Cape May Fishing Nov 1 to Nov 31

[CapeMayRay]

Finally got down to check on the boat. It weathered the storm and the water doesn't look all that bad. Hope to get out and fish tomorrow.

[CapeMayRay]

Decided to go out for short 2 hour trip late this afternoon. Left the dock at 4:30 pm . Water in the marina was ugly brown. Headed to the inlet and found it ugly brown there too. Did find one area along the beach where I had a foot and half of visibility and saw a few small bait fish when my fly hit the water but got no strikes there.

Right before the sun got all the way down I shot to the back bay flat where there was decent water. Could see the fly down almost 2 1/2 feet.

Got to the back and was treated to dead calm conditions and another spectacular sunset on a mild November night.


Up in a creek I caught two small bass. A 16 1/2 inch and one about 22 inches that fell off the hook as I was lifting him over the side of the boat. That now makes 84 fish caught on that same chartreuse fly. 16 more bass and it gets retired.

On the way back to the dock at 6:30 I was running into patches of the bio-essence stuff that we get about this time of year. In the dark I would run over a patch and there would be a big glow. It was like a big light flash under the boat here and there as I would hit different spots. Never saw that before. Usually it is just one big area where the spray and your prop wash is all a glow.

Hard to believe this same area was being blasted just a couple of days ago. It felt good to get back out on the water again.

[jsarge]

Ray, where are you? Everything OK? You have not posted all week and I miss seeing what is going on down in Cape May. Those of us who have to work miss getting your updates.

[CapeMayRay]

Water has looked like mud, along the beach, in the back. Even the bait dunkers in the back are not catching.

Decided to see what it was like first hand today.

Went out with Glen from the club today. He hasn't been down to fish since I got him a striper this spring. Every time he has come down this fall to fish it has been either a northeaster or just high winds.

Well the high winds is what we had this morning. They were calling for 25 knot winds gusting higher. We left the dock at 10:00 right at the top of the tide and found the water looking bad in the marina with about 6 inches of visibility and the flag straight out.

We went out anyhow and headed to the back to fish a leeward shore. Found 2 feet of visibility but could not get a strike. We worked 2 creeks where I have seen a little bait and caught under similar situations this month and nothing.

It was tough fly fishing under the conditions, but we would of caught if there were any fish around. Over all it was difficult to control the boat, having to constantly make corrections as the wind would gust but we saw zero signs of life.

Even took a run out to the ocean. Water there was ugly brown too, with no visibility, no birds to be seen and a few boats anchored for bass. Realizing we had no chance to catch on the fly we heading in after 2 hours of blowing around in the wind.

Highlight of the day was a good lunch.

[CapeMayRay]

Left the dock at 10:00 am with a father and son fly charter right at the top of the tide. Water in the marina looked like crap. You could only see down about 6 inches.

Weather man was a little off. It was windier and less warm than predicted. Worked a few small creeks in the back that have produced in the last weeks and they were dead. No signs of bait or fish and water was fairly good. You could see the fly down maybe 2 feet.

On the out going tide we worked one last creek and had two strikes and got this little guy who swallowed deep a 6 inch fly. Let him swim off but do not think he will make. Very rarely do we ever hook them that deep with a fly. I think he was starving to death and didn't want to miss the meal.

With the dirty water and wind we move to a point rip line and worked it the rest of the trip, picked away and catching 3 more on the fly and 2 on a swimming plug. All small up to 19 inches. Charter was using his own flies that he tied. A six inch black/white fly with a lot of flash worked best on sinking line.



Generally tough fishing for this time of year and still not seeing any of the normal action or better size fish that we usually do.

Water quality around the inlet has been even worse than in the back bay.

[CapeMayRay]

Weather finally got a little better today. It was still blowing northeast but not that hard and just a light rain to drizzle.

This morning I talked to 4 of the regular surf anglers this morning who were fishing the beach for four hours and they hadn't even gotten a bite. Between them they only had a few stripers all fall and said it has been their worst fall fishing ever.

I was hoping to go out in the boat and work the incoming tide at the inlet or long the beach front, but with the wind and surf and poor fishing along the beach I decided to head out in the afternoon.

Paul from the fly club could make it this afternoon so we left the dock at 2:00 pm. Seeing good wave action around the beach front and along the rocks we decided to hit the back.

We found perfect conditions. Wind died, still a light drizzle, over cast skies, the start of the out going tide, decent water quality and it was mild out. You couldn't ask for a better set up.

MAYBE A FEW FISH!!!

It was a bit discouraging. We tried a number of creek mouths and point breaks with nice text book rip lines and nothing. Not a sign of bait or fish anywhere. (did see one turtle)

Finally around 5:00 pm I hooked a fish. It was like a miracle. A fish at last. Crazy getting all excited about a dinky little striper, but after going three hours in a dead zone you get excited just to get a hit.

It was number 85 on that chartreuse fly that I have been using. The one that gets retired at 100.

Shortly after I threw that guy back Paul landed a small one.

He got his miracle. His was caught on a chartreuse and white regular clouser on intermediate line.

Right around dusk a fog set in and we moved to one more point where I picked up number 86. 14 more to go. It was another small one only about 17 inches.

Just very poor fishing with 53.8 degree water and perfect fishing conditions. It is frustrating as I have never seen it this bad at this time of year before. I was going to go out tomorrow morning before leaving for Thanksgiving dinner, but with the fishing so poor, I am sleeping in and going to enjoy a nice breakfast.

I have fly charters waiting for me to call them when the striper fly fishing gets good. I do not see it happening. The normal action looks like it isn't going to happen here this year and the season is getting short.

[CapeMayRay]

Went away for Thanksgiving and decided not to do a fly charter today with the high winds predicted. Stayed the extra day and while the wife and daughter did the black Friday thing I headed off for some freshwater fishing.

Was cool and very windy but I head out around 11:00 am I Fished two lakes from shore. With the wind and heavy growth close to the water my fly rod proved worthless. I had to go back to the car and get a ultra light spin rod.

I can't seem to get away from the small fish, whether salt or fresh water. I fished for 4 hours and caught 16 small large mouth bass to 12 inches and two yellow perch. They hit small swimming rapala bait and small rooster tail spinner bait.

I had a fun day but it was cool and windy.

On a sad note, I saw more bait fish in that small lake that I fished (it might of been 6 football fields in size) than I have seen all fall in the back bay down here.