Cooler Water Delivers

I landed this schoolie before dark on a jointed
Red Fin swimmer.

After dark, the Slug-go ruled.

Until shore fishing improves in the upper Bay, I am basically done with this area. So, last night I did what I do every year at this time.  Head out in search of fish in cooler water.  And, for me that means heading to the lower Bay and oceanfront and hitting areas like Jamestown and Newport.  Last evening I chose Jamestown.
I found cooler water, way cooler that the upper Bay, and I found very good numbers of stripers.  While I was looking for larger schoolies and even keepers, all I found were a load of smaller schoolies under 20 inches. These looked like the same fish I had been catching for the last two months in the Bay. I landed quite a few fish before dark on swimmers and Jumpin Minnows and landed good numbers of them after dark on 7 1/2 inch white Slug-gos.
The fish were very active in the area I fished as I saw lots of fish whirling and jumping for small bait.  And, I can assure you the water was cool. I could feel a real difference through my waders.  I am guessing it was maybe 8-10 degrees cooler than the upper Bay, and that made a big difference in the fishing.