It was a very good day. A very good day if you held a spinning rod in your hand, a fly rod, not so much. While the spin guys got to pose for nice pics, Leif and I, the only fly rodders out there, got to go home and lather up the shoulders with some Icy Hot.
While walking on the beach at 509 am my phone pinged. I really thought it was my wife either chewing me out for waking her up early or leaving the back door wide open which I have done before. It was my buddy Marc who was bailing on going hunting after looking at the wind and weather report.
Before I hit the beach I had ruffled through my fly box and picked out a handful of flies. Some smaller ones for the peanuts and larger ones to match the adults, if I was able to find the bait. I picked a spot and had a plan. I was going to pop in the dark and see if anything was home, then, leave no fish to find fish. I worked the rocks and the beach without a tap. The water was flat and it didn't look like I had
found what I was looking for. So I made a move. By then Marc and I had a plan. I was going to spot B, having left spot A, and he was going to circle back there and see what first light was going to give up.
Spot B was promising as I have done well there when the bait starts to move in the fall, and, there had been some good reports through the week of boat anglers doing well. So, at least I'd have fish in front of me, even a mile or so out, because they do, if you're lucky, push up on the beach. I had nothing to report but he started to get the feeling after seeing some things going forward at Spot A.
So I made the drive and found the beach void of anglers for a few beaches on the left and right. Marc had been using a popper on the south side of a groin but some birds and bait on the other side and up a bit caught my eye. It was peanut bunker getting sprayed out of the water, out a bit, but I could cast and be on the inside-beach-side of the pods. Marc followed behind me and with his spin rod cast way out
and soon was on a nice bass (top of post). There was nothing I could do was but cast as far as I could and just keep casting. I had a popper/dropper set up and I went from both black in color to a white
popper and a bunkery colored large fly. The set-up was good, although I might have been better served with the 13' two-handed rod. And soon after with the dropping tide the wind went from north to northeast.
After I played photographer with Marc I went back at it and so did he. He connected again, big deal, and after I didn't know that fish # 2 was better than the first. Son he had to manage the documentation on his own. One thing I know is today was all about big fish, going 20-35 pounds. I kept doing my
thing and things changed a bit with the wind. Rather than the bait moving out and in, it went from south to north into the wind. The pod would catch a line from the beach to the tip of the groins and hit a pretty straight line avoiding any pocket massacre. Marc was at it yet again and this time I stopped, which pretty much lead to me missing my own fish, well not really, to get some pics. I have to say while I did
get a few frames off I wasn't doing my best work as I really, really, wanted to get one of those f^%$#ers this morning. I made my way to the groin and make another 500 casts this time faring a tad better using the wind and the rock outcropping to get the fly out there a little farther. I can honestly say I didn't miss
a fish today. I was 100% of nothing, but no hits and misses. Marc headed west back to Pa. and I caught up with Leif who was 0 for 0 as well. That made me feel a little better as misery loves company. After we parted he sent me a picture of Richie who landed a nice fish after going 0-3 when the going was
going good. With three hours into the ebb I hit the end of a fly rod friendly groin tip. I fished that hard as well just waiting for that lone ranger to blow up on one of my flies.....but more of the same, nada.
As I made my way home, still dressed of course, I could see a ton of baits along Bradley Beach and just south of the Shark River Inlet. Now, that could be because it's good, or the mistaken weather forecast had them staying local. There was good bird action but it was off the beach but there might had been
fish in the area. So, off I went again, this time another 90 minutes in Belmar walking up and down and really enjoying the best structure I have seen on the beach in some time. The troughs were deep and water was ripping through them. The sand bars directed water where is was supposed to go and even
the notched groins presented a few different opportunities from both sides to up on top which was a lot of fun fishing from. I called it a day six hours after I started just before a steady rain blew in. All in all it was a great day, it's called fishing, not catching. But I hate those spinning rods.
