I really don't know if it's that I actually like to fish. Like do I like hooking and fighting a fish and then messing it all up while unhooking it and then releasing for it to hopefully live. Or is it a mild version of man vs beast where in my mind there is some domination over said fish. To me, I think it's whatever neanderthal gene I have left in me from my old hunter and gatherer days 1million years ago.
Some part of my cerebral cortex must get stimulated by the idea of the strategy and tactics when it comes to fishing, specifically fly fishing, and almost exclusively for striped bass now, and that never reached goal this year of getting into snakeheads on the fly. But the striped bass is surely the most awesone fish to fuffill my needs. First, they are migratory, second they are everywhere, third, the are around just about nine months of the year. I can say that because, I think, I caught at least one bass from March to December, but I'll have to check into July and August to be honest.
People ask why do I chase stripers in the early spring cold and start of winter? Because it is an endless desire to be in the know, more so just letting yourself and the fish know that you know where they are on any given day and what they are eating. And with that and $4.78 today you can buy a gallon of #2 home heating oil. Speaking of that, it's delivery day, becasue Theresa drew the line
when the inside home temperature hit just above 50 degrees last night. Alright, I get it. Delivery on the way, but back to fishing. Does it really matter, in the totality of life, that I was able to catch a 22 inch striped bass from the beach on a cold December's morning when my fingers were numb and my bladder was full and the guides on my fly rod were iced up? Well, to some of us it does. But as I grow older I realize I don't have anything to prove to others, or myself, that I can outsmart a fish and I'm going to let you know it.
On the way home from work yesterday I had to stop. I caught the outgoing tide with a subtle, but chilly westerly wind that of course took the blood out of my fingers. Why did I go? Becasue I want to continue to learn about the striped bass, especially here in New Jersey. So I fished for a while without a tap, only realizing that my fly was Partridge Predator hookless. That's okay, just a grab or a swipe would have worked for me.
The real reason I had to go was because I'm trying to figure out the difference between this and last year. Last year the Raritan Bay and it's tributaries remained consistent and plentiful in bait and bass, and that held over until early March when those waters opened up and it was a great spring bite. But this year we have something different. Do the fish know something? Did the bait come out with the bass following because of an X factor?
Right now water temps around Perth Amboy are around 45 degrees. Is that Deciever or Ray's Fly weather? Or is it at best an Ava or Tsunami sand eel jig bite? I read yesterdays boat reports from out front and a little south. They are as follows,
I would think whatever the late southern travelers they are finding out there are on are eating sand eels or silversides. There are going to be some resident fish hunkering down in the deeper waters off the beach or in the bays and rivers, but it's not like last year. Last December angler had tight-lipped good fishing, and even blitzes around Christmas in the back of the bays and rivers. I think this year is and will be different. Why do I say that? Look at my boy Juan from last year, holding up a 40 inch
bass he took on a swim shad on Christmas Day in a ghetto ass northern river. There was bunker in the back and all the way up. Below is a picture I took on December 15th during a third shift I spent in Perth Amboy with 52 degree air temps and 49 degree water temps. Adult bunker everywhere, at times hitting me in the shins as I made casts with big flies. That night I
saw five keepers caught on bunker chunks and plugs. You can read about that night HERE. I don't think if I went tonight I would see the same. But there are still anglers out front finding some bass, and I show this screen grab from Two-Rod Mike who found this bloated, sand eel full, football on the beach yesterday. Fishing is always about putting your time in, unless you are a cell phone and
report and blitz chaser, which at times, I have to admit I am. I think for all of us that has become what we know as normal for fishing these days. But what does this mean for the rest of this year and next spring?
Well, here I go. You know I always believe you either have a stellar bunker or sand eel bite, never both. And when the fall season extends late then spring is usually very good, becase the fish, both bait and predators, stayed local wintering over. This fall we saw an incredible migration of first
huge bass, then stupid amounts of bay bass, then along the beach bass, and then, let's say, no bass. I said one day it will end just like that, and it seems it did. While we may have some stragglers and they may come alive for a bit when and if the herring arrive but for the most part the fall run is over. Winter is now here and I feel the water temps will plummet from the mid 40's to low 40's and high 30's in the coming weeks. And, what does that mean for the spring? Spring 2023 will be "normal" again. It will be that bait and bunker chunk bite, not the early fly, plug and plastic bite we have seen, when the fall runs in the past few years have been decent to good. The reason the springs have been good, in my opinion, is because the fish never left, and when they woke up in early March and trickled out those winter holding spots they were plentiful and hungry.
So put away all of your gear except a rod and fly or two along with the waders and a stripping basket. Keep some gloves and hand warmers in your truck so your fingers don't pop off while you are fishing. I think those Christmas and 2023 first day of the year bass may be hard to come by this year, but I'll keep giving it a shot so I can prove to myself I'm smarter than a striped bass.