Well if you picked Sea Bright as your location to intercept the migratory striped bass as they push bait onto the beach this morning, well, one, you'd be alone, and two, it's not happening there. Above is a live action view of Sea Bright, and the same could be seen up and down the beaches from Sandy Hook to Seaside. There's some anglers out from beach to beach and groin tip to groin tip, but I'm gonna say it's over.
Over?. "Was it over when the German's bombed Pearl Harbor?". (For the young ones that's a line from John Belushi in Animal House). Well, here's why it's over. And I'm going to say over which means let's not include the boat and beach buggy guys. They kind of fish the same way. Drive around until you find fish. Hey, it's not a bad way to fish, but let's eliminate the run and gun and follow the tracks kind of fall pursuit.
Bait? "Yes, we have no bananas". (For the young guys that a line the song written by Frank Silver and Irving in the 20's, that's 1920's). Well, there's bunker out there, and some sand eels as well. But the bait isn't migrating, in my opinion, like it used to. This fall we have seen "bait as thick as you could see" along the beach, from time to time, but it's not moving like that. Occasionally, like very, it's being pushed in by bass creating blitz conditions, it has happened, and it will still, but it's over, in your hoping that bait will turn Sandy Hook or one of the inlets and hug the beach heading south.
The weather? "Baby, it's cold outside", or at least it's going to be. (Oh, for the young ones that's a line from a song performed by Frank Loser and his wife Lynn Garland in 1949. It's also one that got caught up during the Cancel Culture movement a few years back). But anyway.
Current water temps in Belmar are 51 degrees. That's not bad and we usually catch, if our fingers can handle it, down to say 43- 45 degrees. But by then what we are catching are micros. But what's interesting about the weather is the temps are going to drop like a stone, air and ocean, very soon. This week we're going to see our first shot at winter, bringing in the cold.
While they're saying "storm" we're talking about the possibility of snow along the mid-Atlantic. An inch, a few inches, or feet- the forecasts are all over the place. But it's going to get cold, quick.
"We'll have fishing deep into December". That's a quote I say posted by a head boat Captain on a recent fishing report, again that's from a boaters point of view, and he may be correct, but not for the guys in waders. Soon we'll see lot's of bird action from the gannets, dive bombing on late year bunker or ocean herring that will be off the beaches. It will be normal, for this year's not normal fall run.
Above is today's view from the Seaside Park beach cam. Some guys on the sand, some beach buggy's jammed up along IBSP, and a boat hatch just outside the Barnegat Inlet. It's what's left of the Thanksgiving week and weekend anglers trying to get into the action. But soon Monday will come and participation will drop off dramatically, no matter what the local tackle shops post trying to keep the interest, and sales, going on into December.
"Does a falling tree make a sound if no one is there to hear it?". Yes, of course it does. And there will be blitzes at some point along the beach, somewhere, there's just might not be anyone there to enjoy it with spinning or fly rod in hand to get into it. I hope for the hard core anglers they get rewarded for putting the time in with layers of clothes and frozen finger tips.
Could I be wrong? Of course. "There's a ton of fish still north". We've all heard that. But the striped bass these days do some weird things. They choose to winter over rather then make that migration south, at least until it's time to start thinking of the spring migration to their natal rivers for spawning. Or, they just stay way off the beaches patrolling whatever bait pods are running parallel to the beaches.
It's leaf blowing, firewood collecting, and Christmas decoration season, and don't forget those that are cross sportsman, fish when the fish are around or hunt when the hunting season opens. I've heard people say, "It's been a tough fall", or "Worst ever", and that may be true, but things vary from year to year. It's easy to sit here and make predications 50 plus limes away from the saltwater but I think it's over for most guys and girls, and maybe for the bass as well.
