Wintering Over Spots Best Bet Right Now

The water temperature along the oceanfront has dipped into the mid forties.  That spells the end.  However, lots of stripers that winter over are now in those backwater places where they will stay throughout the winter.  It's tough fishing.  You'll find few guys willing to go out on a cold night below freezing in search of stripers in the middle of winter.  Yet, for those who do venture out, the fishing can be surprisingly good.  I have been fishing my winter spots for the last two weeks and it is one of the best winter starts I have ever had.  Tonight I was out with only a few other guys.  We had well over a hundred hefty schoolies among us.  The temperature was a cold 28 degrees, but the fishing was hot.

This is one of many stripers landed tonight by just a few hardy fishermen.

FANTASTIC Deal on Camera

I am passing along some info on a fantastic Black Friday deal on a camera.  Many of the pictures you see on this blog and in the articles I write for the magazines were taken with a high end point and shoot camera, a Canon A2200 model.  This camera will fit in your pocket, yet takes fantastic photos and videos.  On this Black Friday, the Canon store is offering an upgraded refurbished model, a A2300 Powershot camera for the unheard of price of $44.99, and that includes a memory card, case and free shipping.  This is a 16 megapixel camera, it has a zoom, it has a variable self timer that lets you get into the picture with plenty of time and takes terrific video.  Don't let the "refurbished" label scare you.  I only buy refurbished.  The company thoroughly goes through these returned cameras and offers the same guarantee as a new one. So, if you are looking to preserve those memories of the big one, look into this.  Can't beat this deal. here is the link:
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/11-29-13-powershot-a2300-refurbished-one-day-sale%20?cm_sp=SP-_-PS-_-Text_BFpage3

Top Lures for Winter Holdovers

Just four lures are all that's needed for
winter holdover fishing.

If you are looking for stripers, your best bet right now is to fish the winter holdover spots.  A lot of fish are now moving into those locations. Places like the CT rivers, the backwater ponds of the south shore in RI and rivers of upper Narragansett Bay. These are the places that will produce all winter long if you want to continue catching stripers.

This good size schoolie
was taken 2 nights ago
on a Zoom fluke fished
along the bottom.

Lures and plugs to use for winter holdovers is not complicated.  Unlike the rest of the year when you just can't fit enough in your surf bag, most of what you need in the winter game can fit into your coat pocket.  For the most part, this is a jigging game on light tackle.  Work the bottom slowly because that's where the fish are holding. 
There are three main jigging lures that are "must have" for winter fishing.  The first is the ole reliable bucktail jig spiced with a curly tail.  Next is the Cocahoe mounted on a jighead.  And, finally, the hot producer in the upper Bay is a Zoom fluke mounted on a jighead. All of these lure should be in a light color.  I also like to carry a small swimmer or two like a 4 inch Rapala X-Rap. The small swimmers tend to produce in shallow water when the fish are fussy.

One Window Closing, BUT Another Window Opening

This hefty schoolie was landed on a
Zoom fluke on a jighead in a
wintering over spot. Stripers are now moving
into those wintering over locations.

There are still fish along the oceanfront.  My son, Ben, has continued to catch a couple just about every outing in the last week.  He's even gotten some small keepers. He knows the spots that produce at this time, and he's good at what he does.  But, I am fishing far from where he is, and I am doing considerably better.
No question, the window along the oceanfront is slowly closing.  There might be a good day here and there within the next week or so, but don't expect sudden fantastic fishing.  Still, if I lived close to the ocean as my sons do, I would be out there trying every day.
Another window is slowly opening, and that's the winter holdover fishing.  I know many guys who fish in the Bay and along the oceanfront who are now catching in those winter spots, backwater locations where stripers will hold up for the winter.  I have been fishing some of those spots in the upper Bay in the last few nights and have scored some good catches.  Yes, they are all schoolies, but that's what makes up the bulk of winter fishing. 

Winding Down

There are still a few schoolies around the south
shore beaches and Narragansett.

The signs point to the end being near.  I fished both the south shore beaches and Gansett today.  I did catch a few schoolies, and I saw a few others caught by a sparse number of fishermen.  It was surprising how few fishermen were out and about on the south shore beaches on this beautiful day.  It could be because the fishing has been only marginal in the last four days with a few schoolies here and there.  I've heard of no keepers and no bluefish, but then again, both have been in short supply all fall.  In addition, I saw no birds working and no bait showing. There have been no big schools of herring around. In past years, the consistent fishing tends to wind down about the third week in November.  We are almost there.  Though a good day or two might still occur, I do believe we are seeing the beginning of the end.

Hickory Shad on the Move

In the last three outings this week I have caught more hickory shad than stripers.  It tells me the number of stripers are dwindling, and the shad are on the move.  Shad are now exiting RI's coastal ponds and rivers and are migrating southward along the oceanfront.  Shad are often found in the same areas with schoolies.  Hickory shad are aggressive hitters as they will readily take teasers as well as small jigs. I especially like to use shrimp fly teasers and small bucktail jigs (1/8 oz.) to fish for them.
If you want to know the full story about fishing for hickory shad, check out my latest story, Hickory Shad, The Third Option, which appears in this week's issue of The Fisherman magazine (No. 46, Nov. 14).

Still A Lot Going On

Schoolies dominate the fishing scene, but there are also
good numbers of hickory shad mixed in with them.
Keepers are around after dark.

I fished a lot in the last five days and I can tell you that there is still a lot going on from Narragansett to the south shore beachfront.
Yesterday was an interesting day because I caught stripers in three different locations that were miles apart. By day it was all schoolies on Cocahoes, but after dark I had two very good fish (keepers) on but lost both.  It was also day in which I took good numbers of hickory shad.  They have been moving along the oceanfront as well as dropping out of the rivers and ponds as they migrate southward.  Many of them are as big as the schoolies.  Shad can be caught on small bucktail jigs as well as shrimp fly teasers.
Another real positive development is the sighting of ocean herring. My friend Dennis was fishing the  south shore on Sunday and there was a small school right in front of him being harassed. Another guy told me he cut up a big blue he caught and found herring in the bluefish's stomach.  Herring can attract some big bass and blues late into November and even December.
So, the fall marches on with decent fishing continuing.  Once this current cold spell departs, I suspect we will be right back into the decent fishing which could continue into the end of the month.