Fall Run 2017 thoughts are the fish passing by out of reach?

[surferman]

Wondering what some other guys are thinking and seeing. One member here said his family were catching stripers in Delaware already. Friends of mine are saying that too. Meanwhile you read about the epic fishing up in raritan bay and it seems like there is a lot of dead space. What are you guys seeing?

[finchaser]

Monster school of bass passing 7 miles off some of the boats got caught out there

[J Barbosa]

bull ****, there's acres of smaller bass around Raritan Bay right now if your content jigging up smaller fish and bigger bass along the beaches on the bunker pods. Almost every pod I checked today had fish on it, some were well within surf casting range.

[fishinmission78]

^^^^ Shirley you can't be serious.:rolleyes:
Betty and Nicks has been weighing in an average of one fish a day from the surf. with the exception of the last 2 days. If you think there are acres of stripers good for you dude, but thats from a boat. I live 10 mins from the water and my catches from the surf have been terrible this fall so far.

[J Barbosa]

What the **** does living 10 minutes from the water have to do with catch rates?

I don't see anyone surf fishing anymore - just bitching on surf fishing sites about the good old days.

If everyone is on the couch waiting for the call who will make that call?

[buckethead]

Well I'm not looking to get involved in any internet fights here JB. First I have to say I really enjoy reading your reports. It seems like you do the best you can to share without raising drama. It also seems like you are a good fisherman, I applaud you for that. However I wonder how old you actually are? I have been fishing for more than 60 years. The surf fishing is nothing like it used to be. As for sitting at home on the couch - I am fishing almost everyday because I live close to the water as well. However, not much to report lately. For example, I have been out 8 times in the last 2 weeks. Just a handful of small schoolies. Some people say they are not coming into the surf zone. I can assure you that there are less fish around. The late 80s and 90's were much better. It took almost 10 years for these fish to rebound from the overfishing. I don't know if you are old enough to remember that time or not. I can share that the number of fish is definitely down. And if we don't do something about it we will have another striped bass moratorium. I hope you don't take this the wrong way because I am sharing my decades of fishing with you. Have a good day.

[cowherder]

Don't mean to take sides, have to agree with buckethead. JB you are like this area's most awesome fisherman. If a fish is in the water I believe you will catch it! Love your reports and the details! The striper numbers have to be down tho. I remember when I first joined here I did not know that much. You guys all helped me so now I know where to look for them. I have to say my fall has been mens a mens. Last fall, and the years around sandy were much better. One thing to think about JB. You have a boat so you can follow them into deeper water. Some of the time this year they were just out of reach. Different perspective. Just saying.

[finchaser]

Can't agree with you on this JB beach fishing sucks and I do both

[jigfreak]

:clapping::clapping:^^^^^ Have to agree with FC. Went out last week on a friends boat. We got stripers to 29# trolling small majas. This was before things got crazy like they have in the past 5 days. You had to work for them, trolled 2 hours for 5 bass. I heard about the small dinks in raritan and we wanted some bigger ones so trolling it was. I was embarrassed to do it because trolling is so mindless. If anyone wants to equate the fish blowing up on bunker pods right now as real fishing, it's about as real as trolling and reeling fish in while the boat is steaming ahead at 2 knots. There is no challenge to it. It is not the same as fishing from the beach where your options are limited. The striper fishery is in the toilet. For years I used to catch fish in the front and back in ocean county. Yesterday I drove miles of beach starting at island beach and ending up in moco. There are not a lot of fish around exccept for the blitzes. I don't know how anyone can claim that there are, with a straight face. My opinion, not looking to step on anyone else.

[jigfreak]

Oh I did get some stripers yesterday late afternoon. That was only after driving around all day from island beach to sandy hook, and finally lucking into a place where the bunker and bass came in. Within a half hour, where there were only 5 of us on the beach, it was shoulder to shoulder like trout season opening day. Eff FB, and eff these cell phone a-holes.

[bababooey]

:waaah:Come on so much whining in this thread! If you men don't like it buy a boat and git er done!

[J Barbosa]

Can't agree with you on this JB beach fishing sucks and I do both

Yea it sucks, I never said it was great but you still go out and fish (and catch) right?

Too many guys sitting on the internet complaining that fishing sucks haven't left the couch in years. The beaches are empty - I saw maybe 8-12 guys at the tip of the hook on a Sunday morning and then from there to Deal might have seen another dozen total.

Hundreds of douchebags on facebook/websites complaining that the fish aren't coming in. Well, get the **** over it because most of you never went to the meetings to save the jetties or reduce the size limits. Charters/party boats killing overs, unders and bonus tag fish...absolutely disgusting what is going on daily.

[lostatsea]

I am pro not as experienced as some of the oldheads here. Still you hear over and over how the numbers are down. I don't think that necessarily comes from guys sitting on the couch. Seems to be coming from dudes who ARE out there a lot and actually fishing. So JB you make some good points about facebook report chasers. Still, the fall run starts later and later each year. This year when did it really heat up with the bigger stripers for most of NJ, around the first week of november? Not even a Halloween massacre? IDK if you fish the surf that much, surf fishing is most of where I go with the exception of some jaunts on friends boats. Most often if I run into someone on the beach I hear they got a few or maybe 5 or 10. That isn't that great, maybe its just me?

[williehookem]

Hundreds of douchebags on facebook/websites complaining that the fish aren't coming in. Well, get the **** over it because most of you never went to the meetings to save the jetties or reduce the size limits. Charters/party boats killing overs, unders and bonus tag fish...absolutely disgusting what is going on daily.

well how many actually DO go to the meetings? And does it really help? Everytime I heard of a meeting where they wanted to put some limits on the stripers, it was always status quo. not much going to change until you get everyone on board for a consensus, instead of back room deals that they always seem to do.

[VSdreams]

Cant we all just get along?:fishing:

[hookedonbass]

Boaters against surf fishermen the age old conflict. Like the Jews and Palestinians.

[SharkHart]

Dude put his boat reports on a zillion surf fishing websites everyday trying to lure guys out for a charter. then says they are close to the surf line figure that one out :cool:

True story

[bababooey]

IDK, if you guys really want fish why not just go out on a boat?

[porgy75]

:waaah:Come on so much whining in this thread! If you men don't like it buy a boat and git er done!
I guess you're entitled to your opinion, but fishing is fishing. We should be able to catch fish wherever we want.

[surferman]

There is an outdoor writer Captain Al ristori who writes a column for new jersey.com. If you read his columns most of the recent ones are talking about guys on boats catching them.
"Jersey Shore Fishing: Striper bite continues for boaters"
That was last night's title. So it does seem like boats have the advantage this fall.

[hookset]

Worst year in the last 5 for me. I don't know if I would be that quick to be jealous of the boat guys though. Have been on the beach a bunch of times this fall and the fish were just out of reach, boat guys hooking up. Have been on the beach an equal number of times, an armada of boats, and no one was hooking up. Just soaking hundreds of bunker all day with to takers. Too many boats can put those fish down. It also seems apparent to me the numbers are down. Anyone who cant see that is an idiot.

[lostatsea]

Been su**ing for me so far. I may not get out a lot so I can't be considered a sharpie. I did plan yesterdays trip with anticipation tho. Got out of work early, started in moco at 1pm ended in occo at 4pm. Fished a little bit at each beach and moved on. I saw a total of 5 short stripers caught in random places during the whole time, It looked like some guys on boats were catchin, but not a lot. At the last place in occo figured it was "the spot" because there were literally 450 other guys shoulder to shoulder on the beach. I found a place to edge in, lol. I was so desperate for one striper. Out of that clusterf*ck of surf guys, right before dark one guy got a striper that was about a 40 incher or bigger, snag and drop. I got nothing, and at dark everyone left. Still waiting for the epic fishing I been hearing about.

[cowherder]

aah you guys are just jealous of jbarbosa because he catches! I think it's great! Finally caught some stripers yesterday was at a mo co spot and no one was catching. At dusk they started hitting shads. 10 minutes of short striper activity I ended up with 3. some other fellas caught as well. woo hoo should I call it epic? Not! lol!:rolleyes:

[finchaser]

aah you guys are just jealous of jbarbosa because he catches! I think it's great! Finally caught some stripers yesterday was at a mo co spot and no one was catching. At dusk they started hitting shads. 10 minutes of short striper activity I ended up with 3. some other fellas caught as well. woo hoo should I call it epic? Not! lol!:rolleyes:

Really hard to catch fish out of a boat. We had 14 fish to 40# in 2 days live lining all released and had people yell at us for releasing them

[basshunter]

People yelled at you for releasing? what the heck were you surrounded by the meatmen?

[jigfreak]

It's all about the meat nowadays. Guess you're not a real man unless you can post meat shots of dead bass on the dock.

[cowherder]

Really hard to catch fish out of a boat. We had 14 fish to 40# in 2 days live lining all released and had people yell at us for releasing them

I agree with you - my post was sarcastic! Boat fishing is way different from going all along the shoreline and either finding fish or getting skunked. I do appreciate jbarbosas reports though. Sometimes you can learn from boat guys where they are catching and it gives you a better idea of where to start. Just saying.

[nitestrikes]

I had a decent spring and summer fishing various places on the NS and SS. The fall for me was a bust. Montauk was very inconsistent. The SS held some nice bass, 25# and up, for about 3 weeks. A friend of mine got one 26# the other night but he is out there every single night. It seems that's the key. If you can't do that it is a coin toss. The sandeels never showed up on the SS so we were depending on squid, herring and adult bunker. Tough season for me for sure.

[finchaser]

I agree with you - my post was sarcastic! Boat fishing is way different from going all along the shoreline and either finding fish or getting skunked. I do appreciate jbarbosas reports though. Sometimes you can learn from boat guys where they are catching and it gives you a better idea of where to start. Just saying.

I agree with you

[BassBuddah]

I have been hitting a few here and there on bucktail and pork. First light and near sundown. Boats are still hitting them to the east, rockaways and bp. Haven't seen many larger fish in close except for one good night I had at 2am. Have been fishing for 50 years. this fall was my poorest of the last 15 from the surf. That includes the whole south shore and montauk. There was some good activity on the north shore, didn't last that long.

[porgy75]

Thanks for the honesty. I don't have enough years in the game to say a lot. Do believe the beach stripers are in short supply. Based on my trips to the beach and some of the fishermen I met. No one bragged to me this was their best fall ever. Lots of grumbling! They really should make the regulations the same for the whole striper coast. my .02

[Monty]

Just checking the reports from Grumpys and B&N and there just not getting any keeper size bass.

[finchaser]

The big fish that were here last week are in Delaware
The second batch that provided good fishing the day before and day of Thanksgiving are pretty much gone too
The so called death rats have invaded the Sea bright area
Water in the PP canal was 44 last night on the incoming
Many lagoons have skim ice the past few mornings

[fishinmission78]

They're getting them in maryland too. This must be the last of them. Some bigger fish in ocean county close to the 3 mile line as well. last hurrah.