Fishing reports: Turd Ferguson helps the new guys

[DarkSkies]

For those who want to help the newbies but don't want the crowds that result...I think it's a good idea to help the new guys out to teach them "How".....or most importantly the "Why" that fish may be in a certain area..
The where, IMO, is less important..because once you understand the How and Why better...you will be more than halfway there....

.... I'll be doling these tidbits out a little at a time, either some general comments or some "How To" for the fishing season.

Most of it will apply to NJ and LI bay/ Sound areas, if the general area isn't indicated.






Specific questions on Where may not be answered..... be happy with what ya get, or not.
Tight Lines,
Turd

[DarkSkies]

Find out where Rich Swiss buys his donuts from.

Wait outside the place when he pulls up, memorize the plate # of his truck.

Discreetly follow him, keeping at least 500 feet from him at all times. Try not to get arrested doing this. Discreetly set up in the general area. You don't need to be in the exact spot, but you do need to only fish 1 rod.

There are state police roaming the RB this year. Anyone fishin more than 2 rods will be arrested and sent to Yugoslavia to work in the coal mines.

Fish fresh clams, carefully release all the small runts. After you nail a dozen or so, you may have a keeper.

[DarkSkies]

Alternate plan:

Scout the bay at low tide by yourself, look at the structure.

This week there are extreme low tides, great time to learn.

Get the eff out there and fish!

[DarkSkies]

First tidbit:


Reno had fresh clams today.

[DarkSkies]

For some reason as part of the intel today, the following info was sent to me:

- There are lesbians in NJ, some are hot, some are not. They are in charge of some large businesses.

- Bearded clams are not to be confused with surf clams.

- The best clams are juicy.

- Sometimes really stinky clams get the job done.

- People are asking about using clambrella rigs or clamzilla rigs in the early season. More on that in a later post.

That is all...

[DarkSkies]

Water temps are trending up, but slowly.

There is some key intel in the chart below.

Study it well.

Don't ask me about it, it's a secret map if you can figure out how to decode it.


http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/catl.html

[DarkSkies]

- Bearded clams are not to be confused with surf clams.

- The best clams are juicy.

- Sometimes really stinky clams get the job done.

- People are asking about using clambrella rigs or clamzilla rigs in the early season. More on that in a later post.
That is all...

Last week we were having some fun with clambrella rigs and the right presentation for spring fishing on another site.

I was supposed to post it last week, but couldn't get to it until now. Here ya go...



How to: fishing the clambrella rig

Question:
[hey all,
just ordered a 4 pack of clambrellas and last night after dinner i was trying one out in the back yard. don't want to look like a fool out on gp this season. is it supposed to open and spread like a hi-lo or is the advantage in having the clams bunch up? because how i was pitching it last night it was like i was tossing a seafood alfredo. any advice would be great. thanks.]

Responses:
1. you can't be serious that you bought that. Just use a hi-low rig and that s all you need. Take that thing back. You definately got ripped off

2.
is this some kind of joke??







***********************************

Cmon guys the man was seriously trying to learn a valuable new technique.
You all knew that clambrellas have been around in the US since the days the pilgrims fished, right?

There's a few special tricks and techniques to add to your angling experience when using the clambrella.

Let's try to help a brother fisherman out here:


1. just ordered a 4 pack of clambrellas and last night after dinner i was trying one out in the back yard.
That was a smart decision Radio. Buying a clambrella and learning to use it to catch large takes a while. The guys who do well with them are the ones who pay their dues and put in their time.




2. don't want to look like a fool out on gp this season. is it supposed to open and spread like a hi-lo or is the advantage in having the clams bunch up?
That would depend on how the fish are running. If it's a full moon, it's better having the clams bunch up and let them sit together on the bottom. Fish are sometimes spooked during a full moon. The key to catching large during a time like this is to make absolutely sure that clambrella glob stays on the bottom. During the first April full moon, I have seen guys land cows up to 45# using that rig, by carefully following the above procedure.

It's also is deadly during an October full moon if the surf is very quiet. If you have done your homework and are there at the correct time, sometimes in addition to catching your cow the Great Pumpkin or King Neptune has appeared to lucky anglers.






3. because how i was pitching it last night it was like i was tossing a seafood alfredo. any advice would be great. thanks
Anyone can buy and use a clambrella, but not everyone can master the skills needed. You need to throw it just the right way for it to unfold and sit there with all those bait choices for the hungry bass to find. The technique for the clambrella is somewhat like throwing a cast net for bunker.

The key here: practice, practice, and more practice.



*****************************
(I'll try to come back when I have more time and explain various advanced clambrella tricks, such as.. )

-dipping the clams in bunker or garlic oil to get more fish

-mixing and matching clams and fresh bunker for the optimum amount of strikes

- tricks of the old-timers such as tipping some of the clambrella hooks with fresh bacon

-fishing the rig with maximum efficiency by carefully perching a fishing ladder in calm surf and learning how this extra height will give you more leverage when fighting big fish





- advanced clambrella trolling, where one attaches the rig to a sturdy rod mounted to the bed of a truck or the back of your beach buggy. This is deadly during times when you know the bass are there but they are sitting on the bottom with lockjaw. It's also best done at night so the tourists don't see how effective it really is...

There ya go **********, hope that helps!
Anyone else with tips and tricks for this or other early season specialty striped bass rigs, feel free to jump in.

[DarkSkies]

Also...I don't want to put guys off by saying this.
I'm happy for the ones who are catching. I'm seeing our members here catch a lot of the bigger fish....to me, that indicates you're paying attention to your logs and seasonal variations...
But to me, back bay bait fishing in the spring, is relatively easy...
IF you keep detailed logs and put in your time to understand bait and fish migration...

It's a given that every year, they will (usually) be at location A, B, C, D, E, and F in a logical sequence....

If you keep detailed logs and obsessively pay attention to bait migration (like I do) , you will see they follow the same "highways" every year....and when they veer off those highways, it's relatively easy to predict when and where.

Granted, some of us are out there, and we don't always catch...to me that's part of fishing...anyone who always claims to catch fish, from land, every trip, is flat out lying, or else they're timing their trips to coincide with phone calls and cell phone chains...

The point is, even with the best planning, we don't always find what we're looking for....
For me, I'm primarily looking for fish, but it's the solitude, enjoyment of nature, being at one and seeing the awesome power of God and his creations, these are all the amazing things that draw me out there as well, and to me, it's best enjoyed where there are less crowds.

I know the back bay areas tend to draw crowds early season....so I generally have a plan where I can fish elsewhere....

I was explaining to a friend the other day how I usually don't run around chasing the spring bunker blitzes...for one thing they happen when I have to work, and the other thing that turns me off is the crowds....

Anywhere there is not likely to be a crowd, is where ya might find me fishin...

[DarkSkies]

I have always been a little uncomfortable with praise and acclaim...
I have found a lot of fish over the winter....
Some have sniped about that, and in some internet forums made comments that could best be described as petty jealousy....

In a way, it makes it so you are a little hesitant sharing a night when you get double digit fish...and ultimately tend to be more inclined to share those numbers with the guys you also know, who are doing as well. Those who know me know I have a pretty thick skin, and have cultivated a persona for myself as a larger than life character. It's easy for me, because I'm the same crazy character both on the internet and off.

A lot of the folks I am in contact with regularly, who catch numbers and good sized fish, are not reporting it, not weighing in at tackle shops, and really hate the internet and what it has done to the learning curve in fishing...most of us learned the hard way, and still, when we have good nights, may have to work for every fish. Even for those of us who fish a lot, it's a very rare night when you have "a fish on every cast".

I love that kind of quiet isolated fishing, and seem to gravitate toward it more and more lately...if everyone is fishing at location A....I'll try to go to location C, just for the solitude...





What I really want to focus on here, is the efforts of friends, and members who have been posting here...

I know you all are out there at night, hitting it hard...and every time you catch a teen to 25# class fish this Spring, out there alone by itself at night, that is note-worthy.

You,(collectively) who have been out there in the cold, rain, windy nights, and generally sloppy and unpleasant conditions, who have suffered through countless skunkings and nights where the only way you would come home with a fish is to stop at the Acme on the way home....,,,yet you have been out there anyway,,,,making your own reports, and knowing that it would only be a matter of time before the fish would turn on....

To you folks out there....I salute you all..and your efforts..
Remember that posting a report here, even if you got the skunk, there is no shame...I post my skunk reports all the time, it's part of fishing for me...

To the guys who are just starting out, if you see someone here who is consistently catching fish...try to learn from them....ask them questions politely, and they just might help ya a bit....remember that a lot of us learned to fish without the internet..don't be surprised if they are only slightly helpful and not willing to give the store away....

But keep at it, keep a detailed log, and eventually you will see how it makes a difference...
Good luck out there, folks. There are a lot of nice fish to be caught...so go out and have some fun..... (and please remember to bring your trash home with you when possible)....

[DarkSkies]

Some of these are for the ocean, some for the bays...I'll leave it up to you folks to figure it out...

There are those who feel I'm making it too easy on the new guys...
So this post may not be up for too long...

I'll try to leave it up until we get the site bugs fixed....and you are able to use the search key to find all the informative threads we have on these topics....
After that it may disappear depending on how many grouchy comments I get back-channel....

Spring Triggers....

1. The first Noreast pattern when the season opens.
2. A few sunny days in a row...
3. Dramatic drop in barometric pressure preceding a pending storm system.
4. The sudden upward shift of bay temps to where they consistently hold between 45-50 for more than a few days.
5. The shift in ocean temps to where they are steadily at 45 deg and trending upward..
6. The abundance or absence of cold dirty water
7. Gathering of herring in certain harbors and ports
8. The arrival of bunker in back bay areas.


Note how the bunker was the last one. Is it significant that while others place such a value on it, it's listed last here?

You tell me....

Anyone who understands the first 6 triggers I listed, doesn't need my advice.....they're already out fishin somewhere when a combination of two or more of those factors are in play......

[hookset]

TMI Dark, they should have to work for it like we all did - just saying.

[DarkSkies]

^ Hookset, you and others here have made your points perfectly clear,,,and I hear you...when we started there was no internet to lead you to the fish...you had to find them...

More often than not, we didn't find fish...and had to learn these things through trial and error...and many skunks in between..it was a painfully slow process...which I still feel is a beneficial way for the folks just starting out....learning one thing at a time...and learning it by being out there, walking around,, and experiencing it with their own eyes and intellect, not just from reading on the internet.....




Keeping your comments in mind....
There was a report a few days ago where a guy mentioned..."Well we lost the bunker for now....when we find them again we'll be back on the fish..."
*************
Where do the bunker go?

A few things...
Bunker are filter feeders...
Bunker will feed on algae and various forms of plankton and small marine life on the water's surface.
Generally speaking, bunker will swim into the wind....and can be found in different areas of a safe harbor or bay depending on stage of the tide...


So if the bunker are not where they were, how can you tell where they will be?
Sorry folks, I can't give ya's the answers, that scouting and learning is up to those who are motivated to learn, like we all had to do....

I can tell ya's that I have obsessive conversations daily, with friends who are as obsessive as me, as to where we think the bait will move, depending on the weather....

There were bunker in Raritan Bay. They held in one area for a few days, guys caught some big bass...then they left, the fishing petered out....why?
Because of a shift in wind pattern....

And my friend not only predicted when it would happen, he predicted where they would end up...with the resulting catches from that other area proving this simple theory....

[DarkSkies]

Hickory shad....
First started near an inlet, where I noticed a lot of fish feeding. Quickly determined they were hickory shad. Changed up to add a small teaser and I got one every few casts. After a half dozen I knew it was time to press on as there were no bass or blues in the mix.

About these shad:
They are a lot of fun to catch, sometimes called "Jersey Tarpon"
They have a strong smell, I think stronger than herring.
They will hit very small plugs and small metal aggressively.

A teaser may be the best way to catch a lot of them. They frequently feed on very small bait and that night, it was smaller than 3". Either grass shrimp or rainfish. A 3" redgill produced results, but if I were to have downsized I believe I would have had them on almost every cast. They were very active in the feeding.


Some younger fly fishermen came by. I told them the fish were "in the seam". At first they didn't understand what I was talking about but gradually understood as I showed them. I hope they got some after I left.





Some observations: (from report 6-26-12)

Note the bluefish were actually harder to catch than the bass in the dark---the bluefish are smart enough to nudge the plug, realize it's plastic, and then turn away, while the bass are not.

The smaller bass were aggressive, but the keeper sized ones were halfway in before they actually fought. It was like they are affected by the lower oxygen content in the water.

This is similar to what I experienced in the Winter when the water temps went down close to 40 and the Bass were almost comatose.

From this I can hypothesize when the ocean waters are calm, I will probably have little chance at catching night bass....IMO you need some sort of an offshore swell to get these fish more active....hence the reason why some guys with bait are still catching bass....

[baitstealer]

Thank you for helping the new guys ds. I will bring some teasers with me from now on.

[DarkSkies]

Fishing the old ways....
When fishing for bass gets tough, get back to basics and fish the bucktail.

It doesn't always work for me.
Sometimes, fishing in the rivers, I do better with rubber.

On the other hand, when nothing else you're throwing gets any action, it may just be, that the fish ain't there.....
You can make that assumption...but before going home do yourself a favor and give bucktailing a shot.

There's a right way and wrong way to fish a bucktail.
It should almost always have a trailer, grub, worm, rubber, or pork rind....
And if you ain't bouncing them on the bottom and losing a few along the way, (with the exception of fast current where sometimes the fish will hold in different areas other than the bottom) don't bother because you won't find fish without losing a few bucktails.....

Here's a small bass that smashed a bucktail the other night.
I stopped taking pics of these small fish because with the high water temps I want to release these fish as quickly as possible...but thought some of ya's might like to see that old-school really does work....











Smilin Bill with 4" white grub...
I just happened to be using black because of the full moon, but IMO at night, unless you're fishing a place where there is ambient light, color does not matter as much as presentation.

[DarkSkies]

Fishing the old ways....

We have a lot of threads here for the new guys, fishing the old ways (courtesy of Finchaser and some of the other old farts here... )
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...t=fishing+ways

There are also some good threads on bucktailing....just do a search here and you'll learn a lot.

Or go out and buy John Skinner's books, or at least the book on bucktailing....I consider him to be one of the best fishermen around today....and he's a great and patient teacher....

[seamonkey]

Cool, thanks!

[DarkSkies]

Late report....
Fished 2 hours Sat night....

There have been some very brief windows to catch the small fish that are left. The larger fish that some of us were catching are gone from all the legal areas.
I wanted to get out earlier, but Sat was a 14 hour work day to catch up on a lot of things I had put aside to go hunt after the fish when they were there.....some who are jealous of that often don't realize the hours we put in, or the other prices we pay, to go after the fish when the bite is hot......

The dark side of fishing thread here is an illustrative example of that.......





Sometimes, even though you know it will be a waste of time, it's good to get out there anyway.....
The solitude to me is a big part of that package of what it means to me to get out there for a few hours.....


Final water temp - 38degrees, crystal clear water.....

**Death comes to the surf zone at those temps and below.....
(Actually, below 42 you really don't have a shot of catching bass on artificials, and below 40 your chances even of catching on bait or worms are less than winning the lottery.....)

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...-the-Surf-Zone


The forecast weather for the next 10 days isn't promising.....even friends who have fished clams in the last week have not really had any action.....

Ocean temps are pretty stable this time of year and take a very long time to increase or decrease, absent a storm system.

As previously mentioned, the limited windows are at the end of a very sunny day or 2, when the shallower water can warm up to the 42 degree range. Although possible, that's not likely going forward in the next 2 weeks...

I'll probably give it a rest for a week or so, get the work done that I put off for so long..... and maybe give it a shot during the last weeks of Feb.

[DarkSkies]

A friend got a 37" bass about 20 lbs on Sat.
Just to put things in perspective, he fished 8 hours for that one fish.
Congrats to all who are getting out there and putting in their time. Odds are you won't catch fish like this fishing for an hour at a time. It has been nasty and windy for the last 2 weeks. Anyone who is even out trying, deserves some . You guys are making your own reports instead of chasing them. Whether you catch or not, great effort....well-done.





Attachment 16753

** Fishing window and feeding window......
These terms are crucial for success particularly when the water is cold. As has been mentioned by several members here, there are little spurts of activity when the bay waters warm up a few degrees....it reallly makes sense to pay close attention to these early season temps and look for these windows in time when those temps may cause a few bass to feed.

It bothers me when folks hype up a report or try to make generalizations about the few early season fish that are caught...the reality is that right now most of the guys out there aren't catching, the water (in most areas) is too cold for consistency. The ones who are, are generally lone wolves, fishing based on their logs and decades of experience, knowing when and where to target the few fish that may be feeding in an area.

[DarkSkies]

This is so important, that if you don't do it, my probing question to folks who are going out there, is "Why do you bother, then?" If you're going to go out in the raw weather, cold and wind, and sometimes cold driving rain, why wouldn't you want to pick the very best time, that was optimal for you to catch a fish?


Here's one example.....
There were some newer anglers I felt sorry for...out many times last year and this spring, still no bass caught by them.....I knew where and when they were fishing, advised them to change the time frame as they were fishing the worst possible time.....when I try to suggest this, often the response I get is...."Well I fish when I can....".....OK I get that,,,,unless we want to be unemployed and divorced, we have to make compromises when we fish....

**Remember this...the fish wait for no one......
Knowing this, I gave them specific advice about the best time to fish (right now, this framework can change weekly early and late season with colder water temps)......

What did they do?
They fished in the exact opposite part of the day that I told them their best opportunities were......And had no action at all......
I'm a results oriented guy.....sometimes I rub people the wrong way because of my bluntness....

I feel this way about fishing, and advice...there were few who offered me advice when I wanted to learn artificials....I was grateful for whatever advice they gave me, even though some of it was harsh criticism....I took the criticism, and to this day still feel that I do listen. If I am doing something wrong, or something that is not conducive to me finding fish, I want to learn how to be better.....
I think for good anglers, that learning never stops.....

An alarming trend among some new guys is:
1. They don't want to listen.
2. They don't want to really understand the advice you are giviing them.
3. Or, they want to spend the least amount of time at it, and catch a 50 lb bass in their first year of fishing....
4. I learned the old fashioned way. It was incredibly difficult for me, with much humiliation along the way....wondering if I would ever get to the point where I could understand these "patterns" that some of us talk about....















**My gripe here, is that there isn't much committment among some of the newer anglers out there.....whether it be to learn the best times to fish, and how to fish when conditions change, to the severe culture of apathy among many salt water fishermen when it comes to getting involved fighting for fishing access, fishing quota, or fishing opportunities......

And it makes me sad...because each time I try to help someone, it takes time from my day, that I could be doing something else....I don't mind helping, because I want to pay forward for some of the help that was given me....

But if I give you advice and tell you to do something a certain way, if you don't take it seriously, I probably won't help you again.

I know I have alienated some in the fishing world with my candid comments.

I'm not looking to make hundreds more friends in life...I have enough good folks I know who I can count on....When I help (or anyone else) helps someone., we like to feel that the advice was worth our while, that the person learned from, and improved their game, from said advice........