Saturday, November 16, 2019

After Dark....Cold Temperatures, Hot Fishing

It was big numbers of stripers tonight from
20 to 28 inches.  They all fell for a bucktail
jig and all were released in good shape.
Nighttime fishing has been hot.
For me, this has been a terrific November so far.  There have been lots and lots of schoolies but also some small keepers in the mix. Even when I don't hit these all out blitzes that I've gotten into recently, I am still able to find good numbers of fish. On many days those good numbers of fish have come after dark.
My son Jon fished last night after dark.  He found big numbers of fish in the spot he was fishing along the oceanfront.  In fact, he didn't get a single fish until it was just about dark.  Then, it was one after another on a Cocahoe on a jighead.  The fish ranged from schoolies to a number of decent keepers up to 33 inches.
I fished today in this brutal weather.  Like Jon, I found little in the daytime as I managed to catch a few small ones in some cold and windy conditions. After dark, I moved to a different location and found the Mother Lode.  It was one fish after another on a bucktail jig spiced with a plastic curly tail.  The fish ranged from good size schoolies up to small keepers of 28 inches. It was simply loaded with fish and only one other guy fishing.
Of course, you are not going to find many fishermen around when the temperatures are below freezing and the wind chills are hovering in the teens like it was tonight.  However, it you are dressed for it and you can fish with gloves (a must), you might find something special, and you most likely will have all to yourself.
The calendar is ticking away, but fishing continues to be very good. How long this hot fishing will last is anyone's guess. This is a fall in which you can throw the predictions out the window.