Left the dock Friday night with another plug charter. Again the water was pretty cold as we passed by the incoming water near the inlet.
Thought I could get a repeat of last night so we went to the back bay looking for warm water. We found it but unlike yesterday it was all brown from the wind blowing all day on the shallow flats and it was loaded with snot grass. Water was also up near 73 degrees where yesterday it was 69.9
Worked it for about and hour with out a single strike. Moved to the other side where the water was a lot cleaner and the water there was 66 degrees. Here we picked up a two small stripers and 2 bluefish on popping plugs.
With the tide coming in pretty good I moved back to where we started the day and the water was flowing good and we started catching stripers and blues with a couple of double hook ups, even catching two stripers on the same plug.
We kept working are way along with the incoming tide picking a striper here and there and finally going up a creek where we found more fish. After a slow start we ended up with 11 stripers and 4 bluefish for the night.
Again the water was about 60 degrees at the top of the tide making it feel very cool and sweat shirts where needed as we zipped back to the dock.
Finally had a night without a charter and was able to have a nice dinner at a normal time. After dinner decided to take a short trip out with my wife.
We fished for 2 hours to about 9:00 pm. and we caught 6 stripers and 3 bluefish.
My wife got the biggest fish on the night using a popping plug.
Water still pretty cold was 61.8 with still a few hours left incoming water. We left to come in with the best part of the tide still to come. Had a nice relaxing night on the water.
Had one person light tackle charter tonight. Dead low tide when we left the dock and very windy from the west north west. Went to the ocean to hide from the wind. Water was 64 along the beach front and very dirty with a good amount of weed.
Started off slow and then we started getting some weakfish and fluke. Biggest weakie was a nice 22 1/2 incher.
Decided to go search for bigger fish. Worked the inlet rocks on all sides and never got a strike or saw any signs of life.
Moved to the back bay were we found some blues but could not buy a strike from a striper. I don't know where they were as we tried all the spots where we were catching them all week. Got to chalk one up for the fish tonight as I just could find them. Again the wate was 60.1 near the inlet at the end of the trip.
The one nice weakie made the charters night as he hadn't caught a weakie in years.
Been tough fishing the last few nights with dead low water that has been very dirty brown with a lot of weed, plus we are still having super cold water coming in the back changing it from low 70's to the low 60'. I think it has the fish a bit confused. (Me too) It was cold last night again we had sweat shirts on.
Last night had a guy from Bay Shore Fly Anglers. Good caster, tier etc. and we still had a tough go of it. Found 64.2 degree water along the beach and worked it for weakies. We caught some small weakies, but I got the two biggest, a 17 1/2 and 15 1/2 incher. He had a good number of hits but just couldn't get a good size ones to hook up.
After working it pretty hard hoping for a nice tide runner we gave up and worked the inlet rocks. He got a schoolie on a mushmouth bunker fly that he ties.
He got about 4 more hits but know other hookups. We fished it till the water got down to 61.2 degrees. We saw some pods of bunker and tried around them but there was nothing under them. Again not a sign of any small bait or any bird to be seen.
Last stop was in the back bay but the water was already 62 degrees and no signs of life at the usual feeding spots so we called it a night.
Another tough night. Called for a chance of thunderstorms tonight. Left the dock with a light tackle charter at 5:00 pm with a light wind out of the southeast and it looking a bit dark off to the west. With near low tide we headed to the ocean to see if we could get some weakfish.
Just as we started fishing the wind kicked up pretty good out of the southeast and it got a bit cold and the gray to the west was looking like a possible thunderstorm coming.
Water was 69 degrees. On the first cast we caught a small weakfish and we picked away at weakies using small rubber swimming baits missing way more than we hooked. Our calm seas started getting bigger but we were able to work it for almost two hours be for the waves and the wind and waves made it difficult to fish.
We picked up 8 weakies to 15 inches, one throwback fluke and this little guy. He looks like some sort of jack.
Storm sort of got held off by the offshore wind and looked to blow north of us. Moved to the inlet rocks where we were we found some shelter from the wind but never got a strike or saw any signs of life.
Last move was to the back bay with the incoming tide and found what looked to be good conditions but saw no bait and never even got a strike where I can usually find fish at that stage of the tide. Very dead, where it is normally good.
Strange but great morning. Left the dock at 5:30 am this morning. Was going to head straight out to the ocean and fish for weakies with my one person light tackle charter, but decided to try the last of the out going in the back bay. Went to the spot where I ended the night last night and we couldn't even get a swirler.
I set up in 4 1/2 feet of water and we were casting into 2 feet of water. First cast my charter missed a fish and on the second one he hooked up a small striper.
The action stayed steady for the last of the out going, during dead tide and the beginning of the incoming.
The action was mixed with bluefish and I even got out my fly rod and caught some stripers and blues myself on popping flies.
It turned out to be a fantastic morning. In three hours we totaled 21 stripers to 26 inches with 5 fish over 24 inches and 8 bluefish.
It helped that it was overcast and the fish were hungry.
The last hour we worked the jetty rocks and never got a hit. I had as much fun as my charter. Wish every morning could be like this.
I wonder what kind of jack that is? I don't think it is a juvy amberjack. I dunno... but that's why I love fishing the ocean. You just never know what's going to be on the end of the line.
Did a rare mid day trip for a family this afternoon. God I hate being out in the mid day sun, but they just wanted some fishing action for their 11 year old daughter. They said every-time they go freshwater or saltwater fishing they never catch anything.
Decide to go out at the top of the tide and work the outgoing fishing for fluke with the old squid minnow combo.
Action started hot and heavy, small fluke, sharks, sea bass and sea robins. They got a lot of fish but no keeper size, with a few pretty close. Action was pretty good until the wind kicked up good from the west making drifting very difficult and our bite slowed down quite a bit.
They were super happy with the action even though we didn't get any keepers as they had a lot of action.
Think I got a enough sun to last me all month.
Last edited by CapeMayRay; 08-06-2008 at 07:43 PM.
Tried to duplicate yesterday's morning trip. Left the dock 5:00 am with father and sun light tackle possible fly trip. (They had freshwater experience with 3 wts.)
Went to the same area as yesterday with a little better tide and expected to do a number on the fish. Water was about the same temperature but the water was very brown. (guess from all the wind yesterday)
Picked 4 stripers and 4 bluefish pm top water plugs. They did not use fly rods as the fish were in very shallow water and to far to cast the fly line.
With yesterday being overcast the fishing was much better. Sun came up bright and hot and fishing shut down quick.
With dead tide and no action we moved to the beach front for weakies. Water there was very dirty and brown and we only got a couple of strikes so we worked the inlet rock and more of the same, no strikes.
Tried the back bay one more time before we when in with the incoming tide and only got a couple of strikes so we were back to the dock by 9:30 am.
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