Reddest Sunset Ever

[Carl]

Crazy...running in it went from dusk to almost dark and then a warm red glow...pictures do not do it justice.






Same but different








Just another evenings sunset...

[S Ritzert]

very beautiful!

[John F.]

Beautiful. How's fishing?

[Carl]

Fishing is good as I'm catching. I have yet to dial in the bigger fish. This year they seem to be feeding top water...not my bag, but I'm trying and its fun seeing big bass boiling on top.

[Amberjack]

Beautiful Carl. We get those here in the Pacific NW also about this time of the year. They are so overwhelming it’s hard to absorb it all. Thanks for posting. I’m a bit puzzled though. You’re on the East Coast but it looks as though you are heading northeast back to harbor with open water behind you.

[Yannis]

Doug,

Carl photoshoped these pics. He got caught in the act!! LOL !!

[Tony Meola]

Carl

Nice shots. I wonder if the color is due to all the wildfires showing up now in NJ.

[John F.]

Our slot on the Bay is 19"-24." I don't troll unless there's a shot at big bass, and we haven't seen big (40" or so) fish mid-Bay in quite a while. I'm primarily a light tackle guy, and the fishing here has been great. Big schools of 22-26" fish feeding on top hitting plugs. I usually fish from the last hour before sunset to last light, so I see lots of sunsets over the Bay. I never get tired of it. Enjoy. Again, beautiful pic. Good luck fishin.'

[Carl]

I’m a bit puzzled though. You’re on the East Coast but it looks as though you are heading northeast back to harbor with open water behind you.

Good eye Doug, I was heading Northeast into the harbor. Atlantic is Starboard, South East. I'm running parallel with the Island here, Staten Island on Port, New Jersey at my stern and starboard.
Picture- Light green is Raritan Bay, the red circled spot is my harbor, Great Kills Harbor

[Carl]

So our slots a bit larger at 28-31". Most fish I've seen this year have been around 34", last year it was almost all 38-40". Fish this year all seem to be loving top water, not my thing, but I'm learning. I do like spoons...extra challenging as I make em.

Ultra light is a ball...after sun sets the plugs go out on my light stuff. Catch em, don't catch em...its just fun.

[PeterPalmieri]

https://www.tackledirect.com/yo-zuri-hy ... -shot.html

So here is a tip, bass are pushing sand eels up to the surface, you can anticipate this as the birds start to see it and move in. If you can get a cast in before you see that tall slap you can nail a big one. If you can get a cast in right when you see them break you may get one of the trailing fish. If your line is in the water and it take you 5-10 secs to get out there you probably missed it.

Don’t run into the activity, try to set up down wind and wait for them to come to you. Replace the treble hooks on a plug with a single hook in the back.

Beautiful picks.

[Carl]

Thanks for the tips Peter, I'll give that a try. I have a couple like it, but will get one. I'm not a fan of treble hooks, even went single on our spoons. Better hook up, easier to remove and less worries about getting myself hooked, especially trying to remove.

Sand eels, I guess they could be feeding on them but in the gut has I have only found bunker and see tons of bunker at the surface, although rarely see them breaking.

[neil]

I like the spoon rod in the siderigger

[Carl]

Thank you Neil. They, like the boat are Vintage 9' Maja wire trolling poles with Senator 49 reels. Great action with spoons, but at nine feet, it is a bit ridiculous at times...especially trying to store in boat. I was going to have split or trim the tip...but I can't bring myself to do that. So I just bring to boat for bass season. Hell, nobody needs to walk in cabin or get to the v-berth at this time of the year. I might give them up for a nice ol' pair of Harnell sticks though... I miss those thanks to sticky fingers.

[Carl]

So here is a tip, bass are pushing sand eels up to the surface, you can anticipate this as the birds start to see it and move in.

They were up again tonight, I got a couple casts in… I think. But light was going and I fell back to trollling quick. Nothing on spoons or mojos,s but metal lip plug took several small guys, I took one for a family member…it was filled with peanut bunker. I guess I’ll pickup some casting lures to mimick those

[Tony Meola]

Carl

That's the word down around Barnegat Light. They are loaded with Peanut Bunker.

[Carl]

Id say this fish could not eat another bite he was soo stuffed with peanuts...but he did take the plug. That said, they both were caught on light bait casters and still did not give an inkling of a fight. They were like fish looking for a couch after a big Thanksgiving dinner for some needed Zzzz's.

Hopefully I can get out early today to look for some bigger ones...

[Tony Meola]

Fish are glutens. They will eat even if not hungry. Maybe they thought your lure just didn't belong there and was teaching it a lesson or it was just being a gluten.