There are some things you can count on, and some instances where they vary for year to year. Here are some of the things I've noticed lately during my fall 2010 scouting trips. I scout for bait when I'm done fishin, and am constantly trying to reason in my head "Why are the fish here, but they're not there?" 90% of the time the answer to that question is bait, they go where the food is. Scouting is a valuable use of my time because it gives me a better handle of predator patterns for that specific area and time.







Thought some of you people out there might be interested as well....

1. The peanuts are still around, but not in the quantities they were in the years past. That's puzzling because of the bunker that were off the NJ/LI coast for months this summer.

Some of the peanuts are very large right now, bordering on adult size.
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2. As mentioned in the above post, adult bunker have started the southern migration and are right on schedule. My experience with bunker is that they can migrate offshore, or often they will hug the coast, sliding along during the day. At night they will slide offshore.... or slip into harbors, inlets, and small deeper holes in marinas and bays.

A few friends have snagged enough in the last few days to last for weeks, and the bunker may visit certain places regularly. Look for the numbers to start increasing in many of the deepwater harbors in the area.
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I shy away from talking location because some people foolishly don't realize that will give netters a road map to find them. Netters have a sophisticated enough intel network. There's no sense in helping them to scoop all the bunker out from one spot by your "bunker location internet report". I know netters who can, and do that, regularly.

3. Sand eels are thick right now in NJ along Monmouth and Ocean county beaches. The storm patterns push them offshore a bit, but they always slide back as the water clears. IMO this bait presence will either make or break the 2010 fall season for the surf guys.

4. Mullet - they have not all left the back areas. Many predicted they would be leaving with the full moon, and they should have. However, water temps and length of day also factor into their movement. Another factor is water salinity and storm frequency. If things move along with these storms and the continuing tides, they could be pushed out this week.

5. Spot - great late-season bass bait. There seems to be a good number of spot this year, so many that many of the northern bays/harbors that never see them are filled with good amounts. They are usually around and on their way out before the big bass come down on the Southern migration. This "departure date" is not consistent, and like mullet, depends on many variables. Their very small size makes them an ideal snack-size meal for many smaller bluefish and bass that can't swallow a whole bunker.

There's a fanatic bunch of guys that dedicate themselves to loading up on as many spot they can get and putting them in bait pens for later. They know that these are the morsels that will get them the 20 -30# bass when they're here in greater numbers.







In sum:
A lot of guys stay home when it's raining. Catch up on unfinished work, etc. However a few guys who keep logs will be fishin at the places they do every year at this time, looking for some larger bass. And those bass will follow the bait.