I fell in line and got in myself. According to the Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy Covid vaccines are 99.9% effective at preventing disease and 99.9993% effective at preventing deaths among the 4.4 million people in New Jersey who are vaccinated, which is about half of the state's population. With that, there have been 31 deaths of fully vaccinated people due to covid through June.
What does that mean? In my opinion. Numbers will increase as the fall and flu season arrives. Business and schools will go into, not panic but prevention mode, and will make mask mandates at first voluntary and then mandatory again. The Governor will order a state of emergency. Unemployment benefits will continue. Schools, at first thought to go in-person only, will have so much push-back from parents they will be forced to go hybrid with a virtual option and then close so often due to actual or suspected cases they will be closed several times a month. And as far as the colleges go, don't get too excited dropping the kids off to college, the mandatory vaccine requirements will wreak havoc and the college experience will not go as planned.
And then there's work. People, at least those with a stable household with normal spouses and kids, and climate control, have enjoyed working from home. Business are up in the air, they don't have the control, still have to pay out the overheads, but haven't seen that much of a dip in productivity. But they are scared their employees will jet for greener pastures if they make in-person mandatory again. Its like the inmates are running the asylums.
While we are seeing people down the beach, restaurants and bars full, and travel and airlines moving more people across the country each day, the abrupt stop is coming. It's just a matter of when.
It sounds like I'm a Danny-downer. This week Provincetown moved to reintroduce mandatory mask zones in their tourist laden town. States will start to try and lock down and protect their states, balancing the thin line of a tourist season money grab and public health. When one state does it the next will follow, and the later the season gets the "stronger and tougher" they will be, after the banks are full with the tourists cash.
Soon the push for people to get the flu shot will begin. Once only available at your doctor's office, now at the pharmacy, places like WaWa and Chic-Fill-A will be ready to jam you in the arm. And there's the booster shot for the covid vaccine, not here yet, but coming.
For me, it doesn't matter if Trump or Biden is in office. Every person will have their angle or skew. But I fear its going to get worse out here. Yes, maybe they won't be storing bodies in box trucks outside hospitals like we did last year, but people will still die, life as we know it today will no be come the fall and winter. Stay safe and hopefully the grim reaper doesn't make an appointment to visit you or your family anytime soon. I hope I am wrong on this one.
Summer fishing has settled in. Summer is more about if the fish are there rather than the expertise of the angler. Obviously some skills help, but the really only way you're going to catch is to become part of the grind which is summer fishing, which is mostly for fluke and striped bass.
The grind is fishing just about everyday. Early mornings or late evenings. Some days none, some days one, and every now and then a few. The summer gauge is keeper sized, 28" for the bass and 18" for the fluke. Its hard to just come and catch one of those days where the fish are there, if it happens great, but you should keep your expectations low.
Today the expectations were low. End of the outgoing with dead low about 630 and a SW-W wind that helped push out the water. The beat we were on kept some water, there just wasn't much for fish there. We each managed a 17+" fish, but it didn't hit that 18" mark so they went back. Leif saw some bait and something of a predator species chasing it, maybe a bass, blue, fluke, or a cow nosed ray, which we should start seeing in the shallows. If you've caught one and landed it, then you're probably like me, and good with that.
Leif Pettersen photo
I think I'm done for the summer. I've really had a great spring and early summer. I can't wait for the cooler temperatures of the fall. Today getting up at 230 AM to be on the beach at 4 is just a killer.
If you've been to Wildwood boardwalk then "Watch the tram car please...." is something that your brain will never release from memory and haunt you for the rest of your life.
Last night it was watch out for the trains. Hit the Manasquan a few hours before hight tide, just after the storm blew through New Jersey. I contemplated going to the beach, which is like a Pavlovian response when I'm going fishing, but I didn't know what the rain and runoff did so I just veered south off 195.
Spent a few hours hitting spots along the tracks, around the dock lights, and along Dog Beach. Saw some bait, nothing on it, but it was nice to try a different place. I have had good times down there in the summer but not last night.
I finally made it out with the fly rod. I was like a fish out of water. I picked a bridge, then picked a sedge bank, and made some casts. And that was it. Hit the channel. And that was it. One morning Erin took a ride with me and we found the inlet near where the Cape May-Lewes ferry heads over to Delaware, and we made a few casts into the stained water. The southwest wind was pushing everything into the inlet. No fish, half ass effort, but I can finally say I fly fished in Cape May.
Our place is looking sweet. Work continues. Today ordered the new "central a/c". Need to ordered another 10 tons of white stone top do the back forty. When the place is lit up at night its a really cool hang. We are very lucky to have scored this place. Its Cape Island Resort if you're looking for a place down the shore.
