Fishing Forecast - May New Moon

It's time to get out on the water if you haven't been. The bay is loaded with life and the fishing has been fantastic. The wind machine finally turned off (for the most part) and there seems to be more and more fishable days on the horizon. Big bass are crushing big baits all over the state, the tog bite came to life, and weakfish are starting to show in decent numbers. The weather and water temps took a much needed positive turn for us over the past week or so and that really seemed to kick things into gear. We got a solid push of squid recently too, which is not only fun for fishing and tasty for the table, but a sign of what's to come in the following weeks. The spring squid run brings bluefish, weakfish, fluke, and other species hot on their tails. When the squid show, we're not far away from a bay full of fishing diversity and opportunity. With plenty of bait around and finally some ideal water temperatures, things are heating up in a big way. 

Bass, Bass, and More Bass

The bass fishing has been lights out all across the state. Herring and bunker are fueling some very impressive spring fishing. The lack of schoolies is a big concern, but to keep things positive, it's hard not to have a good time when you're steadily catching bass in the 30-40" range with a shot at bigger ones. If you aren't on the glide bait train yet, you probably should be. We have several options including the G-Ratt Poppa Pete, Spro KGB Shad,and Yo-Zuri Pro Glide Bait.The Berkley Chop Blockis a personal favorite. It's unique because it's a soft bait infused with scent, and the fish hammer it. The trick is to replace the stock hooks with a beefy, oversized, single treble. On the 10" bait we've been liking a 5x VMC. This seems to mitigate the number of bass that inhale the bait and get hooked badly, which you may find is a common problem if you use the stock treble. You certainly don't need to keep the trailer hook that it comes with out of the box. Big soft plastics, particularly at night, are a great way to cull the biggest fish from a school. The Hogy Original, Lunker City Slug-Go,and Big Water Baits Silent Partnerare all solid with some differences. They will fish well either weightless on a BKK Titan Rideror weighted on a SPJ Jigheador BKK Titan Diver.Peter recently did a great podcast with Eric Harrison, a legend of the soft plastics game, where they talk about Eric's techniques, tactics, and mindset around throwing big plastics for big bass. Check that out Hereif you want to get into it. I highly recommend it, especially if you don't throw many plastics but want to get into it. It's also flutter spoon season in the bay. The Ben Parker Magnum Flutter Spoonand Tsunami Flutter Spoonwill both get the job done. As usual, gold seems to be the hottest color right now. Big spooks are also taking plenty of big fish, particularly up on the flats. The Musky Mania Docis most popular, and for good reason, but other great spooks include the Yo-Zuri Mag Pencil, Hogy Charter Grade Dog Walker,and JoeBaggs Skipper.For big wooden spooks we have the 247 Mullyand Lemire's Plugworks Wave Jammer.For the surf guys, it seems like minnow plugs have been doing a fair bit of damage. The SP Minnowand Cotton Cordell Redfinhave been doing numbers and getting some really solid fish.

Jon and his mom with a pair of healthy Redfin munchers.

Tautog

With the late start to the tog season this year, I had a couple of very unsuccessful trips in late April on dates that I normally catch both quantity and quality. That wasn't the case this year. The good news is, it seems to have picked up as you'd expect. The tog are moving up the bay and into shallow coves and harbors to spawn. You can find them on most pieces of structure throughout the bay right now - rock piles, bridge pilings, dock pilings, etc. will hold them. It's also the time of year you can find them much shallower than maybe you would expect. I'll find them as shallow as a few feet of water over the next couple weeks. Throw the lightest Tog Jigyou can get away with in this scenario, with a little live shore crab, and you should be able to fool them. For a fun challenge, if you like to fly fish, try throwing Crab Fliesat them. It's not for the impatient, but it's rewarding when you fool one!

Solid tog taken on a 1/2oz Tsunami Tog Treat.

Everything Else

With the arrival of solid squid numbers, the fishing for everything else is bound to pick up in the next couple weeks. There are some reports of weakfish being around, which should really pick up over the second half of the month. Small soft plastics in the 3-6" range are generally best for the weakfish, like the JygPro Swym, JygPro Y Tail, NLBN Paddletail, Al Gags Whip-It Fish,and Lunker City Slug-Go.Throw them on light jigheads in bays and coves for a shot at a tiderunner. Pink, white, and chartreuse are generally the only few colors you should have in your bag. In addition to the weakies, fluke, black sea bass, scup, and sea robins are making their way to the bay right now. By June, I'd expect us to be catching all of the above in decent numbers. The early-season fluke fishing can be underrated - it's tough, and you likely won't catch big numbers, but you do have a shot at some very large ones making their way up shallow. I would also be throwing small(ish) soft plastics on light jigheads for the fluke. If you're looking to fill the cooler with scup, it's just a bit on the early side right now, but that will change by the end of the moth. Use small soft plastics, Metal/Epoxy Jigs,or a rig with a small piece of clam or squid. You can also use FishBites which work great and won't leave you with a stinky mess. Mid-late May is also one of the best windows of the year to catch big bluefish in the bay. Check the backs of coves and bays up shallow for tailing fish. They can be surprisingly finicky depending on the day and the conditions. The first thing out of your bag should probably be a big spook or Pencil Popper to determine their mood. If they don't touch it, switch to a weightless soft plastic if you're willing to make the sacrifice. They are a blast this time of year up on the flats, and some yers are better than others, so if you find them, take advantage and enjoy the show!