Left the dock before dawn this morning and headed SE toward the Barlett tower. The seas were flat and nary a breeze. The tide was just starting to push in so the rip line was barely noticeable. Just after the sun creased the horizon, fish began breaking at the both the north end of the reef and south almost to the tower. I started fishing a 2/0 olive flat-wing and even though stripers were feasting heavily, I could not buy a strike. I could not make out what was on the breakfast menu, but the terns signaled miniscule bait. I switched up to a size 1 epoxy sand eel pattern and hooked up almost immediatly. For the next hour or so the catching was better than expected. Stripers ranged in size from 24 inches to 2 over 30. A thick haze / fog moved in quickly reducing visibility to about 200 ft. A couple of boats trolling along the rip line made fishing difficult and dangerous in the limited visibility. Decided to head back in and was back at the dock by 8:15.
In addition to the epoxy sand eel, I hooked up on a butterfish pattern modeled after a pattern another saltwater enthusiast showed me this past winter.
I'm thinking the bait was either small sand eels, silversides, butter fish, or a combination of small baits. I fished a 9wt with a full sinking line, and 5 ft. straight 16 lb. flourocarbon leader.
In addition to the epoxy sand eel, I hooked up on a butterfish pattern modeled after a pattern another saltwater enthusiast showed me this past winter.
I'm thinking the bait was either small sand eels, silversides, butter fish, or a combination of small baits. I fished a 9wt with a full sinking line, and 5 ft. straight 16 lb. flourocarbon leader.