I think I'll just leave this here......
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The hike was worth it! How big was the biggest trout?
The biggest was 21". I tossed some 14" keepers...everything I had was between 16" - 21". In about a month all the smaller ones will be gone. Last Winter everything I caught there was 22" or more.
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what was your setup? were you fishing inside the jetties near the rocks or ocean side? I've had no luck this year catching anything and it seems like everyone is slaying them. I guess i'm not holding my mouth right! Congrats on the catch, those are some nice fish! I'm super jealous, hehe!
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That is awesome! I had 4 over 20 inches my first day in the marsh, but the fish were mostly 16-18 the second day.
Coming from VA, where I had 2 keepers out of 150+ fish, this was a pleasant surprise. You can probably run shoreline guiding trips. Based on pics of Thanksgiving timeframe, you might have the best haul of anyone boat/kayak/shore.
Do you think the big ones stay there in the winter?
Yes....they are my primary target in January and Februarywhen I usually catch my biggest ones.
I fish with a DOA Shrimp....usually the 1/2 oz. size. (You can get them at Walmart or most other sporting goods stores.) I cast them out, allow them to sink a bit, then slowly retrieve them. When I hit something that feels like I just snagged a rock I set the hook hard....because it's usually a trout. I look for channels running alongside jetties or steep banks on the inlet side during a moving tide. During high tide I even catch them (and redfish) that way at the Atlantic Avenue causeway in Garden City. It's not unusual for me to be out there on nice days during the winter. For what it's worth...I love to eat redfish, but trout are a breeze to clean! I boned & skinned those trout in only an hour.....and you don't have to have "Chef-level" skills to do it!
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Putting on clinics catching fish like that Chef!! Congrats
I was back out again on Saturday. The trout were not overly interested in DOA shrimp today.....they definitely wanted live ones under a float. I actually spent the morning fishing with shrimp for drum while the're still available. Picked up a mix of red and black drum and LOT of rock sea bass. If I was inclined to mess with little fish I'd have taken home a bunch of the sea bass, which occasionally hit around 8 or 9 inches. they're pretty nice table fare, but don't get very large in close like this. The 16" redfish I picked up had a really well defined blue tail..... a beautiful specimen. I ended up giving him to a couple of college students from CCU. The keeper black drum went back in to grow a little more. Overall, it was a bit chilly, but a pleasant day.
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I was out late last week again as well and found the trout bite very slow, too. Of the five or six guys fishing nearby - boat and shore - I only saw one small speck taken in about three hours time. It hit a lead-head grub. Guy beside me caught five or six very small black drum on fresh clam strips. Hoping the bite improves when the weather evens out.
The group of guys that came in when I did and fished DOAs picked up 8 or 10 keepers, but there were two guys on a boat only about 30' off the rocks that were floating live shrimp and taking a ton of fish.
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Story of my life...
I certainly have had "less than glorious" days fishing. Some are better than others. This year in general has been a very good year for me.... but then I'm investing more time on the beach learning all the necessary "tricks of the trade". I'm also sharing a lot of what I do with you guys on this board to help other guys learn and enjoy as well.
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Other than a few time when I really got on the big bluefish I haven't had a monster day this first season. I have caught a lot of fish overall tho, including some above average ones here and there, and I have only had a few days that I completely blanked - all in all I really can't complain.
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I grew up fishing the south jetty/Huntington Beach Jetty. During the fall mullet run, my family would take day trips and fish for food- bluefish and weakfish. We would split up the gear load and hike there. Without me around now, my parents are getting to the age where carrying all of that gear is hard. I landed my biggest Spanish mackerel from that jetty. It was about 23 inches and smashed my 3/4 oz krocodile spoon. You will find that certain spots along those rocks hold certain species. The eddy formed around the bend on the inlet side is very snaggy, but often productive. My family usually bottom fished with cut mullet on the inlet side where the marsh grass starts on the opposite side. I noticed hardcore sheephead fisherman at the tip.
One way to work with the current is to use a float rig with live mullet- short wire to a treble hook and tailhook the mullet. Walk along the jetty and follow your line. When the mullet run is on, it shouldn't take long before something (usually bluefish) eats it.
I didn't really learn how to use lures effectively for species other than bluefish until I became an adult and had more patience and willpower.
As long as you get out there and catch something, you should be having a decent time. I moved from MD to VA and rarely get keeper fish minus bluefish and croaker. In MD, I had striper limits just about every single boat trip and even most of the time from shore. Arguably, I was spoiled. Fishery does go in cycles.
I grew up fishing the south jetty/Huntington Beach Jetty. During the fall mullet run, my family would take day trips and fish for food- bluefish and weakfish. We would split up the gear load and hike there. Without me around now, my parents are getting to the age where carrying all of that gear is hard. I landed my biggest Spanish mackerel from that jetty. It was about 23 inches and smashed my 3/4 oz krocodile spoon. You will find that certain spots along those rocks hold certain species. The eddy formed around the bend on the inlet side is very snaggy, but often productive. My family usually bottom fished with cut mullet on the inlet side where the marsh grass starts on the opposite side. I noticed hardcore sheephead fisherman at the tip.
One way to work with the current is to use a float rig with live mullet- short wire to a treble hook and tailhook the mullet. Walk along the jetty and follow your line. When the mullet run is on, it shouldn't take long before something (usually bluefish) eats it.
I didn't really learn how to use lures effectively for species other than bluefish until I became an adult and had more patience and willpower.
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I haven't made the trek to the jetty yet but will be going very soon. My wife is a birder and has been a couple times for pics so she'll probably tag along!
I grew up east of Raleigh NC and spent a lot of time surf/flounder fishing and gigging around Topsail Island and Swansboro. Looked forward to the fall spot run every year too, catching coolers full of big yellow bellies like taking candy from a baby. Did a lot of speck fishing in the coastal rivers with my brother in law and that's when I learned to catch em on hard baits. Got heavy into bass fishing after that and then moved to Winston Salem for almost 15 years so my saltwater fishing was cut to two or three weekends a year.
I'd rather throw a suspending jerk bait for specks than anything - the good one in the pic I posted came on a lucky craft flash minnow - so I haven't spent a lot of time slip floating. I do throw a DOA some and have caught a few on lead-head grubs. Bought a cast net soon after we moved but I suck at it for the most part. Do manage to get enough bait to use but I work at it a lot harder than I should! Having a blast with all of it really... beats working any day!
I grew up east of Raleigh NC and spent a lot of time surf/flounder fishing and gigging around Topsail Island and Swansboro. Looked forward to the fall spot run every year too, catching coolers full of big yellow bellies like taking candy from a baby. Did a lot of speck fishing in the coastal rivers with my brother in law and that's when I learned to catch em on hard baits. Got heavy into bass fishing after that and then moved to Winston Salem for almost 15 years so my saltwater fishing was cut to two or three weekends a year.
I'd rather throw a suspending jerk bait for specks than anything - the good one in the pic I posted came on a lucky craft flash minnow - so I haven't spent a lot of time slip floating. I do throw a DOA some and have caught a few on lead-head grubs. Bought a cast net soon after we moved but I suck at it for the most part. Do manage to get enough bait to use but I work at it a lot harder than I should! Having a blast with all of it really... beats working any day!
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