December 18, 2017 – Bar Wars, Episode ???: The Last Jetty (for 2017, Anyway) – Ocean County, NJ

The fish are with me, I am one with the fish, the fish are with me, I am one with the fish, the fish are with me....

I had to take a ride to LBI today to pick up a gift for someone special (no not the Silver Fox), so I packed the Subaru before I left my house around 11 AM with a light Ron Arra 9-footer that serves as my schoolie rod, my plug bag and some teasers, my dry top for some bar wading, and a pair of boot foot waders.  It was a gorgeous day, so while I didn’t have high hopes, I was looking forward to breathing the salt air while waist-deep in the Atlantic—I have been sick for about 10 days and counting, some upper-respiratory thing that is lingering far too long.  Today would be another one of those 90 minute rides to fish two hours, followed by a 90 minute ride back, but it had to be done.

I liked the shadow shot...

This time of year, if the conditions and tide are right, one can get into a mess of little bass between 12 and 24 inches, and that was my wish today—okay, maybe not a mess, but a few in case this was my last chance to fish the beach this year.  After running my errands on the island, I arrived on the beach around 1 PM to a light breeze, high sun (not the clouds forecasted) and a nearly low tide.  Besides the high sun, things were looking promising.  I wasted little time and headed right to a rip that has been productive for me for several years.  No matter what they pump as far as sand at this location, nature seems to start digging and pulling away pretty quickly. 

Teaser scored them all, not the plug.

 No one was home for the first 45 minutes, but I did get a bump right as my line was being pulled by a wave; it was the distinct bump that spells bass, but a slight belly in the line meant no hook up.  I couldn’t get the fish to come back, so I eventually tried a couple other plugs before settling on a Mag Minnow that casts a mile in a West wind, even a light one like today.  After taking a different approach to the rip and cut in the bar by wading out parallel to the structure on a shallow point, I finally hooked a fish on the yellow and white epoxy/feather teaser.  No pics of this little guy since I was out in the waves, but he was only 15 inches or so.  Still, it felt good to have two hits and land one.  I landed one more fish at this spot before heading back to a couple holes that I passed on the way up the beach.  Even at low tide, these holes still had some water in them due to cuts letting water flood in.  I managed two more fish, also on the teaser, all the way at the end of my cast in that subtle cut in the bar.  Time was running out, but as luck would have it, it got a little cloudy just before 3 PM, and a landed one more little guy, closer to the slough this time.  After doing the one more cast, one more cast thing a few more times, I knew I had to quit and get on the road, but I was pleased that I had some action mid-day in the sun, even if they were all under 20 inches long.  On the right rod and reel, they are still fun fish.  My only regret is that I didn’t bring the fly rod this time.  Maybe one more episode of Bar Wars in what’s left of jetty country this week?

Should have thrown Clousers on the 7 weight, but it was a fun afternoon anyway.