Stripers, Blues, and Fluke

Fished Monday with Jeff, Jim, Paula, and Jen in the bay. Fluke fishing started off slow but things really picked up when we came across some blues. We quickly changed gears and started throwing jigs. We caught around 10-12 blues, four stripers to almost 28", and a 21" fluke all on jigs. When that quit, we went back to fluking and caught two more keeper fluke and some shorts. Flexibility is the key to capitalizing on opportunities. You have to be ready to switch gears. Pro Tip: Always net fish head first. Never chase them by the tail. That way they swim into the net.

More Keeper Fluke

Dad, Chris, and I headed back out Saturday afternoon. We had two keeper fluke plus some shorts in a quick trip.

Keeper Fluke

Fished with Mike and Colin on Saturday morning. We headed out to catch some keeper fluke and we did. We had four keeper fluke to 22" plus a nice sized bluefish. The fluke fishing seems like it will be good. Pro Tip: Use Gulp in the bay for tipping your jigs. Gulp stays cleaner than squid or strip baits along the muddy bottom.

Sea Bass Limit

Fished today with Doug and Ryan. We headed out in the ocean to catch some sea bass. The sea bass season opened this week and it closes later in June. The action was fast and furious. It was drop and reel them in all day. We easily caught over 100 sea bass and kept our limit. It was flat calm and beautiful. A great day to be on the water. Pro Tip: The best sea bass fishing occurs when the boat is as stationary as possible. This means anchoring or using the engine. It is possible to hold the boat stationary by manipulating the engine in and out of gear. This saves time and allows you to hit many different places in less time.

Fluke and Blues

Fished last Saturday with Terry, Ed, Steve, Bill, and John.  We fished the back bay. Despite the windy conditions we caught fish. We had several blues and some fluke that were around 20" that we released. All signs point to a good fluke season. The first day of fluke season is this Thursday May 25. The regulations allow for three fish 18 inches or over per person.  Pro Tip:  Lower your rod tip during windy conditions when jigging. Less line above water lessens the effect of the wind on the line. Wind of the line create slack which makes feel difficult when the bites are subtle. 

Joe Hughes

Blues in the Bay

Fished Friday evening with Kevin and Zack. We headed out in the bay and started catching blues from 2-6 pounds. We also caught and released some fluke. Blue fishing continued to be great in the bay though the overall size has gotten smaller. Pro Tip: Cold cloudy days usually mean that a deep and slow retrieve works best. Pay attention for subtle bites when the temperature drops. The fish will be less aggressive but should still bite.

Non Stop Blues

Fished with Darryl, Sean, and Jenna in the bay on Sunday. It was nonstop all afternoon despite the incessant wind. We had blues from 4-10 pounds. We also caught a few fluke. Epic. Pro Tip: Buy and learn to use a dehooker. It is easier on you and in the fish.

Blues and Fluke

Fished with Grant, Rick, Nick, and Matt. The bite was nonstop in the bay and we caught blues and fluke the entire trip. The blues were from 3-9 pounds. All the fish were released. Pro Tip: When bringing the fish to the boat stay at the rail when landing it. People have the tendency to back up. Stay at the rail and swing the rod to the person landing the fish. You need to see what is going on to react.

The Bite Continues

Fished with John, Tom, and Tom in the bay on Saturday. The wind blew but the bite continued to be great. We caught a bunch of blues from 4-8 pounds plus a few flounder. Pro Tip: No high sticking. It looks great in the magazines but never hold the rod above your head in a vertical position. This puts no positive pressure on the fish and strains the rod to the point it might break. Keep the rod in front of you.

Monster Blues

Fished with Paul, Marshall, and Craig in the bay. The bluefish action has been great. We had blues to 15 pounds on jigs. The action was excellent. The bite continues. Pro Tip: Keep the rod and your hands in front of you when fighting a fish. The higher you hold the rod, the less pressure you put on the fish.

Back Bay Blues

Fished with Paul and Adam this week in the bay. The action was very good with bluefish to around 14 pounds. They were all big. Pro Tip: Reeling against the drag means to reel when the fish is pulling line off the reel. Doing this puts twists in the line that at some point in the future will present themselves as one giant knot right after you cast. These are sometimes mistakenly called wind knots. Wind has little to do with it.

More Blues on the Fly

Fished with Paul and Dave in the bay. Paul and Dave both caught blues from 10-18 pounds on the fly as well as on spinning rods. The current 20 pound tippet fly rod record is just under 17 pounds. Dave released a bluefish on the fly that was around 18 pounds. Did we release a world record? Most likely yes. Pro Tip: Many times not getting bites on the fly has nothing to do with the fly or the color. The retrieve frequently is more important than the fly. Try moving the fly assertively. In other words, move it like you mean it. Lackluster or halfhearted retrieves rarely catch fish in a saltwater situation.

Blues on the Fly

Fished with Mike and Ryan on the bay. We headed out to catch the big blues on the fly and we did. Mike and Ryan both caught a bunch of monsters on the fly as well as on the spinning rod. The blues ranged from 10-19 pounds. Yep. I said 19 pounds. It was the biggest blue I've seen in a very long time. Pro Tip: If you are going to enjoy and become proficient as a fly angler, you need to learn to cast in the wind. Use the wind to your advantage. Learn to work with it and not to fight it. Anglers who say it's too windy to fly fish will miss some amazing days on the water.

Monster Blues

Fished with John, John, Jack, and Mason in the bay. We had a slow start but we finished very strong. The bite was excellent the second half of the trip. Just goes to prove you have to stick it out sometimes. We caught blues from 4-15 pounds. Pro Tip: Positively is very important in fishing. People talk about luck, but there is very little luck involved. Being positive creates its own "luck."

Blues!

Brady and I fished Saturday afternoon. It was great and his arms are now six inches longer since the fish were so big! Pro Tip: Take a kid fishing. But make it about them. Get them involved and make sure you don't make it about catching fish. Make it about spending time together!

Big Blues

Fished with Bob, Craig, and Matt on Saturday morning. The blues continued and we caught fish from 10-16 pounds. The bite really good early on and then slowed a bit as the morning progressed. Pro Tip: The Tidal Center is the point where the water from two different inlets meet. The incoming tide will flow north from one inlet and south from the other inlet and meet in the "middle." Knowing this can help you avoid wind against the tide situations or help you slow down your drift if needed.

The Blues Continue

Fished with Doug and friends on Friday afternoon. It was epic. We caught blues from 10-16 pounds almost non stop until dark. Lots of double and triple headers. All on jigs. Pro Tip: Water has high specific heat. That means it heats up and cools down slowly. Air has low specific heat and is prone to more dramatic temperature changes. As a result, the ocean water temperature is basically the average of the air temperature over time. Example: If all other things are equal, and the high temp was 70 and the low was 60 the water temp should be 65. This is a gross oversimplification and many other factors come into play but the idea is the same.