Fishing by ear

Sharp hearing usually isn’t considered to be an important sense in fishing, but there are times when it comes into play. That subject came to mind after I heard a local TV report in Ft. Myers, Fl. about people living in homes near canals complaining about strange noises in their homes recently.

It turned out the culprits were mating black drum! Those fish are unique in that they produce a grunting noise underwater that can frequently be heard from boats. Indeed, I’ve heard those sounds while fishing for black drum in Delaware Bay — but I never before heard of that sound penetrating homes. I wonder if it would be possible to walk along canals during the mating season and be able to cast a bait in that direction to an unseen black drum?

There are times when listening can lead you to good fishing. I’ve had nights casting small lures in calm backwaters when the plops of feeding school stripers or weakfish have produced fine action. Night tarpon fishing in Florida is greatly aided by the feeding splashes at bridges which provide a target even on the darkest nights.

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The unusual amount of whale strandings in NY/NJ Bight this winter has led many people to blame the construction of offshore wind farms for that problem. There’s been no confirmation of that so far, but Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) has introduced H.R. 1056 which calls for an investigation of the environmental approval process for offshore wind projects.

Absecon Bay Sportsman Center reports good white perch(see photo below) fishing, and just saw the first adult bunkers of the season show up in Absecon Creek. Stripers may not be far behind, but you can’t target then in N.J. internal waters until March 1.

The Ocean Explorer from Belmar had a problem with big swells Monday, though a few keeper tog were caught.

A small craft warning is up from this evening to Wednesday morning. The forecast is for northwest winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20 before going south at 5 knots in the afternoon with possible rain or sleet.