Stripers in the surf!
May 22, 2022
Stone Harbor
1 photo
Bass (Striped)
Trip Summary
Trip Summary
This is a tale of two beaches. Saturday I went on the ocean side. I had been hearing of all of these great stripers being caught, along with occasional blues and kingfish. So I grabbed bloodworms, clams, and bunker and hit my spot. I set out three rods, one with each bait. Now I just needed a fish to cruise along and play.
The weather on the beach was perfect. It was nice and cool with a slight breeze. The sun was out and the sky was blue. The water however was di gy looking and very green. There was just enough seaweed in the area to be annoying. My first fish of the day was a three foot sandshark. It ate the clam. My second "fish" was a skate that ate my bunker. Not another touch. The guys on either side of me didn't catch anything decent either. Just one of those days. Frustrated and just not feeling it, I called it quits. Walking back over the dunes the sweltering heat came crashing down to smother me. It only got worse as I traveled inland...
Sunday I hit the Delaware Bay with Johnnie in tow. Johnnie has been having a bit of a rough patch, so it was nice to get him out and laughing. We set out five rods (I know, overkill). We used the same baits (leftovers). We started at what we thought was dead low, but the tide just kept going out. The horseshoe crabs were a massive pain in the ass. They stole a lot of bait today, and made reeling in tough a few times.
We had a few solid hits throughout the morning. The rod would heave over hard and then just go still. It was infuriating. Then, finally, around 11am I set out a fresh clam bait. Shortly after I cast it out it went over hard and began a drag screaming run. A real fish! I pulled the rod out if the spike and palmer the spool to slow the fish and ensure the hook was set. The battle was on. Johnnie pulled in the other rods while I tried to steer the fish away from possible tangles. After a nice fight I guided the striper o to the sand. I grabbed the leader to pull it up and it broke. The 30 pound leader wasn't enough. I quickly jammed a thumb into the stripers mouth to lip it and bring it up for a photo op. Lisa had just arrived with Idgie and Bubbalouie. She took some quick pictures, and the little boy and his dad sitting g near up popped over for a quick picture of the little dude with the bass. She measured out at 40" on the nose. I revived her in the water and she swam off briskly.
Earlier in the morning we has a massive school of fish blowing up just beyond casting range. They were moving in, but then just a suddenly they turned and went the opposite way and vanished. Then dolphins came in and put on a show, splashing, porpoising, and jumping. Always fun to watch, but never a welcomed sight while fishing.
We continued to fish until around 11:40. We decided to call it a day due to the intensifying heat and lack of bait. We ran back to my place, cleaned up the gear, and parted ways. It was a fun weekend, even if I only landed one fish. It was a load of fun.
Tight Lines!