Need fish ID, very strang event

[Zeal]

Well I went out last night and had one of those nights where I located the fish feeding, but no matter what presentation I gave, they kept hammering whatever it was they were eating. This would be frustrating except I have never seen this before....

Since I have no picture, I'll have to go John Steinbeck on you guys.

Fishing on a rock pile where bait tends to swim around in cycles (they come around the rocks, go venture out elsewhere but come back 15 minutes later). I hear fish breaking water and see some splashes the size of what you could make with a SS floating popper.

Now, keep this in mind, this night was muggy, foggy, and dark. No lights around to mess with my eyes.

The school of bait comes by without disturbing the surface and is about half a foot below the surface. Knowing that Sand eels apparently made their appearance a few weeks back and witnessing a large school of killies last week, I figure this is what they are after.

However, undisturbed, I see what looks like a bunch of small flashlights blinking. At first it was fast, but then after not being threatened, the "lights" ranged from silvery-white to halogen light blue and went on and off at the rate of fireflies showing off their stuff.

Whatever I was seeing, they moved slow at the rocks and after seeing this numerous times in the night, my curiosity got the best of me and once these things came around I blared my fishing headlight on their location. Nothing. They became so spooked they just disappeared or they were too deep to see in the murky water.

Again they returned, flashing light appearance and all, tried again and same results.

The flashes rivaled that of fishing a chrome lure or tin and you have that split second where the sun hits it near the surface and it makes your eye twitch. Since it was night and the water was a bit dirty, that didn't happen.

Every time they came around it was the same thing: tiny flashlights going off underwater moving at a lazy pace. It was very distinct.

To rule what I could out, there was no oil (forget bunker) and seeing sand eels and spearing under attack, I've never seen that happen at night.

Honestly? It looked like they were communicating with each other and I really wonder if it could have been Squid. I would see one area of these "lights" go off. Then a foot away, another patch of "lights" would go off.

I'm happy that I am improving on locating fish, however, no plug I own could compete with a presentation like that!

Any thoughts? This is driving me crazy.

[RIJIMMY]

could have been a school of bait that was hitting the phosporescence (sp?) as it swam by causing the flashes?

[JackK]

Yep... Sounds like bait bumping ctenophores

[Zeal]

The thing that gets me is that I casted right into where those lights were going off and I couldn't reproduce the same effect.

[PRBuzz]

You you see the flashes when you create a wake at 30k!

[FishermanTim]

Did you even get to see what they were?

Could it have been a pod of squid?

Baitfish feeding on bioluminencent plankton could be a better bet.

Sometimes you just can't "match the hatch" no matter how hard you try!

[Zeal]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

Did you even get to see what they were?

Could it have been a pod of squid?

Baitfish feeding on bioluminencent plankton could be a better bet.

Sometimes you just can't "match the hatch" no matyter how hard you try!

Tried my damnedest to see and I saw nothing. My guess was the same as yours, Squid. But I haven't ever seen them behave like that on Long Island.

[piemma]

I'm thinking squid. I have seen small squid swim in wide circles near the east wall in Narr RI.

[wdmso]

Squid I have seen them hit bait on the surface squid arn't bio luminescent but thats what get their attention

[GattaFish]

Sounds like you were fishing where the filmed the movie "The Abyss".
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