With yesterdays one day blow behind us no one knew what to expect on the beaches today. NE winds with lots of rain, and a touch of a swell, could mean a lot of things. The surf could be big, off color, and have lots of cabbage in it. But surprisingly it wasn't too bad, in fact it was really nice.
I had two options. Start in Monmouth and go to Ocean or start in Ocean and go to Monmouth. One thing I always fear when we have weather is how Monmouth just seems to turn off color rather quickly. So I chose Ocean County with a first stop in Bayhead for a look before heading down the road into
Mantoloking. Again, these towns are no spot burns. Look at the map, or more likely Google Earth, and you can follow the towns from the Hook to IBSP. Or if you are a keyboard fisherman just map out the towns by the Surf Cams you check 150 times per day.
When I came over the dune there were a handful of anglers out. The first guy I walked behind was tight with a nice sized sub-slot schoolie. I was hopeful and I liked the conditions that I found. It wasn't
off color, there was a touch of a swell, but one you could time, with occasional lettuce that found my flies. It was a nice day. No birds. No bait. No breaking fish. Just a nice cast and retrieve kind of day. So as I'm doing my thing I'm noticing people to my north and south fishing as well. But what was different
than what I was experiencing was their rods were bent and my was not. I made it a point at one time to look both ways for about 5 minutes. Even though the anglers were spread out, they were tight each time I looked. Not the same one, but each of them, over, and over, and over again. I didn't move towards anyone but I would be lying if I didn't admit I was working the beach in their direction.
At one point, when I finally let the frustration get the best of me, I stopped and watched them fish from a distance. Ava's. Smaller rubber something or others. Maybe a bucktail or two. I watched where they made casts to and it was on the end of their casts that fell on the inside of the bar. I'm not making excuses, but, there no fish in the trough or within fly rod distance. Period. That's my story.
I tried every fly I had. From a peanut bunker/sand eel combo, to just a sand eel, to a Flatwing and Clousery/UAF combo, in different sizes and colors, from a good match to something a little extravagant. I retrieved them under my arm and on a streamer one hand strip. I casted far. I fished it tight. I had on a 350 gr. sinking line so at the early part of the incoming I was down low in the trough. If I had to guess I saw probably 50 fish caught in around 90 minutes. Again, no birds. No bait. Just fish.
So I thought to myself why leave fish to find fish. Well, for one, these weren't my, like fly rod, fish. Would they "come in"? I wasn't convinced. I am thinking this is the more normal first light rat-a-thon that happens when the smaller fish move in in bigger numbers. That's not to say anglers aren't still getting into over sized fish with the occasional 40 incher in the mix. They're not the resident fish, these are the ones who are just a few years in into the migration. So why wait for something I didn't think would happen? Mid-day blitzes, well I'm over them, and I think they are over as well. Just my opinion.
I snuck back over the northern border and checked a few towns. Same story, just a handful of people fishing, flat water with an occasional swell. No birds. No boats. So I moved north.
It was high tide and I wanted to fish. I jumped out and hit a series of groins thinking there would be a fish or two rooting around the rocks or near the beach looking for sand eels. I enjoyed the casting and
trying to keep it from getting snagged in the rocks but no one was home for me. That's when I started to think that this IS the time where the early bird gets the worms, or the bass. That's not to say those "Long Island" fish may not come down, which they won't, or push the bunker on the beach, which won't happen. One thing that is interesting is that throughout the morning there were no birds. On those early morning sand eel bites usually the birds are over the wash picking, especially when there is a swell with crashing waves. The other thing to note is there were a tremendous amount of birds way out, 2-3 miles, and that's when you find the bass, yes, maybe those Long Island fish, taking the express lanes south, rolling on bait along the way.
I was super excited when I rolled into Bagel Talk to snag my egg and cheese on a toasted and scooped out everything bagel that they brought the white milk back . That made my day. It was the
perfect ending to a nice morning. I would have liked to grab one of those early bass when everyone else was but it wasn't to be. I hate to say it, but, that may be it for me. Tis' the season. I got a ton of stuff to do. The end of the semester is here. I think my trips to the beach, to the beach I say, are done. Maybe I can find a fish here and there a little more inland.
Before I left for home I checked all the towns leading up to The Hook. Water was off color. Very little, like 6 guys fishing , from Monmouth Beach to C Lot. Birds around boats way off. I felt okay leaving and feel okay if this is it.
It looks like it's going to be a nice week with W and NW winds and temps hanging in the 50's.
And if you are one of the folks who, again sits behind thier keyboard or bitches and moans every time you see a dead bass post or boat anglers or commercial crushing the bass, then you should be in Manahawkin tonight for the second of the ASMFC Striped Bass Addendum II Hearing. What it is is about 2 -2/1/2 hours where the ASMFC presents their case about options for Addendum II. Participants, you, can ask questions, and then make a public comment about the options. It all gets recorded and is part of the public record. So if you didn't go to the virtual event a few weeks back (I did) and you don't go tonight, or write in a letter, then, as Will Smith said as the Oscar's "Shut you're F'in mouth".
And for members of the Atlantic Saltwater Flyrodders next Tuesday Dec. 12th is the Holiday Party at Klee's. 7pm in Seaside Height's. Hopefully you dirty cretins bring your lovely wives, or husbands.