05.08.19 Slow, real slow day out there....

     Had Tom out for the morning and until the tide flip today. Great guy, has all the moves, but we, well I, couldn't get us a bite. We moved a round....a lot.....and found ourselves alone at times and others sniffing around boats that were anchored up.

     Started near the Bug Light and Hook on the incoming, ran up to the 'Burg and joined the trolling, live lining, and chunking boats and didn't find a fish. Wait, let me back up. So I woke up in Titusville at 445 am to get the lunches and the stuff ready for the trip. Out the door at 510 and about 45 minutes later while driving north on the Parkway my wife calls and says, "You forgot the cooler dummy?". Yes, I am a dummy. Thankfully she's the best and drove the hour plus to drop it off.

     After covering some ground I came up with a plan. Lets run over to New York near the big bridge and sniff around the islands and they maybe out front on the tide flip. Well that didn't prove to be a move so I headed back to the fleet. After lunch and as the tide started to ebb Tom was back at it. He preferred to use the stripping basket in the boat, which I like also, as it helps with line management,

when, and if, you go tight. I even added a little love potion to the fly hoping the scent might trigger some interest. While Tom was casting I was throwing a hookless pencil popper on a spinning rod trying to drum up some interest from the bass or the newly arriving bluefish. With that popper you know when they're here....and they weren't for us today.

05.07.19 Out for a scout before tomorrows trip....

Capt. John McMurray photo

    Had some time between school drop off and pick up so I jumped on the chance to run out and scout before a charter tomorrow. Hit a bunch of great spots, marked some fish and lots of bait, but couldn't get them to eat a fly. Frustrating. 

     Had to avoid getting runned over by the trolling crowd out there. I would say 75% trolling, 20% livening or chunking, #5 casting a spinning rod, 1% throwing a fly rod...me. 

    Capt John McMurray and I were in the same general area for part of the day and later he made a FB post showing an image of some of the boats out there. Herring, butterfish, whiting or ling, and not shown bunker and I'm hearing rain bait. 

     Also had the opportunity to hit the river and and I hit it hard for 1-1/2 on the outgoing. Walked out and about but had no takers...and lost a good fly.

     And on a sad note the one American that was killed in the Russia plane crash was Jeremy Brooks, 22, of New Mexico. He was on his way to Russia to fulfill his dream of becoming a fly fishing guide. Tight lines to you up in Heaven Jeremy, you got a lot of good fly fishing and story telling folks up there.

05.06.19 Nothin' in the river but my buddy got a good one.....

     So on Saturday my buddy and his girl were on the beach in Ocean County. Nice day. Bring the rod. Small Clouser on the 20 lb. flouro. Little bit of something pushing water......BAM. You just never know when the fish of a lifetime is going to come. Below is the video

            

     I gave it a go after yesterdays rain. Water was up and choclatey. Funny how those river herring find a low spot in the river and follow the runoff on the high tide right into the woods. The only thing for me was a SP Minnow in black and purple.

05.05.19 Swinging in the rain.....

      Wanted to get out before the rains had the river up and dirty. Hit across from the city and did the usual spot thing before losing interest. Outgoing tide. No hits. Left for greener pastures.

     A 10 minute drive upriver found the river to high to try and get in and fish where I wanted. I was limited to the town ramp and another spot near the sewer plant. Again, many casts, not a touch. 

     I'll be back down in the salt Tuesday and hoping to get a boat trip in on Wednesday. Looking to get in on those bigger bay fish. I here at times they are up and even taking flies......

05.04.19 Casting flies to little guys in Trenton....

     Maybe it was the moon or pure river sympathy but found some little guys willing to eat in the ebb to dead low tide. The water still moves downstream even on the slack tides, so, to me, its all fishy. Started with a white Hollow Fleye as the light let and then went to a black and purple fly. What I have to do is, at least I'm thinking, is go to a larger dark fly at night to maybe get into a little bigger fish. The other day I caught a huge smallmouth bass which has been the best fight from the Big D yet.

05.03.19 Great guys out for the first boat charter of the spring....

.....but it was frustrating. As I drove home last evening I filled my head with what-ifs and second guesses about what I could have done differently to get these guys some fish. In the end all of my rationales basically came down to excuses. Either you got it done or not.

     Started out, and ended, the day in the fog that just wouldn't lift. Would have liked to run around the Raritan Bay a little bit but we were forced to stay close. Had the end of the incoming and then the outgoing which should have been good. We ran back into the Navesink and then hit the Shrewsbury at slack. Had some marks but couldn't get them to eat the fly. We had alternating fly and spin going and always had a shad in he water but outside of a few taps on both nothing committed.

     Brett and Glenn are a father and son team who came in from Pennsylvania. Both work in jobs related to the environment. Interestingly, Brett lives out in California and discussed how striped bass out there, in some waters, are vacuum cleaners, a nuisance, and almost like an invasive species. They put a beating on salmonoids and other fishes. It sounded similar to what Canada was saying about striped bass in their waters since it appears the northern migration up the east coast has expanded.

     We picked a few spots in Sandy Hook Bay and blind casted our way around. Officers Row, Bug Light, Leonardo, and then finished up outside the marina. Guys hung in and it was a day of 1,000 casts with only a few snagged bunker to a fish smell on their hands. I hope to see these guys again on a tad nicer day and on some eating fish.

   

05.01.19 Broke the skunk on the Delaware......

     They say you always remember your first. It might not have been one of the bigger fish that swims on the banks of the capital but it was nice, very nice. Started out at first light on the dropping tide and fish for about 2-1/2 hours before it grabbed the fly right out my feet. 

     I had 'The Pipe" as its known all to myself, which made me doubt myself for even fishing, and then moved upstream to the brides. Amazing how pocket-watery it is here and I fished it like a trout stream but had no other takers. Its about a 9-11 foot tidal range here depending on the river flows and it comes quick and empties quick. Now have to get some in the bay or ocean. Have a trip booked for Friday if the weather holds out.

04.30.19 At least I would have got and A for effort....

     I was making my way from Red Bank after dropping off my daughter for school heading to the bay where I figured I'd walk the sand on the outgoing tide. Then it hit me I had a boat in Atlantic Highlands. The boat reports have been crazy for a month now and that continued through last night. So I jumped in and joined the fleet in Sandy Hook bay.

     I tried....hard. So fish caught. Mostly on the troll and some on either the chunk or livening. I did see a great kayak report of several big fish on a metal lipped swimmer. 

     Sadly I could't get them to take a fly.....for five hours. I tried shallow. I went to the channel. Had some great marks on bait and some fish.....at every cast I said to myself THIS is the cast.......zilch.

   
     I am hearing about a lot of catch and releasing going on. Caught 50, kept four for the table. A quick peek in the marina dumpster should fish are being harvested, of course, but whats sad is the hack fillet job they do on bigger fish. I watched a guy fillet some fish the other day. He cut out cheeks. Took the heads for soup. Didn't leave a morsel of meat and said he was taking the racks for fertilizer.

    After washing the boat I sulked on the way home......WTF! I am still riding the skunk wave. I had my last class last week, last clinical this past Monday, Thursday is the final exam and I AM DONE! with graduation set for May 16th.

     So instead of sulking I said tonight is my night to get my first in the Delaware. I was fishing skinny low tide water when a couple of local lads starting hooping it up downriver. I took the walk to add misery to misery and found a nice healthy 27-1/2 inch fish stuck to some wire in the shallows. I tried to educate them on the 21-15" slot limit in Pennsylvania from April 1-May 31 but that fell on deaf ears.

     Now looking at that belly either its full of river herring or its a female on her first spawn and its full of eggs. It should have went back. I tried. Don't even know where to call out here for a visit from Fish & Game. Back at it tomorrow before the big studying cram begins.

04.25.19 "You should have been yesterday...."

....."the big fish showed up Saturday and its been lights out, day and night, don't know whats up tonight. Probably going to be a first light mid outgoing bite".

     I hate hearing that kind of wisdom. Heard that from more than one guy in the four spots, real good spots, I fished during my hour outing last night. Started out on the flat in the river and getting chased in by the tide. Then hit the bay and fished two spots that just wouldn't give up a fish.

    Finally, with the end of the incoming happening it was back in the river. Fished the last hour and the flip for 45 minutes before the wind NE in a second and I was done. A guy there had a fish on for a half a second after casting a big wooden something 1/4 mile into the channel.

    I wish I arrived after 2am and had five hours on the ebb. I should have stayed 8 minutes from my house and fished the tide on the Delaware......

04.22.19 Doin' time tying flies....

        While it may look a prison its actually my basement. There's a full vault with a big safe. During prohibition someone broke into this (owned by US Congressman) and stole the liquor that was stored inside. I still have the remaining bottles that were in there, but dare not to drink it.

     Tied up a few 4/0 flies for tonight, not shown is a Double Barrel popper. One of these should produce if I can find the fish. I'm going to work the graveyard shift tonight. Tomorrow night is my LAST CLASS! Only things is my way now are the final exam and then the national boards.

     Right now I'm hoping to get my first bass of 2019.....we'll see.

04.24.19 This just popped up on Facebook.....

In 2014 I was a guest on Episode 9 of The Open Fly Podcast. You can click on the link HERE. It was when I was in full swing between the Upper Delaware and the Jersey Shore. I jump in at 24:15.

04.22.19 Had to fish half the tide....

....should have went to bed early. Can't complain. Have to put time in and learn. Patience young, well old, Jedi.

04.22.19 And then they asked if we caught any fish in the bay.....

....well we didn't. Picked up the boat from Gateway Marine and splashed it just before the rains came. Boat is running strong and in good shape for the year. Erin threw a shad for a bit before I took out the secret weapon I purchased up in Newport RI a few years back. 100% fresh, well not really, menhaden oil. I splashed a little on her shad and was hoping to look like a genius but I wasn't in the end.

     After going in and a short ride, real short, we found the deadboats from NY and south bunched up with a dozen other smaller ones. Didn't see anyone hook up and shortly most went on the troll or headed to other waters. She fished for about an hour without a tap and not much showing on the screen. 

     After dropping her off I hit the beach again for about an hour just before low tide. Water looked great and I covered several beaches with out a tap. I think higher water this time of year is better for the beach, and mornings and evenings always help. 

     On the way home I stopped at the Delaware and above is a pic of current conditions just before high tide. Found some river herring that got caught in the woods on the bigger tide. I'm going to try and tie some up and hopefully will be ready when the conditions clear up a bit. Can't wait for my first Delaware River striped bass.

04.19.19 When you now live an hour away .....

....don't forget your waders. Not that it mattered much. Nastiness before the storm. Got down near dead low, wind ESE 20-25. Water off color and littered with debris and salad. Didn't get a tap. Little guys now out front for the anglers catching it right. Thinking I have a good partner for a shakedown trip on Monday.

And yes, I took water over the top of both boots.