Someone asked me a few weeks ago "How do you like your new adventure?", I think the above image says it all. There has been something lacking in my life for years now and I kind have figured out what it is. I like team. I like teaching. I like helping others develop and be the best they can be, and mostly that involves them helping others. The last time I felt that was when I was a Captain in the Newark Fire Department. Since then it has been a journey of pretty much one-man-show jobs, or
careers for some, working solo as a photographer, fly fishing guide, and owning a private mental health practice. There is also something top be said about owning your own business, and the three careers I stated previously were all private and owned by me. I'm not a businessman. I'm a disorganized mess. I've realized I am just a worker. Swipe in, do my job, swipe out, get paid every two weeks with the taxes taken out. But anyway, I was blessed to lead off with a great group of young soon-to-be nurses. They were great and I look to help more do good work for others.
So, let's talk fishing. Few things that are really, like, have me shaking my head. No realize, the joy I get in seeing other peoples posts and reading articles about striped bass isn't to chase the reports, as much as it is learning and following striped bass. While, for years, I was fascinated about the beach and the migration along the East Coast, I am now intrigued about striped bass waters inland of that. So, after a relatively mild winter, following an insane amount of fish active up until the third week of December, its no surprise that many strayed the course and hunkered down till now. What I am shocked at is the
solid, good class of fish that winter over. Above is my friend Gerry, as true sharpie as they call them, fly and spin fisherman. plug builder and fly tier, and just a hardcore angler, and he opened it up with a solid day, the same day and time, and we were kind of in the same waters. Now, I know, and at times use it as a great excuse, "Well those weren't fly rod fish", but sometimes that is true, especially early season. But back to the fish, so Gerry catches fish to 32 inches. That's about an 8 year old fish that weighs average about 14 pounds. That's a horny teenager. Is there a natal ground in the Toms River? Barnegat Bay? I don't think so if you talk about fresh water, salinity, bouncy, ect. They will that fish come out of the Barnegat Bay, take a right and hit the Delawar? Or make a right and hit the Hudson? Or maybe stop in one of the smaller rivers along the way? This is what fascinates me about striped bass.
I am not to be that guy that just posts other peoples social media posts, although it makes blogging easier. But the other post from Paul Michael really tells me a few things, there is a strong early season population outside of the Raritan Bay, this guy is pretty hardcore, and there are peanut bunker around this early in the year. While his fish, a lot off them over the last three days have been on worms, Gerry had them on atrificials. The next week or so we should see water temps in the bays and rivers quickly hit above 45 degrees. This morning, even with a cold blow coming from the north last night, we are holding at 40 degrees, after hitting 42 in the afternoon yesterday.
And just a warning for those that hate to see it, the kill shots are coming soon! As well as the bad fish pictures. The charter captains are going to be jump starting the season, and rather than the April launch date, it will be more around St Patrick's Day, its hammer time and the striped bass are going to get hammered once again. Let's see how conservation-concerned-proactive the charter captains are when they institute a catch and release only policy for their own boats...or maybe the ASMFC will make early season fishing-in-a-bowel spots like the Raritan Bay catch and release only, yeah right.