Sand eels building up in surf

Mike Monte was encouraged to see pods of sand eels in the Monmouth County surf yesterday morning, but something was missing — striped bass.

Mike didn’t catch a bass, nor did any other surfcaster he saw in that area. Mike is surprised that there’s been little sign of the smaller bass ordinarily found along the Jersey Shore at this time of year. Continuing relatively high water temperatures may have something to do with that.

I guess most anglers stayed home today as there were no reports.

A small craft advisory is up through Friday morning. The forecast is for west winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 25.

Black Friday is traditionally a great day for party boats. Anglers should arrive an hour early in order to avoid looking at an empty slip.

Happy Thanksgiving!