New Jersey fishing reports for April 2009

[bunkerjoe4]

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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

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/misc/progress.gif

[DarkSkies]

Fiished this morning Weds from 3:30-6am. Sent a friend out earlier in the night, maybe he'll come on here and post when he figures out how to download the pics. If not, let me know man and Ill post it for ya. :HappyWave: He got 13 fish total last night, 2 keepers on clams.

I started out earlier in the night looking for something specific, but I couldnt find it, water was too quiet. So I tooka snooze and met up with the new guy later. The bite slowed down then as the water went out, bottom of the tide. Fish were hitting very light. I got my first one by opening the bail and letting it run for a bit, then settin the hook. There was a nice SE wind going on kicking up the bay surface, good for fishin.:thumbsup:

He left and I got a total of 5 before I stopped at sunrise, all fish smalll up to 27". I feel I got thise fish by moving around in that area and looking for deeper water I remembered from previous low tide scouting.

Pics of the sunrise here. If he doesn't post his fish by tomorrow I'll post for him.

6311

6312

6313

[DarkSkies]

We were out last night in the rain. It gradually slowed down and I thought there would be a good bite, but I was wrong. Conditions were almost perfect...a light rain, E/SE wind, a littlechop on the water. Moved afew places, not a tap.

Not a lot of guys out there, didn't hear any positive news. Maybe it was a little too cold, water seemed like it was in the low 40's.

Around 2am a friend left and I went to another flats area. Got 2 small fish between 3-4am clammin, middle of the outgoing. I got these fish the same way as last night, opening the bail when I felt the light hit, then striking after letting them run a bit.

After 4am, no activity for an hour, so I packed it in to go to work.

[Tommy]

fished wed morning raritan bay. caught 11 schoolies two keeepers biggest 30 inches on clams

[DarkSkies]

fished wed morning raritan bay. caught 11 schoolies two keeepers biggest 30 inches on clams

:clapping::clapping: Great post man, and congrats! Tommy's not an internet guy, not proficient at posting and downloading pics, yet!

We met fishin and he told me how hard he was fishin and how many hours he was out each time. The guy loves to fish, would fish ever spare minute if he didn't have to work so much. Only problem...it was in the daytime. So I got him outn at night and he did great. Great report and great pics, man! :thumbsup:

[LennyD]

Last night went to Raritan Bay with DS, checked out 2 places, no bump just rain.
This afternoon ran down to RB again to test ride my new Yak, first when i got there some fog came thru from the ocean, so i picked another location, it was better, i went out , anchored down, then 1/2 hr later got little rough there, + i had to go home, so i called it a day.
Im totally new with yak fishing,but i wanna go for the "BIG" ones this year.
This is my Yak! (without my seat + all the other toys)


http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5743/sspx0201z.jpg (http://img27.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sspx0201z.jpg)

[LennyD]

if anyone has a fishfinder for kayaks for sale, let me know.
Thanx

[SharkHart]

I crushed them in the backwaters of SNJ before the wind got stupid and then the rain came too. Most fish were 21-27" but i plucked out a nice 31" I was wading in up to pocket and it felt chilly (water) but not crazy, id guess 47-49ish maybe, this on a shallow flats type area. all on plastics. Wanted to see what would happen on the outgoing but rain and hard wind came before the tide switched but had i stocked trout earlier my back couldnt take anymore anyway :eek:

[ledhead36]

Fished RB last night. Started out slow, but after a few hours had two shorts.

[DarkSkies]

Lenny, like the yak, nice setup! I see you had 2 rodholders instaled on the back, good deal. :thumbsup: Wait till you get towed around by a bigger fish, you won't be able to think of anything else, your work will suffer, family life will suffer, all for the yak addiction. :laugh:






I crushed them in the backwaters of SNJ before the wind got stupid and then the rain came too. Most fish were 21-27" but i plucked out a nice 31" I was wading in up to pocket and it felt chilly (water) but not crazy, id guess 47-49ish maybe, this on a shallow flats type area. all on plastics. Wanted to see what would happen on the outgoing but rain and hard wind came before the tide switched but had i stocked trout earlier my back couldnt take anymore anyway :eek:

Nice, SH! I went down SJ last night to fish with a friend there, our goal was a "clam-free" night. :D We were throwin smaller stuff, saw some bait around, shrimp and spearing, bass would pop every now and then, but the water was colder where we were, around 43. They were sluggish. I only managed one short on a white tsunami shad, still a nice night.

Did you notice that wind shift, first was E/SE, and then shifted to the N for awhile, and then back?

[SharkHart]

oh man I wish i knew you were in the area. YEah it was gradually coming around into our face more north and brought in a ton of water. But once the rain started it was also being pushed into our face.

They come into a few areas hard down there early season but some other good spots they dont come into later.

[cowherder]

fished wed morning raritan bay. caught 11 schoolies two keeepers biggest 30 inches on clams

Nice fish Tommy. The one in front looks fat! I fished some clams after work. In the back of raritan bay. I got one fish 26" but like you said Dark the hit was only a light tap. Where are the big cows? :drool:

[Finaddict]

WTG guys, I am glad the fish are starting to show up for you all.:clapping:

[DarkSkies]

Yeah, it's just getting warm enough for them to get in the spawn cycle here. The water temk keeps fluctuating up here though, so you gotta put the time in.

Finaddict, what have the water temps been down by you? Up here I see a few degrees change makes all the difference in the world. I check that water temp on the site 3x/day. How about you, do you notice anything similar?

[storminsteve]

Last night I fished clams in the back of Raritan bay till 1am. 2 runts, biggest was 25".

[amboyangler]

Hit up about 5 different spots out back tonight and all I had to show for it was 1 measley little skate who swallowed a whole clam. The strong NW winds were almost unbearable except for one spot that faced directly opposite of the wind. Hope you guys did better than I did. Tomorrow another day and by 8 PM the winds should be back down to about 5 MPH.

[DarkSkies]

Hit up about 5 different spots out back tonight and all I had to show for it was 1 measley little skate who swallowed a whole clam. The strong NW winds were almost unbearable except for one spot that faced directly opposite of the wind. Hope you guys did better than I did. Tomorrow another day and by 8 PM the winds should be back down to about 5 MPH.


Hey, Amboy, out fishin in 40mph winds, at least you were tryin! :fishing: I wanted to come out lookin for ya's but was stuck at a lame reunion. The only clam we saw was when a woman in her 40's, thinking she was in her 20's, :rolleyes: was bent over a table for about 15 minutes in conversation without realizing she was giving the clam some air. Or maybe she did realize it and was lookin for some reunion action. :D

Nice effort guys, IMO the wind pushed too much water out of the bay at low tide yesterday. You'll gettum next time. :thumbsup:

[wish4fish]

Hit up about 5 different spots out back tonight and all I had to show for it was 1 measley little skate who swallowed a whole clam. The strong NW winds were almost unbearable except for one spot that faced directly opposite of the wind. Hope you guys did better than I did. Tomorrow another day and by 8 PM the winds should be back down to about 5 MPH.

not us dude, water was skinny so we fished by an inlet that wind was crazy fierce, lol! couldn't do squat, only one tap all night. water is warm so maybe tonight will be better

[Tommy]

Fished r b friday evening , one keeper 30 inches. Three schoolies . It was blowing , but not too cold.

[DarkSkies]

Fished r b friday evening , one keeper 30 inches. Three schoolies . It was blowing , but not too cold.

Nice goin Tommy, hooked on the nite bite! :clapping:

[chas527]

fished r.b. last night bunker all over but no fish under them.

[DarkSkies]

fished r.b. last night bunker all over but no fish under them.

Nice chas, at least you were out there. :thumbsup: I was out last night from 12-5am RB, had almost the same experience you had. I wanted to see if a few colder water places had opened up yet, did some driving.

The wind was brisk at times, shifted back and forthe between SW and W.

Eventually found bunker, man were they big! Horsebunker.:wow: I snagged a few, livelined one or 2. Nothing, even put on a bloody chunk, nothing. It was amazing to see the sizes of some of the schools as they maneuvered in and out. Everything was quiet till 3am, just bunker, when all of a sudden about a dozen jumped out of the water. I knew there hadda be some bass under them, but there were none for me. :skunk:

Moved on to a shallower spot, tried my luck till 5am, bunker and clams, not a tap. Out again tonight hopefully.:fishing:

[LennyD]

Yesterday evening hit RB, fished incoming and a little bit of outgoing tide.
Had some bites on the incoming tide, but as the wind died out, so does the bites too.
Managed only 1 short
I saw birds from the distance to dive into the water few times.
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/2426/sspx0208.jpg (http://img26.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sspx0208.jpg)

[LennyD]

THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE HOW PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR TRASH BEHIND!
:devil:

http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/7352/sspx0207.jpg (http://img54.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sspx0207.jpg)

[DarkSkies]

^^ Keep at it Lenny, I see a 30# in your future. ;)

[LennyD]

^^ Keep at it Lenny, I see a 30# in your future. ;)

Thanx, i hope that future is not far.
Im sure it will happen soon.:fishing:

[Tommy]

Fished R B , bunkers are in. Also big bluefish !!! Sorry guys...

[DarkSkies]

^^ Yeaah Tommy, I heard they were here on Sunday, but couldn't confirm that report from more than one source. But they were in the back in the daytime yesterday, chomping lines, and eating bait, up to 10 lbs.

Good intel, Tommy gets the credit. :clapping:

Last year I think they showed up around April 10, around April 14 the year before. Getting earlier and earlier every year for the yellow eyed demons. Time to take the kids out fishin, what kid doesn't love catchin bluefish? :thumbsup: :viking:

[LennyD]

Fished R B , bunkers are in. Also big bluefish !!! Sorry guys...

I don't mind bluefish, i prefer bass but still gives me satisfaction when nothing else happening on the beach.
I personally like to fight with them, its awesome how they attack poppers.
:D

[DarkSkies]

Lenny, I would rather catch bluefish in the 10-15lb class than 24" bass. Not ashamed to admit it. Late in the season when the cows are in Rhody, I start fishin for sharks, and big bluefish at night. Great fight those bluefish, they will bust up your spinning reels. :D


Congrats to the guys who got some nice fish yesterday afternoon, I couldn't make it, but at least a few went home happy! :lookhappy: Right place, right time, wtg! :thumbsup:

[SharkHart]

Bass were churning the water last night in south NJ, we each had double digit cathces on the outgoing on pink and white zooms on a 1/2 jig head. My biggest fish was 27" funny thing is i got 8 fish @27 none bigger

[LennyD]

Fished RB this evening, had a bad feeling about it, no wind no good fishing, at least for me.
Hit 2 spots on incoming, nada.
The bay was like a big lake, perfect for kayak fishing, saw 2 guys out there on a kayak.
Tomorrow is an other day.

[mick2360]

No 4/10 early am report? You guys sleeping in or what? :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

Lenny, hey at least you gave it a shot, there were no superstar catches last night, only a slow pick here and there. :thumbsup:


Mick, there were a lot of guys fishin last night, similar sentiments echoed, too bright, water too calm, many bunker around but no bass. I would be suspicious of a report by anyone who said they killed them big time yesterday unless they were fishin at a trout hatchery. :laugh:

A friend called to tell me it was slow, then he had a hit so hung up. Called back later and he had a giant eel. If you were targeting giant eels, last night was the night to be out! (Hey, in my book an eel trumps a skate, and beats the skunk :D)

Gotta put that time in. On Wednesday when guys killed them in the afternoon towards the end of the incoming, some might have said they were lucky. Maybe so, but some guys are out there 5-7 nights a week, they hit it big 1 or 2 nights out of that, and they deserve it. That particular spot had not given up big fish like that for awhile. One place is hot one night, cold the next. I'm kinda glad things are that way for now.

Even to go out and get skunked, and spend the rest of your night scouting a new place that you never went to before, that's admirable. :clapping: It they caught them every night at the same place, I think I might give up bass fishin, it would be too much like the rocks in moco in May/June. ;)

[chas527]

fished rb last night and again this morning.finally got some fish. got 3 last night one keeper 281/2.and 1 short this morning.it' been awale been out 10 times and got nothing.did any one see that moon last night.it was was something else.

[cowherder]

Nice, chas! I got 2 hits last night, but they were light, no fish. :( I thought it was too calm like Lenny said, and the moon was like a silver charcoal in the sky, very bright. Would you say your fish all came around the same time, or were the hits scattered?

[Mike O]

Went to SH and fished from about 4am to 8am. Made my way from Buglight all the way around the point and did not even see a ripple. It was my 1st time out this season, what a beautiful night. I started talking to a guy when I got back to the parking lot, turns out it was another threader Monty. Nice to meet you Monty. Hope everyone had a healthy winter. Good luck to all this season.

Mike O:fishing:

[surfwalker]

Clammed from 6:30am to about 10:30am this morning (4/10). Water very cold. The only bend in the rod was when I casted. Nothing doing. Just wanted to stay away from the crowds (and the Bass too, I guess). Anyway, it always feels good at the edge.

Happy Trails

[Monty]

Hey Mike, nice meeting you too.
Like you said, was great beeing out there, even without any action.
Will more than likely see you during the season.


Went to SH and fished from about 4am to 8am. Made my way from Buglight all the way around the point and did not even see a ripple. It was my 1st time out this season, what a beautiful night. I started talking to a guy when I got back to the parking lot, turns out it was another threader Monty. Nice to meet you Monty. Hope everyone had a healthy winter. Good luck to all this season.

Mike O:fishing:

[DarkSkies]

fished rb last night and again this morning.finally got some fish. got 3 last night one keeper 281/2.and 1 short this morning.it' been awale been out 10 times and got nothing.did any one see that moon last night.it was was something else.

Nice chas, ya puts in your time ya gets your fish!! :clapping:


I started talking to a guy when I got back to the parking lot, turns out it was another threader Monty. Nice to meet you Monty. Hope everyone had a healthy winter. Good luck to all this season.

Mike O:fishing:

Montys like the guy from the Fugitive, he's everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Only in the dark of night, or maybe he's like the Shadow from the old time TV series. ;)

[DarkSkies]

The only bend in the rod was when I casted. Nothing doing. Just wanted to stay away from the crowds (and the Bass too, I guess). Anyway, it always feels good at the edge.

Happy Trails

"Only bend in the rod was when I casted." :laugh: Hey, that's honesty! I do the same thing man, I get to a spot and the area is spiked with rods, I put plan B or C into action and hit the next spot. I'm motivated to catch, but the peace and quiet is a big thing for me too. :thumbsup:

[wish4fish]

:skunk: nothin but skunk last night dudes. nice goin chaz:thumbsup: dark you gotta get out more and do some fishin!:2flip:

[zev]

couple shorts the other nite on un-weighted pink FinS. water was high and fast. no wind and a big bright moon. top of the out.

[LennyD]

Last night fished Rb. incoming and outgoing, lots of "micro" bites, only managed 2 shorts up to 25".

[cowherder]

I fished rb after the rain this afternoon, clammed one bass 23". Lenny you're right about the micro bites. I thought bunker were in, it was just a small bass. A small bass is better than no bass, I hope we get some bigger ones soon, though.:dribble:

[LennyD]

Lenny you're right about the micro bites. it was just a small bass. :dribble:

Yap, small. i saw a guy pulled out a very small bass, probably not longer than 18"

[chas527]

fished r.b last night beach was pretty crowded. not a tap.saw one short caught.got reel windy about 930.

[storminsteve]

I felt like I was all thumbs last night, fished way back in the Raritan bay. I was throwing fresh juicy clams and no one was coming to dinner. At least I dont feel so bad reading these reports. Maybe this comiing week will be better.

[DarkSkies]

I took the yak out today for a short RB trip. Thought I had it figured out, put in where the W wind was at my back. I thought the land would provide a lee from the wind, it didn't. I only lasted 1/2 hour before I decided it was over.

I did get to scout out some new structure, maybe only five minutes of tossin a shad and towing a red tube. A lot of guys have been out yakkin already, seeing the pics and reports pumped me up. Also made me realize how much I desire a Hobie Mirage drive, those pedals really make a difference. :drool:

For those guys just gettin into it, paddle yaks are fine. As you take more trips, you'll eventually beg, borrow, or steal the $$ to get a pedal yak, ain't nothin like those babies for fishin current. :dribble:

[wish4fish]

2 rats last nite, windy and choppy, wheres the cows I want to see some big pigs, lol

[DarkSkies]

w4, we seem to be in a slump of 24-27" fish for the RB.

I started early today from deepwater, couldn't jig anything, water still too cold. Then looked to see if bunker were making a home somewhere, no dice on that either. Then I set up in the back of the bay and clamfished for awhile while I threw a bucktail on another pole to deeper water. Nothing despite my desperately chumming with a dozen fresh smashed clams along with mine. :fishing:

Time for a change of plans! Bluefish chomping bunker, ya know there's gotta be a few bass around when that happens. :thumbsup: I'm on the hunt for big bluefish! :dribble:

[DarkSkies]

Only one fish caught last night by me in a spot I knew about but not totally familiar with. Somewhere short of 28", put it back in the cold water. I tried to make my report as general as possible this time.

The good part of the story was meeting some new guys, and intense conversations about spot burning, why it's effed up, why the sites who don't take it seriously in the posts should take it more seriously, what it means to pay your dues and learn by putting your time in, and the realization that there seem to be less giant bass around for the surfcaster.

One of these guys got and released 2 fish in the 50+ inch range as recently as 5 years ago, and hasn't come close to that since. The details he told me convinced me he did make those catches.


The bad part of the story is these guys schooled me. They were honorable about it, and even offered to let me fish near them, but I didn't want to mug them. So I stubbornly refused their help. :beatin: They did tell me to move into their spot when they were leaving. Dudes, thanks, sorry I was so stubborn.

I told them it was the same water, we were only 200' away. Turns out when they left there was a nice feature to their spot, and they had a nice pick of bass to 31" baitfishin. The water was very cold, I would say low 40's, but fish were relatively active, though soft hitters.


We have a noreaster forecast for today and the next few days, guys. The earliest it's predicted to straighten out is Thur. I would say if anyone is climbing the walls to get a nice fish, now would be a great chance to do it. If the winds do go to 20mph tonight, that would kill it.

If winds stay around 13mph or below, that's fishable!! Tight lines, guys! :wheeeee:

[wish4fish]

If winds stay around 13mph or below, that's fishable!! Tight lines, guys! :wheeeee:

you said it bra, when the wind is noeast the fish will be beasts! i was out last night and only got 2 small bass, they were like kindergarten bass, lol

[hookset]

Went out early this morning to the RB. Got :skunk:

[zev]

last 2 hrs of out produced nothing but some kind of fish flying strait outta the water and strait down, these fish were 8-10lbs, and it was 50 yards away from the closest structure. we tried to figure out wut they wanted and we threw the bag at em but they were no interested. so we left , frustated and made our way to the old incoming spot. we strapped on some big black bombers and as soon as the tide started to get going, we nailed 5 fish to 24" and lost a bunch more. i think they wanted yellow bombers at dusk and black at night. probably woulda landed a lot more if i had anymore blurples. water temp was 52 niiiice

do carp breach? like whole bodies out of the water. and what kind of bait could they have been after?

i tried everything. pink fins, sluggos, baby bunker rattles, bunker storm shads, white twisters, black worms. ....:don't know why:

[Tommy]

Was out fishing today. Fished RB , two schoolies on worms.:fishing:

[LennyD]

Fished Rb. last night,incoming tide,slow bites,wind died down later, got 2 short, they were short, 22"

[DarkSkies]

Fished hard last night with some friends 10-4am. Water was cold, I would estimate in the low 40's where we were. Consistent 12-17mph NE blow for most of the incoming. Later it died out and shifted to SW, then W, became easier to fish. Fished a few spots, one with current, some light hits but no hookups. Needed 4 oz to hold there. It was like they were just mouthing the bait, no committment even when you gave them a little slack, using ff rigs.

There weren't a lot of people out, the weather report must have kept them home. :scared: We did meet someone I haven't seen in awhile, nice bumpin into ya, thanks for the heads up! :HappyWave:

We ended up fishing another productive spot, the 4th one we moved to, until 4am, only 2 oz needed to hold. No signs of the usual bait that had been there, though they were around, no feeding activity like there had been, colder water may have had something to do with it.

We gave it our best shot, I had high hopes for last night, but that's fishin. ;)

[DarkSkies]

Was out fishing today. Fished RB , two schoolies on worms.:fishing:


Fished Rb. last night,incoming tide,slow bites,wind died down later, got 2 short, they were short, 22"


Nice goin guys! I know you fished a lot of hours in the past few days. :clapping:

[DarkSkies]

do carp breach? like whole bodies out of the water. and what kind of bait could they have been after?

i tried everything. pink fins, sluggos, baby bunker rattles, bunker storm shads, white twisters, black worms. ....:don't know why:

Zev, could have been carp if the water temps are higher where you were, it's crazy when they're spawning and crashing. I never was able to catch a spawning carp during that time. Some guys use trebles in the Passaic for the carp and gizzard shad in May, that's the only way I've seen it done.

It's cool when the spawn happens, you can see hundreds of carp rolling around, good sight to take the kids to see! Maybe a fly fisherman could nail one or 2, but as for us, not a chance in hell.

Nice to see anyway, it's freaky seeing all those bodies crash out of the water, ain't it? :wow:

Reminded me of the Asian carp in the Midwest rivers, they're infesting the whole country!
Check out the slo-mo action at 1:20 :wheeeee:

EdqXcr1WysQ

[gjb1969]

well were to start wind sucked cold sucked no bait around at but we kept fishing we had a few small bumps no hook ups had some bunker hit our lines gave us false hopes but it was ok we got out and fished hard it just needs to warm up for me the cold i just cant enjoy fishing in my knees just cant take that anymore once they go its over no one can say we dont fish hard 14 hrs of fishing in the cold hardcore crazy yes love what we do yes hey dark we got go down to a few spots in cj and sj let me know tite lines and good fishin to all:fishing:

[amboyangler]

well were to start wind sucked cold sucked no bait around at but we kept fishing we had a few small bumps no hook ups had some bunker hit our lines gave us false hopes but it was ok we got out and fished hard it just needs to warm up for me the cold i just cant enjoy fishing in my knees just cant take that anymore once they go its over no one can say we dont fish hard 14 hrs of fishing in the cold hardcore crazy yes love what we do yes hey dark we got go down to a few spots in cj and sj let me know tite lines and good fishin to all:fishing:

couldnt have said it better myself lol... it was some good exercise for me.... damn back spazms were killing me though

[storminsteve]

Fished the back of Raritan Bay tonight, the incoming tide. I got one short bass on clams about 2 hours after dark, nothing else, no other hits all night.

[gjb1969]

well its a start keep going the big girls will come:fishing:

[zev]

1st keeper of the season 2nite! black bombers on the incoming. wind was pushing the water on top but no current. then the wind stoped and the current started. just as i was thinkin to myself"its now or never" 2 in a row. 1st was 24" and the next a 28". i thought i would be into fish after that but it didnt happen.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2886/s7000664.jpg
http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/9262/s7000670.jpg

[DarkSkies]

no one can say we dont fish hard 14 hrs of fishing in the cold hardcore crazy yes love what we do yes hey dark we got go down to a few spots in cj and sj let me know tite lines and good fishin to all:fishing:


couldnt have said it better myself lol... it was some good exercise for me.... damn back spazms were killing me though

Amboy, the DS weight loss plan has officially started! ;) I chunked up over the winter and will lose about 15lbs in the next 60 days just by walkin at night to different spots. I think we could get ya to lose 10 without too much trouble. :thumbsup:

You guys put in some crazy hours that day, the fish just weren't there like they had been. Now you have some new places to try when the conditions are right. The new moon should bring some good results, don't give up hope.

[DarkSkies]

1st keeper of the season 2nite! black bombers on the incoming. wind was pushing the water on top but no current. then the wind stoped and the current started. just as i was thinkin to myself"its now or never" 2 in a row. 1st was 24" and the next a 28". i thought i would be into fish after that but it didnt happen.

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/2886/s7000664.jpg
http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/9262/s7000670.jpg



WTG man, congrats!! I know you put in your time. People may not realize that you're fishin a lot more than you're catchin, always tryin out new spots and doing the legwork. That pays off on nights like last night, you deserved that fish!

As for a sustained bite after you caught those, most of the stuff Ive been hearing is a fish here and there lately. I would be suspicious of a report where someone said they pulled in fish after fish, double digit catches, unless they were fishin a channel from a boat, or in a back bay area where temps were higher than all other places, or bass were feeding heavily on bunker or herring.

Zev, do you have a rough estimate of the water temps where you were last night?

[cowherder]

:clapping: Beautiful fish Zev! I like the bombers but didn't know they would work now, I thought the water had to be hotter. I guess I have a lot to learn.:learn: I fished rb this morning, some bunker came in and I snagged one and chunked it, but nothing happened. That's fishing!

[zev]

water temps by me are 50-51-52 depending on how the day went; sun, rain, overcast....

bombers have never let me down. i changed colors wen one isnt working and i can usually dial them in. still havent caught one on the pink or chartruese bomber tho. been stickin with black a salts, blurple long A, yellow a salts. the only time i will go smaller is wen i use a 5" swim shad by storm or tsunami in bunker pattern or green

[hookset]

wtg, Zev! :clapping:

[surfwalker]

zev, nice ones, on plugs- nice. Threw some salted clams as I walked out front this morning. Constant waves, stong current, heavy undertow, water seemed a little off color. Wind was out of the west, maybe 7mph. Water felt cool, but it's almost there. Saw nothing at all caught, me-Nice Day.

[hookset]

Nice fish zev, hardly anyone is catching fish on plugs now, you must have the magic touch! :thumbsup:

[paco33]

I fished 2-5pm today in Raritan Bay, fresh clams :skunk:. Beautiful day, healthy looking fish zev. :thumbsup:

[plugaholic]

Out front today, LBI area. The waves were a little rough and I thought I might clam up a striper or 2. No dice, however it was a sunny day. It was a great chance to be out. Zev, that's a nice fish you got.:clapping:

[surfwalker]

Did the walk this morning out front. Picked up 4 Bass on pearl shad, nothing on teaser. Quite a few hits, light, lethargic. One was a little over 28 in. All looked nice and healthy, great to see. Most of the bait people were pulling in skates.

Happy Trails

[DarkSkies]

That's shad-tastic, man!! Nothing like a shad for early season bass, WTG! :clapping:

[storminsteve]

Great to finally hear a report from the surf side, surfwalker. :thumbsup: I fished this morning in the back of raritan bay, one small dink on clams, barely felt the hit. I guess they will be soft hitting until the water warms up? I checked the water temperatures on the raritan bay gauge on the front page here. They're up to 57 degrees, can the blitzes be far behind? Have you heard any reports of bluefish blitzes yet, anyone?

[wish4fish]

rb 2 shorties before sunup 1 at 3am, 1 at 5am, slow bite, clams

[LennyD]

took my kayak out today, tried various locations, NADA!!!

[SharkHart]

late report- got out thursday night in cnj backwaters, after a slow start found them popping good with 95% out of casting range :scared: but i did pick 5 fish, slots and a keeper, missed 2 more next stop. At least for me i am finding better fish this spring then last year, many slots and a few keepers with very few schoolies or rats which seemed common last few springs. they cant all be cows ill take it.

[DarkSkies]

they cant all be cows ill take it.


I hear ya,man. A fish is a fish is a fish.

[hookset]

Fished the back of raritan bay from 4-8 tonight. There were some bunker around, but not many so I used clams. I got 2 bass close to keeper but no cigar they fell a little short. A guy about 50 feet away from me got a bass that must have gone 20 pounds, boy was he happy. The sunset was beautiful and it was great to be out there.

[gjb1969]

well it was a nice sunday fished a few places there were some guys fish out giveing it a shot it was slow had bunker and clams fished both a big fat zero we did not fish till the next day but we were out there for a while the last spot of the night was back in the river aa cast out not 5 min reel was singing but no go but its just the start so we will be back tite lines and good fishin to all :fishing:

[amboyangler]

well it was a nice sunday fished a few places there were some guys fish out giveing it a shot it was slow had bunker and clams fished both a big fat zero we did not fish till the next day but we were out there for a while the last spot of the night was back in the river aa cast out not 5 min reel was singing but no go but its just the start so we will be back tite lines and good fishin to all :fishing:

that new spot needs further investigation..... Best hit that I've had or seen all season.... I had the damn fish until I got tangled up with the other line and let some slack on it... had to be a 30 plus pounder from the feel of it.... Rich, I think we found them.... hit me up if you plan on going out soon.... :dribble:

[DarkSkies]

Good work on the scouting G and AA, rivers have been colder except waaaay in the back. At least you had one quality fish on for a bit. Some nicer fish will be feeding in the next few days with this moon cycle. You'll gettum next time. :thumbsup:

[storminsteve]

I fished raritan bay before sunrise, one little guy, 22", clams. It was a little foggy out.

[LennyD]

Fished the river yesterday evening, got a 38" bass, after the picture she was released! nice fight!
http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/9679/48295318.jpg (http://img406.imageshack.us/my.php?image=48295318.jpg)

[DarkSkies]

wtg Lenny! :clapping::clapping:

[wish4fish]

Some nicer fish will be feeding in the next few days with this moon cycle. You'll gettum next time. :thumbsup:


nice fish, Len-duuuuuuuuude!!!!:clapping::clapping::clapping:
yeah well it wasnt no moon cycle last night, one baby bass and that was it, bro where are the bigger fish?:D

[WetSideShawn]

Fished Monday during the blow Jay fished from 11am-730pm got 4 keeprs and a bunch of shorts. I went after school and got a few shorts and got bit off:(.

[LennyD]

Fished RB. this evenin on incoming, used herring and clams, nada. then i went to another place, by sunset the bunkers moved in, snaged a few, no fish under them.

[wish4fish]

Fished Monday during the blow Jay fished from 11am-730pm got 4 keeprs and a bunch of shorts. I went after school and got a few shorts and got bit off:(.

bleeeeeeeeeeeeeewfissssssh!!!:D got one small bass this morning on worms, water was like dead.

[zev]

fished the outgoing tonite. water was flat and moving fast. it was dark out there! plenty of swirls and a couple pops but only one fish at 26" ate a black bomber
http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1110/april232009.jpg

[cowherder]

Nice fish zev, on the artificials no less! I fished rb for 2 hours before sunrise. The bunker came in, I couldn't get any bass. One light hit on a bunker piece, though no hookups. Lenny nice fish, did you get it on bunker or clams?

[surfwalker]

Walked out front early am- shads/plugs-some light bumps-Nice Day.

[storminsteve]

Nice fish zev, on the artificials no less! I fished rb for 2 hours before sunrise. The bunker came in, I couldn't get any bass. One light hit on a bunker piece, though no hookups. Lenny nice fish, did you get it on bunker or clams?

I had a good night last night cowherder, probably the best all season, though no keepers. I saw the bunker too and couldn't get anything with freshly snagged bloody pieces.:burn: I had clam on one pole and it kept getting hit. I ended up using the dozen clams I had and caught 7 bass to 24". They must have been the same year class because they were roughly all the same size. One fish swallowed the clam and circle. I cut the hook and it was bleeding, it probably died. It was great action, all around the end of the tide from 11-1am in the back of Raritan bay. Lenny that's a very nice fish, about how many pounds would you estimate it weighed?

[LennyD]

Nice fish zev, on the artificials no less! I fished rb for 2 hours before sunrise. The bunker came in, I couldn't get any bass. One light hit on a bunker piece, though no hookups. Lenny nice fish, did you get it on bunker or clams?

Live herring:)

[LennyD]

Lenny that's a very nice fish, about how many pounds would you estimate it weighed?

17 - 18 lb

[LennyD]

Took my kayak out in RB by Cliffwood B. yesterday afternoon, i hooked up my 1st bluefish of the season, but those bloody teeth cut the line, nice fight though. It was around 8Lb. Got him on a bunker chunk.
Here is some pix.

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/593/dsc03947k.jpg (http://img168.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03947k.jpg)
http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/635/dsc03948b.jpg (http://img2.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03948b.jpg)

[LennyD]

Went out this morning again at the same location, hoped i ran into bunker, didnot happen.
nada!
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/2594/dsc03950.jpg (http://img441.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03950.jpg)
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/2103/dsc03952.jpg (http://img441.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03952.jpg)

[DarkSkies]

Went out this morning again at the same location, hoped i ran into bunker, didnot happen.
nada!
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/2594/dsc03950.jpg (http://img441.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03950.jpg)
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/2103/dsc03952.jpg (http://img441.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc03952.jpg)


Incredible sunrise pic with your kayak at the bottom, man. :drool: I was out before sunrise this am, tried some shads where there was current, :skunk:

[clamchucker]

I started at 4 this morning and fished IBSP for 2 hours. One short on clams. A few guys I know have been getting them before sunup. Nothing big, a slow pick. It's good to get going again.

[ledhead36]

Fished nomoco last night had one short.

[chas527]

fished sandy hook friday morning got 5 small stripers on clams. fish r.b at night got 12 two keepers one 36 inches close to 20 lbs. fished last night same place at r.b got nothing not even a hit. beach was packed wit people fishing. didn't see one fish caught.

[voyager35]

There was a decent bite last night in the Raritan bay channels. We got two keepers 28 and 34" and had to cut out early. A guy from my marina who stayed all night caught and released over 23 with his party, kept 4 tp 18#, clam bite. This warm weather and water is pushing the bass into action.

[SharkHart]

fished the back of OC last night picked up a 31" and a slot on plastics on the in tide. gorgeous night.

[DarkSkies]

Voyager, glad you had a good bite, shame you couldn't sit the whole tide out. Friends just got back from a RB trip this afternoon. They left at 5 and said the fishin was on fire. Capn Corey of the "Kat-E-Strofic", Tommy and 2 others limited out early today, nice bass to 20#, and a fat tog, maybe 12-14lbs. They got them on clams. The bite is on!!!

Nice work, guys, WTG!! :clapping::clapping:

Maybe Capn Corey will come on here to talk about the day's fishin, in the meantime, some pics:

6476

6477

6478

6479

6480

[skinner]

IBSP got totally skunked:skunk:. I seem to be missing the hot times this year so far.

Those pics of capn Cory are great.

[SharkHart]

look at my jig sticking out of his mouth:clapping:
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll194/SharkHart/stripers-april09005.jpg

we got like 5 bass between 29 and 31 last two nights, lean and thin mostly likely post spawners entering the bays again.

[LennyD]

excellent picture Sharkhart!

[amboyangler]

Just got back from a 9 hour trip out back... caught the whole incoming and the majority of the outgoing.... we came with fresh bunker and clams but would not get a bump... started getting a bit chilly... at high tide the wind seemed like it switched direction and a nice warm breeze covered the beach....not sure if this triggered it but all of a sudden the surf was flooded with bunker..... Thank God one of my buddies was using braided line because he got 3 of those suckers caught on his line..... cut up a chunk, cast out... not 5 second before I catch my seond keeper of the season @ 31 inches..... bait still in tact, I cast that same chunk out bang third keeper of 09 @ 34.... my buddies got their limits too...beautiful nght to be out there.... Even though I have seen it before, its unbelievable how the fish prefer the fresh(still pulsating bait) over store bought fresh bunker.. anyway all I had was my phone on me but was able to take some pics... a bit dark

[LennyD]

nice catch amboyangler, great report.
good to see nice fish!
thanx!

[VSdreams]

Fished RB last night. I saw some keepers being caught but I only got 2 shorts.

[DarkSkies]

WTG, Amboy!!! (the night I didn't make it was a good night, that's fishin:D) You put in your time, man. I have never heard of a trip out where you spent less than 6-9 hours hittin it hard, you deserve those fish, congrats! :clapping::thumbsup:


For people who don't know Amboy, he fishes till he drops, one night last Oct or Nov he spent 23 hours in cold and windy conditions wating for the only fish caught that day, a 20-25 class bass that he won an American Pride Bait and tackle tournament with. :clapping:

[wish4fish]

dudes last nite was a bluefish party, rb in rhe back. the choppers were big and nasty, i got over 20 8lbs or more, lost 3 pencils, no bass but the teeth were chopping.:scared: grats on the keepers amboy, only one bass caught last night where we were by a guy using clams

[plugcrazy]

Nice fish Amboy angler!:clapping::clapping: I fished Ibsp late last night with clams, 3 skates, no bass.

[chas527]

fished sandy hook this morning. got ten shorts and two keepers and one big black fish. great fishing. i'll be there again tomarrow.

[clamchucker]

It looks like the season is shaping up nicely. I got one keeper today before dawn at Island beach. The fish are there, I got 3 shorts as well using clams.

[asbury guy]

32 blues this afternoon and then it became booring. They were eating bunker and baby bass.

[buckethead]

Caught a couple of blues last night.

[amboyangler]

WTG, Amboy!!! (the night I didn't make it was a good night, that's fishin:D) You put in your time, man. I have never heard of a trip out where you spent less than 6-9 hours hittin it hard, you deserve those fish, congrats! :clapping::thumbsup:


For people who don't know Amboy, he fishes till he drops, one night last Oct or Nov he spent 23 hours in cold and windy conditions wating for the only fish caught that day, a 20-25 class bass that he won an American Pride Bait and tackle tournament with. :clapping:


Thanks Rich lol... I believe it was 36 hours in November.. Can't wait till the Fall... To tell you the truth I would trade those fish from last night for a chance at a school of those blues..... :naughty:

[mick2360]

This site is on the move, Rich. You've got some fishermen showing up! :clapping:

[gjb1969]

i am looking for the blues to aa i fished today i got one rat but it was nice and fat so now i just wait till grandma come a calling i know one thing i am going to hit the blues hard this year my plugs are going to take a a @@ whooping and i am going to love it tite lines and good fishin to all :fishing::plastered:

[LennyD]

Hit RB just about sunset, 1st cast = bluefish, 2nd cast = 2nd bluefish, then they were just playing with the lure, no serious hits.

[DarkSkies]

Lenny, lotta short hits out there. Swing it hard and stick em in the eye next time. :viking:


Fished last night and made every googan mistake in the book, in fact I think I invented some more. I had a plan, but got sidetracked.

Lots of short bass and blues around, but I wanted another species. Throwing swimmers, bunker profile plugs, and rubber jigs, got a few taps on the bunker profile, swung, missed.

I knew where I had to be, low tide, waded out to England, wasn't paying attention, got wet. :beatin:

After regrouping & dry clothes, decided to leave with a friend to another spot, hundreds of blues were doing cartwheels there hours before. I figured I could salvage the night for us with some, I was wrong. The water was dead on the ebb where we were.

Lessons for whoever's interested:

Water is significantly warmer in parts of RB, up to 10 degrees warmer. Find that water and look for where the worms live if you can't find bunker, and you'll find fish.

For right now, there is a good late afternoon bite for all 3 species, centered on flood tide in some places. If you're not looking for bass or blues, and don't want to cast 500 times for one beautiful fangfish with the weak mouth, :heart: some guys are gettin them on clams, Ripley's believe it or not!:wow:

We ran into more guys catchin on clams last night than anything else, go figure. When in Rome, do what the Romans do.

Me, I'm working on being an even bigger googan, we should have a googan contest, I'll place in the top 3. :embarassed:

I did spend a little too much time helpin a newbie who was buying tackle in a store. If he reads this, I would add to the advice I gave you - fish with those lures in the late afternooon, clam at other times using a fishfinder rig for your sinker, and you'll catch. Let me know if you hook up, I would like to think I did one thing right last night. :thumbsup:

Next time I won't deviate from the plan when I know it to be agood one. :learn:

[GeoffT]

Maiden voyage in the salt this year. My buddy and I found a spot in RB with not another soul within miles. It was probably the last place anyone expected to have good fishing but we received a tip that made it a good possibility and it was. Water was clean and relatively warm. We started at one hour into incoming with the wind having already turned south, unexpectedly since they were predicting E winds. :don't know why: There was no visible sign of bait or fish so it was all blind casting until we hit the sweet spot. The feisty, hungry blues and the one bass (moi, first SW fish of the year, naturally) cooperated for some great topwater action, mostly on poppers. Oftentimes, they kept swiping and missing the poppers, following them all the way within a yard of the shore before turning away. Good fun stuff. Predictably, the bite shut down after it got dark.

No clam, bunker or worm were harmed in the process. :thumbsup:

[hookset]

Went to RB last night got :skunk:

[chas527]

fished s.h. this morning cool east wind. got eight shorts two blues.and one keeper striper 29 inches. all on clams. would have caught more blues but i didn't feel like jigging.

[SharkHart]

tonight i got quality over quantity, 3 fish over 28" In the back bays behind oc on zooms, had to put in some time however.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll194/SharkHart/bass2.jpg

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll194/SharkHart/bass.jpg

[clamchucker]

Nice work sharkhart. It looks like very clear water where you were fishing. I had a good morning at Ibsp, 2 bass up to 29", and quite a few shorts, all on clams.

[voyager35]

We had a good night in the back of raritan bay, 4 bass, biggest 34". We had almost 20 shorts as well. We were chumming with clam bellies in 10' of water. We also got 2 big bluefish on the clam bait. Go get em guys.

[bababooey]

^^ What he said. I didn't wet the boat yet but was out with a friend in raritan today. We had so many small bass you would think the official figures are underestimated. One small bass went about 17" yet inhaled a clam piece. He got one nice fish 36", the rest were 26-30. We picked up some blues throwing pencil poppers, damn they are feisty!:scared: