It Keeps Going...

Fished Sunday with Jay, Jake, and Bill. We headed out in the ocean to where they were biting on Saturday. However, the fish had moved. We made a long run to a different spot and found birds working along with the fish. We caught about seven stripers to 22 pounds on jigs. How long will it last? I'm going to Florida soon, maybe even before the fish leave! Pro Tip: Jigs are made of lead and plastic. To make them appealing to the fish you have to move them like you mean it. Most jig bites occur on the fall. Jig up sharply but slowly lower the rod at the rate of the jig sinking to feel subtle bites. You will catch more fish if you pay attention to the fall of the jig.

Stripers Still Good

Fished with Peter and Ray Saturday morning. We headed out despite a strong cold wind. It was bumpy but the fish were there. We caught six or so stripers to 18 pounds on jigs. The fish are still here and it has been a great season. Pro Tip: Wave theory. Big waves need three things to form. All three are equally important.
1. The wind has to blow hard.
2. The wind has to blow for a long time.
3. The wind needs to blow over a large area of water. This is called fetch.
We had strong winds out of the west/northwest. In our area that means it will be calm along the beach and rougher as you progress farther offshore as the fetch increases. We were able to fish close to the beach in strong winds and relatively calm conditions because there was little fetch.

Jigging Stripers

Fished today with John, Greg, Kevin, and Sam in the ocean. We started off trolling and caught one early. The action was slow so we made a move. We found the birds and the fish feeding on top. We switched over to jigs and caught a bunch. It was not an easy bite and the fish were a bit finicky but we got them to chew. We caught between 20-25 stripers, one big bluefish, and a five pound fluke. It was flat calm and beautiful. Pro tip. Rod angle plays a part in fishing jigs. A high rod tip will swim a jig much higher in the water column than a low rod angle. The fish were on the surface and the high rod angle made the difference at times between bites and no bites.

Forty Stripers

Fished Saturday with Sam, Nan, and friends in the ocean. We started off trolling and we caught fish right away. We had around ten bass and then switched over to jigging. The bite really turned on and we racked up some numbers. We caught another thirty stripers and a couple of big blues. The fish of the day was a 24 pound bass caught on a jig. It was very good. Pro Tip: Move your jig like you mean it. The action in your jig should come from your rod movement, not from you reeling. The reel should just be picking up line.

CBS News-Whales

The abundance of whales has attracted some media attention. The news interviewed me last night. Here is the link. 

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2015/12/07/whale-heading-south-for-winter-stops-near-ocean-city-to-show-off/

Joe Hughes

Big Stripers

Fished with Dean, Ed, and Mike today in the ocean. It took a little bit to get dialed in but we found them big time. We had around 25 fish to 25 pounds on the troll. We had mostly singles with a couple of double headers and one triple header. We also had whales putting on quite a show around us all day. Pro Tip: Bait doesn't automatically mean there are stripers present. Bait behavior will indicate the presence of stripers. Happy relaxed bait pods mean no predators are present. Nervous, flipping bait means bass are present.

More Stripers on the Troll

Fished with Matt and Leslie in the ocean for stripers. We found consistent action on the troll. We caught around 18 stripers and one big bluefish. The biggest fish was 18 pounds or so. Pro Tip: When trolling close to the beach, weed can be an issue. Check your lures for weed if you were catching fish and then things slow. The fish may still be there but not willing to eat a weeded lure.

Stripers on the Troll

Fished with Jim and Kevin. We trolled up around a dozen stripers to about 20 pounds. We also had a big blue and we did catch one striper on a jig. We had consistent action throughout the trip. Pro Tip: When trolling heavy lures like mojos or umbrella rigs and you hook a fish do not pump and wind. Pumping and winding allows the fish to shake the hook and use the weight of the lure to dislodge the hook. Just keep the rod bent and maintain steady pressure. You will get more fish to the boat.

Surface Blitz

Headed out in less than ideal conditions the other day with Dusty, Dusty, and Ryan. We found big fish busting on top. We caught a bunch of stripers on jigs to over 20 pounds. It was amazing. The bite is on. Pro Tip: Know your birds. The type of bird indicates the type of bait that's being eaten by the fish. Gannets feed on large bunker and herring. Terns feed on spearing and bay anchovies. Seagulls pick up scraps. If there are seagulls present the action has been going on for a while. Knowing the bait allows you to adjust your lure and presentation to improve your chances of success.

Stripers at Sunset

Dad, Ryan, and I headed out for the afternoon yesterday. We got back on the fish right away and caught several to 18 pounds on jigs. Pro Tip: Fish where the fish are in the water column. The fish were in the top 1-3 feet of the water. We had to change to lighter jigs and throw weightless soft plastics to hook up. Heavier jigs were out of the strike zone immediately and got no bites.

Thirty Plus Stripers

Fished yesterday with Jim and Megan. We hit the ocean and found the fish right off the bat. We had birds and fish on top. We jigged up thirty stripers up to 24 pounds on jigs. It was very good. Pro Tip: Learn how to use a dehooking tool. There are several different types that work. Using a dehooking tool is easier on the fish and easier on you. The days of the wet rag and pliers should be over.

The Trifecta: Troll, Jig, Fly

Fished yesterday with Peter, Anthony, and Tyler. We hit the ocean and started out on the troll. We caught two big stripers right off the bat. One was 44" and weighed well over thirty pounds. The second was 41" and weighed 27 pounds. We changed locations and found more fish on the troll, but quickly switched over to the jig. We jigged up a bunch of fish to 24 pounds. Peter broke out the fly rod and caught a striper on a clouser. We had a total of 18 striper releases. It was a great day. Pro Tip: Being prepared opens up options. We were ready to troll, jig, and flyfish. When conditions changed we were ready to take advantage of each situation and catch fish in different ways.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fished with Nick and friends today. We went out front trolling. It was an absolutely beautiful day! We just fished the morning before the thanksgiving festivities. We had one fifteen pound striper on the troll. Nothing better than striper fishing in the morning and thanksgiving dinner in the afternoon! Pro Tip: Learn to read your fish finder. Knowing the difference between bait and fish can make the difference between catching and not catching. Not everything that shows up on the screen is fish. We lingered in the only place we marked actual fish and it produced. We marked bait everywhere.

Striper on the Fly

Fished with Mike this Saturday. Mike is a stage four fly angler. We headed out front looking for fish to catch on the fly. The problem was the bite was on the troll. No fish on the fly in the ocean. We changed gears and headed into the bay and caught two stripers on the fly. There are still bass in the back but the best bite has been on the troll in the ocean. Pro Tip: Larry Dalberg said there were four stages of angling. Stage one: you just want to catch a fish. Stage two: you want to catch a lot of fish. Stage three: you want to catch a really big fish. Stage four: you want to catch fish the way you want to regardless of whether it is the "best" way. It is important to know thyself. It is also important to communicate your preferences with your guide. Today Mike wanted to fly fish. He has caught lots of fish other ways. We could have trolled and caught fish but he wanted to catch them on the fly. Might not make sense to you now, but someday it might.