Wednesday, November 23, 2016

INCREDIBLE

It was a big day for schoolies
yesterday.  For two hours it was
a fish or a hit every cast
in some cold and blustery conditions.
I had no reports from the oceanfront in the last two days since no one I knew was fishing in the big blow and cold conditions.  So, I decided to layer up and head down for a look for myself.  I figured if I got a fish or two I would be happy.  What I found was simply INCREDIBLE.
My first glance at the water revealed birds everywhere.  There were loads of gannets, Flocks of fifty or more birds were hitting the water in places.  Gulls were in the fray from above and cormorants from below. Now, I was REALLY excited. However, there were almost no fishermen probably due to the 30 mile per hour winds and a wind chill in the 20's.
On my first cast with a jig/Cocahoe, the offering did not even sink yet, and I was onto a fish.  For two hours, I had a striper or a hit on EVERY SINGLE CAST.  The bottom was just paved with schoolies in the 15-26 inch range, and they were aggressively taking.
At one point a huge mass of big bait (think it was herring or menhaden) the size of a school gym moved within a cast of where I stood.  I saw no big splashes after it.  I guess it could have also been a mass of schoolies.
This was probably my biggest day numbers-wise that I have ever experienced this late in the year along the south shore. Yes, things are still hot, real hot.