November 21-22, 2009

This weekend was the close of the season for the Irish Fly.  Fishing was slow in the back country with stripers being taken in the 17"-20".  Saturday's sea conditions allowed us to fish the ocean were we found a steady pick of 10-12lb. bluefish and stripers in the same class up to 31".  Fish were taken on both fly and light tackle (bucktails and diamond jigs).


   

November 7, 2009

Weather and sea conditions were just right for a run to the Five Fathom Bank.  Sand eels were plentyful and slammer bluefish (10 lb class) were feeding thoughout the area.  We had multiple hits and hook ups on the bluefish but they broke off hooks and jigs after good fights.  The wind picked up and we headed back in, the ride back was similar to driving a motorcycle through a car wash.  We stopped at Jarvis Sound and hooked up on two small stripers(17"-18") next to Striper Island.  Striper catches in the back continue to frustrate with high fish counts one day and low counts the next.  Most fish are below 20 ".

October 26, 2009

Due to my clients schedule, we fished the incoming tide in the morning. Fishing was challenging, we did raise one striper on a chartreuse Berkley Jerk Shad in Jarvis Sound.  The outgoing tide has been more productive with higher fish counts.  Stripers are in the back country and are being taken on both fly and light tackle, but the fish are in the 17"-20"range.  Weather and water quality has made fishing along the jetties a challenge.  The water temperature continues to be in the mid fifties.

                                                       
October 20, 2009

After another week of poor weather, the rain and wind subsided but the water in the back country and inlet was cloudy and the water temperature was 55 degrees.  Fishing was slow in the back country with one striper taken on a chartreuse Berkley jerk Shad in Jarvis Sound on the out going tide.  Capt. Ray Szulczewski, on a solo trip, reported twenty one stripers taken on the incoming tide in a patch of clear water along the oceanfront.  Fish were taken on a chartreuse deceiver at dusk.  Ray was ready to give up when he discovered the fish over sub surface structure.  There was no evidence that these fish were in the area. Fishing should be improving with water temperatures in the mid-fifties.


October 10-11, 2009

After a week poor weather conditions, including high winds, the water in the back and along the jetties was cloudy making it difficult to see a fly more than a couple inches below the surface.  Stripers continue to be taken on live bait along the jetties.  Chum slicks in the back are producing small bluefish. Overall fishing was slow, water temperatures was in the mid sixties.  There are reports of larger stripers being taken in the DB, but not in great numbers.  Expectations are that the fall migration should be getting underway soon.

October 3-4, 2009

The north and south jetties of Cape May Inlet continue to hold fish.  In a rare event, False albacore were being taken off the south jetty on light tackle with metal lures.  Larger bluefish in the 3-5 lb class were being taken off the north jetty.  Also during this time of year, smaller bluefish are a steady pick outside the mouth of the inlet.

Stripers are in the back creeks along with 16-18" bluefish.  A recent  light tackle charter brought 8 stripers (16-18") boat side on a popping plug.  Sporadic bait sprays (silversides) are occurring through out Jarvis Sound, mostly bluefish on the feed.

August 14-16, 2009
Friday's charter was challenging due to the high water temperature.  Water temperature in Jarvis Sound was eighty degrees and the only fish taken were small sea bass and snapper bluefish on the Berkley gulp baits.  We left the back bays and found some cooler water along the south jetty were bluefish forced us off of the plastic baits to swimming plugs.  Before we switched over, we landed one flounder in the 17" class.                                              

August 7-9, 2009
Friday's tides were favorable for both morning and evening charters.  The morning charter landed three stripers in the 18-22" class on light tackle with Smackit Jr. surface plugs.  The evening charter was a fly charter.  The angler moved five stripers and landed three on a floating skipping bug.

July 30-August 1, 2009
Fishing continues to be challenging. Friday's charter hooked one small striper (16 inches) and several croakers.  Sunday's charter was a first time saltwater fly caster who was able to raise one striper on a girdler bug and several croakers on a chartreuse and white clouser.

July 24-25, 2009
Saturday's trip was a disappointment resulting in two fish, one bluefish and one sea bass.

July 18-21, 2009
Saturday's trip along the ocean front yielded several flounder (all "shorts"), a three lb. weakfish and one bluefish all caught on Berkley's chartreuse jerk baits.

Sunday and Monday's trips were evening charters with stronger than normal high tides.  Winds contributed to less than desirable sea conditions, but we landed a few stripers along the inside of the south jetty on "Spot" style swimming baits.  High tides in the back country resulted in flooding over the sod banks complicating attempts to "plug" for stripers.   Persistence and a lot of casting moved quite a few fish resulting in three hook-ups in the 20-22 inch class.

                                                      
                                                  
July 8-9, 2009
This pass weekend was a first for the Irish Fly.  Saturday's four person charter included two young Irish anglers, Brian and Liam O' Donnell from a town outside of Dublin Ireland.  The brothers were novice fisherman, but they learned quickly and had a successful morning with several hook-ups on flounder and bluefish.  Fish were taken on both plastic jerk baits and cut squid. The brothers "hooked" nine of the eleven fish caught during the trip.  The O' Donnell's were great sports and I look forward to fishing with them in the future.

Overall the fishing continues to improve.  Bait fish (silversides) are present in increasing numbers in the back bays, creeks and channels.  Small bluefish are present around the mouth of Cape May Inlet and in the back country, a sign that fishing is improving.

July 3-6, 2009
The holiday weekend was busy with four trips, two evening and two morning.  Friday's evening trip had to deal with steady winds making fly fishing a challenge.  We were not able to fish the ocean front so we moved to the back country and caught three stripers one each on a surface plug, a plastic jerk bait and a fly.

Saturday's charter had to be back to the dock early and we missed the best part of the outgoing tide.  The winds kept us in the back country and after four hours of fishing plugs and jerk baits we returned to the dock empty handed.

The winds died down Sunday morning and we able to fish the ocean front.  We caught two flounder ( 22" and 17.5") on jerk baits off of the south jetty.  We moved to Jarvis Sound and caught two stripers on surface plugs, both in the 20-22 inch class.  We drew strikes from a few other fish, but failed to hook up.

Monday was a repeat of Sunday's trip, we caught two flounder (both shorts), a weakfish and a striper.  The flounder and weakfish were taken on jerk baits, the striper on a surface plug.

Overall, we had to work hard for the fish this past weekend.  Baitfish are in the area, but not n great numbers.  The fish are the area, but you have to work for them. 

June 6-8, 2009
Striped bass, bluefish, weakfish and flounder are being taken along the ocean front, jetties and back country.  While the number of fish being taken could be better, the fact that all four species have been taken this past weekend is an indication that fishing is improving.  Large bass continue to be taken along the ocean front with a 45 lb bass taken off the Alexander Street jetty at Cape May Point.  I personally had two run offs this weekend, one took me approximately 50 yards into my backing before the 17 lb. test leader broke at the "loop to loop" connection to the fly line.  I later re-rigged with a 30lb. test leader.

Another charter captain reported a 31" weakfish taken along the jetty and a keeper striper (28"+) taken in one of the smaller creeks in the back country.

This mornings charter was on to bluefish in 18-20 inch class.  Small bluefish were feeding on bait fish 25-50 yards off the beach front.  After the charter, I continued to work the sod banks in Jarvis Sound and was able to raise several bluefish on a black surface popping plug.  My camera malfunction and all photos look like tie-dyed tee shirts.

Overall it finally looks like the fishing is on the up swing.

May 30-June 4, 2009
Stripers continue to be taken along the jetties and weakfish are being taken along the ocean front south of the Cape May inlet.  Stripers are also being taken in the back country.  Sunday evening's trip resulted in a 22" striper taken on a chartreuse jerk shad on the outgoing tide.

May 22-25, 2009
This weekends tides were most favorable in the evening and water temperatures were in the 58-60 degree range.  Striped bass and bluefish were being taken long the inside of the inlet.  Easterly winds made fishing along the ocean front a challenge.  Friday's evening trip yielded two stripers (21" and 26 ") on a chartreuse and white clouser.  Saturday was opening day for flounder, plenty of fish were caught, but keepers were few.  Stripers are being taken in the back country on clams.

May 16-17, 2009
Poor weather and unfavorable tides had its effect on fishing this past weekend.  As the weather improved this week stripers and bluefish have been taken along the inlet jetties.  With water temperatures and favorable tides this week, expectations are the fish will move to the back country.

May 9-10, 2009
Stripers up to 36 inches are being taken on the inside on the Cape May Inlet.  Fish are being taken on clams, plastic baits and flies.
Sea herring up to 18 inches are also being caught.  No bluefish are in the area.  Water temperature is in the mid fifties along the jetties and in the upper fifties to sixty degrees around the creek mouths in the back country.  Fishing is still challenging in the back country.

May 2-3, 2009
Water temperatures continue to be in the low fifties.  Fished the outgoing tide on Saturday with Capt. Ray Szulczewski, and boated one Taug which was taken on a fly.  Stripers were being taken at Nummy Island, south of Stone Harbor.  Fished the back country, but there was no signs of fish or bait fish.

April 25-26, 2009
Water temperature continues to rise into the low fifties, fish are being taken on clams along the ocean front in Cape May's Poverty Beach area.  Action on the fly is still slow along the jetties and back country.  On Sunday, Capt. Ray Szulczewski and I worked opposite sides of Jarvis Sound without a "hit". There were signs of bait fish in the area.

On Tuesday (April 28), Capt. Ray reported his first striper taken along the south jetty.  This is a positive sign that the fish are in the area and action will pick up shortly.

April 17, 2009
First day on the water for 2009 season.  Fished the top of the afternoon tide with Capt. Ray Szulczewski; we both worked the ocean front south of the inlet without a hit. Water temperature was fifty degrees.  We move to the back country but with a weak tide it was difficult to find any strong outflow.  We called it a day after two hours with no signs of any fish.