NJ fishing reports for January - February 2009

[bunkerjoe4]

Important when registering on our site -- use an active email address so you can activate your account to be able to post.



Please post fishing reports here.......as little or as much detail as you want to give.

Please note: NO SPOT BURNING! Posts burning spots will be Edited or DELETED!
Some veteran fishermen have put in years developing and learning about certain spots.Some of these spots can only handle a few guys at a time. We are losing enough access as it is, due to the unfortunate behavior of a few selfish people. No sense in making it worse.

For some areas, it would be wiser to say:
OutFront (Ocean) OR -- OutBack (Bay) -- if you feel too many people will figure out what you are talking about. "Spot burning" also could involve mentioning something specific only to that area. If you do this, your post may be edited, or deleted. Remember that thousands of people could potentially read these posts. You don't want to be fishing next to ALL of them at the same time!

IF you are fishing an area that is NOT residential, being vague is less critical. For example, it's acceptable to say (Any)Park, or (Any)Bay, or mention a specific state park that has loads of parking and can handle the crowds.


If you are unclear on this concept, ask yourself:


If I name this place on the internet, will it be too crowded for me to enjoy tomorrow when people hear I got 30 fish here today?


If the answer is "Yes", then you should probably not be so specific.


We post these reports so our community will have a sense of what is working, what is not. We want to show people how to catch fish, rather than where.Even if you struck out or got skunked, it would be helpful to hear that as well.

If you have any additional details you would like to share - weather conditions, tide (incoming, outgoing, ebb, flood) water temps, bait present, or other mention of techniques or plugs used - feel free, as long as you are not overly specific about location.

Some acronyms -

SH - Sandy Hook
NoMoCo - Northern Monmouth County (below the hook to Shark River Inlet SRI)
SoMoCo - Southern Monmouth County (below SRI to Manasquan Inlet)

OC - Ocean County
IBSP - Island Beach State Park
LBI - Long Beach Island

AC - Atlantic County
AI - Absecon Inlet
CISP - Corson's Inlet State Park
CMC - Cape May County
CMR - Cape May Rips
GEI - Great Egg Inlet
TI - Townsend's Inlet

RB - Raritan Bay
BB - Barnegat Bay
CB - Chesapeake Bay
CBBT - Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
DB - Delaware Bay

[bunkerjoe4]

NJ/NY January Reporting

Folks, let me take this opportunity to say I hope you all had Happy Holidays, whatever faith you may be.

Since the NY striped bass season is now closed, many folks have given up fishing and are now hitting the "Honey-do" lists. NJ folks are still fishing, weather permitting. The very small bass that are around do not pull the interest of a majority of folks.

In NJ we are collectively waiting for the end of season "bass crashing herring bonanza" that has been known to happen around this time. That may or may not happen. The conditions this year don't seem right for it, but you never know.

Remember, any fishing reports qualify for the free plug giveaways -- ice fishing, bottom fishing, even carp fishing from a river. There are diehard anglers out there who simply must fish every week of the year, and I intend to keep the reports going. Even if you didn't catch anything, posting about it still qualifies as a report.

Honestly, I would encourage you to get those honey do lists done, and spend your time with your families. There is nothing more important than family -- all the other things, including fishing, are a bonus that we can "spend" any time. :)

In a week or so, the Spring shows start on the circuit for those of you who are going stir crazy. I hope with the recession, some of the high-end retailers will be willing to offer better deals to spur the economy.

Meanwhile, we have some very creative folks selling their creations here for reasonable prices -- Davis Plugs, Smitty plugs, GSB bucktails, Tony Spina's creations priced so low he's almost giving them away.

This is one of the reasons I started this site, folks -- visit their threads if you have a spare minute. There are also numerous other plug builders who have been kind enough to post pics of their work and enlighten members as to how it's done. :clapping:

There have been some great threads here since we started. Every year I look at my accomplishments and ask myself if I could have done anything better, or differently. I am pleased with the growth of the site thus far. Yet I am always looking to try new ideas and expand our horizons to serve the needs of our members.

As I have mentioned previously, a site is only as good as the participation of its members. Some members have been a font of information. I honestly don't know where you guys get all this energy, but I appreciate how you help your fellow anglers. This is a great concept that will help to ensure our future.

I also appreciate those folks who are diligent in keeping us informed on the latest legal developments re: access and fishing legislation. I know these threads may be boring to some. However, the future of fishing depends on our collective participation.

If you wait for the other guy to do it, you may be disappointed when your fishing activity is minimized. I believe our rights are worth fighting for, and am actively trying, with the help of our members, to educate folks out there that we face some serious challenges ahead.

I can't make anyone participate in an action by fishermen, I can only try to educate in a way most folks will understand.

We welcome all opinions at StripersandAnglers. Spirited dialogue and discussion help us to decide which issues are important and make our own choices of what to believe.

I also welcome all suggestions for new ways to serve our members. I may not be able to implement every suggestion. However, if more than one person comes to me with a creative suggestion, I will certainly try. As I said, this site is as creative and interesting as you folks make it. Thank you for your participation, and Best Wishes to you all for tight lines and a healthy 2009! -- bunkerjoe