Independence Day Flukin’
My buddy Mark and I decided to stay inside since all the reports we heard during the week were much better from Manasquan and Shark Rivers than from reefs. I checked the current tables and the current looked OK despite it being the ebb and me personally preferring the flood to fish the Squan.
We shoved off at ten to five to get setup at sunrise and beat the boat traffic. Got through the canal and despite no moon and very little wind the current was racing and not as anticipated. We gave it a shot near Clark’s, in the Old Channel between Clark’s and Garden State, Hoffman’s, the doggy beach and the inlet itself. No matter where we went it was a challenge to slow the boat down to be able to get a proper presentation. Not to mention the salad was the worst I have ever seen. OK…insert vegetarian jokes here!
On the plus side so far there were only three boats that had past us so far. With the poor conditions inside we decided to at least try outside and worst case go wreck fishing. Got out front to birds working, not sure what was chasing the bait up but we immediately got into a garbage fish blitz! It was skate after sea robin after miniature dogfish…with short fluke mixed in when you could get your bait to the bottom. We did manage sea robins to just under 2 lbs but didn’t weigh any in for the tournament. Did manage to pull one keeper off the Manasquan Wreck before the current went slack and the drift died.
Moved off to the Sea Girt Reef hoping for better drift conditions and there was a little more breeze and a drift. Again had non-stop action with birds, skates and short fluke. We also had some short and keeper sea bass mixed in and picked up another keeper off the reef before the drift died there.
Headed in a bout noon. By then there were finally people on the beaches and some boats out. We were both surprised at the amount of boat traffic. It didn’t really pickup till between 10 and 11 and even when we headed in the canal was busy but it sure didn’t seem like a holiday weekend. Not that I am complaining but it sure didn’t seem like that many were out, certainly not like AAA said there would be a huge increase in vacationers driving to closer destinations to home.
Anyway all in all a great day on the water till we hit the railroad bridge on the way in and we realized how hot it really was out. Ended the day with a nice 3lb sea bass, two fluke 19 and 20 inches, about 50 shorts (many 17-17.75″), one with almost a completely brown belly (will post a pic of it shortly) and probably a hundred sea robins, skates and dogfish combined. Although there were only a handful of doggies. And it was really nice to fish all day with the light outfits and 3/4 to 1.5 ounce bucktails even out on the reef.
