Holiday Gift Ideas

It’s that time of the year where small gifts for the avid or weekend fisherman are given, but unfortunately most of those gifts wind up on in the garage only to collect dust and then eventually thrown away. In order to try to avoid this predicament I have tried to come up with a list of gifts under $30 that almost any fisherman would love to have and use regularly. Here is a list of a few items:

- H Headwaters Taco Bag: This is a cool bag from Simms that allows for the angler who regularly uses waders to keep the river (and its smell) out of the car. If you use waders regularly whether in fresh or saltwater and always have difficulty at the end of the day finding a place to put the now soaked and sandy boots and waders, this is it. MSRP: 29.95

- Revivex: This is a great gift for anyone who has Gore-Tex products that are starting to age. If Gore-Tex doesn’t seem to shed water like it once did, it is probably time to apply this to the garment. MSRP 14.95

- Sebile Slender Eel: Are you looking for a stocking stuffer for the avid surf angler? If so, the new slender eel from Sebile is a great year round lure. This lure represents a bait / forage fish, the sand eel, which striped bass feed on year round with a profile and action that attracts all fish. This bait in Ghost Violet will be the go-to bait for that person for years to come. MSRP 14.10 - 15.58
http://www.sebileusa.com/slenderEel.php

- Connect (DVD): From the film makers of “Drift” and “Rise”, Confluence Films has released its third and final film. While the film focuses around destination fishing with the fly rod; the music, scenery and exotic fish transcend to anyone who enjoys dreaming of fishing while the weather outside may be frightful. MSRP: 29.95
http://www.confluencefilms.tv/

- Cliff Outdoors Super Days Worth Box: This box can hold enough for a day or years worth of fishing for the minimalist fly fisherman, begins the collection for the new fly fisherman or increases the collection of the established fly fisher. MSRP 28.85
http://www.cliffoutdoors.com/index.php?page=the-super-days

- Seaguar Red Label Fluorocarbon: This stuff is tough, abrasion resistant and strong and a line which I use with confidence for salmon, steelhead, redfish and striped bass. MSRP: 12.99

Salmon River Steelhead

Salmon River is holding a lot of Steelhead right now. As of today, the upper fly section of the river has closed for the season, but fish can be found throughout the river.

In high pressured areas or as the fish move further upstream the best patterns were steelhead candy, black stoneflies and smaller nymph patters. As new fish continue to enter the river standard sucker spawn and egg patterns work well for the fresh chrome fish. The river is also seeing a good share of brown trout and a few lingering salmon are still there, but will not be much longer.

Water levels are really low so while the river continues to hold a lot of fish, these fish are more likely to hit in the morning and then sparsely throughout the day as fishing pressure and the low water seems to slow the bite. Possibly, with the cold front which has moved in less fishing pressure will exist making the bite pick up once again. While winter conditions are quickly closing in, right now is a great time to target steelhead in the river if you can find a nice gap in the weather.

Party Boat Fishing

The party boats have started their engines and have begun making their first runs to the striper grounds out of the Atlantic Highlands Marina. With some of the best early season striped bass fishing off of Flynn’s Knoll and outgoing tides off of the hook and false hook the catches are soon to start becoming consistent.

In becoming successful for striped bass from a party boat, there is another consideration which should be taken into account, which would not come into play from a private boat (most likely) or from the shore…the chum/scent line. As 20-30 people are throwing bait in the water, deck hands breaking clams and the boat sitting on anchor all creates a big scent line extending out from the boat in the direction the current is running.

On a day where fishing is easy and big schools are eager to bite, dropping the bait over the side can work. However, most of the time that is spent on a boat when there is a slower bite, it is a different story. Typically, to be successful your bait needs to be the first that the bass will come to in the scent line. In order to do this, you will need to be the furthest caster on the boat.

Other than practicing distance while keeping a clam on the hook, there are some other things you can do to better your chances to catching more fish.

First is to reduce the line diameter: A smaller diameter line casts further. This also means reducing the strength of the line (as almost all party boats do not allow braided line), so make sure the drag is set accordingly. Another added benefit is that the fish can not see a 15lb line as well as a 25lb line.

Next would be to match the rod/reel combo to the weight thrown: Fishing rods are rated for certain size weights. Typically, you can go over the weight slightly, but above and below that range performance quickly deteriorates. When I step onto a party boat I am typically carrying 2 combos. One rod which casts weights in the 1-3 oz range and another combo which handles weights on the 2-5 oz range. For me, this covers about 90% of the conditions I will run into.

Cast what is most comfortable to you: If you are used to casting a spinning reel, use that… a party boat is probably not the place to try something new.

Cast the furthest from anchor: A part boat is going to typically anchor from the front of the boat. The best place to start that cast is from the back of the boat. This is not a secret and is the reason why you need to get in line 2 hours before the trip sets sail to get one of the coveted spots.

Rod length: Rod length plays a big role in how far a cast will go. Due to space at the back of the boat coming at a premium, I would not exceed 7’6” but at the same time keep the rod length to a minimum 7’.

Hope this helps in your next time on the water!