[dales529]

yes hard to pick one so went with the tuna trip BUT next up:
Family vacation in Avalon NJ. 1990 something 94/ 95 maybe. Had to go in June due to kids sports schedule. Iffy weather month but we went. Got there on Saturday to 45 degrees and cloudy.

Walked up to the beach with a 10 to 15 NE and noticed birds hovering slightly offshore of the volleyball net at the Golden Inn now ICONA. Couldn't pull the it off on the weekend and checked again on Monday as the weather hadn't changed much. Said to self I Have to fish this in the AM.

Went to the local tackle shop and asked for some clams. Guys says what for as the seabass boats aren't going out! I said Stripers in the surf. He says they aren't around.

I take my clams and head out 530 am Tuesday, set up the bait / clam rod in the small rip around the birds and start throwing a Hopkins for the heck of it.
Birds / Hopkins has me 100 yards from the bait rod but I see it go down, running for it with the Hopkins still in the water that hooks up as well. No one in sight and I have 2 on. Beached 9 more in 1.5 hrs. all schoolie stripers but lots of fun.

Went back and dragged my son out of bed, also went back and showed the tackle store guy who said there were no stripers in the surf 1 of my fish (kept alive) and said can I have more clams please. He was great about it and enthused as no one down there in the 90"s fished clams in the surf. We released that fish in a net into the bay unharmed.

My son and I went back and got 5 more before human beach traffic.

Wait it gets better. My 5 year old daughter says she wants to go next morning! Take her to the same spot / fish and birds are still there in the same trough and she hooks up a 15lbr and beaches it in a beach chair (with a little help). We caught 4 more schoolies after that and went for breakfast.

No cell phones or Go pros back then and didn't bring a camera but some couple on the beach took a picture of my daughters fish. She is 32 now and just this past weekend we joked that somewhere on someone's refrigerator is a picture of her with a nice striper from the suds.