hengstthomas
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IRI - 12-14-08
Got to IRI at about midnight and drove around back and saw 2 cars so I headed out front . A friend (Gene)and neighbor to fishforever was there and a younger guy also . I gave some pointers and suggested a 6" Swimbait and I headed out back to sat hey to stripersniper (Todd) and a friend of his . They had a disappointing report so as they left I went to the rail . When I got back that youngster was hooked up and landed his first ever Striper and was tickled to death . I made a cast and on the second cast I hookup and the youngster says" I dont fxxking believe that "
Youngser watched me for awhile and then left so Gene and I headed out back . Tried some Swimbaits with no luck so I put on "Old Faithful" and landed a schoolie .. 2 castas later I hookup again but lose the fish .
Gene decided to leave so I had the run of the place and hit the rail once again . about a dozen casts later I get this guy ..
I land 2 more in the same class and the bite dies with the slack tide . It was dead low ad with the full moon it was exceptionally low so I took advantage and hit the point of the North Jetty . This was the first time I fished the tip during the night . I hooked up on the first cast with a decent fish that just wouldnt budge but would make hard runs and heavy headshakes .. I could hear tail slaps way out in the distance . I had "old Faithful" on but I didnt switch out the "O" Rings .. After a 25 minute fight or so the line went limp and this is what I got back ..
Snatched the rear trebble right off
In a dozen more casts I land 3 Stripers from 22" to 26" and then the waves were too much .. I ducked 2 nice waves and fished my way off the jetty .
I return to the rail without a bite so I headed out back again and get 1 fish at about 16" .
By thias time the sun is cracking so I hit the rail once again amd toss the 6" PM Bunker until the sun was up and got no attention .
I talked with a few regulars who said 1 keeper yesterday and 1 the day before .
We got a few days of rain in the forecast so it isnt going to help the already dirty water.
Not many surface action all night and the tide RIPPED but what was the coolest part of the night was the meteor shower I watched for 6 hours .. Incredible
I landed 7 fish and lost 3 and probably got as many strikes that I missed .
The day looked too good to quite fishing so I hit the homefront and made a large cup of STRONG JAVA and went Crappie fishing .
12-14-2008 Broadkill
Got home from IRI at about 9am and when I pulled out of the drive way I spot these guys ..
I got to the Broadkill at about 10am . Water was Tanin in color which is odd since its normally black/clear .
My friend Tweak was there and said he hasnt had even a single bite . He then tell me that there were 7 Otters in the coves just minutes ago and no sooner said they appeared again ..
I join in and nothing happening . Ron (oldmanofthesea) pulls up and not long after that I find some fish that started off on the tiny side .
Then graduate a size ..
I had to be home at 11:30am so I took some more Structure pics at high tide this time ..
Had to catch one for the road but it turned into to 3 more like this one
1.75" Fin"S" 20 inches under a casting bobber
Broadkill 12-15-08
Left here at 2pm and arrived to find winds in excess of 35MPH .. I would have just left but it was very warm so I gave it a shot . Water was very high and very clear .
My 2nd cast ..
3rd
4th
It was a great Crappie day . Ron (oldmanofthesea) showed up but struck out so just as he was leaving Matt showed up (Both Matt and Ron work at Bill's) . Matt stayed about 40 minutes and also got the skunk while I was nailing them on atleast every other cast . I even gave Matt the same Fin"S" I was using but did no good . I advised him to get rid of the Braid (both him and Ron use Braid) . Before Matt left another regular , Dave , showed up and landed a nice slab on his 1st cast . So now just Dave and I left and we take turns reeling them in with a few double hook ups . As the winds started to subside the bite also slowed and finally at dark when you couldnt see the bobber the bite halted and Dave and I headed home .
Bait was the same 1.75" Fin"S" 20" below a casting bobber and the trick was to cast and put your rod tip on or near the water so the wind didnt grab the slack . You had to deadstick the lure and they'd bite ..any additional finessing resulted in NO bites .
Total for 3 hours was well over 50 Crappie with only 3 being over 12" and the rest averaging 6 to 10 inches .
IRI 12-16-08
Got there around midnight and headed out back .. No one there The tide was very high and water very dirty with winds from the SW at 10 to 20 mph .
I started off with a 6" Pm with no hits so I went to a 4" Tsunami and again no hits but I noticed some fish popping to my right in the dark right on the bank (bags) .
I put a 4" Black Bomber on and landed a 26" Striper and in the next dozen casts got 2 more at about 20" then no more action .. I switched to a 3" Grey/Black/Silver Suspending X-Rap and nailed 3 more all about 20" .
3 guys showed up and kinda squeezed me so with fish biting I decided to hit the rail in hopes of a bigger fish but with the wind I could not get out far enough to reach "my spot" .. I saw ZERO activity on the surface . I ran into Chris (stcroixaddict) and Sporto so Chris went out back and Sporto and I soon followed . I landed another 26" Striper on a 4" Tsunami then nothing . Sporto left as the rain started and Chris wasnt long behind him .. I stayed and about an hour later got one more 20" Striper on a 4" Storm . Fished awhile longer and got no bites and saw only 2 fish break water so again I headed to the rail and again got no bites .
With the water almost dead low I decided to do some shopping on the bags The water was so low I picked all these up right on the bags ..
And the highlight of my night was finding this
I forgot the camera but it just as well as it rain most of the time .
1 fish was dead on the bottom with the Swimbait and the other Swimbait fish was close to the surface and close to the bank .. All the rest were right on top with small plugs .. Kinda strange but I guess it was because of the warm temps yesterday .
Maybe it aint over as I thought
IRI 12-18-08
Got there around midnight .. Little to NO wind and water was very high and still coming in and still dirty .
Started with a 6" PM without a bite so I went with a 4" Tsunami and again no bites but I did see fish popping near the shore . I switched to a 2.5" Fin"S" and finally landed the first fish ..
From then on for the next hour it was mostly these guys ..
Picked off small Schoolies and Shad and then began to find a pattern . The fish were on top again so I tried the X-Raps with no luck so I switched to a 4" Black Bomber and picked off a few ..
After about 6 Stripers they didnt want the Bomber so I figured it was time to try the Mirror Lures and that proved to be the ticket . They would hit the Red/White Floater and stop then hit the Black Suspender then stop and then the Red/White Suspender .. I switched back and for the for the next 4 hours and landed A LOT of fish including 1@28" ..
The magic box
This guy must have been my lucky charm ..
Decided since the fish were hitting so well I'd hit the rail and try for some bigger fish .. I didnt get 1 bite
I did however do some looking around and even worked my way out to the end of the jetty and back with again NO Bites .
I found a few critters though ..
With no fish out front I headed back to the fish I left biting and sure enough they were still feeding ..
Got about 6 more before the bite ended and the sun came up .
I lost 4 fish because the fish dove into the sand bags and got hooked and pulled free before I could recover them . I also lost quite a few fish because I had to man handle them in and keep them on top so they wouldnt get into the bags with the pressure I put on them many pulled free .
I probably hook up to 100 fish and lost over 50 with one nice one that was a sure keeper .
This was one of the best December days I have ever had . They say you learn something new everyday and today I learned how to use the Mirror Lures
I went back out front and tried the 6" PM and the 4" Tsunami again without a bite so I tied up a longline rig and got 1 bite but no hookup and then lost the rig .
At 8am I headed to the Old Inlet to meet up with the Dirtman crew and wished them well before heading home .
Did I say it was a GREAT night
Got to IRI at about midnight and drove around back and saw 2 cars so I headed out front . A friend (Gene)and neighbor to fishforever was there and a younger guy also . I gave some pointers and suggested a 6" Swimbait and I headed out back to sat hey to stripersniper (Todd) and a friend of his . They had a disappointing report so as they left I went to the rail . When I got back that youngster was hooked up and landed his first ever Striper and was tickled to death . I made a cast and on the second cast I hookup and the youngster says" I dont fxxking believe that "
Youngser watched me for awhile and then left so Gene and I headed out back . Tried some Swimbaits with no luck so I put on "Old Faithful" and landed a schoolie .. 2 castas later I hookup again but lose the fish .
Gene decided to leave so I had the run of the place and hit the rail once again . about a dozen casts later I get this guy ..
I land 2 more in the same class and the bite dies with the slack tide . It was dead low ad with the full moon it was exceptionally low so I took advantage and hit the point of the North Jetty . This was the first time I fished the tip during the night . I hooked up on the first cast with a decent fish that just wouldnt budge but would make hard runs and heavy headshakes .. I could hear tail slaps way out in the distance . I had "old Faithful" on but I didnt switch out the "O" Rings
.. After a 25 minute fight or so the line went limp and this is what I got back ..
Snatched the rear trebble right off
In a dozen more casts I land 3 Stripers from 22" to 26" and then the waves were too much .. I ducked 2 nice waves and fished my way off the jetty .
I return to the rail without a bite so I headed out back again and get 1 fish at about 16" .
By thias time the sun is cracking so I hit the rail once again amd toss the 6" PM Bunker until the sun was up and got no attention .
I talked with a few regulars who said 1 keeper yesterday and 1 the day before .
We got a few days of rain in the forecast so it isnt going to help the already dirty water.
Not many surface action all night and the tide RIPPED but what was the coolest part of the night was the meteor shower I watched for 6 hours .. Incredible
I landed 7 fish and lost 3 and probably got as many strikes that I missed .
The day looked too good to quite fishing so I hit the homefront and made a large cup of STRONG JAVA and went Crappie fishing .
12-14-2008 Broadkill
Got home from IRI at about 9am and when I pulled out of the drive way I spot these guys ..
I got to the Broadkill at about 10am . Water was Tanin in color which is odd since its normally black/clear .
My friend Tweak was there and said he hasnt had even a single bite . He then tell me that there were 7 Otters in the coves just minutes ago and no sooner said they appeared again ..
I join in and nothing happening . Ron (oldmanofthesea) pulls up and not long after that I find some fish that started off on the tiny side .
Then graduate a size ..
I had to be home at 11:30am so I took some more Structure pics at high tide this time ..
Had to catch one for the road but it turned into to 3 more like this one
1.75" Fin"S" 20 inches under a casting bobber
Broadkill 12-15-08
Left here at 2pm and arrived to find winds in excess of 35MPH .. I would have just left but it was very warm so I gave it a shot . Water was very high and very clear .
My 2nd cast ..
3rd
4th
It was a great Crappie day . Ron (oldmanofthesea) showed up but struck out so just as he was leaving Matt showed up (Both Matt and Ron work at Bill's) . Matt stayed about 40 minutes and also got the skunk while I was nailing them on atleast every other cast . I even gave Matt the same Fin"S" I was using but did no good . I advised him to get rid of the Braid (both him and Ron use Braid) . Before Matt left another regular , Dave , showed up and landed a nice slab on his 1st cast . So now just Dave and I left and we take turns reeling them in with a few double hook ups . As the winds started to subside the bite also slowed and finally at dark when you couldnt see the bobber the bite halted and Dave and I headed home .
Bait was the same 1.75" Fin"S" 20" below a casting bobber and the trick was to cast and put your rod tip on or near the water so the wind didnt grab the slack . You had to deadstick the lure and they'd bite ..any additional finessing resulted in NO bites .
Total for 3 hours was well over 50 Crappie with only 3 being over 12" and the rest averaging 6 to 10 inches .
IRI 12-16-08
Got there around midnight and headed out back .. No one there
The tide was very high and water very dirty with winds from the SW at 10 to 20 mph .I started off with a 6" Pm with no hits so I went to a 4" Tsunami and again no hits but I noticed some fish popping to my right in the dark right on the bank (bags) .
I put a 4" Black Bomber on and landed a 26" Striper and in the next dozen casts got 2 more at about 20" then no more action .. I switched to a 3" Grey/Black/Silver Suspending X-Rap and nailed 3 more all about 20" .
3 guys showed up and kinda squeezed me so with fish biting I decided to hit the rail in hopes of a bigger fish but with the wind I could not get out far enough to reach "my spot" .. I saw ZERO activity on the surface . I ran into Chris (stcroixaddict) and Sporto so Chris went out back and Sporto and I soon followed . I landed another 26" Striper on a 4" Tsunami then nothing . Sporto left as the rain started and Chris wasnt long behind him .. I stayed and about an hour later got one more 20" Striper on a 4" Storm . Fished awhile longer and got no bites and saw only 2 fish break water so again I headed to the rail and again got no bites .
With the water almost dead low I decided to do some shopping on the bags
The water was so low I picked all these up right on the bags ..
And the highlight of my night was finding this
I forgot the camera but it just as well as it rain most of the time .
1 fish was dead on the bottom with the Swimbait and the other Swimbait fish was close to the surface and close to the bank .. All the rest were right on top with small plugs .. Kinda strange but I guess it was because of the warm temps yesterday .
Maybe it aint over as I thought
IRI 12-18-08
Got there around midnight .. Little to NO wind and water was very high and still coming in and still dirty .
Started with a 6" PM without a bite so I went with a 4" Tsunami and again no bites but I did see fish popping near the shore . I switched to a 2.5" Fin"S" and finally landed the first fish ..
From then on for the next hour it was mostly these guys ..
Picked off small Schoolies and Shad and then began to find a pattern . The fish were on top again so I tried the X-Raps with no luck so I switched to a 4" Black Bomber and picked off a few ..
After about 6 Stripers they didnt want the Bomber so I figured it was time to try the Mirror Lures and that proved to be the ticket . They would hit the Red/White Floater and stop then hit the Black Suspender then stop and then the Red/White Suspender .. I switched back and for the for the next 4 hours and landed A LOT of fish including 1@28" ..
The magic box
This guy must have been my lucky charm ..
Decided since the fish were hitting so well I'd hit the rail and try for some bigger fish .. I didnt get 1 bite
I did however do some looking around and even worked my way out to the end of the jetty and back with again NO Bites .
I found a few critters though ..
With no fish out front I headed back to the fish I left biting and sure enough they were still feeding ..
Got about 6 more before the bite ended and the sun came up .
I lost 4 fish because the fish dove into the sand bags and got hooked and pulled free before I could recover them . I also lost quite a few fish because I had to man handle them in and keep them on top so they wouldnt get into the bags with the pressure I put on them many pulled free .
I probably hook up to 100 fish and lost over 50 with one nice one that was a sure keeper .
This was one of the best December days I have ever had . They say you learn something new everyday and today I learned how to use the Mirror Lures
I went back out front and tried the 6" PM and the 4" Tsunami again without a bite so I tied up a longline rig and got 1 bite but no hookup and then lost the rig .
At 8am I headed to the Old Inlet to meet up with the Dirtman crew and wished them well before heading home .
Did I say it was a GREAT night
