Far From Epic but still a very good day by Ed Valitutto

Posted on November 30, 2023 by VHFC

Jerry Nichols invited me for a day of bass fishing on Thursday 11/30. With both the wind and waves reasonable for venturing outside, only the cold temperatures made things a little uncomfortable but we both were dressed for it.

Once clear of the inlet, we headed north but it was a short trip to find birds, boats and bass. But you definitely had to work for them and we did not get the epic bite that had been the norm. My fish (just shy of 31″) was on a 4 oz weighted paddle tail and Jerry’s fish (30″) was on a surface plug. As the bite died, we tried a little trolling to no avail. With the wind starting to increase and both of us having early afternoon doctor appointments, we decided to head back in. Still a fun time fishing despite the few fish we caught.

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Fishing Facts

Of the fifty United States, thirty-eight have a striped-bass record. New Jersey has the largest striped-bass record—a 78-pound 8·ounce whopper that was caught in 1982. The state with the smallest striped-bass record is Iowa. That landlocked striper weighed only 9 pounds 4 ounces and was caught in 1983.

There’s something fishy about beer these days. Fish Tail Ale is popular as ever, and New Jersey’s Flying Fish Brewery is one of the state’s largest specialty breweries. There’s also Washington’s Wild Salmon Organic Pale Ale, Florida’s Land Shark beer, Delaware’s Dogfish Head beer, and two versions of Stingray beer—a lighter version from the Cayman Islands and a dark beer from Canada.

The triangle fly is probably the most unusual of saltwater flies. It’s one of the few, if not only, flies tied to a treble hook. It’s also barely a fly at all, because hardly any material is used. It is complete after tying the two straw pearl twinkle flashes and the tiny tuft of natural squirrel, leaving an entire hook fully exposed. Incredibly this barebacked treble fly is a knockout when it comes to sea trout.