A fishing trip from Harvey Cedars to Barnegat Light

Sometimes my son Theo and I would load our 17' whaler with fishing gear and head out at the end of the day to catch the flood tide at Barnegat Light.  We would fly across the bay to the Double Creek Channel and wind our way along sedge islands and shallows towards the inlet.  At all times we would have our eyes peeled looking for the telltale signs of fish: splashing water, other boats, and working birds.

One late afternoon we fished the inlet for about half an hour with light tackle and silver spoons with treble hooks. Nothing.  No birds working, no action.  We cruised back to the swirling shallows across from the lighthouse and saw a school of bait fish in an  energetic mass moving along the edge of a channel.  There were no birds working and the school was undisturbed.  We had gotten to them before the blues or the stripers had even discovered them.  We began casting lightly with anticipation when all of a sudden.....STRIKE.....and then another STRIKE!    A school of striped bass had found the bait fish and were moving in.   We must have caught and released 15 fish before another boat saw us and soon another.  Before long there was a small armada of anglers joining the fun.

I have to admit that I'm not a good fisherman.  Most of the time Theo and I get skunked.  It is VERY gratifying to be at the right place at the right time when the fish are biting on the Barnegat Bay.

The author, Philip Stephano, is owner of PrimalTweet a social media marketing company in Bucks County,  PA.  He is passionate about helping local and regional business around the country to use social media as an effective tool to find local prospects and customers. To learn more about Stephano go to http://about.me/philipstephano