01.14.13 First stop turbid.....second stop forgot the stripping basket

     Fished the last few hours on the ebb tide. First stop the water was turbid. Gave it a go with a Clouser without a bump, then went over to high sicking my crab fly around the rocks. Reports from guys I spoke to say their stomachs are full of them, even though there aren't any sheds on the beach. Didn't have any luck with that so I jumped in my truck and took a ride south. Found that water a little deeper with a little better visibility. Watched a bucktailer put on a clinic for twenty minutes catching four fish in front of me. As I made my first cast I realized I left my stripping basket in my truck. Luckily I found a nice big flat rock down near the waters edge and went to work. Switched over to a large chartreuse/ blue/white Deceiver and picked up a nice fish. Fished for about 45 minutes before slack tide slowed things up. 

                    

01.13.13 No fish fishing two-handed...but clams worked for others...and a great day for a fly casting lesson

     Got out a few hours into the ebb tide. Bigger water, bigger waves, bigger debris in the water. Found  a bunch of guys out inching their way out on each set of rocks as the water dropped. Found my own rocks and went with the two-handed rod today. The water looked better in the pics then I found it for real. Didn't have a bite but saw two guys on the beach next to me catch two keepers, one to 33", on clams.

                            

                            

        I only fished a bit and then had to get my equipment together to meet Victoria for a casting lesson. I love teaching beginners that are eager to learn about fly fishing and to catch their first fish on a fly. We had a great time even though the 50 degree day felt like 25. Women are such great students. They tend not to "hero cast" and unlike guys let the rod do the work. We had some nice tight loops to 40 feet and left off with the haul. Hopefully this "mild" weather will stick around so we can do it again.

01.12.13 Found one populated groin...but there was plenty of room elsewhere

     I knew there would be a lot of anglers out this morning. Saturday. 50 degrees at 8 o c'lock. Fish in the surf. Oh yeah, and something called the internet, cell phones and social media. But hey, the ocean is big, we have 117 miles of shoreline here in New Jersey, and if you want your own space when you fish, you can find it. Just maybe not today on one groin that I visited. 

     I had a sleepover "slumber party" with my daughter and my dog last night. My wife was away so we took advantage of the extra space. With her away I was grounded this morning. But after sleeping in my daughter and I took a ride down and made some images. As we approached our first stop I thought there might have been a blitz on, but there wasn't, just a slow pick of shorts to what I think was a keeper sized fish out on the end. 

    

    On our second stop we found a fly rodder fishing both sides of the rocks. It was the start of the outgoing with NNW wind but lots of white water to fish. It should be a nice weekend to get out and fish- no matter where you fish or what or how many, if any, you happen to land. Fishing in 50 degree weather in January is all right by me. 

My daughter snapped the below picture and asked that I include it in todays blog post. 

01.11.13 Birthday bass...but they weren't easy to get

     Went down to the inlet and gave it a go before first light. I was looking for a birthday bass (yep it's today- 45) and didn't get a nibble there. The best present I could have got was the strategic placement of the above Porta-John located in Bradley Beach. Thank You to whoever put it there.
     Headed up Shore and settled in for the balance of the outgoing tide. I had the place to myself and tied on a the below fly which I tied up last night. It didn't take long to get a taker and I caught a fish for every decade that I've been around. I caught five if my math was correct. I had a few short strikes and tail swipes and did feel a heavy fish that I dropped after going slack reaching for the reel. Slack is always bad.
     I followed the water out fishing out to the end of the rocks before ending the morning shift with an hour left on the ebb. I found the E wind a joy, along with some waves and white water, but the water was off color with the appearance of lots of suspended sand. I revisited the same place about three hours later and hit the end again and had no luck on the super skinny incoming tide. I don't think this evenings high tide will produce much at this spot....I just didn't get that fishy feeling there all day.

01.10.13 One nice thing about social media....

     No doubt there are a lot of negative things that go along with social media. However, there are some positives. Connecting with old friends and family...or girlfriends. Getting entertained with a wide array of videos and links, my all time favorite HERE. And meeting new friends and clients. 

     A little while ago I met Joeseph Sawicki on Facebook and today I received a package from him in the mail. It was a selection of some of his flies. They're really tight, and I especially like the rock crab flies. I have seen that style of crab fly tied by Steve Farrar, you can see it HERE. 

     I can't wait to try them out, starting tomorrow, when I hit the beach and the rocks for a long birthday party hopefully I will be the only one at. 

01.10.13 At 430 you just have to tip your hat

     You would think you might have the pick of the best seat in the house at 430 in the morning on January 10th. Not on these rocks.....not on the ends of the other rocks in the area either. Tried a new location looking for new fish and wanting to see how the night bite is opposite the same tide productive evening bite.
     As I parked I noticed I was the only truck around, that was until I walked over the boards and saw the above hat light on out on the end of the rocks. I made my way out making casts as I went. I spoke with the spin angler on his way out who had a few fish out front. I fished until 6 A.M. and lost a fly to the rocks that bit the fly just as I paused during a slower than normal retrieve.
     That's it for me today......not to worry as the internet forums will be jammed packed with reports from anglers who broke out the gear with the smell of fish and warm weather in the air.
   

01.09.13 Got out for 28 minutes today...but I'll be alone in a few hours

     Sometimes other aspects of being in the fishing business and life get in the way of fishing. That was the case today. I did sneak out on the top of the tide and fished for 28 minutes, I know because I timed it. As I approached the rocks several guys were walking off after several fish were caught on the end of the incoming.
     With "word out" that some anglers have been catching fish for, well, say, a month.....there is increased traffic and pressure. That coupled with some milder weather and it'll be elbow to elbow going into this weekend at the usual haunts.
     I prefer to fish alone....well...I prefer to have a client with me....but when I fish it's with a friend and that's it. So tonight I tied on a fly that guide Charlie "Bunky" Limpert gave me in December when he came out to fish. It will be my one and done fly for the morning. I am thinking at 430 A.M. I should have the place and the fish to myself....if they are up and hungry.

01.08.12 Slow afternoon....but that changed when the herring and bass showed up!

     What a difference a tide makes. Or moreso, what a difference fishing different times of the tide can make. Started out this morning before first light.....tied on a popper hoping to get one up on top. Worked the extreme end of the groin without a bump. Switched flies and then surprised into a miss right tight to the rocks. I was off the beach by 730 and in front of the computer to edit images from a current assignment I am working on. 

     The tide changed at 10 A.M. and I decided to give it a go at noon. It was low and slow wherever I stopped, although I did find a regular hooked up with a nice bass just under keeper size on a clam. 

I took a drive north and pulled in only to find fly fisher friend Joe's car parked on the street. I made my way down and we started fishing around 130. It was slow. I made my way to the end of the rocks and fished super fishy water without a bump. It was hard fishing....rock fields just under the surface of the incoming tide and a gusty S to SW wind. When I came back up I met up a with a few young guys who follow the blog and fish every minute they can. One caught a short on a teaser. While I talked to them Joe made the trek to the next set of rocks. I soon joined him and he had just caught the last of four micro bass. I decided to hit the end of the rocks again, this time casting with a stronger SW wind that made balancing on top of a rock and managing line a task. 

     I made my way down and up the rocks to surer footing and Joe made his way back to out original spot. I made casts on the south and north sides without a bump, and was feeling that today would be a skunk of a day. But it was only 330, and high tide was a half an hour away, and the sun was setting, and the wind had calmed down a bit. Even so I was feeling like I was done. I took a few more casts next to Joe and let him know I was done. As I departed Joe said he saw a swirl behind me tight up to the beach. It would take more than that to get me to stay. I turned.....he made a cast.....he went tight......I turned back and stayed.

                         

     After he landed what was a sweet fat bass I told him I was going to make a few casts up towards the beach. A few strips later and I was tight. Over the next hour and a half we caught and released 9 sweet fish, those on top of Joe's previous four. There were four other non-fly anglers fishing out towards the end from us, and only one fishing the opposite side caught a short. The guys on our side were throwing Bombers and shads......and none got a bite. It was just a fly rodders kind of day.

     We saw the swirls.....and found they were on herring....10 inch herring as one of the spin guys snagged one on his retrieve. The action continued through the slack tide and slowed on the start of the outgoing. The whole time the water remained flat...and fishing to swirls at 60 foot away was fun, although some of the bass hit almost next to the rocks. As darkness fell I said to Joe, "I told you I was done.", and we walked to our cars commenting how this January is starting out pretty darn good. 

If you are interested in some winter striped bass fishing from the beach and rocks please give me a 

call 732.261.7291 or drop me an email colin@theaverageangler.com. For more trip info check out my website www.theaverageangler.com

                            

01.07.12 Went out to find some New Jersey redfish....just found nice bass

                           

     On Saturday after checking the beach and before my wife and I left to celebrate her birthday in Atlantic City I got a call from Jersey Shore fly angler Joe Phiefer. We went back and forth a little bit about conditions and some fish that we're being caught at some local haunts. Then he saved the best part of the conversation for last. "Hey, that's not the reason I called......I got a redfish this morning." I wondered how you don't lead off with that? This year we've all caught a weakfish or two on the fly, and I have heard of guys catching some redfish down by the Barnegat Inlet, but Joe caught this up in our neck of the woods and with the fly rod. I looked on the internet for the range of redfish on the Atlantic Coast- one website lists the range from southern New Jersey down to the Gulf of Mexico the other has it further north up into Massachusetts. redfish, red drum, or sciaenops ocellatus is listed in the 2012 Fishing Digest put out by the NJ DEP, with a one per day limit in a slot of 18"-27". They also list black drum also. I know post Sandy we have seen some non traditional species caught, like last year, when we were catching lizard fish on the fly along Monmouth County.
     Like I said I spent the last two days in Atlantic City at the Borgata where we celebrated my wife's &%th birthday with some friends. Great room overlooking the Golden Nugget, the Frank S. Farley Marina, and the Absecon Inlet. I planned on wetting a line Sunday, but a six hour stint on the five dollar blackjack tables while the football games were on kept us inside.

     So I planned on getting out when I got home as the tide ebbed around 3 o'clock. It was beautiful afternoon and I was surprised to find so many anglers out this time of the day. Each groin had at least an angler on it, with the one next to the one I picked having six. I started out alone watching as the group north of me caught and released shorts. Then I was joined by a ringer who made his way right to the end, tied on a swimmer, and one his first cast connected with a nice fish that exploded up for it. It was cool to watch....I only wondered if I could get my fly to the same location about 200 feet out along the current seam. He did well landing several nice fish that just measured short of keeper size.





     I stayed within my limits working both sides of the groin midway out, working the deeper water that
post Sandy has been hollowed out around the rocks. I stayed till just before dark then relocated a town down throwing the fly in the blackness of night with the groin illuminated by the lights of the town behind me. This is one of my favorite times of year to fish for stripers, along with spring, summer, and of course the fall!