Point Pleasant Canal 5/28

[wink_man]

Headed to the canal this morning, got up a little late as the alarm didn't go off, but I was fishing by 6AM, unfortunately, just as the water went slack. Also, unfortunately, the beginning of the outgoing tide was not good to me, and I got the big zero. Friend caught a striper about 24 inches on a 7 inch Fin-S.

And then, I saw a first today, don't know if I'd have believed it just hearing it, although this friend is a reliable source. He caught 2, not 1, but 2 blackfish, about 14 inches, on a 7 inch Fin-S. Are these blackfish so aggressive now that the season is closed that they think thye are northern pike, capable of eating a fish 1/4 their weight??

Went back this afternoon with my son and his friend, livelining herring, as the boys ran to the Delaware for herring, but only caught 4. Anyways, sons friend Joey got his first striper this year on a herring, about 24 inches also. Then I caught one on a 5 3/4 inch Fin-s, about the same size. This was early, about 6pm on the incoming tide. Water went slack and then we had zero action on the outgoing tide. The boys left when the action slowed, I fished till almost dark, but it was deader than a doornail.

Water on the outgoing tide was extremely clear, so clear I couldn't believe it. With the sun, you could see right down the rock wall, and we spotted several blackfish, a flounder or small fluke, some hickory shad, and tons of rainfish. So it was an interesting day, and we managed a few fish.

Garry

[Treebeard]

Good report as usual Garry  Pretty cool experience with the Togs.. One of the things IMO that makes fishing so great are the unexpected suprises.

[bassnblues]

Wink, you're the "King of the Canal" for sure!

Isn't around slack tide a good time to fish there?

[wb]

good reading thanks!
even better fishin keep it up

[wink_man]

Isn't around slack tide a good time to fish there?

Yes, around slack tide is really the only time to fish it, you get about a 3 hour window, an hour and a half before and after slack tide, otherwise the water is running to fast to really fish it effectively. However, the bite seems to drop off on slack water, then picks up again as soon as the water switches and starts flowing a little again. Yesterday, for example, guys were cleaning up on bluefish at the canal entrance early afternoon, and on slack tide, the fish moved out and the bite was over. Don't know if it picked up when the water started flowing again, because I went up towards the 88 bridge.

Garry

[jmd41]

 

[kezsr]

nice report Garry ,have to take a ride down there and try it some summer evening when the tide is right.

[sea nymph]

Hey Garry!
Thanks for responding to my PM!
Roughly what time was slack yesterday at the canal?  I fished it in the morning till about 10:30 with a few hits but no fish.  The water was still moving pretty good.  We did end the day with 3 blues, that was about it!

[IrishAyes]

Garry,
when it come to the canal! 

[wink_man]

Hey Garry!
Thanks for responding to my PM!
Roughly what time was slack yesterday at the canal?  I fished it in the morning till about 10:30 with a few hits but no fish.  The water was still moving pretty good.  We did end the day with 3 blues, that was about it!

Slack tide yesterday(5/28) occurred at approxamatly 5:15AM, and then again at 11:45AM. I use the NOAA tide chart for the Coast Guard station on the Manasquan River:

http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/get_predictions.shtml?year=2008&stn=2812+Sandy%20Hook&secstn=Manasquan+Inlet,+USCG+Station&thh=%2D0&thm=12&tlh=%2D0&tlm=24&hh=*0.86&hl=*0.95&footnote=

Due to the Canal draining the entire northern section of Barnegat Bay, which occurs roughly 3 1/2 hours after the Coast Guard Station on the Manasquan River, I simply start fishing 2 hours AFTER any slack tide at the Coast guard Station, and this will give you about 3 to 3 1/2 hours of fishable water in the Canal. In that manner, you go from incoming or outgoing, to slack water, to the opposite prior tide.

And thats the beauty of the mouth of the canal where it meets the river. Because of the time difference between the Canal and the River tides, there is literally always some kind of moving water at the mouth of the Canal. The fish can just lay there, change the angle they're laying at slightly, and have moving water and bait flowing past them. Unfortunately, the bluefish have been liking it there entirely to much lately, so I've been avoiding it.

Garry