December 1 and 2, 2022 – A Day of Fun Catching Followed by a Day of Fun Fishing – Ocean County Beaches

Def not just me and my shad shadow this week.

I played googan one day and shoobie sharpie the next?  These blitzes, you know?  They are the equalizer.  You can be a total newbie on a good text chain, hear about a blitz in real time, show up with no waders and a pencil popper from Dicks, and you can pose for hero shots on the FB holding up 15-to-20-pound class fish.  After the skunk last week, I needed a sure thing, so I did the old drive down before high tide in full daylight and look for birds and boats and crowds.  As a result, I did have a banner day with over a dozen fish, at least 4 in the slot keeper size, and several on poppers.  I was fishing alone on Thursday, so I planned to fish with Brady Windknots, Tony the Squid, and Sandy Dunkin on Friday.  Because Dolf and Tony couldn’t get down until 12:30 PM, I met Jeff a little earlier and searched for action.  We missed a short blitz, and after driving around a bit, just decided to fish like civilized men and, eventually, to drive onto the beach in the Park.  It was packed, but the extreme blitzes of the day before were tempered in the area we were fishing by the South wind.   That said, Tony and Dolf had a banner 30 minutes on a blitz well to the north of us after Jeff and I had already aired down and committed to the Park.  There are still many fish in Monmouth County, which is great for the upcoming week(s).

Poppers, bunker tin, baits big and small.

On Friday, Jeff only had one come up on a popper, so that was not great, nor my wish for the day.  But I ended up slowing down and getting into a groove.  I had fun catching a half a dozen mostly shorter bass and one or two slot fish while stopping at soft structure like a proper surf fisherman!  On Thursday, the fish were on adult bunker with some peanuts around, but in the Park, I had shad and smaller rainbait at dusk.  For two days in a row, I landed doubles, as well.  If you count the two 14-inch shad I landed, I can say three doubles in two days.  I get lazy about the teaser.  It is wise to take them off in blitzes, and pretty useless and a drag on aerodynamics with a popper, but you know how it goes in the heat of the moment.  On Thursday, I had a 30-incher take a classic AOK Tackle peanut bunker tin and a 25 take the deceiver on the dropper loop!  I had the 10-footer with a 500(0) series reel, so I was able to land them both without too much incident—like landing, what, a 25+ pounder in the surf, so not a huge problem, but still fun in a crowd.  

Another day another double.  Jeff, sunset.  The black SP scores shorts after dark.

After sunset on Friday I had a 28 take the teaser (all the rainbait, I guess) and a short fish take the black SP Minnow.  That was a little more work on my 9-foot bomber rod, but at least it was not my schoolie/rat rod that sometimes takes a ride in December each year!  Made it happen with some effort and no crowds around.  Apparently, Dolf broke a rod on Friday when he kept the teaser on during a blitz and hooked two 12-15 pound class fish (those 30-inchers again) even though I told Tony and Dolf not to do it.  Do as I say, of course, not as I do…  Hopefully more to come this week before a prolonged South blow!

West is best?  South is...