Location: Raritan Bay
Tide: High 9:15am
Water Temp: 72.2°
Wind: WNW 8 kts
Moon Phase: 1% Waning
Conditions - Well, I decided that I wasn’t going to do a live report until the wind stopped blowing east. Today, after what seems like forever, we finally have a wind out of another direction. The conditions will be perfect today with the wind out of the West and outgoing water. It’s going to be hot, but hopefully the fluking will be just as hot!
First Drift – We have a change in the weather and a change in the fishing. The west wind has sparked a little bit of fluke attack. This is easily the best start in a couple of weeks. Bill O’Connell was high hook with 3 keepers.
Second Drift – We have a nice pick of fish coming over the rail. The ratio is around 50/50 with some quality keepers mixed in. The conditions are shaping now with the first of the outgoing water carrying us along with a light westerly breeze. High hook is Artie Razillard with 4 in the box.
- Wayne Smith with his first keeper of the day.
Third Drift – Not bad. We slowly pick away at the fluke with a good keeper ratio. There is a ton of bait life on the bottom which we read on the machine, and the majority of the fish are spitting up grass shrimp which proves what we read. There are tons of bunker constantly swimming past the boat also. This is some aquarium we fish in! . . . Today bait is outfishing the Spros and Gulp.
- A baby sea turtle swimming past the bow.
Fourth Drift – It seems to have dried up. We are going to make a move to the west.
Fifth Drift – Pretty good fishing. Lou Hornberger caught back-to-back keepers to get his limit. There were also a couple of 5 pounders that came up side by side. One caught by Judy Shuta and the other by Bob Althausen. . I take back what I said about the fluke not hitting the Spros/Gulp. They are now in assault mode with the jigs! . . If you can handle the heat, the fishing is good.
Sixth Drift – We ended with a good pick of fish.
Today was the best day of fluking in a couple of weeks. We finally had something other than east wind and the fishing shaped up. There was a TON of bait in our area, whether it was the bunker swimming around on top, or the bait life on the bottom. It also seemed like every time we went through one of those schools of bunker we would get a shot of fluke. As if they were following the schools and eating whatever fell their way. Plain bait easily outfished the Spro/Gulp combo. There were 3 people with their limit, and 4 others with 4 keepers. Bob Althausen was today’s pool winner with a 5 pound fluke.
You know what? I still have the computer on and we are out on our evening trip. I will just keep the updates coming for you throughout this trip also.
5pm Evening Trip Conditions
Location: Raritan Bay
Tide : Low 3:15pm
Water Temp: 73.4°
Wind: N 8 kts
We are back on the same grounds we fished this morning, however, this time the conditions will be a little different. The wind is out of the west holding us up against a flood tide. The drifting conditions will be terrible, but maybe the jig anglers can pick up the slack. We will see!
First Drift – Not bad, but not great either. We benefited from a very good keeper ratio. High hook had 2 keeps on the first one.
Second Drift – We have no conditions at all with the wind against the tide, but the jig guys are getting it done. The fishing is not great, but just about everything we catch is a keeper. And much like this morning, when one of these giant schools of bunker swim by, we get a shot of fluke. High hook has 4 keepers.
Third Drift – It’s almost like someone shut off a switch. One keeper and a few shorts, but for the most part not good.
We ended the night with one more uneventful drift. The closer we got the the top of the tide, the more the fishing slowed. We had some good moments early, and some of the jig fisherman were able to take advantage of a very good keeper ratio. High hook had 4 keepers.
