Still Hunting... By: Steve Evans

Ol' Barney

      The report of shotguns becomes familiar this time of year around Barnegat Bay, but the wing shooters aren't the only ones hunting. Between (Alexi,Me) we've gone 0 for 4 on back bay trips this second half of November, not what we expect this time of year, but we're still at it. Finding slack water and fishing the change with eels (weighted, unweighted) has been our tactic.

      The 21st was cold. layered in Neoprene, polartec fleece, wool, goretex, wicking base layers, and all, I got out there, but this cold, at some point my toes still freeze, and my fingers still wont work. the air was in the mid twenties and the water between 38 and 44 F. There was ice on my boat. There were no spearing on the surface, no small bass on the sod banks, no knocks on my bait and no other signs of life. Persistent west wind of the past week, paired with a new moon low tide, left little water on the shallows of the sedge islands, after I quit, I had to drag my boat across the flats, to the landing. I remember one other night like this, two years ago at the end of our back bay season.

LBI launch

      Less than a week after, the air temps jumped back up a little for a few days. I decided on launching at Barnegat light, deeper water, and my timing was right to hit the change on the south side with live eels. That was my big fish plan. As a plan b, this area has some dock lights that attract spearing, so I brought a light rod and some small plastics too.

      The guys in the tackle shop were talking about fish up north, and fish out past the EEZ, the usual late season gossip, with even less the usual languishing conviction, and faded into perfunctory conversations about equipment, about next season.

Barnegat Bay

      Water temps were back up a little, 48 F. There were little pods of spearing, and here and there, some small bass breaking the surface, good sign. I had the tide timed right. I fished my chosen area roughly an hour before, during, and a hour after slack tide. When the current picked up I went down to the light house and tried a little, no sign there. I put my eeling gear away and tossed a bass assassin with my light rod. The bait was there in the lights as expected, I thought I might have heard some bass feeding, but that was it.