December 8, 2023 – Gave It a Go on Quite Possibly the Final Striped Bass Tour of 2023 – Ocean County

A long day for a couple schoolies and blitzes out of reach, albeit barely....

Man, I spent the better part of 12 hours in beach towns in Ocean County, NJ today, and I have little to show for it except a carwash, nearly a full tank of cheap full-serve unleaded, a few new lures for next fall, sore muscles, an odd face suntan, and the gratitude of a couple surf proteges.  One of those guys actually caught a couple on my first shift this morning, at a spot I scouted with a lure I urged him to purchase.  Tony is a good fisherman and a quick study, so it is a pleasure to hang out with him.  Like Jeff, he is also overtly appreciative of the time I spend teaching him what little I know of the surf game.  Jeff remains a fun challenge, but he is reliable and also good company.  He was in the weeds more than me for the evening shift, but I’ll share more on that below.  Since this was likely my last hurrah for the fall run, which is winding down with smaller fish anyway, I gave it my best shot and fished both high tides.  I am not lying when I say I did not get a touch on any lure I threw.  I had a couple shots at birds or the fringes of bird play, to be more precise, but I did not get a hit in about 6 hours of fishing—and that’s not even counting all the time I killed in between the tides, the sunrise, the sunset, and the drive home.

Tony out there just before magic hour for sandeels.  "Magic" today.

I met Tony on a beach block at 5:45 AM to get a spot, I guess.  I have not had a hit pre-dawn in a few weeks, but I did toss around a blurple SP for a while before waiting for the sun to break the horizon or signs of life in the water.  That magic hour came and went with only Tony catching two schoolies nearly at our feet on a green mackerel SP minnow.  It was he who was the minor celebrity this morning.  I did not get a touch throwing the same lure using the same instructions I had given him a couple years ago, and we only saw one other shortie caught a half a block away!  Not a good sign for the day, but I was not ready to quit at 9 AM when Tony had to head for home.  Jeff was supposed to join us but had a job come up, so he was a little sad.  I decided that if he wanted to join me at 2 PM today and fish until dark, I would occupy myself on the barrier islands.  I even debated going down to LBI to scout and check in with an old, retired friend whom I have not seen since his wife passed a couple years ago.  Knowing it was a 50-minute ride to LBI and that I was not likely going to be able to fish next week with my work schedule even if I did scout a nice cut or something, I decided to kill some time where I was instead.

Images from an interlude.  My dad called everyone babes....

In the hours between 10 AM and 1 PM, I ate breakfast, drank a hot coffee, got a car wash and free vacuum token in Point Pleasant, had a quiet and a clean seat in a public restroom in Mantoloking Bridge Park, visited a dock of the Barnegat Bay, bought a few lures from Grumpy’s, read and replied to work emails, called my wife, checked in with both Dolf and my younger brother on some stuff that they had going on, and even took a walk on the boardwalk in Seaside Park while scouting some spots outside IBSP that I likely will not fish this year.  By 1:30 PM, I knew the tide was coming in pretty good and that there had been a short blitz at a spot I knew well around 3 PM the evening before, so I suited up again and made some casts in the warm sun awaiting Jeff.  He ran into traffic and then hit two tackle stores looking for a black SP Minnow before arriving about 3:30 PM.  I still had not had a touch.  Also, there was now a swell of 4 to 6 feet with a shore break and a building South wind.  The water remained clean, so I was hopeful I might get to touch at least a couple rats or schoolies this evening.  Jeff has lost a couple rigs over the past week or so, and he lost four in a row tonight.  He was thinking he had lost his mind and forgotten how to tie knots, but I remembered telling him the second time it happened with this particular rod a few weeks ago that he must have a cracked guide.  Not that I was totally with it tonight, either.  I actually tied a new teaser rig on for him like he was my little kid, and that rig went sailing before I reminded him that that this is the rod I told you might have a rough or cracked guide.  In a rush to leave the house, Jeff had no backup rod this evening.  Luckily, I had a brought along a light “bomber” rod in case the conditions were calm, and/or we had to be content with schoolies today (if only!).  

One last sunrise shot for 2023?

After a walk back to the ‘Ru to get the bomber rod, we were fishing again.  Jeff had my 9’ 1-4 oz Ron Arra stick, while I tossed my 9’ 1-3 oz, a Ron Arra that is really ½ to 2 oz despite that generous rating—not a great tool in the increasingly rough seas.  Not even that mitzvah let me score a fish, not even when a blitz developed right over the bar after sunset!  I was worried the whole time my rod and reel would get the patented Sandy Dunkin treatment.  It was touch and go there when I saw him reel my barrel swivel into the top guide twice before figuring it out—I wonder why his guides are cutting braid!??!  When Tony and I had low expectations for the morning bite, I said “Let us get two.”  Little did I know it would be him with two and me with zero.  I expected Jeff to catch something tonight and me nothing the way the day’s vibe was going, but he could not overcome his own bad mojo.  I figure this was a good way to end the fall run for me.  Weather is coming on Sunday, and my work week is crazy with events (I have to put on a suit twice!) so it may be back to post-spawn trouts by next Friday.  Never say never, though.  Dolf has been absent this fall and may work on me to join him on LBI, I am sure.  We shall see.  I did hang up the 10-footer today and also rinsed and oiled the big wood plugs for another winter.