The End of Summer

The End of Summer, that is to say the end of "Real" summer weather, has finally come to pass.
We had a record breaking 95 degree day yesterday, and most 2 legged creatures ... along with a smattering accompanied by their 4-legged "better halves"... with any free time flocked to New Jersey's barrier islands for one last summer-fling.

Having had my schedule rearranged several times this week, I found myself able to get out to Brigantine for a couple of hours.

As I drove out to the island I noted that it was, quite literally, packed. Especially for a weekday in October!

Since I really want to be "alone" that left the North Natural Area as my best option.

Unlike 2 weeks ago, I found very few mullet in the surf, but using fresh (not live) or frozen, my mullet rigs were getting harassed non-stop by the 1 million snappers in the surf.

I managed to land 2 tailors (kept 1 for dinner), 1 snapper (threw the head out... something whacked it ...likely another blue... but nothing else).

Tried netting those elusive mullet to no avail, and didn't pull out the flyrod as the surf was not conducive (and I didn't feel like wading out and getting 100% drenched/soaked from the huge swells coming in), so settled for bait fishing.

As an aside, here is a picture of the baby "pompano" I netted 2 weeks ago. I call it a "pompano" but would not be surprised if someone ID'd it differently. No matter, as it is a unique species for me.

The Setting Sun, all golden, paints patterns in the sky.

Slowly it fades now as Summer, finally, says Goodbye!

Early Fall

We have had a decent "Local Summer"... the time of year when the air and water are both still warm, but most of the tourists have long gone back to their winter residences.

Late shoreline fishing brings in a ton of small fish: blues, spot, kingfish, blowfish, and some southern visitors like small jacks and pompano, along with Spanish Mackerel, Bonito and Albies, at least for those who fish near some deep water channels.

Spot:



Pompano:



I was finally able to get out and fish a few weeks ago. Time has been slipping by this year with a busy schedule at work, some minor health issues, and what seemed to be an interminable number of "health professional" appointments. While I have set my sights on "retirement", I've not yet been forced to deal with it. My wife and I aren't getting any younger, so while I enjoy the paycheck, and my employer seems to derive benefit from me, enough to keep giving it, I do look forward to moving on to the next phase of my "career": being a stay at home husband.  Soon? Either by choice or by force-of-the-workplace, I don't know. Some day for sure.

Reports had been encouraging and the surf had enough signs of life. While it was not the "fish on every cast" that I would expect this time of year, having just weathered a fairly robust storm a few days earlier, I did manage to get the first fish on the vintage fiberglass rod I had a local rod rebuilder "do up" for me.

This original rod was one of my father in law's favorite rods for surf, and even some pier, fishing. I paired it with an equally vintage reel: the venerable Penn 9M level wind, spooled up with his favorite 20lb Ande mono. Gosh just typing that combination of rod, reel and mono brings back so many memories.

Getting down to the beach, I tried for kingfish using a seaworm rig to no avail. While reports of their appearances were still coming in, I found no love in the area, and at the time, I was there. So, i laid out a mullet rig and waited. Eventually, I also noticed some disturbances in the surf, and threw a cast net yielding baby pompano (alluded to above), as well as the more usual mullet:



Using these mullet on traditional "mullet rigs" that the bait shops sell is almost a guaranteed recipe for any bluefish in the area (the one below is a typical setup):

This evening was typical and was glad to put a bend in the old, revitalized, rod. Memories indeed!

And thus it goes

Had another 'beautiful day on the water' last week.

That's a fishing euphemism for "I didn't catch".

The local fly fishing club had an outing at Corsen's Inlet State Park

This beautiful state park was established in 1969 to help protect and preserve one of the last undeveloped tracts of land along the state’s oceanfront. The area’s natural habitats are rich in the diversity of its wildlife with primary and secondary sand dune systems, shoreline overwash, marine estuaries and upland areas in which hundreds of wildlife species live and breed. The park offers outstanding scenic beauty and endless opportunities for observing a multitude of migratory and residential wildlife species. Corson’s Inlet is extremely popular for hiking, fishing, crabbing, boating and sunbathing.

Arrived around 3:30PM and the tide was incoming until about 7PM. I stayed until the sun started setting, after the change of tide.

Unfortunately, the only hit I had on various flies was around halfway through that when I got a sharp pull, and subsequent biteoff, by a substantially sized bluefish. If you are not using a bite tippet, then it is imperative to do a strip strike and pull the fly to the corner of the mouth so their razor sharp teeth don't cut your line.

This happens from time to time depending on how fast you are stripping the line, how the fish bites, and just how big the fish is.

The Call of The Sea

After a disappointing attempt at finding the wily Pequest Rainbow Trout in the mudholes they call "ponds" here in the Grand State of South Jersey, I've decided to be disappointed in another way: in quest of a Striped Bass.

One would think this an easy thing and, yes, it is relatively easy if you have flexibility of time at your disposal.  It's hard to quantify but the vast majority of striped bass caught from shore are done so at low light or night times.  However, getting out at those times is increasingly difficult for me.

Also, if one is flexible in travels, it is also relatively easy to stack up striper catches at certain times of the year. Indeed, I used to have regular "milk runs" of spots that would be checked in any given session, and track the migration locally from place to place.

Again, my choices are more limited for a variety of reason.

But the Sea calls, and no matter whether trout or striper actually jump on my line, I have started fishing again, after a long dry spell over the winter.

The "easiest" or "surest" way to catch during the daytime is using bait, at least right now, and in the spots I frequent.

My "next best friends" showed up yesterday, along with a surprise visitor at the jetty. Pictures below.

Cocktails

A beautiful, summer like, Sunday afternoon. And introducing a couple of my friends to the joy of fishing :)

Our two dogs, named cappuccino and zosyn, loved the beach (as all dogs do) and of course were fascinated by the fish.

Zo, in particular, as he had never been out fishing with me before, and had never encountered a "fish".

Every time the tail flicked, he would jump back at this "new" thing invading "his" beach environment!

This time of year is the beginning of one of the best parts of surf fishing, there are weakfish, stripers, tautog, a few flounder around (though you cannot keep them as the season closed!), still some kingfish, the chance for a red drum... all potentially available to the South Jersey surf angler.

Why 'cocktails'?

A bluefish  (Pomatomus saltatrix) starts out life as any other small fish, helpless and cute.

However, it quickly develops into a maniacal eating machine, and over the years anglers have developed fairly common names for the various "sizes" of bluefish.

Snappers - are typically those blues with teeth, up to about 8"  
Cocktails - from 8" up to 1-2 lbs in weight (see above with the dogs)  
Taylors - approximately 2-4lbs, this supposedly came from the saying that they were "taylor made" for dinner  
Choppers - up to 10lbs 
 Gators - 10-15 lbs
Slammers - 15 lbs+

zoned out - part 2

Last week I was out in the surf, along a back inlet, and on the inlet rocks.

Bait was basically all over and some fish were busting the surf, had to be striped bass or blues, though probably small, and not many.

Never got a hookup and got one quick bump on my lure/teaser combo.

Found out that the bait was likely sand eels. SAND EELS!

Never even occurred to me, but when fishing with that bait around, one uses very different tactics than what I was doing.

Perhaps it would have made no difference, but I do tend to stick with one method too long.