The Season- A Rundown 2023

[HYB_Living]

3 hours ago, surfrat59 said:

Haven't tossed bait in 20yrs but back then fresh clams lobbed into the wash after a storm was easy pickings, water was clean out front surprised you didn't get a few taps.

honestly surprised I walked to somewhat clean and calm water this morning, you would of never known we had 8-12ft waves just a day or 2 ago 

[brushfly]

Water on the North Shore was very clean outside the back end of the harbors. Went out just after the slack, around 9:00 AM for the incoming. Beautiful early autumn day.. No bass but smaller blues in the bay, some better sized blues to 13# on pencils on the outside just off the boulder fields 15-18' of water. Bait swimming by seemed to be bay anchovies around 1" but one of the blues spit up what looked like a squid boat side. 

 

Saw a Loon working over the same area. Seems early for them? Wasn't a commorant FWIW. 

[Antek]

After the temperature drop last week, daytime fishing in the bay blew up. Been out the last few days around high water. Tons of peanuts around with schoolie bass and cocktail blues chasing them. Schoolies, ranging from rodents to solid 25”+, are fat and extremely aggressive. Given the peanuts, the 2 Oz Kastmaster and Crippled Herring are consistently producing, while everything else is largely ignored, apart from some nice topwater pencil hits. 

Was out today and had a steady pick of enraged schoolies. Then a throng of bruiser bluefish in the 30”+ range moved in and started smashing the metals. After an odd and disappointing Spring and Summer in my part of the WLIS, Fall is off to a great start. Just waiting for the bigger bass to show. 
 

 

 

Edited September 20 by Antek

[LowEnd]

Things have been on the quite side for me.

LIS on Monday in the rain, not one fish.

Tuesday SS nice surf and white water. Only got one 22” bass on a meta lip. Had 5 other hits and dropped a nice fish after the first run.

Today, calmer surf not much white water. Got one slot 28”on BT and got another slot 30” on a popper. Their were bluefish as well but they were picky. Got bit off 2x’s and couldn’t hook them on top water.

 

[the3fishheads]

Hammer called me down for a blue bite in the back today. Fish were stacked. Pretty much every cast for hours. 5-8lb. Chit load of bait.

Good break in for the fall run.

 

[LowEnd]

Fished out front this morning. Not much bait showing. Some nice white water on low tide.

Got one short bass on a SP. One 29” slot and a 17” fluke on a danny. No other hits or follows.

Weekend will be messed up but things should be in full swing come Monday.

[surfrat59]

Not a tap until almost first light, managed a handful of blues to maybe 5/6lbs. Tossed a small metal lip in the wash for a short fluke. Moved to another spot for an hour, pencils and metal lips...nada. Big crowd around 2 party boats 1/4 mile out, didn't reach for the binos to see what they were on.

[HarryHood711]

3 hours ago, LowEnd said:

Fished out front this morning. Not much bait showing. Some nice white water on low tide.

Got one short bass on a SP. One 29” slot and a 17” fluke on a danny. No other hits or follows.

Weekend will be messed up but things should be in full swing come Monday.

 

The fluke on a danny is it for me. That rules! 

[surfrat59]

1 hour ago, HarryHood711 said:

 

The fluke on a danny is it for me. That rules! 

They're aggressive man, had one take a 3oz pencil dangling in the water right in front of me while I wiped my glasses, not even a keeper ! Had one take a Jnski peanut in the wash this morning, couldn't raise a striper but the short fluke took it.

[gotrings]

they are aggressive mofos that’s for sure. 

 

here is one i took of a fluke air-born smacking some bait. 

 

burple mag darter night bite. 

 

 

[Rough]

Aha! Now I know why they are not as aggressively going for my bucktail as they used to!

 

[Antek]

Another great afternoon of furious schoolies and chopper blues on the attack.

 

This guy, at 32”, put up a huge fight after slamming my 1.5 Oz. Fat Cow epoxy jig:

 

 

Edited September 22 by Antek

[LowEnd]

Fished this morning false dawn to 10 am. 
Not much going on at first light. No bass on the lip, lots of white water.

Made a move and found peanuts getting destroyed. Lasted for a hour until the tide went slack. On the incoming picked a few more. 
Landed 13 small blues 3-5 lbs.

Found these guys all over the high water line. Lantern Flies?

[GarbageFish]

^ yep.   we could really used a brutal winter to hurt their population and the ticks as well.

[Antek]

Yeah, i get covered with these freaking lantern flies when I go out fishing in the day. First one lands on me, thinking I’m a tree or something, and then I look down and my boots are covered with dozens of them. I kill dozens on each trip. They’re so stupid they’ll land right on my face and will also land on the water and drown.