You know it's one of those things. Either you wait to hear reports or you go and make them. The only way to really know and catch a bite is by putting time in and hoping it pays off, or by getting a call when the blitz is on, but I prefer sceanrio number one.
I learned two huge things last night. Not new things, but re-learned things I already knew, or should have known. Let's see if you can figure them out. So number one. I haven't been down in the salt for awhile so with Theresa at the REO Speedwagon/Styxx/Loverboy concert with her friends in Jones Beach I figured this was my night to go.
So I checked the tide chart and with the 1049 PM high tide I'd catch and fish the entire outgoing. So I left Trenton at 10 pm and.....splash, boom, bang. When I got there the water looked like someone had pulled the drain plug, a long time ago. A quick check.....low tide was at 1049....idiot!
I did a lot of walking, and then some driving, and had the start of the incoming. Tons of bait, which is no surprise as all the waters I have scouted on from Monmouth to Cape May Counties are loaded with bait. Tides are one of the most importsant factors when fishing, and that's tidal in the fresh or salt waters. Especially if there's no water around your ankles when you're looking to fish.
But on the flood tide it was game on, for fishing, and not catching. Oh the bass were there, crashing tiny bait and chasing it up into the skinny water, sometimes down near my feet. What you would see is the v-wake, then the sound of rain falling, then the swirl and the blow-up on the bait. There were some blues in there, but what I mostly saw, and heard were bass. I was using a black Gurgler and small black baitfish hung off the back, and didn't get a hit. Soo much bait, so little time, as once they came up and in and were active it was game over before I could drop a fly in the area.
And for lesson number two. You know when you're so excited to start fishing and you drop your shoes next to your truck and tell yourself, "I'll get it later". Well, don't do that. Bend over and get the shoes(s) right then and there. Otherwise you might get to spot number two and when you're done for the night, your shoe is at spot number one. There goes my favorite Crocs, the fancy ones, the one with the leather tops. Maybe it was time for them to go, they were green from mowing the lawn and the bottoms worn out. Every stone I hit felt like I was stepping on a Lego.
I was back east and in near or in the water from 11pm to 230am. Just as I was heading west the heavens opened up with some very much needed rain. It was a good trip, I just wish I could read the tide charts correctly. Start thinking about the fall, and the moons coming up, and the TIDES!
I spent Sunday morning driving from my house up to Lake Ariel, PA. Why? Why drive 118 miles each way and sepnd four + hours in a truck without A/C? Because Facebook Marketplace made me do it. So I bought, well traded, for my curent truck a few months back. 2002, 230,000 miles, who knows how long it will last. I'm not going to throw a ton of money into so when it came to search for new tires, well the Marketplace was my first and only stop. A quick check of the internet shows why
The above picture is before I touched the rim. What I can tell you early on, it is not an easy task. My first go with a drill with a wire brush attachment was too aggressive, and getting any remaining clear coat off is a bitch, and forget about the inside...well see. The reason why getting tires is so important. Work? No. Personal safety? No. It's for me and Leif's trips to Island Beach State Park this
up coming fall. I know that's a few months away, but that's about how long I think this will take, if I even have any fingers left to tie on a fly. Maybe I'll drop one off at his house for a little help.