STOP EVERYTHING!
I don’t even want you to finish reading this column. Just drop your laptop, blow past the wife and kids without a wave, turn off your cell, set your e-mail to an “out of office reply,” grab your gear, floor the gas pedal, and get fishing now!
For the past 6 weeks or so we have all been looking at each other like lost souls wondering and wandering and waiting. The wait is over.
The cold snap over the weekend along with the Northerly winds has driven down the surf temperature enough to put the stripers on the move. Areas up and down the coast that have been catching resident fish have begun to see a different class fish, on a fall feeding pattern.
Off the phone moments ago with Chuck from Off the Hook in Cape May and the word is… GO! There have been rumors of spotty fishing in the rips – not full blown consistent action, but the first real promising indication that ocean fish are moving through. They are keeper size, and they are eating. The other option for the Delaware Bay is going on the chunk. The chunk bite is most definitely on.
The problem has been getting fresh bait. The local guys down south are having their bunker shipped in from up north because the bay is not giving up the bait. Nearshore, on the ocean side, it has been almost impossible to find the schools of bunker due to the conditions. If you are going to Cape May and you are going to chunk, not calling ahead and reserving bunker will ruin your day. In fact, due to the snotty conditions all week, fresh bunker or clam in the shell is going to be an issue to some degree wherever you go.
Just below Great Egg Inlet, Bill at Fin-atics in Ocean City confirms that things are heating up and new fish are moving in. There were good catches of keeper fish on the beach of OC on Sunday and Monday for clam slingers. The plug guys have picked a few shorts, but the legal-sized fish are falling to bait. Dragging eels in the inlet has put some in the boat as well. Togging is strong and the crab drought is over.
Don Brown at Capt. Andy’s in Margate has been hitting the beaches hard for the last six weeks running, fishing in the Atlantic County Surf Fishing Derby. Donny has the word on eight keeper bass coming up on the sand in the last couple days with at least as many reported from the surrounding inlets (Great Egg & Atlantic City) by customers drifting eels and live spot. The beach fish were all taken on either clam or bunker. Don has eels, spot, bunker and salted clam in stock.
There are two tournaments this upcoming weekend if you are the competitive type and in this neck of the woods. The Jimmy Stewart Memorial Tourney is being run out of Maynard’s in Margate for the 12th consecutive year. You can details by calling Capt. Andy’s at 609-822-0916. Also, in its first year, is the C-Jam Striper Tournament out of the newly renovated C-Jam Yacht Sales in Somers Point (formerly Cardinal Yacht Sales). Full details at 609-927-1175, and ask for Rachel. Both events are Saturday.
Andy at Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine was weighing in Paul Todd’s 37-inch, 17-pound striper when I called this morning. That puts Paul in second place in the Riptide Tourney behind the 38-inch, 28-pound fatty that Ken McGowen weighed in earlier today. Both on salted clam, which Andy has plenty of. He is planning a little road trip tomorrow fill the truck with bunker for the weekend.
Just like the guys in South Jersey, the mid-state crews out of Fisherman’s Headquarters are finding that it’s truly a bait bite. The problem the sand stompers are having is holding bottom with up to 12 ounces still breaking loose in the crazy surf. If you can get the baits out you can bring the fish in. Most are in the mid-teens weight-wise, but in these conditions any fish hauled out of the water is a trophy, trust me. Again, call ahead for bunker but they are reporting everything else stocked up and ready to go.
Dave at the Reel Seat in Brielle is down in the dumps over not being able to get either himself or his guys out to the canyons due to the bad seas. He has heard of a schoolie bluefin bite out at the Mudhole for the few that ventured and some reports of stripers being jigged out of Asbury Park. The blackfish bite has been very good for those that rock the wrecks, but trying to stay in one spot with these winds is no fun at all.
Tom at Giglio’s in Sea Bright wants to let everybody know that the guys from Team Jersey Shore, winners of this year’s OTW Striper Cup, has parked their coveted award there for all to come and see. Tom has been weighing in fish this week from the beachfront and the river. Ray Soyka and Gene Bradford both scaled in 19-pound stripers from the river and Chris Carrol of Aberdeen brought one to the shop from the beach today.
There are lots of variables for this upcoming weekend. The weather looks great on the TV news, but when you look at the water you are going to see big seas and unfavorable winds.
Best Bets
Best bet in my book is to do a little telephone recon first, secure some fresh bait, and hit the beach or find a protected spot in the back, near the inlet with good structure. There is no doubt that this is the beginning of what we have been waiting, and waiting, and waiting for…. the fall run, is here! Make it your best one ever!
Stay Tuna-ed!