
Striped bass fishing is still decent from the boats you just have to be farther south of the Delaware bay. Anglers have been picking up catches from two miles in front of Indian River Inlet and closer all the way down below ocean city. The migratory school has shifted south for the most part. Last year we saw catches into the first week of January. With the faster cooling water temperatures this year, we don’t expect to see that happen again. Stretches, bombers and mojos have been the best lures on the troll. The boats have been limiting out quickly once they find the fish. If you are in Maryland waters keep in mind you can not gaff fish when landing them, use a net. The surf has been quiet unless you are content with dogfish and skates. Some bunker schools showed up off 3Rs the other day. A few fish (bunker) swam right into the surf and beached themselves. So something must have been chasing them. The inlet and inland bays have been slow for shorts or schoolies. It has been flat calm on the beachhes the past few days, but that will change closer to the weekend. We are expected to see some heavier winds from a low pressure system headed this way. The beaches look decent, that trough is still on the other side of the sand bar on the beach above the surf line, and fills up at high tide so be careful driving.
From the National Buoy data center …
COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE MAY NJ TO CAPE HENLOPEN DE OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE HENLOPEN TO FENWICK ISLAND DE OUT 20 NM- 958 AM EST WED DEC 17 2014 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON THIS AFTERNOON W WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. MAINLY IN NW SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 6 SECONDS. TONIGHT W WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING NW 20 TO 25 KT IN THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. MAINLY IN NW SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 4 SECONDS. THU NW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT...DIMINISHING TO 15 TO 20 KT LATE. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. MAINLY IN NW SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 4 SECONDS. THU NIGHT NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. MAINLY IN NW SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 4 SECONDS. FRI NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. FRI NIGHT NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. SAT NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS AROUND 2 FT IN THE MORNING... THEN 1 TO 2 FT. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN LIKELY THROUGH THE NIGHT. SUN N WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...INCREASING TO 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. RAIN LIKELY THROUGH THE DAY.
Hope everyone has a good weekend. We will see how the weather pans out for Saturday and Sunday. If you try some top and bottom rigs in the surf you could see some catches of spotted hake or ling cod. Using squid, clam or cut bait would be the best. You could also try fresh surf clam for striped bass they hit that this time of year. Everyone is so busy trying to catch striped bass we forget there are other fish to try for at times.
Fish On!!
Rich King
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