04.15.22 A day of bass, largemouth version....

     Lucky to have been able to fish a bit today. 4 am alarm went off and it was time to check some rivers. Pick Moon is tonight so I expected the bite to be good, not only wasn't it good, I couldn't find one. There is one thing I am learning about true river night time fly fishing.....they don't really go together, maybe top water, or something with a wake, but straight flies in big water....so far, a waste of time. I'll go with that until I catch a big fish and hopefully you'll forget my statement. 

     At 7 am I was rolling into spot 2, one I have been scooting out a lot and today I had the perfect tide, or so I thought. It is actually 1-1/2 hours later until the true flip and besides one grab I had nothing to show for four hours of blowing out my arm. It wa then a rush to get back home to take care of some

things, but of course I have to pass the Delaware on the way. Full moon high tide plus the bump from last weeks rain and I was pinned to the woods and had to make some inventful casts, but they worked. While I have been hoping for a big bass, the specimen below is just a really pretty crisp and clean river fish. It fell to a sweet Squimpish herring fly I tied that really looked good in the water. Herring, we have herring, and the cormorants are having a field day. Its cool to see them come up with a silver fish in 

their beak. It was then largemouth time. Same cast, same spot over about an hour produced three fish, one a pregnant heifer, one that looked like a peacock bass, and one that photographed wet and well. Lucky to get into some fish, interesting with last nights walleye and todays largemouths. 

 

04.14.22 Really?.....

     Three hours of hard fishing. Got the walleye I had been looking for, but wasn't looking for that by catch tonight. At least it was a tug, I guess. 

 

04.13.22 A little before and after work....

 

Had a shot at two rivers today, one before work and one after. Both looked good, looked fishy, but not a tap, but one swipe in the earlier spot. It's about to blow open as the rivers clean up, the temps rise, the new moon arrives this weekend....it's go time. 

04.11.22 Nice day but really had to work for them....

     Good day out there. A day of literally 1,000 casts. Beautiful late morning with N-NW winds, but with the tide flip the wind did also going S. It was like glass there for a while, and no one around, just me and my ladder and an occasional hungry fish. I pushed the ladder to the top step which at times can 

be dicey if you start a lean on a cast, you can go sideways or over the top. That will be another post one day when I take a header. I tried the yak fly I tied last night but switched to a Beast Fly that was a tad easier to cast.

It came in around 9 inches and swam nicer than it does when it dry. It sucks that I suck at tying them, they do really work if you can cast them, and not just 30 feet, but really long distance. Luckily it got swiped at, which was several cool visuals, talked slapped, and eaten. 

     For me , the ladder is a game changer, especially in bays and rivers. It gets me out further, which makes my cast easier, and it gets me higher. If I didn't have it I would look like a St. Bernard with the stripping basket under my double chin. And don't forget to bust out your stripping basket without holes, otherwise it just fills up with water and adds water tension and friction to your line when casting. 

    I stayed for the flip and got chased back to shallower waters when the S ind kicked up. I can feel the sun and wind burn on my face. In the end it was three fish to hand 30-33 inches and a few on and off and again those visual swing and misses. The 3-11 shift was arriving as I ended my session and they quickly were into fish with minnow lures, not big plugs like I had seen the other night. I was easily outfitted by the 10 anglers there, there's something about that movement, vibrations and rattles they have when the water is off color and you have that wind in your face, along with the cabbage in the water. This might be it for me as the Delaware is clearing up and dropping, and not soon enough. My 

 hoop-dee car has something wrong so I am running my diesel around, and at $5.25 a gallon that adds up. The Delaware is down under 50,000 cfs, with normal this time around 20,000, snd now dropping

like a stone. There's some more new things coming from me, teaching will me my gig, and I'll be closing down the practice and getting back to guiding. It's something I miss and I look forward to taking people fishing and sharing this passion of ours, fly fishing that is, and of course, striped bass. 

04.10.22 Like Arby's says, "We got the meat"....

       After seeing spin guys getting good fish on Mag Darters, metal lips, and even SP Minnow's, I think I just need to bring big flys out for any, at least another chance, of almost getting a good fish. I tied this one up, a combination of bucktail, yak hair, and Squimpish material, which hopefully looks like a nice bunker. I ran some Softex through the fly, like Steve Farrar does with Plasti-Dip. I tied it on a 5/0 hook

and flared out the tab eyes to hopefully push some water. The flys I used last night were more herring type flys, at least I think, long and more narrow. Can't wait to give this a go. 

 

04.09.22 Needed a solid fishing night....

     With the Delaware blown out until at least Thursday next week I took a drive to find more suitable water quality and hopefully some fish. Good plan, good spot, good fish. Fished with two dozen of my spin fishing friends and got some looks when I busted out my fishing ladder. Got some laughs but that changed to "that's a great idea", which of course I didn't invent. Probably saw about 30 fish caught that

were all good sized fish, in the 15 to 25 pound range. I was just out past the line of fisherman due to the elevated ladder perch but their casts were far. In the flurry of action I hooked a really nice probably 18-20 pound fish, that got a roar from the crowd, but lost it as I tried to quickly manage line because the fish was running into me. It came unbuttoned about 15 feet away, but I really good look at her, a long distance release if you will. Stayed late, and at about hour five I had another hit near the end of the tide. 

     I was freezing, and I thought cold, and then disappointed with the new Simms waders, but in the lot I was bone dry. Below is a cool shot from Lief who was fishing earlier in the day parts unknown. I really can't wait for a warm-up and for this little blow we are having to lay down. Better days ahead.

 

04.08.22 That'll delay things a bit...

     Well the Delaware River systems got hammered last night, blowing out the Delaware, and I am sure most of the other striper holding rivers in New Jersey. Can't imagine what the Raritan, Hackensack, Navesink and Shrewsbury look like. Out here, the water just keeps coming even though we have bluebird skies out at midday. You can see below we are usually around 20,000 cfs and are now over 

70,000. For a comparison, or to see what is coming, when the river crests in Trenton on Saturday, the Lordville gauge way up are mile marker 300 on the Main Stem, is at over 40,000, and it's all coming 

down the river, plus whatever water drains from all the tributaries. Logs, brush, full trees, furniture were all seen around noon when I went to check things. I actually fished a tiny 30 foot section of the river that was out of the main current, just hoping there was a hungry bass waiting, that move was for naught. 

     I would think the best places to fish may be out front or from a boat in the bay, more towards the middle where the water has a chance to clear up a bit. Getting frustrated sticking to the Delaware River plan, what I hoped for in an early season hasn't panned out so well yet, but there's time. 

 

04.05.22 What's up with this weather? And saw a good one caught....

     Got back today from a turn and burn 3 day visit with Mom down in Florida where the temps were in the 70's and 80's. Getting off the plane at 0830 am and the air was a brisk 41. I thought, well hoped, there would be some warm up while we were gone. Not only did the weather stay the same the river 

     

remains cold at 46 degrees. This time last year we were 10 degrees warmer and catching nice fish. Hit it today at dead low and then high into the flip. Not a touch, but I did watch a guy trolling a Bomber or something catch a 20 something pound bass. That didn't help with the morale, or the clock, as it made me stay another 45 minutes for nothing. I broke out the Squimpish fly and boy does it swim nicely. 

     The Raritan Bay is on fire, but to be honest, I'm kinda done with the reports and the pictures. I can't get to jazzed up thinking of a ton of boats using electronics sitting over marks, and duh, catching fish. I'm not jealous, or jaded, there's just something not exciting about it. I think I would be more impressed if the success rate on these trips was 25%- "Hard to find them" Had to work for them" "It sucked".....but its many, many fish.....eating what's put in front of them. Fly fishing only and catch and release only in the Raritan Bay March 1st- June 31st...how about that ASMFC?

 

04.02.22 Yoo-Hoo's warming up....

     Well, we got the water temps to come up a bit, but the deluge of rain we had up long the river now has it off color, with lots of debris coming down. I guess there may be some fish around, but they aren't active just yet, maybe honed in on getting busy and not eating. Still haven't seen a cormorant come up

with a herring yet and every dive they come up empty beaked. It's starting to get a little frustrating, lots of madness in the Raritan River and Bay, but nothing going on in the Delaware. I know, it will happen, just when is the question. There's usually about a two-week window, and I feel it maybe be in 14 days with the next full moon, which is called a Pink Moon. Hopefully that gets the bass moving. I hope we 

have some decent herring in the river this year as my fly box is busting with herring tap patterns. Here's my latest a nice Squimpish material herring fly. I can't wait to see it swim, and what happens to the material during the cast, does it hold its shape? Just to be safe I used a little Plastic Dip, Steve Farrar, style to keep it tight, but nothing on the ass end. 

     Off to Florida for a quick Mom visit, back Tuesday to the grind. Hopefully the water will be over 50 degrees by then. 

 

04.01.22 Wow! Finally connected....

        ....yep, what a fish, what a story. With winter gone and the river getting warmer I thought I'd give it a shot. And what do you know, I finally got one of those fish I've been looking for. Fooled ya! April Fools Day.....

     This has been more like it. Just about everyday in March I made fished somewhere and have just one fish to show for it. That's okay, next week it will begin. Hopefully before the next full moon. Last night we got hammered with rain and the river bumped up along with the new moon tide. Water temps still 

cold, on March 27, 2021 we were at 53 degrees and it had started getting good. Today we are at 44, almost 10 degrees colder, and almost chocolate milk due to the rain we got last night.  Yesterday I talked with some guys soaking bait, 4 hours, not a tap. This week I hit it on the way to work. Nothing to adventurous just a fly in the water, just hoping. Luckily I didn't 

find anything because as I was leaving I saw my favorite flies, tied on a Partridge Predator hook, had broke. I was really looking forward to catch another fish on that fly, a really good one. Luckily, I tied

up a bunch of decent looking flies in the off season so I think I am good to go. During the cold spell I went and explored a bunch if tributaries on both sides of the river scouting out to see if there was enough water for the herring to go up into and maybe striped bass follow them in. I can't be doing 

anymore during the slow days than I am doing. I just need some fly ready fish to wake or show up. I am not going to be that guy that complains all the time about dead striped bass, but, I will do it now. These guys aren't doing anything illegal. My problem is with the regulations. How many 28-38" striped bass can we kill in order to save the striped bass. I think this is a flawed approach. In a few years this class fish won't be around. Every dead bass fish picture you will see this spring, and you will see less 

especially from charter guys who don't want "to be that guy", on the boats and on the docks will be cookie-cutter sized, and one by one those year class fish will be decimated. The Raritan Bay is stacked with fish now, and its not hard to find them, follow the boats and you will find the fish, or you can use you fish riders, with aerial, bottom, top and side views if you need even more help. They don't always chew, but they will eat if something rubber or shiny is jigged in front of them. I caught this report on Facebook. Three guys in a tin boat caught 213 stripers yesterday. That's hard to maintain a count that high, but they did. Nothing illegal, but how many fish do you need to manhandle in a day, and doesn't it 

get a little boring, fish after fish after fish? Maybe I'm missing it. "They" say fishing mortality from recreational fisherman is 9%, and these fished get caught more than one time I am sure. Billion fish, a billion boats, just about everyday for a few months. When boats get on numbers they stay on them, catch, release, catch, release, and these fish don't swim away. They swim back down to their buds and either drop dead on the bottom or wait until there jaw pain subsides and then they eat again. 

     Fly fisherman are a bit different. You fish for hours, and hours, with little chance of catching the mother of all fish or the Mother Lode. You cast until your arm falls off and maybe you catch a few fish that day. The only time I remember putting up any numbers in on Martha's Vineyard, usually at night, when the majority of the bass were 20-24", but I stayed at it hoping for that one that was 30 inches. Fly anglers and even shore anglers (not poachers), aren't putting the pressure and beating on these fish. Maybe the ASMFC should put a halt on boat fishing for striped bass in April and May and November and December, just to give them a break for a bit. 

03.29.22 Ouch.....

     Enjoy, hopefully, the last days of winter 2022. We had a nice warm-up and "pop" of striped bass fishing in early March. It definitely was early, but then in normalized as the month progressed and winter returned. Early on there was a plug and plastics bite, and even on the fly, from the shore but the fish have retreated a bit and become more lethargic, and that's why the blood and tape worm bites have been increasing. 

     As far as the fly rod fish, its coming. If you fish migratory fish they have to move, and at sometime have to eat. Bunker and herring in any kind of numbers will get them chewing. I've seen videos from the Manasquan River, there's a ton of bunker there. As far as the herring, divebombing birds in the bays and out front tell me there's baitfish, bunker or herring around. 

It should be soon, air temps up to 70 this week, its about to get going, along with the new moon, get ready to go.