Every child’s dream comes true around Christmas and
for us fly fishers why should it be any different. We all
hope that our wish lists and stocking stuffers are filled
with the latest necessities and gadgets. But for some dedicated
diehards our wish list is filled with stripes. Not the candy
kind but the fifteen, twenty, and twenty-five pounds of stripes
that can be found every December along our northern New Jersey
Coast.
In the last several seasons the number of big December bass
that we have been seeing within a mile of the beach has been
absolutely mind-boggling. These are the bass that grace us
with their presence as they migrated down from their more
northerly waters. As these fish complete their primordial
journey to their southerly wintering grounds New Jersey becomes
a “middle of the road” holding tank if the conditions
are right. Just envision what Montauk is like in the fall
and move it 170 miles to the south and that’s what you
can expect.
In New Jersey prime time for this trophy action is from the
beginning of December right on up through the New Year. The
two related conditions that govern whether or not the bass
will hold off of our beaches and in the surf are water temperature
and the presence of bait.
At this time of year water temperatures are the key factor
that will hold the bait and as a result the bass too. The
ideal water temperatures that we are looking for will range
between 47-53 degrees. If our predominant winds stay onshore
during this time period our water will slowly cool and the
bait and bass won’t be in a hurry to move on their way.
Being cold-blooded creatures by nature, bass will be able
to acclimate to slowly dropping water temperatures. If however
Mother Nature decides to bellow in an extended period of frigid
northwest winds, you know, the kind that makes the flag on
the pole look like a piece of plywood, then the water will
quickly plummet over several days into the mid-forties and
below. This sudden temperature drop will cause a thermal shock
that will drive the bait and bass on their way.
This was the exact scenario several seasons ago when a sustained
four-day blow out of the northwest drove water temperatures
from a comfortable 54 degrees down to a chilly 43 degrees
and subsequently killed the action. However this particular
episode does not characterize what we have been seeing over
the last five years. Last season my logbook still recorded
52 degrees on December 19th. We didn’t come off the
water until January 10th and still left fish there.
The Key Baits
At the end of the season the two prime baits that are responsible
for keeping and holding the bass in our area are the
Atlantic herring
and sandeels.
Some seasons we will even see some scattered pods of peanut
bunker remaining but for the most part by mid December the
bulk of this migration has moved well to our south.
Where these baits set up is going to be the key to locating
the bass. If the bait is found along the beach than the bass
will be there too and some tremendous surf and jetty action
can take place. However in the last several seasons the bait
migration has been off the beach and most longrodders that
were shooting the suds were left high and dry. They could
only watch as rods pretzeled over boat gunwales only a few
hundred yards away. For this reason I usually hang up my korkers
at this time of year and team up with my partner, Captain
Gene Quigley, to improve my odds as we work the waters along
our Coast in his 21 Parker Special Edition center console.
Strategy One
There are two types of strategies that we employ as we head
to the east. The first is to get that quick fix by looking
for visual clues of surface activity and to pull up on it.
Bass that are feeding and pushing schools of herring to the
surface can easily be noticed by all the surface commotion
that you will see. At times schools of fifteen to twenty-five
pound bass will race across the surface in hot pursuit of
a helpless herring that quickly meets its demise.
On many days we will find acres of bass that are present just
busting around the boat. Captain Gene describes the scene
as “it looks like all of a sudden thousands of bass
have just fallen out of the sky”. On many occasions
as one bass is hooked and coming to the boat about a half
a dozen other teen size fish would try to steal the fly from
its mouth.
This isn’t the only amazing site either as an array
of gulls and gannets join in and will literally kamikaze into
the surface commotion trying to wrestle a herring from a bass’s
mouth too. This longroding experience is not only visual but
is also coupled with engrossing sounds that are equally as
astonishing that makes this time of year so special for us.
When the bass are up on the surface like this we will opt
for our floating or intermediate lines to deliver our flies.
We will look for the direction that the herring are being
pushed and cut the engines ahead of the school. Many times
all it will take is a short cast and a couple of strips and
you are in.
Strategy Two
If this quick fix strategy doesn’t pan out than we utilize
the eyes of our fish finder to put us onto fish. As the bait
moves parallel to the beach it usually does so over specific
depths. Last year the bulk of the migration took place over
thirty to forty feet of water. But every year is different
so it is a “seek and find” mission.
When fishing by the numbers the first rule is to know how
to read your fishfinder proficiently. You will find both bait
and fish suspended at different depths below the surface.
You should know what bait looks like and what fish look like
and be able to distinguish between the two.
When looking at a dark bait cloud on your screen many times
you will see several big marks directly behind and just beneath
the school. Usually these are those trophy bass that typically
stay deep. It will be advantageous in your trophy quest to
stay with these schools as long as possible.
The second rule is don’t fish where you are not reading
fish. When the bass are set up along our coast daily wind
conditions may move the schools in closer or out deeper. Sometimes
moving from forty feet of water out to fifty feet is all it
takes. You will need to cruise around until your locate a
nice school of fish before you begin your drift.
On occasion our searching can sometimes bring us off the beach
a couple of miles putting us in the seventy-foot mark. Even
over this depth we can still effectively get down to suspended
fish that may be at the thirty to thirty-five foot level with
our traditional ten-eleven weight rods and 400-500 grain lines.
However trying to fish these lines below this depth is going
to be difficult. A combination of the boat drifting due to
the wind, the currents that are running beneath the surface,
and the amount of line that you will need to strip off of
the reel are some of the limiting factors that will make trying
to get any deeper basically ineffective with this system.
To delve deeper into the 40-60 foot ranges where many big
bass will be lurking requires utilizing some deep-water tactics
that includes leadcore line. Captain Gene’s formula
for success is to use a 30-foot head of Cortland LC-13 attached
to 100 feet of a very thin intermediate running line such
as Rio’s Slick Shooter 35 pound line. An up current
cast combined with the aid of a sea anchor or drift sock to
slow the boat drift down will allow these lines to get to
the bottom.
Fly Selection
As this final migration stage passes through our New Jersey
waters the bass will be heavily on the feed and not very picky
when it comes to fly selection. They will usually strike out
at a wide variety of flies that match the general profile
of the bait. If herring are the mainstay of the forage than
wide-bodied deceivers are the flies of choice.
Patterns in the six to ten inch ranges with some pushing twelve
inches are the ones to select. These bigger flies will help
to keep some of the smaller overly aggressive bass off the
hook. One fly that we found to be just irresistible last season
was a Popovic’s bucktail deceiver. The use of only bucktail
in these flies really allows for these flies to breath, undulate,
and open wide.
If sandeels have taken up residence over the waters that you
are fishing then move to a pencil-like profile in your fly
selection. Pattern the length of your fly after the length
of the actual bait. Sandeels will more than likely be found
hugging the bottom in tightly packed schools that will easily
be visible on your fishfinder.
Last season we had tremendous success with six to eight inch
jiggy flies fished deep. An erratic long-strip-pause type
of retrieve drew many rod-wrenching strikes. One of the advantages
of this “fleye” is that on the pause the weight
of the jiggy head directs the fly back towards the bottom.
This action closely resembles a fleeing sandeel heading back
for cover.
Some Final Tips
Tip One: Since the bass can be present over a wide vertical
distribution it will be to your advantage to carry as many
pre-rigged rods with different line weights as you can. This
way you can quickly grab the right tool for the right situation
when you find the fish. You won’t have to worry about
changing heads or spools on a boat that might be bouncing
around. If you need a floater or a quick sinker they will
be readily at your disposal.
Tip Two:
When using heavy sinking lines or leadcore keep your false
casting to a minimum. Load your rod by lifting your line from
the water, shoot it back once and let go with the forward
cast. Shortening your leader to three to five feet will also
help your cast and will keep your fly at the same level as
the line as it sinks. This will keep you in better contact
with your fly ensuring a better hook set when you strike a
fish.
Tip Three:
Since the bass hit extremely hard at this time of year don’t
be fooled into thinking that you have a solid hook-up. You
will still need to impart a series of short powerful strip
strikes to completely drive the hook into the hard palate
of the bass. Many beginners will lose big bass as they shake
their head during an ensuing fight because they fail to do
this. Crushing the barbs down on your hooks will deliver better
penetration.
Tip Four:
For your intermediate lines you will definitely want to use
one of the clear, cold water striper lines that are on the
market. These lines will coil less in the cold water than
your traditional style lines. Line coil will only add to your
frustration level and reduce the distance that you can get
with each cast.
Tip Five:
At this time of year cold hands and fingers is always a nemesis
that needs to be dealt with so you can maximize your time
on the water. A thin waterproof glove will keep your hands
warm and still allow you to feel the line in your stripping
hand and what your fly is doing in the water. It will be important
to maintain this feel.
As a surf guide I am always hoping that the bait and bass
will be on the beach as we come to the finale for yet another
season. But if it doesn’t happen I know for sure that
the boat action is a definite guarantee. I can still vividly
remember the words of one of Captain Gene’s clients
last year, Big John Yavorsky, as he stood on the bow of his
boat and said, “it’s unbelievable, not even catching
a fish but just watching what is going on, it’s amazing!”
John, I couldn’t of said it better myself.
Editor’s Note: Jim Freda is author
of “Fishing the New Jersey Coast” and co-owns
and operates Shore
Catch Guide Service (www.shorecatch.com) in Manasquan,
New Jersey. 732-528-1861 |
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