[Michael]

Hit Seaside starting around 1:15pm while the high tide was scheduled for 2:22pm. Had my 7' Star Rods Aerial Jetty Surf rod this time with the Fierce 3000 and 14 lb Fireline.

As the tide was still coming in and I was playing pencil popper with the chartreuse bone XRW-13, one cast got me a nice explosion just a few feet in front. All thanks to the action of the 7' Aerial, I right away set the hook. I could tell this fish was a big striper so I loosened the drag a bit. It right away started peeling line out. Then when it started to get tired I was tightening the drag to get it in when it spit the hook. Right as the lure comes back to the surface and I start playing it again, I get another explosion but no hookset.

Played with a number of plugs and topwaters but only had 1 more swirl with the XRW-13.

Once the tide started heading out and no more action, I went over to the rocks and the destroyed pier. That's where I saw bunker and blues getting active and more active as the tide kept heading out. They were staying around the boats most of the time and never came within casting range for anybody.

I checked out the city ramp to find snappers blitzing in small schools but no bigger splashes.

Went back over to keep and eye on the bunker and blues as the evening went on. Saw a kayaker come to shore with a nice 8 to 10 pound blue he caught in 1 of those schools.

I eventually lost my beloved XRW-13 and tried throwing a number of other topwaters but nobody was able to get a swirl or explosion. You had to be right on them to get a hit.

Hit the road around 7:30pm

[Michael]

Went back Saturday with the same setup and arrived around 3:30pm. High tide was scheduled for just after 3pm. The big issue was steady 10 to 15 mph south winds causing lots of wave crashing against the rocks right on shore, 1 to 3 footers, current, and trouble casting.

Throughout the day none of us ever got a swirl, explosion, or hit.

Lures I tried playing with were blue chartreuse SSP-12, blueback herring LC-12, olive green XRW-9, chartreuse ghost XRW-9, black/gray 3" custom wooden popper, pearl grey shiner FLR-16, bunker XJS-13, and flake purple ghost MXR-15.

The only fish I saw landed on lures was 3 robins on soft plastics.

Thick schools of bunker being chased by big blues got hot on the surface by 5pm but 3 usuals and I never got a single swirl.

1 of the usuals told me while the other 2 were on their yaks into the blues and bunker Friday, 1 of them landed a 17 pound gator! He said it was so big from its back to its belly, even a big football player wouldn't be able to fit his hand on it. The guy who landed it was using 50 pound braid and it took him about 15 minutes to get the fish in. The kayaker had to keep pedaling his yak with in the direction of the gator in order for him to land it, otherwise he had a very good chance at getting the reel stripped.

Once the 2 kayakers left this eve and the other guy and I were still casting, but were doing it the Jersey way; rear hook only while you skip it across the surface with a number of jerks.

Switching over to my Pursuit II with the 30 lb Spiderwire Stealth seeing these gators are active.