So there's no chance of wondering where I was, I went to Perth Amboy. No spot burn guys. I could have went to Belford, Sandy Hook, Sea Bright, Long Branch, Deal, Manasquan River, ect. If you read here then you are in the know. Now you may not know that one little alley that leads to a spot for one, but you know the general area, or at least you should.
Started the night blind casting a popper. There was no wind, it was 1-1/2 hours into the ebb tide, and the water was flat. If there was any action anywhere in the water column you would have seen it. So I went with the popper hoping to raise something, nada. Then I went to a Ugly Ass Fly, then had a Snake Fly tied off the back before making the move. Surprisingly I was the only guy out, until I moved.
This was the most anglers I have seen out fishing all fall. Spread out, doing there thing, plenty of room to walk and cast. So again, no sign of subsurface activity, or anything on top. Not a swirl, blow up, sound. Well the only sound was the sound of the rod-tip bells going off when guys got a bite or reeled in a fish or to change out their baits. And the yells of a pair of kayakers fishing the deeper channels after they hooked up, once I heard, "Thats a good fish".
As I walked the beach I found many bunker, not peanuts and not jumbos, but the 6-9 inch variety. Funny how you go from peanuts to bigger bunker in a few weeks time. As I walked I would stop and try and talk to some guys, but the language barrier for almost all prevented easy conversation. Two guys let me take a picture of a pair of keepers they had just caught on what looked like tape worms, long ones.
I saw five fish caught, all keepers, four on bait and one on a shad, the last released back into the water. So as the tide dropped I found myself walking away from the pack and onto a shallow flat which took me way out past the fishing piers. As I walked and blind casted I looked and saw what I thought was bait swimming around me. I took off my flashlight and readied my camera and when I turned it on I
saw tons of bunker swimming untouched in the shallow water. So then I thought well maybe the big fish are patrolling the outer portion off the flat, and surely you would see some sign of predation, but that never happened.
I took a long walk west and then back, and then north, looking for signs of life with about an hour left in the outgoing. I was tempted to stay for the incoming but I was happy for what I learned and what I saw. There is so much more to learn about these fish and their habits and migration. It's not just the crashing of the fish that I like, sometimes its just finding them and putting their puzzle together.
While I haven't been able to get in on the crazy bite in the bays and rivers this fall due to my boat issues I have been watching, and learning, and will offer my thoughts, which some people may already know, in and upcoming post.