[Sandcrab]

Has anyone heard of any fish being taken there since the ice melted? Stripers? Winter flounder? Trout?

Or is the water still a little too cold?

 

[Duke of Fluke]

There should be decent school striper action now. I might try this weekend.

 

[Billr]

this may be a bad weekend. with this rain and wind it may be next week before any action. there should be school rock in there,also some flounder,trout around easter,. on the pier i use .25 oz. jigheads with fin S plastic , a6-6.5 ft. rod with 8 lb test. works great. i didn't check out the pier today, but yesterday it was rough and very muddy. by the weekend the temps. should rise and the full moon on wed., no telling. may even be trout there.

 

[Sandcrab]

Thanks guys. I have not fished the pier but checked it out the last time I was coming back from fishing at IRI. What a nice long pier! Looks real fishy to me especially with bucktails or gotcha's around all those pilings.

 

[Duke of Fluke]

The folks who know what they are doing really clean up.

 

[Sandcrab]

DOF,

Does that mean I should hang out with you when I fish the pier?

 

[HuskyMD]

WHOA! Sandcrab has hit 1000 posts! Send the bill to him Sand Flea!

 

[Sandcrab]

Husky,

Age (date you joined the site - year 2000) over beauty.

 

[Duke of Fluke]

I do ok, but honestly can't rate myself at the top. I have learned a whole lot about fishing that spot in the last two seasons. I have been fishing there for much longer than that, but I just recently started to figure out the consistent patterns. There are several specific spots along the pier that produce better than others during certain tide stages or for certain species. I think that this coming year will be my best ever for fishing there. The best way to learn about how to fish a particular spot is to go there often and watch what the regulars who catch the most fish do. I can't wait for better numbers of flounder to move in, the same goes for trout and later on croakers. I think in the next season or two I will finally graduate to sharpie status. At least for this spot. I just wish I could get down more often, 3 hours is a long haul especially when you can rarely find a partner.

 

[Sandcrab]

DOF,

After I move into my new house in late June, I will be ready to do some fishing. I fish IRI a lot during the year and the Cape is just up the street.

 

[Duke of Fluke]

Sandcrab,

We will have to team up. The trout fishing can be fantastic, far better than at IRI or anywhere in the Upper Chessie. The flounder fishing is great during May, but slows down once the water warms and the fish move deeper. I learned some very interesting tricks for flounder fishing there two seasons ago, I can usually catch them in good numbers quite consistently during the month of May. Keepers are a little tougher to come by, they are there and I can usually find at least one per trip in May. I have yet to limit on them there, but I have seen other do so. The croaker fishing can be non stop at times, and blues occasionally cruise through althought they are only thick in late spring and then in the fall. The stripers are there in early spring and again in the fall, but they tend to be smaller fish. The stripers are the one fish that I have not really fished much for at CHSP. I plan to experiment more in the future.

 

[Billr]

the rock are there most of the year but do slow down during the summer. the fall is the best, from late oct on, sometimes into jan. i do very well with lipped mirro lures. onr i use almost all the time. last year was not a very good year for the trout there. i didn't fish last year from the end of aug on as i had very serious surgery. all is well now and i will be out there as soon as this weather clears. i live about 1.5 miles from the pier.

 

[Sandcrab]

Trout better than the 9 pounders that they catch at IRI?

I have a 14' johboat with a saltwater motor that would be perfect for the calm areas that the flounder like. Is there a public boat ramp nearby to launch my boat and do some flounder drifting?

 

[Duke of Fluke]

Sandcrab,

I think the pier has better numbers of trout, not necessarily size, although I have seen a few biggies taken.

 

[Sandcrab]

What about horse croakers? Saw 5 gallon pails full with 20" plus croakers last year at IRI. Does anyone catch stripers at night on surface plugs from the pier or under the pier (can you fish there?)?

 

[HuskyMD]

What do you do with a 5 gallon pail full of croaker? If they are best fresh, would you freeze them?

 

[Sandcrab]

Fillet most and have a fish fry. Then freeze the rest for trout bait.

I think I am going to get one of those vacumn packaging machines. Some of my buddies have them and they work well for freezing fish and bait. Some are using last year's bunker that is "almost fresh" looking.

 

[Duke of Fluke]

I have seen many 17-20" croakers at the pier, and when they are in thick you can't fish two rods! I have even seen them caught on Bucktails and Fin S! There are lots of jumbo spot as well as juvenile seabass, sharks, and assorted junk fish. I have also seen fair numbers of Trigger fish and sheepshead caught there. There are not huge numbers of these southern visitors, but I have seen a few caught. I have also seen quite a few decent size sharks caught there.

 

[Sandcrab]

That's why CHL is on my "must try this year" spots! Great info guys!

Roosevelt Inlet in on my list too but I don't hear too much about it.

 

[Manayunk Jake]

Greetings Jamey!

Let me know when you plan one of those May Henlopen trips. I'll tag along... Never too old to learn!

Have you tried fishing for fluke with those oversized shad darts yet? Or a killie under a bobber? Can't use either method on the Fish-N-Fun, but they sound like good pier possibilities...

I'm looking forward to fishing for doormats in the ocean during October. For sheer numbers of keeper fluke, the Sea Isle Lumps in October can't be beat! Caught 13 keepers on one trip, went back out the next day and caught 10 more (the only times I limited out on fluke.) Columbus Day weekend is the magic time....