Flowers that Say When Fish are Here......

[clamchucker]

Spring flowers - dogwoods, lilacs, and forsythia. Each signals the arrival of different fish.

[voyager35]

dogwood has always been the ticket for me.

[DarkSkies]

When will the fish be here?
When will the fish be here?
Are we there yet?

(Ya won't know unless you're out there fishin)


For those who can't be bothered with finding their own fish...


Sent in by OGB, thanks!

Crocuses - fishing for first spring resident bass

Tulips – arrival of winter flounder

Lilac – weakfish are in town

Forsythia – bluefish and fluke are on the move

Dogwood – arrival of migratory striped bass

September’s full harvest moon has a tremendous effect on both weakfish and striped bass which take it as a sign to start their annual southern migration. During this lunar period juvenile species of both predator and prey are driven outward along the shoreline.








Wind from the North, fish come forth
Wind from the South, fish shut there mouth
Wind from the East, fish come to feast
Wind from the West, fishing is the best

[DarkSkies]

When will the fish be here?
When will the fish be here?
Are we there yet?

(Ya won't know unless you're out there fishin)


For those who can't be bothered with finding their own fish...


Sent in by OGB, thanks!

Crocuses - fishing for first spring resident bass

Learn your flowers

Attachment 10326


Just an FYI that every year when I see these crocuses start to sprout up, I know it's time to get out there because somewhere the bass will be active.
There are some variables that will affect this, yes.... such as a cold winter which could delay the action in some bays and rivers...

Generally speaking, though, when I see those flowers I know it's time to fish....

[DarkSkies]

Learn your flowers

Just an FYI that every year when I see these crocuses start to sprout up, I know it's time to get out there because somewhere the bass will be active.
There are some variables that will affect this, yes.... such as a cold winter which could delay the action in some bays and rivers...

Generally speaking, though, when I see those flowers I know it's time to fish....

1. You can't catch fish when the moon is full and bright.

2. You can't catch fish on artificials in March.

3. Clams are what ya want to catch the big early Spring bass.


What's the common denominator to beat the odds in the above scenarios?

Find bait and actively (or sporadically) feeding fish.
Find water that's at the right temps.


Pic courtesy of OGB, 3-31-10

32" bass taken on a yozuri.
Water 48 deg.
C&R to grow bigger.

Attachment 10619

[bababooey]

I visited the Belford pirates 2 days ago for some bait. They told me action had started to pick up in the bay and a new body of bass had moved in. Even though the water temps have gone down, now is the time to fish. It's worth it to be out there.

Right on the $$ with that call, dark.
This is from Ristori's column yesterday -


Stripers flood into Raritan Bay and Shore waters

By Al Ristori

April 11, 2010, 8:49PM

Striped bass have arrived earlier than ever along the Shore and in Raritan Bay. Several years ago there were a couple of seasons that opened with large bass on bunker chunks off Staten Island during late April, but that only repeated one more year -- and was later in the month than the present run. The last two springs have been poor in the bay, and the early clam fishing has been very inconsistent, but it now appears that a good body of larger bass has moved in.

[DarkSkies]

The Fall Fish flowers for NJ..... - Mums for Bass...


I haven't seen these flowers described anywhere....
but have been guaging my fishing the last 10 years by making sure I'm out there as soon as they bloom....

They are some kind of mums, I believe, but they are the early mums....not the ones you see in October....

These mums bloom somewhere around the last weeks of Sept.
This has held as a pattern, according to my logs., for the last 10 years that I've been keeping note of it....

What I am saying to you folks out there, is that as long as those flowers were in bloom, I could go out and catch striped bass along the NJ Coast or bays, inlets and rivers.....

Not just one or two 22" bass.
Nor just one 28-32" bass....

Nope, these flowers, about a week after they bloomed, signified the start of the resident fish good Fall action in NJ, waking up and coming in closer to where the surf guys were, making them more accessible, and multiple catches per night more reasonable....

[DarkSkies]

Exceptions??
For the last 2 years, these flowers bloomed, and the bass just weren't there in numbers....

I know folks have gotten a sense of my disappointment..."Hey if you want numbers of fish, dark, go to Montauk right now".
Yeah, I understand that...

The grouchy basstard inside of me is not looking to ruin everyone's enjoyment....but as I fish more than most anglers, I have to put it out there, that the numbers of bass we are used to seeing at this time, in NJ. are just not here....

these are the flowers....no internet needed, I could just time my trips by when these bloomed....








And for the last 2 years, they have let me down.....
Another reason for me to raise the issue to you folks, that there is a real possibilty of there being less bass around overall......

I know this subject irritates some, and others don't want to talk about it,....but the reality is supported by lesser catches, and lesser chances of action, here in NJ for the Fall....

We are now waiting on the Migratory fish for sustained Fall action in NJ...and I'm telling ya's it didn't use to be that way... just 6 short years ago fishing was exceptional...and 10 years ago even better than that.....
I wish folks who talk about the "Epic" fishing they see right now, had those 6-10 years back into the past, as a framework, for what Epic really used to mean...




Food for thought, folks......

[jigfreak]

This last 2 years has been lousy early fall for me, with the exception of island beach and some of the moco rocks, and one or 2 other pieces of structure in the back. I don't think there is anyway to understand that other than fish a lot.

[storminsteve]

I haven't been doing it as long as some of you guys. I do remember it being better around 3 years ago. The fall action at the Hook was fantastic. Now, not so much.

[dogfish]

How many of you have flowers on the mind right now. Me, I wait for the herring. When they are in it's a go.

[Monty]

How many of you have flowers on the mind right now. Me, I wait for the herring. When they are in it's a go.

I am a huge fan of Dogwoods

[storminsteve]

Sent in by OGB, thanks!
Dogwood – arrival of migratory striped bass

I am a huge fan of Dogwoods

Me too, hope we get into some nice bass this year fellas, keep your fingers crossed. Hope they open the hook soon as well.

[finchaser]

Crocuses is a DS saying never heard that it's always been Dogwood, then again we never targeted juvenile fish with snot that's new school along with crocus. We waited for the bigger migrating fish never saw a need to harm the small hold overs looks like they are being wiped out too before they can get big enough to breed.

[albiealert]

Up here in the Sound it is the dogwood.

[finchaser]

What he said^^ been dogwood since I was a kid, DS came up with the Crocus which west wind wally told him.

[DarkSkies]

DS came up with the Crocus which west wind wally told him.

He's been telling me a lot of things lately...is it abnormal to take advice from a rubber lizard?
Just know that he will be coming back and making his presence known....You, Speedy, Monty, Surfstix. and some of the other mooks here will be the topics of discussion in the new videos I'll be shooting this spring....

Stay tuned.....

[DarkSkies]

I haven't seen these flowers described anywhere....
but have been guaging my fishing the last 10 years by making sure I'm out there as soon as they bloom....

They are some kind of mums, I believe, but they are the early mums....not the ones you see in October....

These mums bloom somewhere around the last weeks of Sept.
This has held as a pattern, according to my logs., for the last 10 years that I've been keeping note of it....

Nope, these flowers, about a week after they bloomed, signified the start of the resident fish good Fall action in NJ, waking up and coming in closer to where the surf guys were, making them more accessible, and multiple catches per night more reasonable....

Well, the mums bloomed this week....the the fishing is still pretty inconsistent.....downward trend (last half of Sept for consistent night bass/bluefish action) for last 3 years for me....
A few small fish are starting to be caught....but that's not the action I'm referring to......these Mums, have failed me....

[finchaser]

this is the one I copied down from the person who taught me to fish 48 years ago

Tulips -arrival of winter flounder
Dogwood - arrival of striped bass
Lilac - weakfish are in town
Forsythia - bluefish and fluke are on the move
Dandelions - Blackfish move inshore

September?s full harvest moon has a tremendous effect on both weakfish and striped bass which take it as a sign to start their annual southern migration. During this lunar period juvenile species of both predator and prey are driven outward along the shoreline.

Wind from the North, fish come forth
Wind from the South, fish shut there mouth
Wind from the East, fish come to feast
Wind from the West, fishing is the best

[DarkSkies]

September?s full harvest moon has a tremendous effect on both weakfish and striped bass which take it as a sign to start their annual southern migration. During this lunar period juvenile species of both predator and prey are driven outward along the shoreline.

The harvest moon didn't do us much good this Sept....did it pal,,,,
Hoping for better results in October.....
Thanks for the updates.....
I thought you were going to go ballistic when I posted those mum pics above.....
You're really getting mellow in your old(er) age....