29/04/2026
Bridge hopping has been a lot of fun lately. There are fish pretty much everywhere if you know how to work the structure you're fishing. And don't be afraid to throw an assortment of plastics or plugs, in various colors. And change up the speed and depth. The bass aren't always showing themselves.
Last night was a tough one. Outgoing tide, fairly slow, and very dirty. My first four stops yielded nothing but grass. I was getting downright discouraged. But I pressed on. Took a ride to some different waters and tried again. One area seemed quiet, no bait, flashes, boils, nothing. Then suddenly I saw a group of stripers cruising below the surface. I cast a few times with no takers. Switched up to another color and profile and got hammered. Landed a nice little 22" striper. But that was it. Next stop was quiet. My final stop of the night seemed pretty quiet too. There was another guy up there already. He was a bit antisocial. As I moved around d he hurriedly switched to other places trying to beat me to "the spot". It was pretty funny. It was pretty obvious that he was clueless, so despite all of his fancy gear; dry top, dry pants, wading belt, and all of the accessories. He looked serious. And there I am in my jeans and sweatshirt with my beat up backpack. What an embarrassment.
Anyway, I just poked along behind him and fished. I had a bass blow up deep in the shadow line, but it wouldn't bite. Joe Pro walked off and left. I started to work my way back figuring it was just that sort of night. On my way back down, while still at the top of the bridge, a striper destroyed my jig and took off with the current. All I could do it watch as the li e disappeared from my reels spool.
Finally it turned and came back I to the current. I gained back some line and managed to keep it close. She stayed down deep and pulled line off the spool at will. Realizing this was a big fish, I tried to start walking her down toward the base. She'd follow along nicely for a few feet, and then put my gear to the test. We danced like this for about fifteen minutes as I slowly made ground toward the base of the bridge. Fortunately no cars came along, which made things easier and safer.
Finally at the base I managed to scramble around the railing and down the precarious sod bank and rip rap. I somehow managed to bring into the shallows where I could get ahold of her to get the hook out. A quick measure revealed that she was a portly 38", and upper 20 # range if not more. I didn't want to put her on a scale after stressing her as much as I had. So, a quick photo on a slab, a kiss, and a release. That made my night! Patience pays off and rewards those who put the effort in.
Not that it's hard, st*****rs are everywhere right now...
