Rough seas, but success in the ICW by Basil Dubrosky

Posted on September 13, 2016 by VHFC

Rough seas but success in the ICW by Basil Dubrosky

On September 12, I went out with Bill Dabney on his boat. There was a decent forecast of seas at 2-3 feet so we planned to hit the Little Egg Reef. As we approached the inlet we heard reports over the radio of rough seas and returning fishermen so we changed plans and motored North on the ICW.

We started our drift near Holgate and I quickly connected with a keeper weakfish on a high hook Nuclear Chicken Gulp. On the next 2 drifts Bill connected with keeper fluke on squid strips. I quickly changed to a green spinner fluke rig tipped with squid and spearing. On the first drift I connected with a keeper fluke. On successive drifts our bait was destroyed as we caught a mixture of croakers and small sea bass. The very fast wind with outgoing tide drift required 6-8 ounces of weight to hold bottom.

The day was beautiful with light boat traffic, a stiff breeze and sunny skies. We were able to drift spots that are usually restricted because of all the boat traffic. Despite a disappointing start we ended up with one of the best trips of the season. Get out there, the fluke are still biting!

Posted in Member Reports

Membership Form

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.