Fishing Forecast - May Full Moon

For the second month running, the turn of the month brings a full moon with it. Things are just starting to heat up locally. The big moon tides should be bringing waves of migratory striped bass and bait to our waters. While water temperatures (very) slowly creep up to speed, the calendar says it's go time. And it's finally starting to feel like it is go time. In the past week or so, reports of fresh bass have gone from a trickle to a pretty steady flow. The tautog fishing is picking up after a late and slow start. There still isn't too much going on as far squid, but that should happen within days, and I won't be surprised if they fill in with the upcoming moon. These chilly nights have been doing us no favors. While that doesn't look like it's changing much this week, next week we're finally going to see some consistent nights in the high 40s and 50s. That should really help things move in a positive direction. Regardless of the slow start, very soon here, the fishing is going to go from zero to one hundred in a hurry. 

Striped Bass

The fishing for migratory bass is just starting to pick up. They always tend to trickle in, with the first 1-2 weeks of them "being here" still a grind. Then the floodgates open. Right now, we seem to be just on the cusp of things blowing wide open. Don't be surprised if your first fish of the season is in the 30-40" range. The best part about this time of year, is things will only continue to get bigger and better from here. So far, big glide baits like the Spro KGB Chad Shad, G-Ratt Poppa Pete, Yo-Zuri Pro Glide Bait, Lemire's Plugworks Glider,and Berkley Chop Block have been crushing around herring runs and among bunker schools. There are plenty of options for glide baits, and they all have their differences. The Chop Block is particularly unique in the sense that it is a soft plastic glide with PowerBait scent infused throughout the plastic. Danny plugs like the Gibbs Danny and Lemire's Plugworks Dannyare also getting some nice fish lately. Fish them painfully slow and let the plug do the work for you. Weightless soft plastics in the 6-10" range like Hogy Originals and Lunker City Slug-Gos are a great bet during the spring time. Match them up with a BKK Titan Rider and you're ready to go. We're right on the brink of Spook&Spoon season in the bay, too. For big spooks, The Doc is king of the bunch. However, there are other options that are also tried and true. Consider throwing the Yo-Zuri Mag Pencil, Hogy Charter Grade Dog Walker, or Joe Baggs Skipper. For wooden spooks, the Lemire's Plugworks Wave Jammer and 247 Mully are both great. You don't necessarily need to see fish busting on top to throw a big spook, but if you do, it should be one of the first things out of your bag. That said, they are excellent fish finders. You'll get a read on whether the bass are where you're expecting them to be, and if they're in a fired up mood or not. Spring fishing in the bay also means flutter spoon season. The Ben Parker Magnum Flutter Spoons and Tsunami Flutter Spoon will both get the job done. When the bass are sitting deep in channels, drop a spoon on them and use big sweeps to let the spoon "flutter" right into their faces. They're also more versatile than they credit for - you'll get plenty of fish just retrieving it back to the boat or even trolling them.

Jon with a solid early-season bass on the Chop Block.

Tautog & Squid

Personally, I've had the slowest/latest start to a tog season in my 10 years living here. The steady cold nights have been keeping water temperatures just under the threshold that they like to move up into shallower water (around 48-50 degrees). That should all change within a matter of days, and soon enough, it should relatively "easy" to go slam as many tog as you want. As always during the spring season, I encourage everyone to consider releasing the female tog, especially bigger ones over 4 pounds or so, as they'll be spawning and dropping their eggs in the next couple of months. A single gravid female will lay hundreds of thousands of eggs during their spawn. Try to be selective and take the males if you insist on keeping some for the table. There are sources online with good descriptive pictures to help differentiate a male from a female. In general, males have a blocky-shaped head, white chin, and a more consistent blackish-grayish coloration. Females have a more rounded head shape, a less pronounced white chin, and a more mottled grayish-brownish coloration on the body. It can be tricky to tell them apart until you learn the differences, and then it becomes pretty easy. 

A solid early season tog on a Tsunami Tog Treat.

In the upper bay, the tog fishing continues to be a grind, but that should change at any tide. Similar to the migratory bass, it always seems to go from a trickle to an explosion. We are very much in that trickle phase now, and I'd expect it to blow up within the next couple of weeks before the next forecast. Tog Jigs and Tog Rigs are always the go-tos. In general, jigs fish better in shallower and/or slower moving water. Rigs are suited for deeper and/or faster moving water. You always want to use as little weight as you can get away with while still maintaining contact with bottom and not getting scoped out with the moving tide. Both green crabs and shore crabs should work just fine, though I tend to prefer shore crabs for the spring bite in the bay. 

As far as squid, I wish I had more to say. There are some spotty reports but nothing more so far. I would expect the moon tides to bring in a nice wave of squid, but who knows. We have a great selection of Squid Jigs if you want to prepare for what is (hopefully) on its way soon. White/glow, pink, and blue were the hot colors last season. Once we do get a solid push of squid, there are almost always several species of fish that show up right on their heels. More bass, bluefish, and weakfish are the three big ones. There are also fluke, scup, black sea bass, and the beloved sea robin usually hanging right behind them. By the next fishing forecast in mid-May, there should be a little bit more to discuss than just bass and tautog, and I'm looking forward to it. It's a beautiful time of year when the whole fishing season is right at the cusp of blowing wide open, so come get geared up and get out on the water.