Blasting 20-knot+ winds and hammering tides coming off a full moon had the bass inside Jamaica Bay pulling their Houdini hats down over their noggins yesterday.

Just look at the size of that TAIL! Is that a sign of BIG BASS potential?

The bait is there in some places, mostly 10-14inches in size and not in the denser concentrations we would all like to see. The striped bass inside the bay are being a little elusive and can sometimes make it necessary to get back on the hunt to check for fish in multiple spots… Outside in and around NY Bight is rumored to be another story…

Nonetheless, we managed to pickup a couple of striped bass, both had a good amount of energy when they swam away, tails kicking fast and furious! It was interesting also to see a schoolie bass come up that had survived, or should I say, narrowly escaped, what appeared to be 4 separate attacks from diving birds of some sort, most likely a gannet… For the bass’ sake, he was lucky to have escaped the clutching razor sharp beaks of those birds with only scratches and quite a few missing scales… and for the gannet, i hope he was more successful in subsequent attempts to find dinner!

On another note, it is good to see the kind officers of the DEC out on patrol, stopping on their way past, just to see how the fishing was going! Always good to know these men are out there on the water and brave enough to take on the elements to provide us marine security and enforcement of our fishing regulations.

As of late a few Osprey’s have been sighted as well, and are such magnificent animals to bear witness when they are able to pick up a 14-inch bunker and fly away with it!

Until next time, pray the wind lay low…