Latest / The Articulate Fly / S6, Ep 63: On the Salt: Shallow Water Strategies and Striped Bass Challenges

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S6, Ep 63: On the Salt: Shallow Water Strategies and Striped Bass Challenges · The Articulate Fly

• 0:03
  Marvin: Hey folks, it's Marvin Cash, the host of the Articulate Fly,
• 0:06
  Marvin: and we're back with another On the Salt with Captain David Blinken. David, how are you?
• 0:11
  David: I'm great, Marvin. How are you? How are you handling the beginning of summer?
• 0:17
  Marvin: So, you know, it's actually been really kind of nice this week.
• 0:20
  Marvin: So it's been, you know, low 80s, but it's creeping up and we're going to be
• 0:23
  Marvin: in the mid 90s by the end of the week.
• 0:25
  Marvin: So I'm I'm trying to, you know, sneak a few days outside and maybe get a trout
• 0:29
  Marvin: day in before it gets super hot and I have to head to the ponds.
• 0:34
  David: Oh, yeah. Well, we're looking at some warmer weather, but, you know,
• 0:38
  David: being 90 miles out in the ocean here in the end of Long Island keeps things a little bit cooler.
• 0:45
  Marvin: Yeah, I looked at your forecast. I was jealous, 60s and low 70s,
• 0:48
  Marvin: and I imagine there's probably a nice breeze, too.
• 0:52
  David: Yeah, well, I want to keep that nice breeze away. way so we it's a little easier
• 0:56
  David: uh shallow water fishing but yes uh we've had uh yesterday was blown about 10
• 1:01
  David: 15 all day today we had about uh five and that made made for some nice uh nice sight fishing yeah.
• 1:09
  Marvin: And you know we were talking the last time uh we spoke that you know that the
• 1:13
  Marvin: that the bass weren't in the bays because there wasn't any bait there and you're
• 1:17
  Marvin: saying that that's still the case right.
• 1:18
  David: Yeah i mean there were quite
• 1:21
  David: a few bass in the ocean but there are always this time
• 1:24
  David: of year that they're migrating you know out of the chesapeake or
• 1:27
  David: the hudson and they're just on their way north um and
• 1:31
  David: we always hope they turn the corner and come in the bays but there's really
• 1:34
  David: not a lot of bait to speak of to to bring them
• 1:37
  David: in here so they're just kind of staying out there and
• 1:40
  David: you know in in past years even uh when
• 1:43
  David: there wasn't a lot of bait we'd still have a lot of fish in shore but
• 1:47
  David: um you know it's been the case the past
• 1:50
  David: couple of years that's just been disappearing more and
• 1:53
  David: more and of course it has a lot to do with the
• 1:56
  David: the density of the striped bass population or the
• 1:59
  David: lack thereof um so uh sadly it's it's not what it can be i mean you see a lot
• 2:05
  David: of people posting pictures of fish uh online everywhere and a lot of that's
• 2:10
  David: great marketing um but when you talk to the shallow water guides or those of
• 2:14
  David: us who call it flats that's fishing.
• 2:17
  David: It's been a difficult season, you know, up and down the coast, unfortunately.
• 2:24
  David: And, you know, we're going to be doing a lot of work in the future to maybe
• 2:28
  David: help shore this up before it gets too bad.
• 2:31
  Marvin: Yeah. And so is there anything that can kind of happen on the weather front
• 2:34
  Marvin: that can kind of push bait in?
• 2:36
  Marvin: So like if you got, you know, wind that was blowing into the coast,
• 2:40
  Marvin: would that kind of bring bait in?
• 2:41
  Marvin: I mean, I'm not a very salty guy, so I don't know exactly how it works.
• 2:45
  David: Well, no, not really. What we need is bait.
• 2:49
  David: And whether it's a full moon or a new moon or if it's, you know,
• 2:54
  David: northeast wind or something, you know, I'll see a little push of bait here and
• 2:59
  David: there and then it just disappears. There's nothing that's sticking around.
• 3:03
  David: You know, we used to have shoals of spearing and sand eels coming in this time
• 3:07
  David: of year and they, they're just not there.
• 3:09
  David: And the bass that I'm seeing are just kind of, you know, going around looking
• 3:14
  David: for little crabs and shrimp, cause that's what is kind of local.
• 3:19
  David: So, you know, that's really what, what it is.
• 3:23
  David: And, and a lot of the fish that we
• 3:25
  David: had years and years ago were really
• 3:28
  David: resident fish they would spawn up in you know
• 3:31
  David: various areas like three mile harbor in
• 3:34
  David: the peconics and and and parts of montauk
• 3:37
  David: but those those uh resident fish
• 3:40
  David: were really um they were really caught out they were most of
• 3:43
  David: them were netted out um because unfortunately new
• 3:46
  David: york state still allows gill netting and uh and it's very damaging because you
• 3:50
  David: know the mesh is set up to let certain fish go through um the smaller ones but
• 3:55
  David: you know the ones that are what they call in the slot or even the bigger ones
• 4:00
  David: they just get caught gillnets and and they purse they drown,
• 4:04
  David: and um so it's it's a really bad thing um you know bycatch is probably just
• 4:11
  David: as damaging as overfishing when it comes to um this fishery yeah.
• 4:15
  Marvin: I know we've got gillnet problems down here in the carolinas is uh is your bluefish
• 4:20
  Marvin: bite a little bit better maybe.
• 4:21
  David: Well the bluefish bite was really strong in the beginning. And then they just
• 4:25
  David: like suddenly vanished on, um, on the last moon.
• 4:29
  David: Um, I mean, we were lucky enough. We got a few bluefish today,
• 4:32
  David: some smaller ones, but, um, you know, in each year is a little different.
• 4:37
  David: I mean, we had a lot of big fish. We, we had an unofficial world record fish about 10 days ago.
• 4:43
  David: We had a 39 inch, uh, bluefish, uh, uh, in, in about two feet of water, which was really cool.
• 4:49
  David: Um, and that measured 99 centimeters. because world records are done in centimeters.
• 4:54
  David: And the last world record on a 20-pound tippet was, I think, 88 centimeters.
• 4:59
  David: But, you know, we're not entering it or anything. We logged the fish,
• 5:03
  David: and we logged it on Got One, of course.
• 5:06
  David: And, you know, we released it.
• 5:09
  David: And, you know, it didn't occur to us until hours later that we should have done
• 5:13
  David: length and girth instead of just length and then sent in, you know,
• 5:19
  David: for the fly line along with the leader.
• 5:20
  David: But, you know, as things go, you know, it's bragging rights,
• 5:25
  David: but it's not that important to to to register.
• 5:29
  Marvin: Yeah, that's that that's that aha moment over margaritas and chips and salsa.
• 5:33
  Marvin: You're like, damn, I wish we had taken a few more measurements, right?
• 5:38
  David: Yeah, yeah. I mean, it just, it didn't occur to us until, I know,
• 5:42
  David: like two hours later, it's like, wait a second, 39 inches, that's 99 centimeters.
• 5:48
  David: Let's go on the IGFA website. And there it was at 88 centimeters.
• 5:53
  David: And we're like, damn, we smashed that record by 10 centimeters.
• 5:56
  Marvin: Yeah, maybe that's a feature you need to get folded into Got One so that you
• 6:01
  Marvin: get an alert on your phone when you log the fish.
• 6:03
  David: Oh, my gosh. I'll have to tell them about it. That's actually,
• 6:07
  David: that's pretty brilliant.
• 6:11
  Marvin: You know, don't miss out on a chance to be famous, right?
• 6:14
  David: That's right. That's right. That's hysterical.
• 6:17
  Marvin: So, you know, interesting question for you this time around, David.
• 6:21
  Marvin: Had a listener write in on Instagram and wanted to know your tips for locating
• 6:26
  Marvin: fish. And I know that's a super broad question.
• 6:29
  David: Well, you know what? There's so many approaches. So, you know,
• 6:33
  David: there's everything from blue water to shallow water and everything in between.
• 6:37
  David: I'm going to specifically address shallow water.
• 6:41
  David: Otherwise, we could go for hours. um so
• 6:45
  David: the most important thing is time on the water and that time in the water allows
• 6:51
  David: you to see the particular fishery you're fishing both at high tide and low tide
• 6:56
  David: looking at the way water flows in on the incoming tide and looking at the way
• 7:01
  David: the water flows out of the outgoing tide,
• 7:03
  David: understanding the structure either rock out crop beams or little drop-offs in
• 7:08
  David: the sand and troughs along shorelines, and stuff like that.
• 7:12
  David: And then understanding the different baits during the different times of year.
• 7:17
  David: And all these things add up to understanding your fishery and how to find fish.
• 7:24
  David: How does that sound for a concise answer on shallow water?
• 7:28
  Marvin: Yeah, it's super concise because I've watched people talk about it before,
• 7:33
  Marvin: and I guess the fish come in on the tide. And so if you kind of find the exit,
• 7:37
  Marvin: it's like, it's like basically being a toll booth guy, right?
• 7:40
  Marvin: And finding the exits when the tides go out, that kind of helps you.
• 7:43
  Marvin: And that I guess is maybe kind of the equivalent of structure for fishing for
• 7:47
  Marvin: trout or something like that.
• 7:49
  David: It is, and it's really, really important, like, to have moving water.
• 7:55
  David: That's when the bigger fish find it easier to drop the little fish,
• 7:59
  David: you know, against the tide.
• 8:01
  David: When the tide's dead, like at the top of the tide or at the bottom of the tide,
• 8:07
  David: very often, you know, the fish are just kind of, they swim off,
• 8:11
  David: and they're not feeding in anything like that. And also, water temperature is really important.
• 8:18
  David: To understand things like how to find fish.
• 8:22
  David: Very often in the middle of the summer, when it's really warm,
• 8:25
  David: the outgoing tide in the middle of the day can be warmer water.
• 8:29
  David: But if you've got incoming tide in the middle of the day that's cooler,
• 8:33
  David: more oxygenated water, it may actually fish better.
• 8:36
  David: So throughout the summer in July and August, there's certain tides that just seem to fish better.
• 8:43
  David: And to me, it's those incoming tides in the summer in the springtime and in
• 8:47
  David: the fall i very often find the outgoing tides better because the water's already
• 8:51
  David: cooled off and it's just flushing bait out of wherever that bait's hiding got.
• 8:57
  Marvin: It and i guess too if you don't have kind of fancy electronics i would imagine
• 9:00
  Marvin: google maps is probably a pretty helpful way to maybe find spots.
• 9:03
  David: Yeah i would say so um i i definitely even i look at google maps all the time
• 9:10
  David: because i don't use uh sonar because the water i'm fishing is very shallow.
• 9:15
  David: And, you know, sometimes you're seeing stuff on Google Maps and you're like,
• 9:19
  David: wow, I never saw that before.
• 9:20
  David: A little trough or a deep hole somewhere in the middle of something.
• 9:24
  David: Sometimes those holes are cold fish.
• 9:26
  David: You know, they might be high in the water column, but they're still,
• 9:29
  David: you know, around those, around and inside or above those holes.
• 9:33
  David: So, you know, Google Maps can really open your eyes up.
• 9:36
  David: And also Google Maps might give you an idea of maybe a place you've never gone
• 9:41
  David: before. And you're like, why didn't I ever think about that?
• 9:45
  Marvin: Yeah, very, very neat. And you know, folks, we love questions at the Articulate Fly.
• 9:49
  Marvin: You can email me or DM me on social media. I always like to say we want to make David's life easier.
• 9:54
  Marvin: And if we use your question, I will send you some Articulate Fly swag.
• 9:58
  Marvin: And David and I, by the next time we speak to you guys, we will kind of have
• 10:02
  Marvin: the drawing stuff figured out.
• 10:03
  Marvin: And, you know, David, before I let you go, I guess, you know,
• 10:07
  Marvin: we touched on it. you know, you want to kind of give the plug for ASGA and maybe
• 10:11
  Marvin: talk about, you know, how to book you and upcoming trips and all that kind of good stuff?
• 10:16
  David: Well, yes. I mean, it's, it's, you can go to my website, um,
• 10:21
  David: either northflats.com or just davidblinken.com if you want to book me.
• 10:25
  David: And, um, the easiest way to do it is actually just grab my phone number and call me.
• 10:30
  David: Um, or you can certainly email me. Um, and, um, as far as ASGA goes,
• 10:35
  David: you know, the American Saltwater Guides Association, we're really,
• 10:38
  David: we really need to ramp up our fight to, you know, preserve fisheries.
• 10:43
  David: And, you know, we're always looking for donations, a $5 donation is as good
• 10:48
  David: as a $5,000 donation as far as we're concerned.
• 10:51
  David: You know, money, money is money. And to protect these fisheries,
• 10:55
  David: it's so vitally important.
• 10:56
  David: And certainly what's going on with striped bass is indicative of the work that
• 11:01
  David: we need to proceed on going forward.
• 11:04
  Marvin: Yeah, and I would say, you know, not to be a fear monger, but I mean,
• 11:07
  Marvin: I think we really are kind of at
• 11:09
  Marvin: a tipping point with the striped bass population in the Atlantic, right?
• 11:13
  David: Yeah, I really think we are. I mean, there's not a lot of little fish.
• 11:17
  David: There's, you know, there's big fish. And, you know, you see a lot of people
• 11:21
  David: showing pictures of these big
• 11:23
  David: stripers and saying, well, this is the best striper fishing I've ever had.
• 11:26
  David: But the problem is, is that there's not a lot of stuff in between.
• 11:30
  David: And there was a well-known book, Cod, and I can't for the life of me remember the author's name.
• 11:37
  David: But in the book Cod, they talk about how the inshore fishery started to drop
• 11:44
  David: off dramatically before the collapse of the Canadian cod fishery.
• 11:48
  David: Well, we're starting to experience that now with striped bass.
• 11:51
  David: While the fish, the ocean-going stripers are there, and maybe not in the same
• 11:58
  David: numbers, you know, you can still go in the ocean and catch them.
• 12:00
  David: But the inshore fishery, like the flats, estuaries, and back bays,
• 12:05
  David: really are hurting for fish.
• 12:08
  David: And that's how a lot of us shallow water guides have been making our money for years.
• 12:13
  David: And, you know, things are changing, unfortunately, in that regard,
• 12:18
  David: and it is alarming. Yeah.
• 12:21
  Marvin: And I will drop a link to ASGA in the show notes.
• 12:25
  Marvin: And as I always say, folks, you owe it to yourself to get out there and catch a few.
• 12:29
  Marvin: Tight lines, everybody. Tight lines, David.