Behind OC Report

[Slobber Bob]

I dusted off the drysuit for the first time this fall and went out the other morning to do some striper fishing before the sun came up. The fish weren't actively feeding on top like they often are, but they were definitely hungry and abundant. It was steady action until the bite slowed down considerably after sunrise. But by then the wind and rain were starting to come in anyway so I called it a morning and headed in for breakfast.

I caught about 4 dozen with the average size of the fish about 19 - 20" and the biggest couple topping out at around 25". I pretty much stuck to throwing the old reliables for me behind OC - Zoom fluke or SP minnow.

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[yakscientist]

I dusted off the drysuit for the first time this fall and went out the other morning to do some striper fishing before the sun came up. The fish weren't actively feeding on top like they often are, but they were definitely hungry and abundant. It was steady action until the bite slowed down considerably after sunrise. But by then the wind and rain were starting to come in anyway so I called it a morning and headed in for breakfast.

I caught about 4 dozen with the average size of the fish about 19 - 20" and the biggest couple topping out at around 25". I pretty much stuck to throwing the old reliables for me behind OC - Zoom fluke or SP minnow.

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Good to see those areas holding fish. It's really pretty back there for sure. Have you been out sheepin' recently, or is the water too cold?

[Slobber Bob]

No, I haven't tried for sheep lately but it's getting to be that time of year when they should be thinning out. But that just means the tog are getting thicker.

[Slobber Bob]

I went back out last Friday night after the family went to bed since it was my only chance to fish last week and weekend. I fished from about 9:30 - 2 and caught fish the entire time. If you're in OC and just want striper pullage, now into December is a good time to hit the back bay after dark. The average fish is in the 19" - 20" range, but quantity makes up for quality. I doubt I went more than 5 cast without hooking up the last two trips. And staying shallow tends to be better than going deeper, unless the tide is way out.

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[Big Mike]

Oh, I’d consider 20” a quality fish around here.

[Slobber Bob]

Sorry, I wasn't discrediting them, because you're right, that isn't a bad average. With the collapse of any resemblance of a fall surf run, the back bays shorties fill a void nicely. But the expectations for larger still linger

[Slobber Bob]

I made a third trip out early Saturday morning. Launched at 4am and had to be home by 8:30. The wind hadn't quite laid down yet when I got out there so there was still a good amount of chop to the water. But I think this was to my advantage because the tide was lower than normal making the shallow flats much shallower than normal. Under these circumstances on calm water I usually don't do well - seems the fish move out. But that morning, with the chop, I found a lot more fish than I expected too. Size and numbers like previous trips, so I was happy.

I had heard of some good specks showing up back there too. Where I fish at night it is a 97% striper bite, so once a little light started to peek over the horizon I went out to explore a few new areas I would expect specks to be. I didn't end up finding any specks, just more fat football shaped stripers. I wished I had had more time because there were a bunch of places that had potential that I didn't really have the time to get to or fish that hard. I hope to get out again soon to try for a speck before the water temps fall too much.

[Slobber Bob]

There are still some fish to be caught in the shallows behind OC for anybody who maybe in town over the holidays and is looking to wet a line. I launched Tuesday early in the morning and fished from 4:30 - 7:30 am. It wasn't gang busters, but it was a steady enough pick of fish in the 20 - 22" range to make it worth the effort.