Death Comes to the Surf Zone...........

[DarkSkies]

I thought some of ya's might like to talk about what happens at the end of the fall......when the telltale signs start indicating the season is winding down........

I've been doing a lot of fishing the past few days/nights......and it has been dismal. It can also be awesome and painful at the same time....
So have at it...... what have you been seeing as the fat lady tightens her grip of Death on our trips out there.....

[DarkSkies]

I have some thoughts...will try to post when I get a cnance....could be a good winter thread.....

You can write observations, pics, videos, jokes, etc...whatever comes in your mind when you think of the end of your surf fishing season.....

[wish4fish]

when the skates are the only thing u catch and the small ling with whiskers its over

[cowherder]

I have noticed it is gradual. One day the birds will be diving everywhere. The next day a little less. You are wading, casting and your fingers start to get very cold. Eventually you go one day and cast and cast. I think dark calls it dead water or something.

[Monty]

I have an equation that I use to when I can get out there and fish.

I go fishing when (X +Y + Z) < F and S < 1


X = Pressure from family not to fish (family stuff/commitments, etc.)
Y = Pressure from work not to fish
Z = Doing fishing stuff like tying teasers/tail hooks, making leaders, working on plugs (fun fishing stuff)
F = The fun I have fishing
S = Pain in shoulder unbearable (pain bearable = 0)

Lots of pressure/commitments/stuff during the winter to not fish, otherwise I would be out there whenever I could weather permitting.

Do have a bunch of fishing stuff that I find enjoyable lined up for the winter
- Tying teasers (will try to make some like SurfStix)
- Change grips on a few rods
- Bunch of plug work I want to do
- Tie tail hooks, make some leaders

[plugcrazy]

^^You blinded me with science! Way cool way to look at it. Never thought about it that way before.

[Monty]

^^You blinded me with science! Way cool way to look at it. Never thought about it that way before.

I'm winging it. *hit just pops up in my head and I type it.

[basshunter]

When the number of guys at the end of day on the jetties goes from 10, to one every half mile, you know death has come to the surf zone.

[nitestrikes]

^^^ Come to montauk in the fall, and you will see those crowds go up exponentially. I would trade the 8-10 guys on the jetties anytime for any of the insane traffic we see here when the bite is on.

[7deadlyplugs]

When the whitebait leaves it really ramps down after that.

[storminsteve]

Or when it drops under 40 degrees. Even worms won't get it done. You can hear the funeral dirges.

[plugcrazy]

I agree stormin steve. I also say when the drop is gradual it seems to hold out for a better season. In a similar way in the spring I think it is better for the stripers to stick around when the temperatures ease up gradually. imo any time it goes up or down too quickly that is bad.

[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.....

It was damn cold, but not as cold as the brutal temps the last time I fished a week ago, 12-15 degrees.
Comparatively speaking, it was mild, "only" 27-25 degrees out.

The great thing is there was no wind at all. This made it manageable. Not a soul fishing either along 10 miles of beachfront.
Water was crystal clear. 1" of snow everywhere.

I knew I didn't have a shot in hell at catching, but just going through the motions, casting and retrieve, was enough for me.
The beauty, and the solitude, under the waning moon, was all I needed to get my fix.....

Fished 2 locations, didn't have the energy to fish any more....
Did not take the water temp till I was ready to leave, as I already knew it was too cold for the fish.....

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.

[finchaser]

Your they are gone get a chair and sleep on the beach plenty of solitude and you will be there when they return in the spring.

[buckethead]

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.....)

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...

Fished today and the water temp was 43 at the end of day. Only 2 short bass to show for it. Thats too low to promote a good bite as the fish I caught were very sluggish. The nails are being pound into the coffin for sure.

Your they are gone get a chair and sleep on the beach plenty of solitude and you will be there when they return in the spring.

Noticed you did pretty well this fall after a slow start finchaser. It seems like you have to be out there every day to get a chance at the fish we had this season. Miss one day and thats the bite that counts.

Photo from today-