Fishing Reports Cape May Dec 1 to Dec 31

[CapeMayRay]

Got up this morning with a strong northwest wind shaking the house and blowing leaves and it was cold out.

Had a fly charter for late afternoon so I checked out the beach front around 1:00 p.m. and found surf was calm and fairly flat and the guys bait fishing had a pretty good incoming tide with a fair number of stripers on clam including some big ones to about 40 plus inches.

I left the dock with my one person fly charter at 2:30 with the water around 49.2 with the wind still blowing hard out of the west. We headed out the inlet and worked the inlet rocks where almost at once we started a steady pick of stripers, including twice when we were both hooked up at the same time.


We were both using sinking lines, 400 and 300 and bunker flies. With the strong wind pushing us toward the rocks and the current running hard, controlling the the electric trolling motor was a heads up job and bite continued the whole time we fished.



The hot action made us forget about the cold and our frozen hands. We fished the out going tide, which stayed very clean late into the out going. It was getting pretty cold as the sunset and charter said he had enough fun, so we headed in with the fish still bitting.

With the cold we only did a 2 1/2 hour trip ended up with 19 stripers to 24 inches, lost a good number and had lots of hits. Not a bad way to spend a cold day.

We found we had to work our flies slower than usual to get the best hook ups as the fish were taking the flies slower than normal. We also found that by letting our sinking lines get the fly down deeper before starting to strip and working it back further away from the rocks increased our number of strikes.

[CapeMayRay]

Sunday we had pretty nice weather here in Cape May compared to everyplace else. It would of been a nice day to fish as we had no rain till near dark with decent temps.

My afternoon fishing plans went on hold as I had to take my wife to Hospital with a kidney Stone problem. Spent all day there and she is doing fine now. It was raining in Cape May Court House all day at the hospital and I was surprised it was dry all day in Cape May and not too cold.

Today, no fishing. Flag poles are bending and winds are in the thirties and gusting higher. Even the canal has major white caps. Just have to wait for some better weather.

[CapeMayRay]

The wind finally stopped. Thought about fishing on the incoming this morning even though it is super cold. Took a look at the beach and the water looks like mud as does the water in the back. Now there is a very fine snow coming down. Hard to get excited about fly fishing in a slippery boat with all the odds stacked against you. I am either get old or smarter. If the water was nice and clean, I would give it a try.

[CapeMayRay]

Tough couple of days. My wife has been real sick with trying to pass a kidney stone so I have had to stay close at hand as she has to drink lots of fluids and is in a lot of pain. (all of which the doctors say is normal for passing a stone.)

We had about 3 inches of snow Wed. Went down to the boat to remove it so it would not freeze in place and found my main battery dead. Switched over to second battery to start up engine and found my engine tilt motor was on full up and couldn't get it to shut off.

I have a third motor tilt control switch up on the bow next to my electric motor. After some searching I found the rubber cap that protects the toggle switch had been cracked and water seeped into the switch causing it to be constant on.

Little hard working in the cold with barely enough room to work but was able to replace the switch and get the main battery charged up. Was glad to get it fixed as I felt uncomfortable with boat in slip with no bilge pump on.

Cold no problem in starting the engine. It started just as easy as it does in August in the hot weather. Was able to run it for awhile and bring main battery up to decent level.

Would of loved to fish this afternoon as there was zero wind and a good number of guys were going out, but this kidney stone thing is really taking it's toll on my wife. They say it can take days to weeks to pass a kidney stone. On 7th day now and hope this will all behind us soon.

We will both be missing our SJCFA year end dinner party tonight which is alway a great time and waiting to see how she is tomorrow to see if I need to cancel my charters for the weekend.

Either way not many fishing days left as I will pull boat by the end of the month.

Water was 41.5 at the dock near the bottom of the tide. Would like to get in a couple more fly trips to end the season on an up beat.

[CapeMayRay]

Wife was feeling better and I was able to do my afternoon charter today. Light wind and dead low tide (was just barely able to get the boat out of the slip as the boat was hitting bottom.) when we left the dock at 1:00pm. Water temp was 45.5

It was a plug charter and we started working the inlet rocks where we found the water ugly brown. We worked to death all sides of the inlet and the beachfront struture and never had one strike for the first 3 and half hours. Conditions were great for fishing, but it was brutal trying to get that first fish.

Finally in the last half hour of the 4 hour trip the fish turned on. we had fish splashing around the boat feeding on small bay anchovies and we finally got our first striper of the day.

With the weather so nice (cold but no wind at all.) we put in some extra time and ended up with a total of 10 bass with 4 in the 25 to 26 inch size. They were all caught on Mr. Bunker and X-Raph Rapala swimming plugs.

Would of stayed a bit longer but they were starting to feel the cold and decided to call it a nite.

[jemche]

great reports! i am happy your wife is feeling better!

tight lines.

[anotherhassel]

Thanks for the reports as i am not a fly fisherman but i do run my boat out of cape may. Nice to here that your wife is feelin better kidney stones s@#k. See u out there and good luck.

[CapeMayRay]

Looks like the worst is over with wife and the Kidney Stones. Thanks for the good words.

Got up this morning and found no wind and it wasn't raining yet. Left the dock around 8:00 am. and headed out to work the inlet rocks on the beginning of the out going tide. Water was ugly greenish brown with foot and half of visibility and the water was 45.7

Met a buddy who was fishing with a finesse who caught said he caught a 38 inch bass and some small ones. Worked it for 2 hours with the 400 sinking and bunker flies and had two hits and two fish to 22 inches.

With the action pretty slow, with no signs of bait or fish along the rocks, I decided to try the back bay as I hadn't been back there in a while. Water there was 44.7 and the water looked the same as ugly green as in the ocean, but the tide conditions looked great.

Caught two more small, very chunky stripers on the same bunker pattern with a 300 sinking line at two different point breaks.


The conditions weather wise were as good as you can get for this time of year. Would of headed up the beach or off shore looking for birds but was by myself as it was a last minute decision to fish. Don't really like going too far offshore by myself this time of year. Called it quits at 11:00 am. and headed back to the dock.

If dressed for the weather it isn't too bad but the fly fishing is tough on the hands even with gloves. I find my biggest problem is trying to tie knots or untangle lines with cold fingers.

Having fun with all the small bass on the fly but really has been a disappointing fall with decent size bass in close or in the back, but will still keep trying.

[CapeMayRay]

Put in a full day today. Promised my wife that I would do the final clean up on the yard, cut the lawn for the last time and get up the Christmas lights and decorations.

It was killing me all day as it was warm and dead calm. I pushed to get all the work done and got to the boat at 4:00 pm. A buddy was suppose to go with me but missed my call so I had to do the solo thing. (Always like to have someone with me this time a year when fishing in the ocean)

Hit the inlet and the water was dead calm 45.7 degrees and still pretty ugly looking with maybe a foot and a half of visibility. I was finally able to try the north side as it has been packed with tog fishermen off the jetty making it impossible to fish.

Got two quick stripers on bunker fly and 400 sinking line 20 and 21 inches and notice fish jumping in the surf line. Went in right behind the breaking waves on the beach and it was small stripers chasing very small bait and they were jumping all over the place.

Couldn't get them to take my bunker fly and switched to an intermediate with a yellow clouser and started catching then good. They were real dinks. 15 to 17 inches in size. After a quick 7 little guys I decided to make a move in search a something better. I usually do not leave fish to find fish but they were way too small.

Moved to the south jetty and switched back to the bunker fly and got hooked the only two hits I got. They were nicer fish a 24 and 25 incher. Caught all my fish before it got real dark.

With the super calm condition and being fairly warm I worked the flows of the ends of the jetties in the dark for a half hour and never got another hit. It was so warm I didn't even need gloves or my hood up on the sweat shirt. (As nice a December day as you can get this time of year.

10 stripers in 2 hours not a bad way to end the day, but still looking for Bubba Bass.

No pictures today. Was in such a rush to get to the boat I left without it. (would of liked to of got a shot of all those jumping stripers)

[CapeMayRay]

Thought about going out Wed. afternoon. Drove along the beach in the car looking for any bird or fish activity. Taked to surf fishermen and they had only had one hit in hours of fishing. Wind kicked up pretty good late afternoon and that made up my mind not to go.

Going to try on Friday if the weather permits. Thinking about pulling the boat with the cold weather to come and the holidays coming on fast.

Hope to get a few more fish on the fly from the boat.