Following the Night Tides......Do You have What it Takes?

[Blazin420]

This season has taught me to adapt with the changes that have happened the past year,or couple years...Alot of guys including myself get stuck in there routine,Go to spot X on this tide,Go to the other spot at this time...And when that doesnt work AT ALL and you rack up a ton skunked trips its time to ADAPT to the changes...Its tuff to do IMHO..You get so used to the normal stuff/spots working you almost get lazy(im a example for sure)..So when me and my bud set out the other night to a "new"spot we havent fish it was a way of adapting and trying something out of the norm for us...Granted we didnt catch there but thats not the point...I get it now and i am totally willing to keep adapting with the way the fishing is..Especially if it gets me some action that i would have never had...My next "adapting" will be to FISH AND LEARN the backbays..I have neglected that fishery for ever except for the early spring...But as i get older im starting to understand how stupid it was of me to not take the time to learn it..Instead Id go to the same old spots that have yeilded me very little this season instead of scouting and learning about the back...Thanks as always Dark for a solid thread!!

[seamonkey]

This season has taught me to adapt with the changes that have happened the past year,or couple years...Alot of guys including myself get stuck in there routine,Go to spot X on this tide,Go to the other spot at this time...And when that doesnt work AT ALL and you rack up a ton skunked trips its time to ADAPT to the changes...Its tuff to do IMHO..You get so used to the normal stuff/spots working you almost get lazy(im a example for sure)..

Thats a good point blazin. I have an inlet I get a lot of fish from. I also have some great Dbay spots for the spring like you said. When that doesn't work you have to get out of your routine and change it up! Very informative thread gents thank you.

[DarkSkies]

Seamonkey....we're all learning....when I think I have learned everything there is to learn.....it's time for the long dirt nap.....








Something I wrote about the one that got Away.....
The One That got Away...
(I think some of us can apply this analogy to the Women in our lives, as well.... )

I've landed some nice fish in my life, but I think it's the ones that got away....that keep me out there...and have motivated me to be more careful and deliberate when I'm out there at night.....


Sometimes it's hard...you're out there for hours at a time.....
Action is slow.....and your mind tends to wander...you start to daydream aboout the big fish that don't appear to be out there that night.....


And all of a sudden.....
WHAM!!!!!!!
You get hit by a fish that tries to pull your arm out of it's socket....
You fight it for a bit, a second, a few seconds...or a minute....
And for some reason it comes unbuttoned....
That, people.....is pure adrenaline.......more addictive to me than crack.....and the thing that keeps us coming back more and more....for just one taste...just one hit...praying to King Neptune for just one more Drag-Screaming run......that we need so bad.....

[surfrob]

the "coming unbuttoned" thing is the one that drives me crazy.

I remember early in my striper days I hooked into a fish which, judging by the size of others coming up on the beach, and the size of the tail that took my top water plug, would easily have been my PB to this day, having it come unbuttoned in the wash due to inexperience. I keep wanting that fish and time back as I replay it over and over in my head "keep control of the head, keep tight in the wash, sharpen hooks next time, blah blah blah"

aaaaaaaughhhh.

Another fish which would likely have competed with this one must have just been nicked on the edge of the lip by the treble on my bottle plug.

aaaaaaaughhhh.

"praying to King Neptune for just one more Drag-Screaming run......that we need so bad....."

I keep telling myself it will only take one good fish to make my season.

[storminsteve]

And for some reason it comes unbuttoned....
That, people.....is pure adrenaline.......more addictive to me than crack.....and the thing that keeps us coming back more and more....for just one taste...just one hit...praying to King Neptune for just one more Drag-Screaming run......that we need so bad.....

the "coming unbuttoned" thing is the one that drives me crazy.

I remember early in my striper days I hooked into a fish which, judging by the size of others coming up on the beach, and the size of the tail that took my top water plug, would easily have been my PB to this day, having it come unbuttoned in the wash due to inexperience. I keep wanting that fish and time back as I replay it over and over in my head "keep control of the head, keep tight in the wash, sharpen hooks next time, blah blah blah"

aaaaaaaughhhh.


I keep telling myself it will only take one good fish to make my season.

Listen to the Zzzzzzzzz! in the video above.

Yes all you need is one! Unfortunately I haven't got a big fish this year. In the Spring every time I went to moco to fish in the afternoon it was either dead or they said "you should have been here yesterday!" I got some real nice blues in the sandy hook area in the spring and lost a few monsters. They just took off like tuna.

As for the stripers about 15 years ago I lost my fish of a lifetime. I was fishing a beach at night, new moon. the tides were perfect and there were peanut bunker around. I was using a rattletrap and bouncing it up and down in the surf. I wasn't paying attention and got slammed! The fish took drag for a good 10 seconds before I could set the hook. Like you said my hookset was bad and I lost that fish. I still think of it and how big she could have been. She is my white whale!

[DarkSkies]

I'm bumping this to the top so one friend and member here........can see that it's important to get out and fish the windows I was talking about.........

[DarkSkies]

I'm going to start adding to this thread when I get a chance.....as mentioned above...with the overall bass fishing being so poor and inconsistent....it's critical to figure out the best feeding and fishing window.....(other than dawn and dusk)

That may be all you get for one night...or maybe even for a series of trips....


Fishing from June 12-17.....2015

6-12-15

Fished the night tides bay and ocean for a few hours with Pebbles. Covered a lot of ground. 3 hours of fishing hard. Not a tap for either of us. What I did notice was lots of areas that held no life or bait at all. Am starting to notice a small amount of grass shrimp, spearing, and very small baby fish (1/2" long) in some specific, localized areas. More on that as it develops.



6-15-15

Fished the night tides, bay and ocean again....this time solo...4 hours of fishing. Met up with a friend later on. He had limited success earlier on but by the time we met up, that sporadic bite had dried up completely.


Observation-

Each and every place I have been stopping at,. is the prime spot for that stage of the tide. Over the decades I have caught many fish at these night locations, without really trying that hard.

Now, that I am out there, I am noticing very limited and specific bites. Highly concentrated, and appallingly limited in duration.










6-17-15

Fished bay and ocean, covering lots of ground. 5 hour trip. Targeting bass and bluefish. Very poor activity in the dark. Only managed one cocktail blue at 4:30AM on black popper.

The one area I ended up at was slightly encouraging, because I saw spearing 4-5" and those small 1/2" baby fish in the water. Occasional fish popping on them.

Motivated by that, I started working hard to put a catch together. Managed 9 more bluefish to 7# for total of 10 for the trip.The thing is, these fish were very scattered and reluctant to hit the popper, (and they wouldn't hit anything else).

Very frustrating, but at least there were fish there. Averaged 25-35 casts for each fish or missed strike. Once they missed it they would not come back again.


Overcast morning and slight drizzle made for almost textbook perfect conditions, but as mentioned the catching part was a lot of work.

Once the rain came down heavier the bite died completely and I went home.

My "best" results for the year thus far....I was very grateful to have that action and find those fish.

[DarkSkies]

As for the stripers about 15 years ago I lost my fish of a lifetime. I was fishing a beach at night, new moon. the tides were perfect and there were peanut bunker around. I was using a rattletrap and bouncing it up and down in the surf. I wasn't paying attention and got slammed! The fish took drag for a good 10 seconds before I could set the hook. Like you said my hookset was bad and I lost that fish. I still think of it and how big she could have been. She is my white whale!

Steve, the way things are now.....we may get very few chances at bigger fish....fishing artificials in the middle of the night...it hurts when you lose a nice fish...especially when you realize that might have been your one shot....
but it does keep us coming back.....
Even though many give up when the fishing is hard...there is still a chance of catching that one fish.....someone said needle in a haystack..and I agree......that's enough sometimes to motivate us to get out there given the right conditions...

This season has taught me to adapt with the changes that have happened the past year,or couple years...Alot of guys including myself get stuck in there routine,Go to spot X on this tide,Go to the other spot at this time...And when that doesnt work AT ALL and you rack up a ton skunked trips its time to ADAPT to the changes...

Blazing great advice you gave here.......
Folks...he is successful because he gets frustrated at doing the same old thing.....he knows where the fish should be...but with limited numbers, they just aren't......
So if you want any success at all....you have to be willing to either
A. travel long distances to where there is a decent bite....
B. or Adapt your trips, or fishing..to the specific windows and conditions that may exist....for the time you are fishing.........


1. When it's the middle of the summer and you find fishing tough..
2. Or the middle of the winter and you're bored....
Anyone who wants to learn more.....and challenge yourself to think differently....
Would be well-advised to go back and look over some of the things blazing and other members say in this thread......
There is a lot of good advice besides mine.........

For me, learning is a never-ending process....
And I think any angler that has that perspective...will do better overall.....

[seamonkey]

Great tips and suggestions guys, thanks!

[VSdreams]

fellas good advice. dark that looked like a ss littleneck popper you were using? custom color?

[DarkSkies]

^ VS.... that's not a little neck. It's similar in size and profile though. I like the Superstrike line of plugs. However, generally when I fish I try to use no-name brands and plugs made by friends......just to prove it's not always the most popular plugs that will get the fish....

More of that in the
"Surfwalker challenge" here...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...d-your-Own-Way




That plug I was using I got at a flea market for about $1...with a batch of other plugs that no one wanted...
The VS hooks on it and HD split rings put on by the previous owner were probably worth more than that plug...
And it was the only plug in my bag that would catch for me, that trip.
It's plastic molded, solid, heavier than wood...and sinks a bit when retrieving.....

Sometimes, when fish are picky...I find a heavier plug that sinks a bit....is more effective than a wood one that floats.....
As for color....that's the way it came....
I tend to favor bold or bright colored plugs for overcast days or cloudy water....


feel free to add to that thread if you have any other questions about bargain bin plugs that catch fish.......

[DarkSkies]

I like the night tides this week...and with the full moon tides coming into play next week.... had to be out there last night......

6-26 PM trip-
5 hours
Two short bass and 7 bluefish to 10#.
Blues hit popper in the dark....bass hit loaded redfin... (Thanks to Monty for hooking me up with a few... )


Admittedly the bass have been scarce.....they seem to be concentrating the night feed in very few areas....
As mentioned the feeding window is so small now it is "ridiculous" as Monty likes to put it.....
Miss it by 1/2 hour and you find nothing.....

Last year the patterns were more reliable.....
This year the effect of overall decline of bass biomass seems more evident than ever before.....most of the boats targeting bass have turned to fluking......despite abundant bait in some areas...easily reachable by most boats or kayaks...
And about 95% of the shore anglers have given up on bass at night...rarely have I seen more than one other angler out there on my trips.....
I'm not even seeing the numbers of baby bass that "should" be there by virtue of good YOY results...

What helped me with the bluefish is bunker...
And a few other forage concentrations, as mentioned.....
I have not been able to find any sizes when there were no bunker...
The fish are still scattered...unless you are able to fish deeper water somewhere...so I've had to work for them...





But I have noticed...for me......

1. When water quality diminishes....the artificial bite diminishes...
2. If there are no large bunker concentrations at night....the likelihood of catching....for the places I am fishing....goes way down......

[DarkSkies]

Back at it again. I started my 2016 season the night of the Sandy Hook NMS meeting, have been fishing steadily ever since whenever I get a chance.......

What I have found so far, is that if you do find find fish, you need to make it your business to exploit that opportunity....don't take it for granted that they will be there tomorrow....because they probably won't be...

The fish that we are finding on the edges....seem to be fast moving...what one Capt catches today, is often a different batch than was here yesterday....for shore bound anglers, that is even more critical.....

I'll post my reports here, when I get a chance....good luck to all those who are fishing....
Remember, blink and you might miss these fish....

[DarkSkies]

Fishing Reports Spring 2016

March
3-16 Wed PM
Fished a few places after the proposed SMS meeting. A wide range of water depths were probed, nothing.

3-23 Wed PM
Same routine. The water had warmed up a bit so had to be out giving it a shot. Full moon tides and past log entries drew me out there. Friends doing real well fishing clams and worms in various places. Strictly tossing artificials, still no action for me.
Did some scouting of early season estuaries and nurseries. Lots of bait being built up, particularly spearing, and freshly born grass shrimp. This might set up to be a good year.

3-30 Wed PM
Same routine. Was discouraged because some of the bait guys I ran into, said that even they were doing poorly. Time to expand the area I'm fishing in and make more stops.

3-31 Thu PM
3 bass to 28", released.
First bass of the season.

Back out again. Didn't like the wind so slept in my vehicle for a while. Got up a few hours before dawn, wrapped up in some old blankets. It was cold but wind had died down a bit. Got to the water, first cast was into a feisty bass, just under keeper size. Thought it would be great, but I assumed wrong. Had to work for these fish. Spent the next 2 hours wading and moving, trying different strategic hiding places. Managed 2 more, all on mid level swimmers. Could not buy a hit on rubber or bucktail. Bite died at the first hint of gray light.

[DarkSkies]

April 2016


4/1 Fri PM
17 bass to 14#, released.
Encouraged by the previous night's results, was out and hitting it hard. Water still cold in some spots. Friends in boats and yaks were starting to catch on artificials. Also, started noticing a big build up of bait in certain areas.....
more spearing, grass shrimp, and encouraging quantities of herring.
I knew it was time to be out there, whether catching or not. If you miss it....... that will be the night that everything went off, and you would never know.
Such is the burden...... of being a compulsive fisherman.


The spots that held some fish the previous night didn't hold anything. I felt the water there was colder so went looking for water that was a few degrees warmer.
That seeemed to be the key. Whenever I found slightly warmer water and high bait concentrations, I found a few fish feeding. Finished the night with 17 fish to 14#.
Covered a lot of miles to find these fish.
Pretty good night for an early spring trip, and one of my better nights, that early, in a few years.

[DarkSkies]

4/2 Sat PM
15 bass to 12#, released.
Winds had been a problem, but there was no way I was not going. Got down to the water and they were howling. Only a few places offer a lee, so I had to find one. Once I did, continued to find fish on artificials. Mostly 25-32" bass, no real small fish like some others had been finding.

All fish fresh and clean. light in color. They definitely were not here 2 weeks ago in these numbers.
My theory is these are the fish some of the boat guys are finding, and they're coming up to the flats to feed at night, chasing herring, bunker, and spearing.

The problem with that theory...... is there are a lot of fish all the way up in the Hudson already. With them staging in different areas, there's no telling how long the decent fishing will last...few days...or few weeks...it's a coin toss.

[DarkSkies]

4/4 Mon
Winds got bad, effed things up a bit.Out trying hard, nothing at all.

4/5 Tue
Same thing with wind and cold. Bay temps dropped substantially the past 5 days, not expecting much. Had to be out there anyway. Within 5 mins, knew it was going to be a repeat of the night before. Gave it a good try for 2 hours, and then went home early.


4/6 Wed PM
The bay temps started to go up a bit, so I knew I had to be out there. Worked a large section of the flats.Wind was calm at first but began building. Moved several times.Nothing at all.


4/7 Thu AM New Moon Tides
Slept in my vehicle, hoping for activity. Got out there, wind was howling a steady 25 mph with stronger gusts. Finding a lee from the wind is so important in cases like this. I know I have talked about that before.

When you have a fishing addiction, this becomes 2nd nature.
You just do not accept going down to the water and not being able to fish. You always have not only "Plan B",but Plan C, and Plan D, when the weather or winds are not conducive to fishing where you originally wanted to.

Again, nothing at all.

[lostatsea]

Your having a great season would love to catch that many in a night. finchaser fishing farm?

[7deadlyplugs]

This season has taught me to adapt with the changes that have happened the past year,or couple years...Alot of guys including myself get stuck in there routine,Go to spot X on this tide,Go to the other spot at this time...And when that doesnt work AT ALL and you rack up a ton skunked trips its time to ADAPT to the changes...Its tuff to do IMHO..You get so used to the normal stuff/spots working you almost get lazy(im a example for sure)..So when me and my bud set out the other night to a "new"spot we havent fish it was a way of adapting and trying something out of the norm for us...Granted we didnt catch there but thats not the point...I get it now and i am totally willing to keep adapting with the way the fishing is..Especially if it gets me some action that i would have never had...My next "adapting" will be to FISH AND LEARN the backbays..I have neglected that fishery for ever except for the early spring...But as i get older im starting to understand how stupid it was of me to not take the time to learn it..Instead Id go to the same old spots that have yeilded me very little this season instead of scouting and learning about the back...Thanks as always Dark for a solid thread!!

Good advice gents, and nice catches. I don't know if I would have the dedication to fish as many nights as you guys are fishing. Good for you and kudos.

[cowherder]

Nice job dark. Way to put your time in.