From The Surf 12.01.10

[ped579]

From the Surf

12.01.10

The mainland angler with that “ALOHA SPIRIT”

By Paul Danielczyk

Well this was an interesting day to say the least.  High winds gusting to at least 47 MPH in Seaside Park, horizontal rain that felt like hail when it hit your face, and 3 power outages in the morning.  Needless to say I gave up trying to write this article as the computer kept on rebooting even with a surge protector in line.  I called it quits and went over to the Elks for lunch and some friendly chatter.

It seems like there is a lot of talk out there that the fall run is over and that many of you can’t wait till next season, spring to be exact.  Well, I am here to tell you and possibly give you some Intel as Bucktail Bon has put it, as to why my predicting that the bass will be here for at least a little while longer.

I have been doing a lot of talking with many of the old salts and even they are surprised that the striped bass are around in the numbers as they are.  Why is this and how long will it last.  First of all I will start off saying I am not an expert on predicting the fish populations or a biologist by any means.  But I did do some studying with a man that I hold in high esteem and he is Dr. Stu Farrell of Richard Stockton College.  I had classes in oceanography and hydrology with him and I think I can say that there are certain signs that one can gather that will help in the determination of how long certain species will hang around and be on the bite.

One easy one is the amount of bait that is around the area.  Right now we have tons of sand eels up and down our coast that make for easy pickens for any bass.  Than there are the peanut bunker(big, but peanut bunker just the same) that are still in our bay that seem to not want to make the migration yet.  These signs can not be ignored as they indicate that our fishery is in pretty good shape bait wise for right now.  If you read the fishing reports like I do you can see that the striped bass are now the main fish being caught and are feeding on bunker, clams (especially after today’s blow), and  sand eels. I will put into this post yesterdays catch from one B&T that will show you that some big fish are around and feeding well.

Then there is the water temperature it self.  For this time of year it is a lot warmer than usual.  With this storm that just passed the seas are pretty nasty and with all the cool water that was starting to gather in the inshore waters that will all change in a short period of time.  By looking at the Rutgers Sea Surface temperatures it shows that close to shore the waters from Sandy Hook down to Cape May are averaging about 50 Degrees, but by looking closer you can see that in the deeper waters the temps go up into the middle 50’s yet.  If this water starts to mix with the cooler water the bass will be around for a while as the temps will go up enough to keep the bait in close.

So, if you are like me, I‘m a numbers junkie when it comes to this and right now all indications show that the bait and bass will be here for a while longer.  So get out there and enjoy the fishing a while longer.  Hand warmers are only a buck and will keep your pocket warm for 8 hours.  I will be out there if all goes right tomorrow to see what happens, but my best guess is give it a couple of days to calm down a bit and hit the beaches.

Like I said I am no expert but I know the signs when I see them and the signs are pretty favorable right now.

Here are some names and fish that were caught and weighed in at Grumpys in Seaside Park, notice the choice of baits that they were caught on.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010
     Angler           Species      Length      Weight       Bait
Dooley, Kyren      Bass           28″            6.6lbs       Bunker
Depinto, Mauro    Bass           33.0″        11.9lbs       Plug
Schweder, Bud     Bass           30.5″          9.7lbs       Clam
Schweder, Bud     Bass           28.5″         7.55lbs      Clam
LePoski, Steve     Bass           29.5″          8.25lbs     AVA
Horvath, Ed         Bass           41.50″         25.5lbs    Bunker
O`Gara, Ken        Bass            33″            13.5lbs      AVA
Mohr, Mike         Bass            32″            10.4lbs      Clam

As you can see the bait of choice for the bass are the bunker, clam and sand eel.  If you are going to use plugs or metals I would suggest that you tie on a teaser that way you have 2 areas of the water covered; the bottom and just above the bottom.  Don’t rule out the clam guys, it is pretty productive right now especially with the surf taking a beating once again.

Happy Catching

Paul

[SurfJockey]

I hope to get a trip or three in before I throw in the towel.   

[ped579]

That sounds about right Jason.  I was talking to tothelimit on FB today and he picked up a nice short up at the Hook yesterday.  Sweet...

[Bucktail]

For the record, I didn't dispute your contention that the run was not over.  I merely asked why you thought, "the big gals are not to far off."   In other words, what do you see or hear that made you come to that conclusion?

[ped579]

I hope by reading the above will clear that up Bob.  The bass are still around but they are in and out as the water cools down they will stay mainly off shore and out of reach from the surf rats.  But, the guys in the boat catagory are still able to get in on the nice late fall bite.

Of course today was a wash out and no one was out if they had any sense at all.  But the other day I was listening on channel 68 and was surprised to hear that the bite was out a ways like 19 miles or so.  These fish really get around and travel where the water is still warm enough to hold bait.

Happy Catching

Paul

[gagedylan]

I have at least two more beach trips in me before calling it quits. hard to find people to go with these days though, if not a true surf jockey, the cold keeps em indoors. I don't mind going alone, but if i'm spending a couple of hours on the beach, i'd like to have someone to talk to. I have one coming up this weekend with my buddy Poncho, keeping my fingers crossed.

[Bobby Wilds]

i wish i wasnt working tomorrow, cause i would be out there in the AM.  with the way the water looks, it should clean up for a good possibility.  i know i will be hitting the beach hard this weekend, and dont see myself calling it quits just yet.

[ped579]

All is good guys.  The weekend looks pretty good for the beach.  They are calling for colder temps but the wind will be a biting factor.  Winds out of the North West at 15 to 20 mph.  If you are going to be plugging or using metals it should be pretty good.  If you will be dead sticking it will be a tad better for 2 reasons.  It will allow you to hide inside your vehicle and second with this last blow I am sure the bait of choice will be the lowly clam.

Either way make sure to bring along something hot to drink and the hand warmers.

Happy Catching

Paul