03.04.24 Let the insanity begin...

     Stacked. Loaded. Nada. Three days, three states, three rivers. Well opening day for me came and I wet a line Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I did it in the dark, and light, in the sun, and rain, and in the still air, and in the wind. I know it's early, what could I expect. I started out in spots unknown with kinda high hopes of finding an early bass. 

     It was a beautiful spot, as you can see above, and if not for the arctic air that blew in on Thursday I might have had a chance. I cracked opened the gun safe and went with my mummichog imitations.

     After a quick smash-down of the barbs I was off. I was just waiting for a nibble but that never came. When I jumped spots I met a guy who was leaving who landed a 26 inch bass. Then my hopes got 

higher. I went from fishing the dead low through the incoming. Hitting spot 1, then spot 2, then back to spot 1 for the finale. I made a fly change hoping that would maybe give them a different look. If I didn't

see that guys pic of his bass I would say they just aren't eating yet. But he was using a small white rubber lead-headed thing low and slow in the deeper water which was out aways. As much as I thought that the warming morning sun would get them onto the mud flats that didn't happen, but soon it will. 

     Back home it was to nice too not give it a go so I did. I came tight and wasn't going to miss the hook set on a beautifully placed rock. It only caused a slight increase in my heart rate and it wound up being my first donated large fly to the river. Not wanting to piss off the wife on opening weekend I thought I'd make Saturday, albeit a rainy and cold one, all about her. That was until I got a call from a friend who said, "I'm going". That's all I had to hear. That didn't go over well with Theresa, and it was on opening day. 

     We met up at 5 am and took the drive and gave it a good effort in the rain, cold, and wind. Hey, it is what it is. One day it will happen and make all the time and effort worth it. The rain continued to come down and by Sunday it was done but the river still had some catching up to do. It caused a bump, but not too bad. I again gave it a try on both the high and ebbing tides. At least I didn't lose any flies. 

    The Raritan Bay is looking good temperature wise and soon that will be a good spot for those fishing from the beaches and rocks. They say 50 degrees is go time and we're not too far away, even if it's early.

     Back home we're a couple of degrees behind but I'll take 45 on March 3rd all day, maybe. It's really not what's good for us but more for the bass, and the shad and herring. It looks like we're gonna get 

some rain this week and that doesn't really help because it just bumps the river and then it drops like a rock. We really need those good winters back, at least in the hills, which is where good water comes from through the aquifer system and leads to a healthy river. Tons of water, that blows it out, and then is gone, isn't good.  I checked the surfers website and it says that Deal is coming in at 45 degrees. I wouldn't be surprised if you could get a bite down there on the right tide. 

     I'm happy it's go time. Last year that first fish came for me on March 9th. It'll be good to get the first one under my belt. I'm entering a schedule change at work and it'll be four long days Mon -Thurs. for the next six weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to find some time to wet a line. The idea sounded good when we put the class schedule together, now I just want to fish all the time. But it's okay, it's still way early.