Eddie beautiful walleye! I'm a bit older than you but years ago they're used to be monster blackfish taken from the canal. Today it seems more of a nursery of sorts with an occasional keeper taken. I'm going back 40 - 45 years. Remember one day there were close to if not over a dozen double digit fish caught in the area you're fishing. Back then it was all fiddler crabs, not as sophisticated as today. No greenies, asians, white leggers, shrimp, conch etc, just a few pints of fiddler crabs was what most used. Incredible fishing.

Before they put the new bridges in that span the canal, they had draw bridges like the train bridge on the Manasquan so there were two bridge abutments in the water itself like the Shark River Ocean Avenue bridge which made the current rip even more. Place looked like Hell's Gate on the East River. Add a full moon tide and forget about it. When the current ripped in between tide changes, instead of fishing you'd be entertained by all the boats slamming into the bridge. That current was absolutely brutal. Remember a sailboat, guy must have had a dozen too many cocktails, forget his mast was up, never waited or asked for a bridge opening and proceeded to sheer his mast right off the boat. It was like watching bumper cars, dangerous place to navigate before the bridges were replaced with the spans.

Rocks at the inlet as you said in the spring and fall when the water temperature was right was awesome as well. More fishing pressure, stock declining as a whole has taken it's toll but back then an hour before or after tide change was always the magic hour in the canal. Once the current got ripping you couldn't hold with 18 ounces. Was an incredible fishery. Still good to see numbers, they're one of the best fighting fish and table fare there are. Size has taken a hit unfortunately with the number of fish harvested legally and illegally but hopefully with a closed season during the spawn and higher size minimums the fishery will heal itself.