Micro Bait Continues to be All We Have

 All fall the prevalent bait, or I should say the only bait I've seen has been bay anchovies.  This micro bait as some call it has been around in big numbers at times with schools measured by the acre. I've seen whole shorelines turn brown with this bait.  But, it also comes and goes, and that has led to some very inconsistent fishing. 

I have not seen any of the traditional fall bait this year.  No peanut bunker along the oceanfront.  I saw some in 'Gansett Bay, but nothing out front.  I never saw any mullet although some fishermen reported some along the outflows a month ago.  There has been no adult menhaden. I haven't seen adult bunker all year, a troubling situation.  And, no ocean herring, a big November bait that has disappeared in recent years.

So, with just micro bait around to feed on, the stripers have been fussy and hard to fool at times.  It has really frustrated a lot of fishermen who toss big plugs for a living. I've had to resort to small stuff to fool the fussy stripers. The egg float and fly has been my best producer in the last month followed by an Albie Snax.

People are talking a lot about the striper situation and the lack of small fish. An equally troubling situation is the disappearance of traditional baitfish which stripers need to thrive. But I'm guessing little will be done since the fishing managers have done a dismal job of managing the striped bass population.  

Look at the video below of a school of bay anchovies moving along a rocky shoreline:

Photo of the Day- "Great Striper Day Using the Float and Fly"

Today I was into some of the biggest striper blitzes I 
have seen this year. All my fish fell for the egg float 
and fly. Yes, they were fussy as they were feeding
on micro bait.

 

Photo of the Day- "Opportunity"

 

In my last post I talked about fishing opportunities in a northeast blow.
Well, today I found very good numbers of stripers in some
very rough water and big time winds. I landed a combination
of hefty schoolies and slots on my float and jig. And, I never
saw another fisherman.
My kind of fishing day!

Another Round of NE Winds and Rough Water.....Opportunities?

The egg float and bucktail jig
were scoring in today's rough water.

 Looks like another northeaster is brewing for mid week.  I was at the oceanfront today, and I can tell you that the water was really charged up today.  Big waves were pounding the shore already.

Yes, opportunities exist in these types of conditions.  Stripers just love rough water and will come incredibly close to shore in the white turbulence looking for food. I have several "northeaster spots" that I fish in these conditions.  These are safe places to fish that generally produce. They did today as I landed good numbers of stripers just working these white water spots with my egg float and bucktail jig, a proven producer in rough conditions where stripers are hunting for small bait.  I saw no bait and no fish breaking today, but clearly they were in the water in front of me looking for bait. 

If you do get out in the coming days, proceed with caution. There will be some really rough and dangerous water. Stay safe, find a safe perch to cast from and good luck.

Float and Fly Super Hot Right Now

The egg float and pink Deceiver
has been a killer in the last couple
of days for albies and stripers.

 For the last two days I have been into good numbers of fussy fish.  They are feeding on big schools of small bay anchovies which makes it very difficult to "match the hatch". I've given my readers ideas in past posts about what might work when these predators are on small bait. Stuff like Albie Snax, small epoxy jigs, float and jig and float and fly are all possibilities. The killer in the last two days for me has been the float and fly.

Yesterday I had albies in front of me (yes, they are still around) and I coaxed two big ones to take my float and fly.

Today it was big numbers of stripers on a rampage.  I managed to land 10 of them up to slot size on my float and fly using a slow retrieve with a stop once in a while.  Like using skinny plastic, many of the hits will come on the stop.

My set up is a wooden egg float that I drill and wire myself.  They can also be bought in tackle shops. I run three feet of 30 lb. test Varivas fluoro off the end of the float. At the terminal end, I tie on a homemade pink Deceiver fly.  The pink is an attractor, but the fly has the looks and movement of the small bait. I saw good number of frustrated anglers, mostly boaters, out trying today with some god awful big offerings.  I didn't see anyone else land a fish.  Maybe they should be reading this blog!

I landed this albie yesterday on the float and fly.

Today this big striper that was feeding
on tiny bay anchovies grabbed my fly
which was trailing off the float.

Can't Beat the Egg Float and Jig in Rough, Shallow Water

 

I landed this slot fish today in some
rough, stormy conditions using the
egg float and jig.

 I fished this afternoon and evening in some rough, stormy water. The wind was whipping and the rain was like stinging needles right into my face. In front of me there was a lot of white water.  I just knew I could find some stripers even though nothing was visible. Conditions were perfect for my egg float and bucktail jig.  It didn't disappoint as I did mange to find some decent slot fish.

The egg float and jig is my go to lure when the water is rough and shallow and when stripers are feeding on small bait as they have been all week. My float is a a homemade craft egg that is drilled through and wired. My go to jig is a half ounce H style (fish head) homemade bucktail jig that has a Bass Pro 3 inch Triple Ripple curly tail added. I attach my jig to the float with roughly 3 feet of 35 to 40 lb. test Varivas fluorocarbon. The set up is cast into the white water and reeled in slowly.  No need to put any rod action on it because the wave action and current will bring the jig to life.  Just reel in slowly.  This works great in rocky or shallow areas since the float keeps your jig above the snags.

I remember when I was just a kid I used to make these floats from cut off sections of my mother's broom handles.  Back then I used screw eyes from the local hardware store to set up my floats. It worked back then on stripers in the 1960's, and it works with equal efficiency these days.

Columbus Day Weekend Outllook

 

I landed this hefty schoolie in
some white water yesterday. There
are stripers around but you have to
really work to find them.

The fishing has cooled in the last couple of days along the oceanfront.  It seems that the albies are thinning out or moving south.  There were good numbers of them just a week ago but a week is an eternity in October when you are talking albies. I was out the last couple of days and saw only a few jumping here and there with no concentrations. The numbers being caught are way down in the last few days though a lot of diehards are still trying.  Still, you never know about these fish. Could be loaded tomorrow!!!!

Striper fishing has also taken a hit. Less around in the last few days, but still some if you really look for them.  Yesterday I found a great white water location along the oceanfront and landed three of them on a float and jig. I saw no other fish landed all day. If you can find a lot of bait you will most likely find some stripers. I found very little bait in the places I looked in the last couple of days. Without the bait, your best bet is to look for loners in white water locations. The Bay is still a good bet for both bonito and stripers.  The peanut bunker (bait of choice) is holed up in the Bay, and that's why the fishing there is more consistent. Note that it's generally a boating thing- a boat or kayak will get you out where the fish are and make it easier to move with them. Look for birds working.

Even after dark the striper fishing has been inconsistent from shore. I tried a couple of times this week and had just one good fish on after dark in a great spot.

Good luck if you get out this weekend.  Nice tomorrow and showers on tap for the rest of the weekend which could be a good thing.