10.14.20 What else would you expect from the year 2020....

     One of the largest breeding grounds for the striped bass, The Chesapeake Bay system has been one the largest breeding grounds for the striped bass, the other largest the Hudson River, and then a distant Delaware River. There are other natal rivers in this state and up and down the coast, all the way up into Cananda.

     Each year the MDNR conducts its juvenile striped bass survey. This years index is 2.5, far below the mean of 11.5. The last decent year was 2015, a very good year 2011, and the last great year was 2001. 

     There are several versions of the striped bass charts out there. But if we look at the 2015 class, a 5 year old fish would be around 25 inches, exactly what we have catching, and what seems to be in decent numbers in those fish pinch points, like currently in Montauk. Below is a pic from John Papiak from North Abr Media, recently shot at "The End"

 

10.12.20 Great, great night fishing on the start of the weather...

     Lot to catch up on. So last night the weather from Hurricane Delta hit New Jersey. NE to E winds from 20-25 mph, incoming tide, soaking wet and rain hitting your face like BB's. No doubt my favorite weather outside of sight fishing. Add to that not one guy fishing across three towns and doing in it the dark and I'm in heaven. First spot below I thought was no brainer but that's why I am not a striped bass. 

                          

     My next spot couldn't wait to get out there, started around 1030 almost midway on the flood. Was walking across the beach and looking to the waters edge and thinking how fishable it was. Then I did a Triple Lindy down the beach scarp almost face planing in the trough. It was scary, nearly painful, but I bet a winner on the You Tube fails channel. Anyway, I picked one solo fly on the Helios 2 11wt with 300 gr line and went with that all night long. 

     You can see in the above shot how sweet the water was, clean, except the pockets started to gather the garbage, and plenty of water, not too much, and fishable in that water was running up the scarp. NE wind keeps the water on that left to right sweep. Below you can see the rain going sideways. I finished up at 230 am, never getting chased off the groins as the soft between-the-moon tides made conditions manageable. I chose not to take any fish pictures....do you really need proof? well, the reason I didnt post any was because I didn't catch any, but it was one of my more enjoyable outings this fall. 

     And, Althea, my new ride, made her maiden voyage down to the salt last evening. That's a 1995 GMC K2500 there, only 193,500 miles. A lot different than the 2014 F 150, but I like this better, bench seat, no cab, and a 8 foot long bed. I am going to restore her to her original glory, maybe. 

     And in funny that was cool news. The other day I posted up some Tibor reels I am selling for Jim's wife Laura. There's a bunch if you're interested. Anyway, Jason Taylor reached out and wanted one. We went back and forth, I didn't have the reels, he lives in Philly, and we'd have to find a way to meet up. 

                                        

With so much interest in the reels on Facebook Marketplace we took a ride out to Laura's after getting home from Cape May. As I'm telling Laura that "JT" is interested in one, Theresa tells me she's working last night in the City of Brotherly Love, which isn't far from where JT lives. So, they made a quick reel deal on the corner before she went upstairs to work. I'm no gear guy, always using Orvis, but they tell me these Tibor's are a workhorse of a reel.

     This weekend we went south. My plan was to shut down work at the Cape May house long enough on Saturday to have dinner at Angelo's in Atlantic City, hit the Borgata, and fish a bit in the Absecon Inlet on the city's north end. We ate good, Theresa covered the great meal at the slots, and there was no fishing to be had. The rocks were lined with bait anglers, I just wasnt feeling it. 

     As far as the "house" in Cape May, its a Park Model Home, okay a trailer, that is set in the coolest resort down there, Cape Island Resort. We purchased in July and went right to work, with much approval from our neighbors who's places are beautiful. Below you can see the before and after pictures, just a little trim work to do on the living room/kitchen floor. 

     It really is a great spot, great place, lots to do and everyone there is an owner, NO RENTALS! Which makes it really nice knowing everyone who comes and goes, security is in place and the 5 mph speed limit keeps it real quiet. 

     And then on a seasonal note.....just wanted to share a picture of our decorated house. If you look to the left you can see my favorite part of our decorations. Oh wait....there's something in the way...stay tuned!

10.06.20 It hurts less when your expectations are very low.....

....like dead low tide at 5 o'clock. Took a look at the surf cams throughout the day and after work I took a shot in the light and went. South wind, surfers off every groin, people, people and more people, happy people to boot, yuk. Not what I want to see when I'm fishing. 

     Stopped in OG and lasted there about 3 minutes before heading north. I wasn't looking for good water I was looking for no people. Found a spot that was vacant and looked good. Notched groin with plenty of water for a bass to patrol in. No birds, no bait, no signs of life on the horizon. 

                        

     Worked this spot both sides of the rocks for about a half and hour. Luckily I had the stripping basket with the holes drilled in as I took several waves over the bow. I made one stop a few beaches up but water in any gallonage hadn't arrived yet but the troughs were looking good and there was enough water along the groins for an earlier eater to get the first shot at the bait, if there was any. 

     On the way home I stopped in the back, water pushing in bringing all the salad you could ever want to fish through amongst the peanuts and bay anchovies. Small blues and needlefish splashing around after the smaller bait. 

Basically it was an evening of wrong time and tide, but I knew that. 

10.06.20 Selling a friends real collection....

      Up for sale are a friends fly reel and spare spool collection. Here what is available. Call me for pricing and to meet up for the sale, or they can be shipped. 

Reels and spare spools

 

5 Tibor Riptide Reels. # M-841

# M-838

# D – 401

# D - 420

# 1399

 

10 Riptide spare Spools

 

1 Tibor Gulf Stream Reel #892

 

1 Tibor Gulf Stream Spare Spool

 

1 Ross Canyon B7

 

1 Ross Canyon Spare Spool

10.05.20 Needed that, bass in the back and out front.....

                               

     Went to bed at 1130, Woke up at 1215. What to do? Do I just go or do I wake her and tel her I'm going or ask for mercy and permission. I chose option #3. As I drove down 195 it started to rain hard, I almost trend around but I saw that the rain was coming from the west and if I hurried I could get some time in to fish, grab a nap through the flip, and then fish again when it passed. 

      First spot didn't out back didn't disappoint as first the peanut bunker were getting pulled out with the ebb tide and then towards the end of the tide the bay anchovies poured out. I hd tandem flies on most of the time so they just grabbed whatever fly they wanted. First five casts equalled five fish. 

     When it did get near the end of the tide and small offerings were what they wanted I tied on a Jim Matson special. That produced well on a cast, plop, and dead drift with the current. I lost count of the number, maybe a dozen plus, and I decided to move along to spot #2, which I fished but the tide was an hour in and hadn't enough water in the spots I wanted. So it was move along and head to spot #3, 

which was going to be my last stop for the long third shift. I really haven't been through Asbury Park, or maybe didnt pay attention. I remember maybe 10 years back it didnt look like this and the edgy, sleazy, grimy, past would shot its head as I made my was to 8th Avenue, hookers on Bond Street, drugs on Springwood, men soliciting you as you pulled into the parking lot. And lights? Kingsley Street looked like a airport runway. It was nice to see it on its way back. 

                            

     At the final stop there was less water than stop #2, but I tried it anyway for about and hour before walking back to my truck and catching some sleep. I must have got about 45 minutes in and when I woke Leif was pulled up next to me, light had arrived and the water was in, way in. It was easily 

fishable but you had to watch it, standing to low on the beach scarp and not paying attention to passing waves would surely have you digging your heals in to not get sucked out to sea. Sunrise was around 7 am and high tide wasn't un til 10am, I wish I could have been around for the outgoing, it was just off color enough with good white water and and a strong fish smell to tell you it could be good. But after a 7 hour shift it was time to head home, grab a shower and a coffee, and go see patients. Before I left as Leif and I worked our way to meet in the middle of the beach the below fish grabbed one of my two flies nearly on the lip on the height of a wave. It was good to smell like fish, good to be tired, good to fish about a whole tide plus, and I'm just glad I didn't roll over or turn around when it rained. 

 

10.04.20 Loading the gun to pull the trigger....

     Well, what to do. It was almost a year ago since I Sid good-bye to my 1998 Jones Brothers Cape Fisherman 19'10 LT. Loved that boat. Loved the story behind it. Loved bringing it back from a long winters, many winters, nap to a fine specimen before selling it. 

     I remember getting the bottom paint removed. Remember all those trips to Gateway getting the motor humming just right. Remember the good times, and the not so good, like almost swamping it in front of the lighthouse at Montauk. Hated to sell it, probably undersold it, but thats history.

     So now what. Hearing, "Well you didn't get to run her a lot", "You were busy, in school". "You moved" 'That's not a Delaware river boat" "Save up for something that needs no work" "It'll cost you a fortune" "Where will you work on and keep it" "It only has a single axle".......all true. But.

     The top picture tells today's story. And its not pretty. But its not a deal breaker either. Thats not dirt you see, its wood. Lots of wood. Soft spots on the top deck mean soft wood underneath. Yes, it needs to be cut out, stringer replaced, I know, time and money. But I've been there before. 

     Maybe soon I will tell the story of the boat, and how it got to being available and only a trigger pull away from calling it mine. Its an emotional purchase, something they say you should never make. For all of ills, there are goods too. Its tricked out in only a way the previous owner could do. I have to sleep on it, talk with the boss, put logic before emotions. But I always liked a project, I still have many of them laying in the yard or standing inside my house. Not a trait to emulate. But there's always something about coming in the back door, taking he hard way in, that keeps my heart beating. 

     On the way home the traffic was backed up for miles. As I passed the scene I saw a truck, a trailer, and behind it a boat, someone didnt tie it down or secure it before their journey. I don't judge as I have made plenty of mistakes in my life. This one had to hurt the owner. 

     And in the WTF section today, today out of Lake Texoma in Oklahoma and Texas. Piles of striped bass. Daily bag military is 20 fish, no more than two can be 20 inches or greater, thats the Texas side, not sure what Oklahoma has for regulations. That seems like a lot of striped bass, for one day, taken from a single body of water. But what do I know. 

     And from the Jersey Shore, Leif broke the long stuck and got a keeper bass on his last cast of the morning. Hearing about bunker galore "as far as you could see", hopefully the stupid amount of bait stays around until the fish start showing up in good numbers. This fish is one thats on the move, and still is swimming south, unless someone else caught it and made a meal out of it. I am in awe of striped bass, and how they survive the onslaught from predation as well as natural factors driven to continue the species each year. 

10.04.20 Just checking in...

 

     Yep, it that lull time of the fall run. Beaches are quiet. Boats are picking fish here and there, mostly livening bunker. It just hasn't "went off yet". We're coming off the full Harvest Moon, the next New should really get it going. 

     The pic above, hijacked from Facebook, shows Weeks marine dredging the channel, so Sandu Hook is closed I believe from Gunnison north due to replenishment projects. This phase is going from the False Hook down to Sea Bright, so expect lots of heavy angling traffic in on those beaches you may usually fish alone.

     Friends down by the beach have picked a fish or two but its not consistent, you just have to put your time in, eventually a dumb fish will swim by. The below pic ws send from a. friend to a friend it was a 23 pound bass that fell to an eel in, what would one say, a narrow stretch of water that moves fast with the tide. 

09.30.20 Stayed local...it was weird

                          

     Got out of work late, not much doing on the beach, thought maybe there might be some small bass lingering in the Delaware. Started off by walking along Route 29 and forgetting the 12 inch sign base I avoided all spring, whack, and then pain. 

     Everything was overgrown. Rocks were in different locations, or so I thought, it stuck, it was muddy and silty, and I didn't get a bump. 

It was weird, didn't feel like home. I cant wait till next spring.