2024 had some fun, but not what I expected or hope for. Highlight was a nicer Bass on a Red Fin, Black Sluggo was my most productive artificial. And the Gravity 13″ Eel was fun. . Pink Snax had a few Bass. Only 5 Weakfish this year. Just a subpar year, was mentally and physically a challenge. Fished only 40 times this year and the efforts were not up to previous year’s. Crazy excited to start 2025, target late March/April.
11/29, Short trip 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM, West, ocean side, nothing doing. Calling it a year. From June on the year has sucked (fishing and life). 2025 can’t get here fast enough. Regroup time.
11/26 Update, So 10/14 second night of vacation, got out there and gave up in less than an hour, no energy. Next day sick, then Covid. Vacation a non event. Since then out a few times, basically zero action. Not good efforts, good to get out, just nothing doing for me. Been a terrible year personally, impacted fishing time and efforts. Looking forward to 2025. May try a few more times, mix things up. But this year could not turn the page fast enough for me.
10/20, Fished Jones Beach from 10:45 PM to 2:45 AM, crazy slow, surf unruly, Found one bass at the end of trip, called it a night right after the release, a last cast bass.
10/13 Fished out west, about 10 miles west than normal. Just three shorts, 20-22 inches. Snax got two and Maverick the other. 10:30 PM – 3:30 AM, fun, but just not a lot going on there.
10/12 Fished out west, ocean side. Decent surf with gusty South west winds. 12:30 AM to 4:30 AM, dropped ~30 inch bass on the sand, and wave got to it before me. Missed a couple hits and landed just ~22 inch bass on a Blond Terror small yellow darter. Fish around, but really working for them, fun short trip.
10/6 Fished out west from 10:00 PM to 3:30 AM, beautiful night, started top of tide. Landed two bass on the GT Eel (9.5″ and 13″ GTs) with the Sluggo hooks. More action near low tide, missed last 3 hits from Bass, and blues got a hold on a couple GTs. No action on plugs or sluggos.
9/22 and 9/29, First trip nothing, half hearted effort, the 29th hit Sandy Hook, on the water for 8 hours, fished hard for nothing. Lots of walking and casting, needed a trip just to “air it out”. Was rainy all night and some wind. Had to put our cat to sleep 3 days prior, just needed to get out there and push myself. Hopefully I can build off this. I’m sad, the 4 cats were the best part of my life the last 17 years, with them gone now…………well there’s fishing.
9/15, Have not been getting out there, just not feeling it. Cat hanging in there, some not good days, some not bad days. Did hit the water west, ocean side this night. 3 hours on the water. One 18″ Fluke. Lost two nice fish when leader broke. Thinking the leader was compromised from the rocks. Pink 9″ Sluggo. This was the most depressing summer for me, just not a lot of good. But getting my act together. Still… two nice fish and leader broke both times…. I mean, come on. Knucklehead should have checked the leaders more often. Fished 11:30 PM to 2:30 AM. Was really good to get out there and just try to catch a fish. Cleared my mind. Awesome. Did not see another person…..this was good.
8/18 and 8/25, Been a tough year with my pets. Had 4 cats, sisters, two had passed in the last few years, another late June this year, I missed fishing a couple trips then. Now the last is pretty sick and has limited time left, so missing fishing a few weeks as I spend some extra time with her. They were my best buddies for 17 years, sad times for me.
8/4 and 8/11, West, out front, back, side, skunk city. Like major skunk city. Pepe Le Pew stink fest.
7/28. West, 11:30 PM to 6:00 AM, ocean side. Very nice night, picked up 2 Fluke, 2 short bass and 2 weakfish. Then at first light swirls all over, bait busting. But could not hook up. No one caught…. I was all alone and loving it….. I need to bring the Hydro Minnow. Was a lot of bluefish around. Peanuts. Surf to calm….Fun trip, fished hard, great time.
7/21, West, Back side to the front and back. A few bumps, but nothing. Never really “felt it” out there. Nice night.
7/14, Back out west, beautiful night, great surf, tide perfect. Lost 4 weakfish, a heavier one in the wash the other bent a thin hook on a 7″ Sluggo. Also missed a double digit amount of hits. Did land a short bass and a weakfish. Really fun trip, was on the water 11:30 PM and off by 4:45 AM. After a tough month, just a nice night on the water with some action, alone : ) out there, was great.
7/7, Missed fishing for 2 trips, had a cat of ours pass away, big time sad time, will miss her. So after 3 weeks off hit up Jersey, midnight to 3:30 AM, nothing doing, nice water. Lightening pretty much chased me off the water. Great getting out again. Was super short trip for me….can’t wait to next trip.
6/16, West LI, 11:30 PM to 6:30 AM, A couple Blues on Sluggos. Not much action,a few bumps. Nice night.
6/13, West LI, 11:30 PM to 5:30 AM, Just two 27 inch Blues and a bass the same size. Back side this trip. Sluggo for a bass and a blue, Quake for the other blue. Slow, night, but beautiful out there.
6/12, West LI, 11:30 PM to 5:30 AM, Just two 24 inch Bass and a couple small Fluke. Not much happening, worked hard for them, beautiful night again. Bass caught around 2:00 and 2:30.
6/11, back out to NY, west. 11:30 PM to 5:30 AM. Nice night, some action. 30 inch striper on a small swarter. First weakfish of 2024. Snax and sluggos for the rest of fish. Bottom Weakie took a 9″ sluggo, its a nice size Weakfish.
6/10, Jersey….No go, can’t find a bass….or at the least, can’t land one. Dropped a couple missed hits. Beautiful water. One Blue around 2:00 AM on the 7″ Red Fin. Fished from 11:30 PM to 5:30 AM.
6/9, West Long Island, nice night, midnight to 6:00 AM, no current, no wind, two blues. Disappointing, was thinking would of had good current. Fished back side to ocean and back.
6/2, Fished from 11:30 PM to 6:15 AM. Great weather, no weeds, surf 1-2 feet, nice. Ocean side, just a great night to plug structure. Nothing big or quantity, but by day light had 4 bass and 3 blue fish. During the light, I fished a sluggo like a pencil and dropped 3 or 4 fish, one felt nice.
5/26, West Long Island, beautiful night, 11:30 PM-4:00 AM, left early as lost water, current and it was like a lake. Hooked up with one really nice fish, had it on for 15-20 seconds, Super Strike Darter. Felt the two hooks pull. Heart break….
5/19, West Long Island, Lost one fish ocean side on the Habs Stubby 1.5 needle. Had it close to the wash, losing ridiculous amount of fish this year.
5/16, Sandy Hook, 1 Blue Fish and that was it. Had a period where SS darter was getting hit, like half dozen casts, but not solid. Likely the 3 pound blues.
5/15 West LI, Fished 11:30 PM to 4:00 AM. Back side, crystal clear water as usual. Two bass, 1/2 dozen bumps. Larger bass off a submerged point, not a slow retrieve. Even the Bass on the surfster the other day was on not a slow retrieve.
5/14 West LI, tired out around 3:00 AM this trip. Wind died down also. Couple 32 inch Bass, couple bumps. Slow, no bait seen.
5/13 West LI, hit ocean up at 11:30 PM, not happening, didn’t like the water, moved to back, stronger wind than forecast, but nice. Crosswind or in face, picked up 3 bass on the 247 Smithfield stubby needle, missed a few,nicer one on the SS darter. finished up by 5:00 AM. Fun night.
5/12 West LI, 11:30 PM to 6:00 AM. Not a lot of action, took to 2:30 to get my first blue of the year, then 3:30 a Striper. Chilly, drizzle, beautiful night alone. Blue is 33″ long and skinniest I have caught in a long time, a real racer.
5/1, 5/2 and 5/5, West LI, could not hook up, few bumps. More determined than ever…..
4/28 and 4/29, Jersey nothing, missed hits….Season on the Brink…. 4/30 west LI, 3 bass landed, many, many misses and dropped fish. Lost first 4 fish, one felt real nice….was one lost fish away from throwing rod in the drink……great time though.
4/21/202, After the trips to Staten Island, a Jersey trip. Just after midnight my first Bass of 2024, on the new Super Strike color darter (Super Bee) FINALLY. Lost the current and just had one more bump on the trip. Cold, windy, I am in a Super Slum starting the year, but still loving the time on the water.
4/7 and 4/14/2024, Trips to Staten Island, nothing doing for me. Had chilly weather and strong west winds, so I took shelter. Could not find fish or bait. Next week!!!
3/31/2024 Started the season off on Staten Island. 11:15 PM-5:45 AM, not a hit. Plugs were bouncing off bunker for the first 4 hours, could not find a fish. Bunker really spread out, didn’t see anything that resembled anything on the bunker.
