Small spring baits from the belly of the bass (sandworms, grass shrimp, and striped killies).

A short workday on Monday April 16th and no work on Tuesday April 17th afforded me the perfect opportunity to fish late into the early morning. I arrived at Island Beach State Park around 5 o'clock in the afternoon to 70 degree air temperature, few clouds, clear water, and a light south wind. Alexi and KGB were there when I arrived. Fishing with a variety of lures til dusk yielded nothing; changing to live eels proved equally unproductive for the duration of the incoming through the top of the outgoing tides. Alexi and KGB left with the outgoing. I drifted for an hour or so but the wind turning south west frustrated my efforts. The wind and current slowed through the last hour of the ebb. I drew my kayak onto shore, put on a fresh and lively eel and hooked up on my second cast with a nice 31 inch bass, the time was 12:50am. I fished until approximately 3am with only one more strike for my efforts. The stomach of the fish showed a variety of small bait including sandworms, killies, and grass shrimp.

first bigger spring fish...

16 1/2 pounds, 36 inches. Second cast. Live eel. Snake Ditch. Around 8 p.m. Top of the incoming.

Before this I had been waiting around for Steve. There were acres of birds out front diving, and I couldn't resist casting at them seeing as though I had my waders and surfcasting rod with me. They were on Herring. It was fun to watch, some other anglers hooked up, but I had to wait for my Ditch fish. Is the spring going to be as epic as the fall?

Chincoteague,Va

Well, this is a little off topic. It was too windy in Chincoteague to go out in the Yak for Flounder, so we crabbed. Haley caught her own dinner, and we picked some mussels and oysters as well for appetizers. All in all a great day!

1st bass of 2012

What a relief. According to my logs I've been on 8 fishing trips of various kinds over the past few months and have not caught a single fish. So when this 20 inch bass hit my lure it was not so much surprise as an unfamiliar feeling. My Snake Ditch science experiment continues, and now I can log in the first Bass on 4/4/2012. Steve says he's going for some night fishing over the next couple days at the ditch. Hopefully he can pick up some eels so we can really see our crazy good Fall fishing will continue in the same spot this Spring. Even in the Fall all of the larger fish we caught were at night. Are they back?