Pics from the Week

Here are a few pics from last week in Islamorada. Nothing huge but lots of fun. Report to follow.

Stripers

Fished with John and Colin in the ocean for bass. We started out jigging and caught a few shorts. We then switched over to trolling and we caught several more including two keepers. Last weekend we got blown out entirely. I'm done in New Jersey for this year. Off to the Keys and warmer temperatures for the winter fishing. Pro Tip: Staying dry is the key to cold water fishing. Assume you're going to get wet. A water proof outer layer is key.

Stripers!

Fished last Saturday with Rick, Grant, and Matt for stripers. We jigged up a bunch of bass. I think we had around 25. We had good action but most were shorts. Pro Tip: Casting up current allows you to get deeper with lighter jigs.

Trolling Stripers

Fished today with Chris and Bubba and family. We headed out in the ocean and trolled up about six or seven stripers and two fluke. The stripers were up to 29". It was a fun day with a lot of "first" stripers caught. Pro Tip: Keep the boat in gear until it is pointed down sea. Keeping pressure on the fish keeps them from shaking off the heavy trolling lures.

45” Striper

Fished with Doug in the ocean for stripers. We found the birds and the fish. We jigged up a dozen bass to 45" and about forty pounds. Great day. Pro Tip: Braid breaks higher than the package indicates. Doug had his 40 pound fish on ten pound braid. Don't be afraid to go light. It's not as light as you think.

Rough and Tough

Fished yesterday with Jim, Joe, and John. Rough conditions made things tough. We rolled a donut yesterday and caught zero. Tough day. Pro Tip: In windy conditions, trolling in a beam sea allows you better control of your trolling speed.

Joe Hughes

Thanksgiving Friday

Fished with Chip and friends on Friday. The Friday after Thanksgiving Always seems to produce. We started out trolling with no success. We changed greats and found the birds and fish. We switched over to jigs and it was game on. We had around 15 stripers to around 35". Pro Tip: Using braid is really a plus when using light jigs. Ten pound braid allows light jigs to get down and catch fish when other techniques don't work.

Ocean Stripers

Fished today with Mike and Mike for stripers in the ocean. We found them and caught several stripers up to about 28 pounds on jigs. The fish were picky but well placed casts produced fish. It was very visual and you could see the fish. Pro Tip: The type of birds feeding tells you the type of bait present. For example, terns indicate small bait like bay anchovies. Gannets feeding indicate larger bait like bunker.

Back Bay Bust

Fished yesterday in the bay with Fred, Donnie, and friends. We fished spot on the incoming tide with no luck. We may have had one on briefly but it got off. Pro Tip: The bite can be brief in the bay. The bite was good earlier in the week but only on certain parts of the tide.

Joe Hughes

Sea Bass

Fished with Doug and Dusty yesterday in the ocean. We made the long run to some deeper sea bass grounds. Fishing was great and we caught over 100 sea bass. Most were shorts but we had over twenty keepers to 18". Pro Tip: Clams are a great sea bass bait. However, they tend to catch smaller fish. Try very light line and jigs tipped with gulp to change your keeper/throwback ratio in your favor.

Back Bay Stripers

Fished with Mike in the bay yesterday. It was an absolutely beautiful day. We started our morning fishing jigs but came up empty. We switched over to live bait and started using spot. We ended up releasing three bass to around 26". We also had several other bites and pulled the hook on a few more. Pro Tip: Egg sinkers minimize snags and weed in the bay while fishing live bait. Still, check your bait often. Any weed will make the fish not bite.

Backbay Stripers

Fished with Doug last week in the bay. We had a dozen stripers to around 25". We also had a few white perch. The fish were all caught on plastics. They have been chewing on live spot as well. Pro Tip: Flip the bail by hand instead of just turning the handle. Doing this will minimize wind knots.

Montauk Finale

Fished with Doug and Patty this weekend in Montauk. The albies and bonito chewer well today. We literally left them biting. It was a great season in Montauk. The bass are on the move and will slowly make their way here. Pro Tip: Sea Isle striper season should be in full swing by late November.

Montauk Grand Slam

Fished with Doug and Patty today in Montauk. We had around 18 albies, six stripers, a few blues, and a bunch of small bonita. Doug and I both had grand slams of albies, blues, bass, and bonitas. Fishing was great despite the wind and rain. Pro Tip: In the days of sailing warships doing battle, they would maneuver to attain the "weather gauge." The weather gauge meant you were up wind and could easily maneuver down on your opponent. Having the weather gauge on fish is always preferred. Casting, maneuvering, and presenting your lures is always easier when you have the weather gauge. Think I'm kidding. Look it up.