11.24.21 The quiver is loaded for tomorrow....

     After a long hiatus from the beach and boat its go time. Been juggling a lot of work around the house, and around the clock, and shots at work at the office and now its time for me to enjoy some fishing. Today it was cold, bitter cold to my aging bones, and windy, NW to 30 mph. Tomorrow the forecast is better, still NW, down to 10-15, and air temps in the mid 40's by noon. 

     There has been good reports as everyone knows, first a big fish push, followed by the next years classes of bigger slot fish with some schoolies mixed in. First thee was big bunker, and now the peanuts and smaller white bait is being flushed out with the cold and these days following the full moon. Hopefully tomorrow will be good. It will also be bittersweet, as I had extended an invite to a very special person. Remember this post, as I will be writing about it in the future. 

     

 

11.22.21 1995 GMC 2500 update!!

     I know, enough about that stupid truck. But here's a cool update. I bought it for $2,000, then sank it, and sold it to a father and son team from PA for $1,000 after the delusions of me getting her going again wore off. Remember, I promised, predicated, that I would be backing her down that infamous ramp December 4th which is in a few weeks, the one year anniversary. 

     So the boys had a donor truck that they took boat parts and a new engine from and the rest is history. At the end is the proof of a job well done. After seeing what they had to do I realize I surely could have done it myself with some help from Lauren. Not. Check out the quick video they sent at the end. 

 

11.20.21 Today's the last day of the Fly Tying Symposium...

     Funny, I'm telling myself that Parsippany is too far to travel to the 30th International Fly Tying Symposium....but tyers are coming from Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. It's about an hour and 15 minutes from my house, thats three hours of traveling and a few hours there, and, see you you at the Fly Fishing Show, Jan 28, 29, and 30th at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center. If you can't remember where that is here's a picture to refresh your memory. 

And then there's....

     And why am I not going to the show or why didn't I join the 30,000 weekend boaters out in the Raritan yesterday? Because its bonus time with the man lift at the house! More productivity. A quick ride overhead and I could see the second chimney crown was a mess and in need of some Masonary love. 

    So a quick tutorial to make sure I had the right mix and a search to find my Masonary tools and I was up and out and it. I was able to tighten it up pretty good and have ordered the chimney caps for the 13 x 13 and 13 x 18 opening, found one used.....you know that's the way I roll. And why do I post non-fly fishing things on this blog? Because it say party and I do want I want to. But no really, why? Because the average angler, who this whole thing represents, is usually a person who doesn't have it like, can do it like that, and has to find a way to get it done themselves with the cost of things always on their mind. I represent that person, because that who I am, on the water, in my home, and in the vehicles I drive. Just usually second hand old ass average. 

11.18.21 Lightning didn't strike twice....

     Believe it or not catching the skunk last night felt pretty good. Its not what I needed after a hard days work up in the manliest, followed by a few hours seeing patients, and going to see Charlie, "Bunky" in the hospital. I had too pass my home and bed to hit 195 and 34 south to try for a repeat performance of two nights ago. 

     Same time, same time, same spot......nada. You can say what you want but I think I caught "that night" when "most" of the bait emptied out. I mean two nights ago there was bait on the move steady as far as you could see for the quarter of the end of the tide while I was there. That night it was west with air temps 34 degrees, last night southwest air temps over 50. The only bait I did see were some pods of spearing hugging the north side on their way out, with only an occasional small splash into them. 

     Last night I shared the area with a sharpie who I have sen down there several times and he fished the hours I was there not getting a tap. I stayed past him long into dead low and then slack. It didn't matter, find the bait and you will find the fish, at times, but this place was dead. No drive of shame though because going only made two nights ago that more special. If you don't go then you'll never know. 

     We're starting to see small baits their way into and down the surf. I don't think they are sand eels but a combo of rain fish, silversides and peanut bunker. If you are the right at the right time you will run into the intersection of bait/predator and have some fun with schoolie to keeper sized bass. Lief (Lief's son) found some yesterday on the incoming tide. 

     Ok, now what. Raritan Bay continues to produce and yesterday my buddy Capt. Paul Eidman told me while out 'I think there were fish from South Amboy to the Hook". These are smaller fish then we have seen as of late, not small like too small, but 25 to 35 inch fish, with maybe a jumbo or two mixed in. Remember, as the run goes, the big ones come, and then the size gets smaller as the its get colder and the fish that are going to balmy waters leave and the smaller ones that will winter over will stay and remain on the bait that is around. 

     What's cool to hear is that the fish that last week were down, since have now been up and perfect fly rod fish. Its that lovely time when either the birds can direct you into fish or you can just see the nervous water and the splashes as the bass pursue and eat. 

     I hope to get out in the boat before Thanksgiving. Today is the last day of the man lift rental so the next project is finishing laying the cobblestone block driveway, but that will wait a bit if the weather window looks decent. I hope to catch the Raritan Bay/NY Bight bite while the fish are still around and up in the water column. 

     

 

11.16.21 "Ty-f'in-rone".....

     The above is an inside joke between me and Leif. Too raunchy to tell you about it here. So in the evening Leif tells me about a quick session he had landing a trio of nice bass as the bait showed up along the beach. That got me thinking. High at 5 pm, a few days before the moon, west wind and air temps in the low 40's. A quick check with the wife and I was gone. Even though it was still early the

drive was in the dark due to putting the clocks back last week. Was it sand eels the bass were on? Could it be? So I brought my sand eel box with me and tied on a black Snake Fly with a Jim Matson sand eel 

trailer. I stopped at my local haunts, dead at spot one, some bait but no bass at spot two, and then a drive to the OG to find hardly any water on the beach. Now what? Two hours left till dead low and I can hear

hunger pangs coming from my stomach. I knew there was a McDonalds in Neptune and after getting the heaviest choice I could muster, a double cheeseburger, small fries and a Diet Coke I figured let me 

venture south into northern Ocean County. Its been awhile since I fished the Point Pleasant Canal/Manasquan River so lets go. I passed some of the backpack crowd and made my way to some fishy water that was moving on the ebb tide. Before I left my truck I tucked in my new measuring tape, no more guessing and trying to estimate the lengths alongside my fly rod. This would be accurate. 

    I found the moving water, the bait, and the bass. They were up and hungry eating peanut bunker and what I think were spearing. My sand eel trailer may have passed for a silverside. Both flies were what they wanted and I landed over 15 fish to 37 inches, two others being 30 and 28 inches. They were all strong river fish that have spent some time in the back eating well, and fighting the current and the tides. I left them biting with me shivering from the cold as I was wading up to my waist. It was good. 

     Leif was checking in around midnight and as I gave him the particulars a hit and run accident occurred in the distance. Luckily the woman wasn't hurt but she was blocking one of the lanes under a poorly lit bridge. I remembered I had taken this package of flares out of service on my boat and put them in my truck for just this very reason. One flare in the right lane gave passers-by the heads up 

 which hopefully prevented another accident. It seems like every time I go fishing as of late there's a story that goes along with it. 

     Well there you have it. I was sick of reading other reports and using that fodder for the blog. Great night, a nice big fish, many others to hand, and leaving them biting made me feel good. I needed a night like that. it was due, and I think well deserved. 

11.16.21 "Alright, what do I know, but here's what I think..."

     So here I go from my far-from-salt home in Mercer County. Haven't been on the boat in a week and on the sand in about three weeks. So let me tell you what is going on fishing wise. Sounds funny right? How could someone who hasn't wet a line know anything or be able to share whats happening with this 2021 fall run. Well because I have internet access and have a few friends. I'm kidding with that of course. 

    Some will say my posts have been doom and gloom since I moved from Monmouth to Mercer County, far from the brine action. I've just been spewing negative vibes because I can't go fishing. Mmmmm....maybe a tad, but not really. Please don't judge me, or the health of the striper population, migration and situation with the million striped bass that have parked themselves in the middle of Raritan Bay and one mile off the beach along Monmouth and Ocean Counties. That doesn't make for a healthy fishery. If you went to the beach and saw two smoking hot people on a beach towel near you in bikini or thongs, that could be a guy or a girl staying all PC here, you'd tell your friends the beach was loaded with eye candy, even if a glance to the right or the left produced the unfittest, heaviest, and non-beachgoing examples you could ever find. That's kinda how striped bass are now, when they are here, we salivate and forget, striped bass are still in peril. 

     When I lived close to the beach the blogs were usually headed by an image of the empty beach or the rocks when no fish were brought to hand. I have noticed that as of late I have been posting screen shots from social media to booster my claims about current fishing reports, which is kind of cheating, but it does offer some proof. A good example if the above post from a Darren List, a Jersey guy and Upper Delaware fly fishing guide who last weekend had a banner day in the Bay with perfect fly rod caught striped bass, say 26-34" maybe. That tells me the bigger fish have moved out and down, and the "good fish" are here. Now what does that mean" Are there smaller baits, say peanut bunker still in the Back? Will they come out and down he beach like they did in 2016? The last great epic, hate that word but fitting, peanut bunker run we had. Time will tell, but they say Thanksgiving week is the time for the beach. 

2016

     The beach? Ha. Dead, Over. Sad. Now that is not to say that a guy in Belford didn't get a couple on a tide? The smaller for the third shift angler in Deal who caught a dozen one night? Or the forty pounder caught in IBSP from the sand. I'm not talking about the guy who is putting in 8 hour shifts soaking baits, throwing SP's, and looking left and right before removing himself from his waders to empty his ready-to-bust bladder. I'm talking fishing time and tides and catching a fish, without some quick push bait on the beach event, but rather good old time fishing. There's just no bait along the beach and no fish in pursuit. But, yes, Dorothy, some fish are being caught, like 11 per county per day. 

     I offer up as evidence a post yesterday from MC55, Two-Rod Mike as we know him. The guy who perfected floating sand bugs for bass and fishes every day and for long outings. His stunk is big and fat and the odor would kill you. He has gone north and south and everywhere in between. If he is not the proof you need to know that surf fishing in New Jersey sucks this fall then I don't know what to tell you. 

More proof is, all those hard core surf guys, are jumping on their friends boats, and not posting, "Boat fish don't count, anymore. 

     The above pics are what we should be seeing this time of year. Birds over peanuts or sand eels, they're coming I hope, and fish of varying sizes eating as they move south. So what's up? Was it the blows, the bait, beach replenishment, a change in the bass migration pattern? Hmmmmm, all of the above. Something has changed. I'm talking the bulk, not a few fish. Ask the Atlantic City to Cape May guys how striped bass fishing has been. Outside of a few big fish and schoolies in and around the bays, like the Great Bay, it really has gone down, especially more towards the southern tip of New Jersey. You would Cape May would be the perfect point of attack but its now anymore. 

     So this week, after looking like Armageddon on the wind and weather forecast, actually looks pretty good, "west is best" wind should have the inshore waters flat which is great for spotting birds, bait and bass if you can see past the armada of boats doing the same thing. Above is my buddy Billy, who caught a bunch of fly rod bass last week including this 44" inch fish, which looks skinnier than I would think it would be. This week I had to turn away a walk and wade or boat trip with Eugene but was able to pass 

him along to some other charter Captain friends. I also had to not take the invite and jump on Billy's 

McKee craft on Wednesday and fish with him and Tommy, a retired ironworker who I have known for probably 30 years. I talked to him yesterday and he also chimed in open the beach fishing this fall, "shit". 

     Why can't I fish when the week is good and the boats are killing them? And air temps in the 50's and 60's? Because I have this beauty parked in my yard for 7 days starting last Friday. A beast of a 65 foot manlift that my family was able to secure for me through their business. Thanks Dad, Pat and Ryan. 

     I have been burning the candle at both ends trying to tackle every project above 20 feet that I can. From shaping the trees and dropping big limbs to painting hard to reach places. I hope too cash it these next few days in between running to the office to meet with patients. It's go week, and not fishing.

     And for the deer lovers and killers here's a beut that runs between my house and a park where the lovely does hang out. I think he's an 8 or 10 pointer, hopefully I won't see him lying on the side of Route 29 one morning after his pursuit of the does has him oblivious to the passing traffic. 

      And a little predicting. December. F'in cold. Sand eels and then herring. Some fish still around. Nothing big. 2021 a year that will have you thinking through the winter, "What the hell just happened".