Got Bait?

[Billfish715]

The table is set. We are just waiting for some company to come and eat. The school of bunkers along the beach on Sunday morning was mind boggling. There was no one home on the massive school inshore; but the school of bunkers a bit farther out was what was on the breakfast menu for a humpback whale and some dolphins. We tried dropping a bait down below the school but there were no takers. A school of bunkers this big, will attract not only the migrating stripers and blues but every imaginable kind of vessel and every fisherman in Monmouth and Ocean Counties who can climb onboard those boats.

[Billfish715]

Sorry about the grainy photos but early morning, low light conditions do have an effect on the quality. These sights are what many captains don’t see because they get out too late. The steady line of running lights headed out of the inlets before dawn are doing so for a reason. The “sharpies” have located the bunkers by false dawn and often have fish on shortly after that.

The schools often sound and scatter once the fleet builds. Those scattered schools attract more boats and if you are lucky enough to find one of those schools and have it to yourself, you are most likely going to be rewarded. However, the late risers may not practice social distancing and run right up on you and ruin everything you got up early to find.

What is worse is when a yahoo looks right past you and drives right through the bait and doesn’t blink an eye or offer an apology. Get ready everyone. It’s almost time for all of that.

[John D.]

First, thanks for the great pics but your posts contradict each other. In your second post you apologize for the grainy photos (which I still think were great) bc you got out so early in low light “unlike most captains” (which I tend to disagree with but so be it as we usually break inlet in the dark with a lot of other boats). Also, in the first post you note the bunker had no fish harassing them but in second post you go out of your way to say it’s bc when the majority of capts come out they scatter the fish in the fall (which is true). Yet in the first pic you state there were no bass/blues and you were out before the majority of Capts.

Just seems like fishing to me. That’s a lot of bunker. No need to be passive aggressive and awesome pics.

[Billfish715]

Hi John, This massive school did not have any stripers in or under it. There was no telltale signs of bait spraying or fish swirls. The forecast for that day was for the conditions to deteriorate quickly, which they did. It’s why there were so few boats out. A typical weekend striper fleet in November would have dispersed the school widely along with any stripers that might have been foraging on them. We could have stayed with that school for hours but there was no sense in it. Other boats didn’t scare off any bass. They just were not there. You can fish one school of bait all day and not even get a runoff. Or, if you pick the right one or two, you’ll come home with smiles from ear to ear.

Getting out early and finding the bait so you can be alone for awhile is very important to your success if you are live lining. Images like the ones I posted are what every captain hopes to see only with swirls and spraying baits. What would change that picture? Yep.......a fleet of boats.

[John D.]

They were great pics. Thanks and best of luck this season.