Well another year has come and gone for the Rod and Reel. Below is a brief highlight video that goes through each month of 2017with photo’s taken in the month /year under review.
Below the video is my recap by fish updated for 2017 results. There are always slow days fishing as well as bail jobs. However, the majority of days produced good results. This is due in part to the Rod and Reel willing to fish the deeper water as well as shallow water up against the shore to find out where the bite is happening that day or night.
Below the video is my recap by fish updated for 2017 results. There are always slow days fishing as well as bail jobs. However, the majority of days produced good results. This is due in part to the Rod and Reel willing to fish the deeper water as well as shallow water up against the shore to find out where the bite is happening that day or night.
2017 RECAP
Striper fishing was pretty good in the spring. Both chunking and fishing live bait under the bunker schools provided some great memories of large fish up to 47lbs. The night bite was steady in the spring and early summer and produced slightly better than the daytime bite. Plugging in the summer after dark was good along the islands shore lines. However, we were also plugging up a nice bass or two ( up to 20lbs) while fishing the shallows for blues from mid August on. The fall run, which kicked in around early October, was nothing short of great for plugging fish. Many mornings we found the bass on top chasing peanut bunker. However when we did not, the shore line produced. The majority of fish in the fall were schoolies but provided great action on light tackle while the night chunking produced fish up to 20lbs but was not as good as the spring.
Blue fishing was good on bait and plugs from late May forward. June and July found great surface plugging for gator blues on to water plugs in mid sound. Mid August onward we started to have steady plugging in shallower water. There was a steady supply of 6lb to 14lbs fish. Some days were much better than others, but overall pretty good. There was at times a mix of bass with the blues on plugs.
Porgies - wow, what a year. We had very steady porgy fishing with a lot of jumbo’s pushing or exceeding 2lbs. Catches were by the cooler full. Rods were bending and the fish were thumping. Great action for children and a tasty fish to boot.
Fluke was good from mid May through early August. The action was pretty steady. Mid August the fishing started to fade.
Sea bass fishing was pretty good. Most times a by- catch of porgies or fluke fishing with some days producing as much as six or so fish. However fishing exclusively for the sea bass on the wrecks provided a better catch ratio. Given that eight years or so ago the sea bass fishing was not existent, for this part of the sound, each passing year gets better.
Black fishing was good. Some days were slower then others, but majority of trips we had a lot of shorts and a nice mix of keeper blackfish. The largest in 2018 was over 11lbs.
Albies showed up in force in 2017 around the islands the last week in September and fishing was good through October. These speedsters provided great action, screaming drags and lots of fun on light tackle.
Winter Flounder – Fishing for flounders in the spring was poor.
Striper fishing was pretty good in the spring. Both chunking and fishing live bait under the bunker schools provided some great memories of large fish up to 47lbs. The night bite was steady in the spring and early summer and produced slightly better than the daytime bite. Plugging in the summer after dark was good along the islands shore lines. However, we were also plugging up a nice bass or two ( up to 20lbs) while fishing the shallows for blues from mid August on. The fall run, which kicked in around early October, was nothing short of great for plugging fish. Many mornings we found the bass on top chasing peanut bunker. However when we did not, the shore line produced. The majority of fish in the fall were schoolies but provided great action on light tackle while the night chunking produced fish up to 20lbs but was not as good as the spring.
Blue fishing was good on bait and plugs from late May forward. June and July found great surface plugging for gator blues on to water plugs in mid sound. Mid August onward we started to have steady plugging in shallower water. There was a steady supply of 6lb to 14lbs fish. Some days were much better than others, but overall pretty good. There was at times a mix of bass with the blues on plugs.
Porgies - wow, what a year. We had very steady porgy fishing with a lot of jumbo’s pushing or exceeding 2lbs. Catches were by the cooler full. Rods were bending and the fish were thumping. Great action for children and a tasty fish to boot.
Fluke was good from mid May through early August. The action was pretty steady. Mid August the fishing started to fade.
Sea bass fishing was pretty good. Most times a by- catch of porgies or fluke fishing with some days producing as much as six or so fish. However fishing exclusively for the sea bass on the wrecks provided a better catch ratio. Given that eight years or so ago the sea bass fishing was not existent, for this part of the sound, each passing year gets better.
Black fishing was good. Some days were slower then others, but majority of trips we had a lot of shorts and a nice mix of keeper blackfish. The largest in 2018 was over 11lbs.
Albies showed up in force in 2017 around the islands the last week in September and fishing was good through October. These speedsters provided great action, screaming drags and lots of fun on light tackle.
Winter Flounder – Fishing for flounders in the spring was poor.