Let me tell you. When I rolled up this morning and heard and saw the conditions I just knew it was going to be a great morning of post-storm fly fishing. Now, I know, you never make guarantees whether it's with clients or with your buds. But you see things were just too perfect. We're a few days coming
off the Harvest Super-moon, the fan had been turned off and was now NW, the water clarity was good, it was an incoming tide, and all that means it will be game on. As I sat and put on my new "wading" socks I went back and forth in my head which rod to throw. I was tempted to bust out the two-hander because of the incoming tide and swell but in the end it was the 11wt. with a 350 gr. line.
Let me start off with a PSA. When you are walking on the beaches in the dark now make sure you have your light on or are at least looking down. The beachgoers have gone but the dog lovers that let their dogs run, and shit, and dig anywhere they want are now in season. And always watch your backcast these days as those f%$#%ers sneak up behind you while walking by. That's really on them.
When I tell you I was excited to fish this morning I was excited to fish this morning. I couldn't wait to get out on the rocks and meet the incoming tide just where I wanted it. I would have plenty of time to walk the sand but I wanted to be up and out before the swells and tide possibly chase me off.
I went through first light with a tap, that's okay, and then when the sun hit the horizon I just knew I was going to go tight as I could see my double Snakes as I retrieved them through the waves.
Let's just take a look at this beach is doing post storm and flooding. The sand is gone. Now it's not 10 foot drop-off gone like we see what happened in Fire Island on the South Shore of Long Island or what
happened to the beaches in Cape May County. This is a gradual loss of sand that has been occurring since Frank Pallone and his posse over at the Army Corp. of Engineers, and, local beachfront homeowners up and down the shore in his district. I bet the contracts are being signed as we speak. Hey, if we're going to HAVE to do this can we throw something under the sand to make some structure? Something that will chnage the views of the beachfront owners but will be a better barrier between man and the sea. I say let Mother Nature do her thing, she always wins.
What we now have is the original base layer of sand, shells and stones that WERE the beach before the two last round of beach replenishment. This used to be a common sight on this and surrounding beaches. People looking for sharks teeth and sea glass. That plane, not the angle you see now, creates a true trough which you may kinda see in the above picture.
While these beaches didn't have the bone-breaking drop-offs like the others, this drop will definitely leave a mark if you take a header off it. Another PSA, if it's not the dog holes watch for these also. It was a morning of two sides of the groin, not uncommon on bigger tides and surf. Below the north sides
were very sexy but you did have to watch and time the incoming waves to present your fly. Again, I made every cast count today. I had no fish on the board but now it was about to get good, really good. On the south sides you had more of a sloping beach and not a pocket as seen on the north sides.
But it was fishy but better fished from the beach side. With the 350 gr. sometimes I felt I was dragging flies on the sand if the water just dropped out. On the beach beat the water was bigger and sometimes
you had to lean into the waves so you didn't get pushed back. Other times you had to step out of the hole you created because you made several casts in one spot. And then there's always that back flow.
I made my way back up on the rocks and had more water and a swell to deal with. I know they say if you don't catch after a while you have to change something. Change your spot, change your retrieve, change your fly. I was still super confident that I held the winning ticket. Even my fly selection, just
fishy, fishy if the mullet run is over, which is probably is, or not. I saw no bait. I saw no birds. I saw no bass. I caught no bass. I had a great time and the next several mornings should be good. Richie put a keeper on the pavement yesterday but today was the day, or so I thought.
When I got home and fired up the computer I saw another "memory" on Facebook. That was my beast of a truck that I did so many things with. It towed the drift boat up to the Upper Delaware. I slept in their many nights to save money after a days guiding. It towed my original Jones Brothers with ease. I was even more of a regular at IBSP with the beach buggy pass. So I guess today 11 years ago I was aired down and driving and looking for fish.
