By Captain Vinnie Calabro
Frankly, I am glad October is over. October was windy, wind mixed with rain, mixed with more wind. For me it really had a negative impact on my fishing. November, at the moment, seems to be getting off to a good start.
For the most part, schools of bait have left the bays and are appearing in the inlets and along the beaches. To the east, shad are being jigged and ultimately wind up on the end of a hook as big bass bait. Some bunker are here, and they are also suffering the same fate as the shad, as well as the old standard live eels. Stripers are responding to the drop in temperature and are starting to continue their Fall migration.
Driving to and from the marina and beach, the Autumn foliage is also a telltale sign of these stirrings. Seems like nature’s clicking on all cylinders for a change. Close to home the waters off of Manhattan Beach, up towards Breezy Point, and surrounding beaches are seeing good action. A smorgasbord of baitfish abounds; sand-eels, mullet, shad, herring, bunker, are all being gorged upon by bass and blues. Seals are also popping up among the action. Curiously their heads jut out of the sea, looking back at you as you gawk at them.
Some big fish have been weighed in, a few in the 50 lb. range coming up locally, from my intel these are being trolled in some deeper water off the beach in the thirty to fifty foot depths. This is done mostly with wire line fishing with bunker spoons and shad rigs. Long beach and east Atlantic beach are known for big fish around Election Day.
The Jersey boats as well as surfcasters are also having some good fishing. Reports from Manasquan, Sea Bright and Monmouth all echo the same big blues mixed in with some big bass. Well realistically this is the time so as expected right on cue things are exploding.
Bottom fishing was also thrown off a bit with the winds and subsequent ground swell. Still it’s beginning to rebound as sea conditions settle down.
The local wrecks have been yielding some nice taug, this should continue to build as the season progresses. Nice to write about some good fishing for a change, I think it will hold up.
