Well, I said yesterday that the bluefishing was spotty in the canal, but that all changed today.
I fished the south end this morning, got there about 7AM, and it was quiet. Water is crystal clear and cold, cabbage and weed are at a minimum, except when the tide is ripping. One guy livelining herring in a boat, and he wasn't doing anything. Suddenly a school of blues was surfacing, 3 casts, 3 fish, and then it went dead. The same 2 pound blues that have been around. Looked like they were working north, rather than going in the bay, so I shot over to the north side, by the Manasquan river.
Couple of my friends there had some action, but it slowed down, and they left at 8AM.
8:30 am, it broke loose. Looked like fresh fish coming in from the ocean, and a little bigger, averaging about 3- 3 1/2 lbs. From 8:30 to 11:30, it was non stop, you couldn't get the lure back in without a fish on it. Me, a guy and his wife were the only ones there, one triple header after the other.
Fish were on top first, then went mid water, then to the bottom. Bombers, white shad, Krocodiles, diamond jigs all worked, depending where the fish were. We attracted quite a number of boats, and I had words with one guy who felt it was ok to drift right over where we were casting, the guy in the Regulator(who I beaned the side of his boat last year with my Jig), when he was determined to fish right where I cast knew enough to keep his distance, LOL.
My son came down and he cleaned up to in the last hour and a half. Anyways, we left at 12:45 and the fish were still hitting. Forgot my Krocodile on the wall, so I had to ride back to retreive it at 1:45, and another friend of mine was there still hitting them, no boats, and no other fisherman.
This was a really big pod of fish, not the normal school of 2-3 dozen fish scouting around. I got the impression that these fish were working through the canal to go into the bay, because all the boats fishing the river, just outside of the canal where we were, were catching 2 pound fish, and the ones we were catching in the canal were considerably bigger, like I said, averaging 3-31/2 pounds. The guy and his wife noticed the same thing.
I should go back for more, but I'm actually tired of catching them, it was literally non stop, but they are great fun on freshwater tackle and light line. Since the water is cold, a SLOW retrieve of any of the lures mentioned works best by far. Of course, these fish were hungery, and I don't really think you could have gone wrong with any lure.
Still no reports of any weakies in the vicinity, no stripers that I've seen in the north end of the canal, but guys are getting some stripers on the south end on live herring.
Garry
