July 18, 2018 – A Jog on the Sods, a Ghost Blitz, a Short – Barnegat Bay

Bumper cars, yo.

I took the boy down to LBI to see my parents and hang at the beach for a couple days this week.  Unlike last time I was down, instead of sleeping in after a night on the town with a boy, eating junk food, playing expensive arcade games, and riding the rides, I actually got up at 5:30 AM and took a ride to the sods to see if I could catch something this month.  I was not alone, as my dad actually came up later in the morning, and he did land one short fluke.  Me, not so much.  The water was dirty after a night of heavy rain, the tide was getting low, nearing the end of the outgoing, and grass was an issue from the heavy seas prior to the incoming tide, but when I got about a half way through my half mile hike, birds were going ape on small spearing or bay anchovies.

They ate spearing for over an hour with no game fish in sight!

I didn’t run, exactly, but I did go into a steady jog, not believing my luck of stumbling upon a potential blitz on my first day with a rod in my hands in weeks.  Well, those birds ate their fill for most of the moving water towards the end of the tide, perhaps over 90 minutes of picking small bait off the water, but not one game fish shared in the buffet!  Not a snapper blue, or a weakfish, not even a spot or blowfish.  About 5 turtles ate well, but that was about it.  I ran into an older guy who had what looked like a borderline short, maybe a 17 incher on a stringer, and he actually put it back after my dad kindly told him it was short.  He said he had 5 other smaller fish just before sunrise when the tide was still moving a bit more.  My dad landed one about 10 inches long.  Me, as I said, not so much.  It was good to walk the sods, however, and the ghost blitz did get my heart pumping, but a little more planning is in order next time I head out.  Cool weather and rain at home next week, so maybe I will sneak out again, this time in the sweetwater.

July 17, 2018 - Yeah, It's Been Over a Month Now!

Not far from where it all started (notice the knee brace from ACL surgery still in play, but also jetty jumping!)

My mother in law lost a relatively short in time, but really long in relative time, battle with cancer this month.  She was 76 and still working (and playing) until she had enough.  When they found it, the cancer was already in Stage 4, but we humans always have hope.  I have not been fishing in over a month now, and on the day of my third annual cancelled fluke trip to the Old Grounds with Ward, and on the eve of heading to LBI to chase some fluke with my dad and skee ball with the boy, I figured I would post a short one to let you know I am still here.  Tami went out to Oklahoma to stay with her mom during her last few "good" weeks in late June, and since then we have all been just spending family time together and sitting whatever they call the gentile version of shiva.  The heat in late June did not help the possibility of sneaking out close to home, even if I did find the time and energy to fish, but I am hoping the dispatches from the water start ramping up soon.  I actually stepped foot on LBI and the south jetty in June and never took a cast!  I did capture a lighter moment of my wife playing just feet from where I made her climb Old Blarney for a proposal some 11+ years ago.  Family first right now, but fishing will return when the need for self-care returns!