That could be a magazine cover shot. The original looks better than it does on the blog. It's that time to start doing two or three a days in the hunt for striped bass. That only goes if you have a mental disorder. I am trying to formulate an argument to have a diagnosis recognized and then published in
the 6th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. I think it might look like this F 56.5 Chronic Morone Saxitalis Thoughts Disorder, or something to that effect. It would probably go under the chapter for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders. Anyway, before work yesterday I was looking at the tides and times. Where do I have to be and when and how does that correlate to where they fish might be. On my way north I was watching a guy trailering a boat in the truck lanes of The New Jersey Turnpike. I had the whole scenario in my head. Guys from Pennsylvania, probably going to the Raritan, putting in at Atlantic Highlands, going to put in a long day....only catches a few short fish.
Then as I got closer I saw it was a Jones Brothers and if that's the Jones I've seen, and it's from PA, it must be Mike Ferraro. I sent him the above pic while I was driving but haven't heard if thats him or how he did out there yesterday.
So I decided where to go and found it perfect. Overcast, until the second I pulled up, and a ebb tide just in the process. Fished small mummichog flies, nothing, went to the bigger fly above, had a fish on, so I stayed with that for a while. Then went to a medium sized fly and had a few swipes before getting
hit hard. As the water really started to rip the fish were stacked up, well there were a bunch, just below my feet waiting for whatever was coming down and around to eat. Well they love the below fly. Not
much to it but when that lower water started to turn just off color it was game on. I wish I had brought the smaller tank because they would have made for some great images. It was off to a hard days work
focusing on the future nursing students but it was hard to shake off the thoughts on where I should wind up in the dark. I could go home and have a nice dinner that Theresa made or join my buds watching and waiting for the conditions to line up and start catching.... Well, I passed on dinner. I was on the river
by 9 pm and was way early, but you have to do that sometimes to hold you spot. It was a long wait until the the water filled in and it was game on. Now this game on was different. This was game on 1,000 casts with a 12 wt. with 450 gr line and a 10 inch fly for, well, just about 4 hours. And all that without
a tap. It was a good effort. It was what was needed on that night. With the full Pink Moon tonight this is the week where a lot of things happen and move. It's time to put your priorities in order and go out and fish.