The Fishing Line: December Diehards, December Dies Hard

The Christmas spirit is alive and well among the fishers of Cape May County. We’ve had our share of ups and downs but 2013 is a New Year, full of promise and hope. Have a wonderful holiday celebration, get some rest and start preparing for new adventures.
Captain Ray pulled the boat for the season. For fly fishing it was a tough fall fishing season. After Sandy and the two northeasters the water clarity never improved and there was little to no bait fish left in the back bay or around the inlet. This past weekend the water was clear enough on the top of tide to see down almost two feet. Ray was able to catch a few stripers on the fly but with it so close to Christmas, he decided to pull the boat and call it a year. Looks like large numbers of bass are not migrating like they use to. This week reports said they were still hammering the fish up north, where the water has been clearer, tons of bait fish and bird play with fish feeding on the surface at times.
On a happier note, Captain Ray reports fresh water fishing has been good. He’s been fishing a number of late afternoons and been picking up pickerel, large-mouth bass and crappies using a fly rod. Small baby bunker flies have worked well on all species while using an intermediate sinking line. Even with the cold water he found large mouth bass that would hit a black gurgler popping fly as the sun was setting.
NEWS: NJ DEP has determined that the coastal waters of Sandy Hook Bay are now safe for the harvesting of shellfish and has reopened following waters and returns them to their prior classification: All NJ State waters within the Sandy Hook Bay represented by the following depuration areas 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, and 11D. (nj.gov/dep/bmw/news.html#reopen121512 on the NJDEP Marine Water Monitoring website.
NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is beginning its second phase in seeking input on NJ trout fishing through the release of an online survey. If you did not participate in the telephone survey, the online survey is your opportunity to provide input. It takes less than 15 minutes to complete and includes questions on species preferences, creel limits, and specific trout stocked waters. Go to www.research.net/s/NJFishandWildlife2012troutsurvey .
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted recently to manage Atlantic menhaden, most famous of forage fish, with a firm harvest cap for the first time ever. In a vote that fishermen called “historic,” they also agreed to reduce the allowable catch by 20 percent from recent fishing levels. For up-to-date info on Menhaden legislation, you might check out www.SavingMenhaden.org
CALENDAR: The Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series, Jan. 5, Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino, A.C., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. George Poveromo, host of George Poveromo’s World of Saltwater Fishing and Editor-At-Large for Salt Water Sportsman, will headline the program along with Gary Caputi, field editor for Salt Water Sportsman and several of our local Cape May captains. For details go to www.nationalseminarseries.com
Keep sending your reports and pictures to cmiller@cmcherald.com. All pictures submitted are posted online at www.capemaycountyherald.com