Capt Morgan, Madison 11/03/05

• The air was brittle-ly cold and the developing northwest wind made an otherwise unseasonably warm saltwater spray feel cold to the touch. Drifts were hard to maintain, although in some areas, protected by a low shoreline horizon, the effects of the elements were toned down. There certainly was no problem keeping the bait cool but the cold made it uncomfortable to the almost numb fingertips.
• Searching for bass in these conditions requires a little foresight, a fair amount of homework and more than just a little experience fishing the big pond. Outsmarting stripers is one thing, trying to out-muscle Mother Nature is quite another. Jigging diamonds and trolling tubes produced very stubborn over-sized blues which, no doubt, grew to be that size by feeding in the big and tall strips of real estate.
• Pointing the bow toward shore and an ebbing tidal river seemed to be the smart move, both for our comfort and the success of the trip. It was the time of year when juvenile fish seeking refuge in the upper rivers now begin to move down river and into the Sound. We didn't need much time to determine whether or not this move would produce, for within minutes we could see fish working the cut seemingly to pick and choose their way through a congested school of bunker.
• It became an exercise of snag, hookup, and release. All fish caught had the telltale signs of stripes. Tails were breaking the surface and fish were seen gorging—almost picking and choosing their meal—so much to choose from and not enough girth to hold it all. The only signs of bluefish were the occasional bunker heads that were retrieved surgically-cut to the gill covers. Most bass caught and released were all in the 18- to 22-pound range, but the sheer numbers of them made up for the lack of cows.
• Listening to all of the reports about how hot striper fishing has been would not lead one to believe that a day on the water could be just the opposite. Yet to some, that's exactly what a few anglers are finding out. They are discovering that loading up on bait and gear and heading to their favorite spot has been yielding unexpected results.
• Some fishermen/women are putting in hard hours and coming up short, yet others are casually setting up, expecting maybe a hit or two, and having a day or night to remember. Some call it luck. Others call it putting in your time. Me, I call it reading nature's signals and understanding how, when, and where fish feed.
• Remember, this is the time of year when bait begins to flush from the tidal rivers and when extreme tides thin out their upper reaches. As some of these popular rivers begin to drain, fish start heading out and into the jaws of bass and blues waiting below. Bucking the odds searching for stripers in the deep when signs point to the shallow more protected waters could make for a long trying day. Explore your options and fish accordingly.

FISHING REPORT:

1. Thanks to the cold spell and a few of those frosty evenings, anglers fishing for striped bass from shore got to put some serious wear and tear on their gear. As tidal rivers were flushed, bait was swept toward the Sound and into the mouths of hungry linesiders, poised to ambush from skinny water. Fishermen were pumped as word spread that shore fishing picked up and fish were on the move.
2. There was a mix of bait and lures used in order to tempt these feeding bass. However, that only led to confusion amongst some anglers who tried to duplicate the success of others without rhyme or reason. At times, small poppers imitating peanut bunker were the key and during other tides, it was the attention-getting rattlers. Soft baits got gobbled up while live/fresh-frozen offerings were attacked with a vengeance. Often during these forays, bluefish were absent, but as light broke through the darkness, stripers eased off and blues began to feed their incessant appetites.
3. As the action picked up along the shore, many reefs became more noticeably stacked with fish. From Fisher's Island right on to Faulkner's Island, striper fishing continued to be strong. Getting through the blues did pose a problem to many anglers especially when those choppers in the low to mid-teens took a liking to your bait. But those die-hard striper fishermen had no difficulty connecting with live eels, menhaden, chutes, and jigs. There were times, though that deep water fishing for stripers was dampened when monster blues took over the limelight.
4. Tautog (blackfish) continues to draw tog-pullers to the rock piles for one reason and one reason only. The fish are turned on. Now that we can expect a break in the weather, the limited days on the water should prove fantastic. Most shoreline reefs and some inshore feeding grounds have become gathering points.
5. Notwithstanding our New England weather, November is going to be one hot fishing month! [org pub Shore Publishing, by Captain Morgan at 21 Boston Post Rd]