Last week Ken Oda caught a big striper on Palm Beach. I also heard that Mark Won broke a couple big fish off as well. I had my opportunity this morning and decided to fish my 10 foot Sage One 8 wgt with a T-14 Custom Cut. The high tide would peak at 10:30 and I was optimistic. It started out a Pokemon day – “Gotta catch em all”” day, and ended up a “Didn’t catch any” day. Unfortunately, it was one of those zero fish days for not only me, but most the bait fishermen as well around me. Still, I thought it would be a better shot at a big fish today than fishing the forebay. Look at this PIG that Ken caught last week. Impressive.

Around 4:00, Ken Oda messaged me that he had caught 39 Stripers and 5 perch this morning just south of me toward the river with three bass in double digits to 15 lbs and 4 5-8lb shakers. He also told me he bent a hook on a bigger one that he lost. I was a block away and I got nothing leaving at high tide around 11:00. Ken fished the day before and told me that the bite turned on from 10:30 to 2:30 after the high tide! I learned an important lesson today. “A long as there is water that is deep (irregardless of tide) and the water is moving, the fish can be in casting range. The key is to locate the bait. The harbor seals push the bait around and can mean the bait is near. Make long casts and cover the water. The fish hit hard and watch the terns. The terns will dive shallow bait. If you are not into a fish in 10 casts or not working a rip that could concentrate fish, they are not there yet. Focus on the edges of the holes and rips and blow through the flats unless they are close to a deep spot.” Ken suggests a LC13 head and 1/0 clousers. “The big key is to move until you find them. They really are not too picky in the surf about fly size. I (Ken) use smaller flies because they are less wind resistant, cast further and are more compact and probably sink faster. The bigger flies work but that are hard to cast. Use the head to sink the fly rather than over weight the flies too heavy. Ken likes chartreuse because it seems to be visible under all light conditions.

Im going back again next week. Gotta learn this new game.