So let me preface this past by asking you to read a few paragraphs down in the last post. It read like this, "In the next two weeks anglers will be partcipating in the "other" fall run. When 24-34" striped bass make their way tighter to the beach most likely in pursuit of the peanut bunker." I wrote that after taking a shower and getting gussied up to take the drive with Theresa to Mcloone's at Peir Village for my old co-workers retirement party.
Before we left I thought to myself, "Should I bring my gear?". Nah, what would be the sense. Chance of catching blitzing bass....zero. Messing up my wifes car....better. Wanting to stay if it looked good but knowing the night was about my friend.....reality. I also thought of bringing my old professional camera with the long lens in case something was happening. Nah, just why?
(I love the guy on the left, dressed for a night out on the town, with expensive Bruno Magli shoes.)
I should have had some money in my pocket for a night out and just taken the Parkway to Exit 105 coming north but as usual I only had a few singles on me. Because I always take the same route when fishing and I know there is a Wells Fargo on Deal Road. So I'll take Route 18, hit the bank, stop at Pullman, and then hit McCloone's. When we pulled onto Pullman Ave there were a few cars and trucks but it looked like normal beach traffic. I nosed up, like I did on Blitz-O-Ween in 2014,
and saw the same sight. Big bass on the beach blowing up on peanut bunker. It was game on. Sadly, I hd no gear and didn't have a good camera to catch the action in front of me so I had to rely on an iPhone. Once you zoom in there is no quality to the image, so basically I didn't get anything good.
Again when I got there there were four guys fishing and that quickly went to 6 and then 8 and then when I left it was about a dozen. When it started I heard a guy yell to another guy, "Put that f'in phone away". I am sure there was a mix of fish but I saw a bunch caught and three big bass, over 30 pounds landed and the same size and bigger blowing up on the bunker which at times was literally in the wash. It was the perfect sceanrio for the fly rodder, bass in tight with really no other anglers in sight. I walked up and down and the beach and there was plenty of stretches with plenty of fish and no one fishing. I knew I had to split and didn't want to get blocked in as the word got out but something a beach down catch my eye. It looked cute so I took a quick walk.
I watched as a young couple was on the beach with mom and baby watching Dad fish. He went tight when the bass pushed the peanuts in close and I was able to take a nice family photo before he walked the fish back into the water. These weren't your 20-26" young and aggressive schoolies chasing bait, these were the jumbos you just wait and pray for. You may get this a few times in your lifetime if you are someone who fishes when they can and not chase the blitzes and cell phone tips from your buds.
I stayed for about a half and hour, tipped Leif off but he couldn't go, that's another story, and tipped my hat to what I had just witnessed. It was Halloween 2014 again, 8 years and 4 days later. After the party I walked down to the water and the birds were active, and there was bass blowing up still on the peanuts. It will be interesting what today will bring on the mid-Monmouth beaches. It's Saturday, and if word got out and they are still around it may be a shit show, or not.
