Author: kensdock

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Striped bass play on the flats

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Wayne with his first striped bass of the 2014 fall season

Wayne with his first striped bass of the 2014 fall season

Nothing frustrates a fisherman more than sighting a beautiful striped bass , only to find the striper is not interested in his offerings.  Crystal clear water and a sunny sky made it very easy to spot the fish on the open water  flats, but they would not hit any of our arsenal. We watched in awe as they terrorized the baitfish. We were  enjoying the striper show, but catching stripers was the order of the day.

We moved off to a new locating, we found the tide running a little harder coupled with a freshly clouded sky . On the first cast a 24″ striper put Wayne’s drag in motion, more action followed.  Hopefully we will get some NW wind in the near future. A south wind this time of the year really slows the bite. The water temperature is back up to 64 degrees.

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October weakfish

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Obviously,  there are still a few weakfish remaining in the back waters. My son caught 3, to 25″ last night. He also hooked some nice stripers and a few flounder.

I was out today in the back water striper fishing. No pictures today due to the driving rain. It was a real hunt to find the stripers on this trip. However, when I secured the gear for the run home, I had boated 8 stripers to 28″.

I spotted brant in the sound for the first time this season, ( before the rain). This is a good indicator that red drum, speckled trout and migrator striped bass are close by.

 

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Striped bass bite continues

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Healthy 30" back water striper

A healthy 30″ Cape May sound striped bass

Today’s stripers were real drag screaming  gladiators, they put my light gear to the test for sure. We caught some nice fish during our 3 hour trip and earned everyone. The stripers we caught  today looked to be resident fish.   The weather forecast has the outlook for NJ  red drum and speckled trout fishing  looking  like a wast of time.  The upside is, we still  have time for the conditions to fall in place and striped bass to catch.

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Striped bass pin mullet

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29" striped bass

One of today’s keeper size  striped bass  29″

I was glassing the open water of the sound when I spotted them, six or so mullet leaping from the water. This little activity put me on a feeding school of migratory stripers , that eventually lead me to the ocean. Just short of the Oceanfront the bass cornered the bait, using a sandbar to their advantage. Turns in the air, stripers  on the surface, it was that kind of morning. Today  I was under – gunned for these stripers,  big migratory bass were in the mix. They made quick work of emptying my reel of line. I hope this was  a preview of this year’s fall fishing.  The conditions needed for the coveted  Jersey reds and speckled trout bite remain elusive. However, all things considered,  the striper  fishing has been pretty good so far.

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Striped bass on the marsh

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A striped bass hunts on top of the marsh.

A striped bass hunts on top of the marsh.

The conditions for red drum and speckled trout have not lined up this season, yet.  However, the stripers are always fun to stalk. Today they were up on the marsh during the flood tide.  This is really a lot of fun, as the stripers will hold  in the grass.  The above striper held tight as we approached. I was able to get a couple of pictures without him even flinching. When he finally realized we could see him in the grass, he darted out of sight in a split second. Today we cherry picked stripers for hours.

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Striped bass in late September and early October

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Afternoon striper 9-30-2014

Afternoon striper 9-30-2014

 

The  Striped bass can be very elusive this time of the year in Cape May co., NJ, but they are here. This is a transition period between summer and fall fishing. The bluefish are still just about everywhere, they are from the snapper size to about 3 pounds. They are making it difficult to fish for anything else. The water is still warm at 71 degrees. The clarity is good but not excellent.

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Autumn Weakfish

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A 25" weakfish and a crisp fall sunset.

                                                    A 25″ weakfish and a crisp fall sunset.                                      9-23-2014

I had planned on pushing  hard for  speckled trout and red drum this week, but the conditions  are not in place yet. However, targeting and catching weakfish this time of year is just as rewarding. The NE wind that is blowing today  could jump start  the weakfish east south migration, ending the season in the back waters.  The water temperature is 68 degrees and the water clarity is excellent. This was a  beautiful day to be saltwater fishing.

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The last weakfish of the 2014 season ?

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It is time for me to focus on Jersey red drum and speckled trout, so  today’s  weakfish could  be the last of the season for me. The first red drum of the fall season has been caught, I call this fish the motivator.  The fishing news travels at the speed of light today , even with the (do not tell anybody)  tag on it.  I am sure the Jersey red drum specialist will be fishing a little harder next week. The peanut bunker, mullet and snapper blues are still pretty thick in the back waters and along the beachfront. We need the water temperature to drop a few degrees  and a good NW wind to jump start the fall fishing season.

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Back Bay Keeper flounder mid-september

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The flounder were hitting my paddle tail rubber bait, as aggressively as the striped bass and  bluefish. Dayna caught the biggest  flounder today it weighed  4.8 pound.  She caught it on an unscented rubber bait.   I am sure you could limit out on flounder in the back bay, if you targeted them, using peanut bunker as bait. We had a good mid – day striped bass bite, but the bluefish   continue to dominate. The water temperature was 70 degrees on the top of the tide.

This is the best time of year to vacation in Cape May County, NJ.  No crowds, plenty of fish, reduced prices and fantastic weather.

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Weakfish

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Ed Teise shows one of the weakfish he caught today.

Ed Teise shows one of the weakfish he caught today.

Large pods of  mullet and peanut bunker  darkened  the water as they passed the boat.  We could hear, but not see,  the  striped bass exploding on the bait fish.  The mullet and peanut bunker  were seeking refuge from the stripers  in the tide covered marsh grass. We had no interest in catching  striped bass during this trip, but their performance did enhanced our fishing. The  weakfish had our attention from the first cast to the last today. “Drag screaming weakfish, describes today’s weakies. We caught them during a 2 hour window of opportunity.  It was a beautiful September evening to be saltwater fishing.