More Spring Weather

The winter does not want to go away. It has been cold damp and raw the past few days, and right now the coastal reports are showing 30 knots of NE wind with rain and 9 foot seas. We just returned from our spring trip to New England and were very lucky with the weather and fishing. Other then chilly temperatures, the ocean was calm, the sun came out and warmed it up a bit and the fishing was great. We sat on the first drop for five hours and had non-stop fishing. Lots of cod and haddock and lots of fun. Now it's back to work, we will be getting ready for our first trip on Sunday.

Striped Bass

The stripers are just starting to bite in the back of the Raritan bay. The bite in the harbor usually starts about a week later, so we will start fishing the first weekend in May. The spring run is the best fishing of the year and fluke also opens towards the middle of May and we can catch bass and fluke on the same trip. Now is the time to book a trip for the spring striper run.

Soon

The striped bass fishing should start once the water temperature comes up about five more degrees. The boats that are trying now are not catching. There could be some flounders around but no one really tries anymore. Fluke are being caught in VA and I have heard reports of early bluefish. With the lack of fish, I am doing some extra work in the boatyard and fishing should start the end of the month or the first weekend in May.

Late Spring

If we get a few nice days ( above freezing, without rain ) I can make some progress in the boat yard. Yesterday we gave trout fishing a try and the temperature was 27 degrees. After four casts my rod had a big ball of ice on the tip. Later in the day it warmed up to about 50 and we found a few nice fish.

Why is it....

...that when you need a paint brush and go to Lowes or Home Depot, you end up spending $150?

Spring Weather

We just had about four inches of rain in the past three days but the forecast is for normal temperatures this week and everyone is excited. Tomorrow is the first day of April, and right now, Monday morning, 7am it is snowing.

Things are Looking Up

A big storm is brewing but it looks like it will pass offshore and only give us a dusting of snow. Mike L. and I gave the pre-season trout a try Sunday. There still is some ice and snow on the ground in the country but the 37 degree temperature did not feel so bad. Mike caught one right away about sixteen inches, and I hooked up a few seconds later with a 20 inch hold over rainbow that made the day. As the day wore on the stream became crowded with anglers and we headed home.