Summer patterns starting in the Sedges, By Alexi

Solo trip.  I was up and out of the door early.  I barely got any sleep at all as I had worked the night before.  In a half daze I started unloading my kayak at the IBSP winter anchorage launch amid a few other avid fishermen.  One of them  looked over and asked me my name.  He said he had read the last blog-post -  the miserable epic failure of a fishing trip....ugh..... I was caught off-guard.  I hope you guys did well,

busiest early AM I've seen in a while

because I found fish right away.

first of several at this spot on Zara Spook Jr Chartreuse

I spent my first hour or so on the water losing and landing several short bass.   I tagged three for the American Littoral Society.   They were 3lbs - 19" , 4.5 lbs - 21", and  4lb 20 inches.  One fish I caught and released as quickly as possible had a giant chunk taken out of it's back.
That got me thinking.

And now for a tangent:

 As sensitive as these fish are they may be equally as resilient.  I don't know.  I believe there are many things I haven't experienced which are true, and I don't believe that everything I've witnessed is true, so in the end who's to say how sensitive or resilient the Striped bass are?  I do tend to trust scientists, especially those that I've known.  And I'm  big fan of DATA.  So, the topic of fisheries management is a deep and sensitive issue.   I know that in the fishing forums the Striped Bass is treated as if it were a God, and I'm not really criticizing this view by pointing it out.  More accepting it for what it is.   This 20" bass with a chunk taken out of it's back was definitely ready to keep going!  (not that I'm going to make small batches of ceviche out of all of the backs of the short bass that I catch) BUT it does get me thinking.  And meditating.  And thinking.  (am I a conservationist by choice? or because I just can't catch a 40" bass??)  One thing is for sure, I'm definitely not the problem.  I've had the worst luck catching any bass above 28" for the past year anyway.  I think New Jersey should have gone with the one at 28" option like many other states, if anything, for the simplicity or the matter, but who am I to say, I fish more for the scenery anyway.

Back to fishing:

They were schooled up in the hole before Snake Ditch and all were on topwater lures, and BKD soft plastics.  Some bluefish were in the mix.  (the blues were lower in the water column)

"The bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is the only extant species of the family Pomatomidae. It is a marine pelagic fish found around the world in temperate and subtropical waters, except for the northern Pacific Ocean. Bluefish are known as tailor in Australia,^[1] shad on the east coast of South Africa, and elfon the west coast. Other common names are blue, chopper, and anchoa.^[2] It is good eating and a popular gamefish."  from wikipedia

This is the fishery I remember.  This is the fishery I love.  This is the fishery I want to share with my fiends.  Respect it.  Keep it clean. Keep it alive.

    It was the kind of day you think about when you think of "fishing in the summer."  When I arrived, It was the second half of the outgoing tide.  Paddling was unnecessary, except for positioning to cast.  Otherwise the current and wind took me wherever I needed to be because the fish were there, everywhere, and they were on the feed.  This is the trip that was supposed to happen last week with my friend whose name shall not be mentioned.

   As I headed out to the inlet to fluke fish I passed some clammers, and another kayaker who was going for fluke, who said he'd been there since 2 AM.  This reminded me of me.  There I was.  Desperate, exhausted, dehydrated, an apparition, my own ghost speaking to myself from another dimension.   cauughttt nothingggg


  As the current slowed I made my way to the inlet.  The end of the outgoing tide is the safest time to drift Barnegat Inlet from the kayak because the worst case scenario is that after an hour or so of fishing you can simply ride the tide back in.   I find it strange when boaters who are near me, doing the same drift as I am, say things like: "Man you've got some balls being out here."  All I can think is: (what I'm doing is probably safer than what you're doing, because I'm prepared to be immersed in the water, and you're in shorts and a T-shirt, I have a PFD on at all times, I know what phase of the moon it is, what phase of the tide it is, I even know where some small eddies are by the rocks which I can paddle up to and take a break if need be, so I'm not taking any risks!  My paddle is connected to my kayak.  What happens if your motor fails?  Then YOU are the one I'm trying to rescue!)

Me Chilling in a foot of water in Barnegat Inlet

The horse shoe crab invasion has started.

The clammers have arrived.

And it's Fluke season.

first Fluke of 2015

So there you have it.  I worked hard for that picture of a 15" fluke.  But i did it.  After that I kind of gave up and headed in.  I had my Barnegat Bay Hat Trick; striped bass, bluefish, and a fluke!  See y'all on the water!