And so it begins: Insanity on the beaches ...

[plugginpete]

Who would be happy never to see a spring bliitz again?
Running, casting over each others shoulders, cutting lines, hoo boy!

[fishinmission78]

That's the only way some dudes will get their trophy fish.

[DarkSkies]

Let's talk about some of the insanity that's going on, or will be going in, in the ocean areas as people get that "trophy fish fever" in their heads. I don't imagine we can change it, but it's good to talk about it to raise awareness.

[DarkSkies]

Example 1:
Within the last 4 days, someone took a dump on the lawn or driveway of a Pullman Ave house. I didn't see this personally, but it came from a reliable source.

I don't blame those homeowners for being angry and disgusted with us fishermen. Even though the Public Trust Doctrine
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1044
protects our access to some degree, that's no excuse to disrespect the property of others.

I see things geting worse. They closed that street to parking last year, that's one of the ways for town officials to legally restrict our access in the future. A few days ago I saw police cars giving out tickets to those who disregarded the signs.

If you got examples or stories of people doing stuff like this, put em up.

[vpass]

It kills me to see all the garbage on the beach that is brought on by fisherman. I think to myself that any day now we're going to lose access.

If it was easy to bring the bag of bait on the beach it should be easier to take the empty bag to the nearest garbage pail. We need to practice respecting our environment, and people that can voice their opinions that could cause us to lose our access.

[surferman]

Example 1:
Within the last 4 days, someone took a dump on the lawn or driveway of a Pullman Ave house. I didn't see this personally, but it came from a reliable source.

I don't blame those homeowners for being angry and disgusted with us fishermen. Even though the Public Trust Doctrine
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1044
protects our access to some degree, that's no excuse to disrespect the property of others.

I see things geting worse. They closed that street to parking last year, that's one of the ways for town officials to legally restrict our access in the future. A few days ago I saw police cars giving out tickets to those who disregarded the signs.

If you got examples or stories of people doing stuff like this, put em up.

Things will continue to get worse IMO if we don't let it be known that disrespecting others property is condoned by us. The guy would did the dirty deed should have his MO plastered all over the net. Maybe he'll think twice if people start to slam his behavior.

[GeoffT]

Yes, it's pretty disgusting the behavior of some of these so-called "fishermen". The worst part is that I don't consider bunker blitzes to be real fishing but more like shooting into a barrel.

[madcaster]

You can’t blame just fisherman .There are beach goers’ out there that litter the beaches and park in restricted areas as well.
My friend and I were preparing to head out on Memorial Day to fish when we saw 6 of 7 bags of garbage lying around the parking lot left by beach goers.

[stripermania]

I find that the beach bathers are far worse than the fishermen. We need to keep promoting clean-ups.

Another item to be brought to the forefront is that of keeping shorts. Can't tell you how many times you see guys trying to walk off the beaches with shorts. Is it just because they are ignorant and don't know the rules. I think they don't care and would walk off with more if they could.

[fishinmission78]

You can’t blame just fisherman .There are beach goers’ out there that litter the beaches and park in restricted areas as well.
My friend and I were preparing to head out on Memorial Day to fish when we saw 6 of 7 bags of garbage lying around the parking lot left by beach goers.


:clapping:It's about time someone said something that wasn't only about us on the beach. This weekend on the Island I saw a mother change her baby's diaper and leave it on the beach, ***?

[clamchucker]

Yes, it's pretty disgusting the behavior of some of these so-called "fishermen". The worst part is that I don't consider bunker blitzes to be real fishing but more like shooting into a barrel.

What would you consider 10 boats chasing after a pod of 100 bunker to be, and none of them catching anything because they all overran them, putting it down? I saw that yesterday, and have seen that repeated over and over again in the last few days. I have a boat, and will not take it out on the crowded weekends.

[GeoffT]

What would you consider 10 boats chasing after a pod of 100 bunker to be, and none of them catching anything because they all overran them, putting it down? I saw that yesterday, and have seen that repeated over and over again in the last few days. I have a boat, and will not take it out on the crowded weekends.

I'd call them brainless hacks, especially if it was obvious no fish were harrassing the small pod. :kooky:

[c4charlie]

I saw a boat do the same on Saturday morning. All of the boats were staying away from the pod but then this one Mako boat decided it needed to get to the other side and went right through the edge of the pod and they went down not too much later. I am sure the other boats were pissed.

[DarkSkies]

Since the big girls are officially here, and have been announced in detail in internet tackle store videos with catches, times, dates and locations of every big fish now taken, :kooky: from IBSP to SH. I felt someone should document the insanity and poor behavior, past and present.

I believe we have other threads talking about this, I'll try to link them when I get some time.

Basically, it's a sad story of human behavior. :(

All talk about conservation and respecting the property of others has gone out the window in the last 24 hours. :don't know why:

Most every surf fisherman has big 50# bass on their minds, and no other topic seeems as important as getting that 50 or 60.

God bless, and especially bless those who have the understanding to C&R some of the big girls. :clapping: :thumbsup::thumbsup:

This thread is meant to document some of the insanity, without naming current fishable spots.

If you post up here with a gripe, please try to be general in description if people still are allowed to fish there.

[DarkSkies]

1. St Alphonse's, Long Branch
This story has already been posted here, I'll try to link it when I have time.
Basically we all used to fish down there, and the priests were very nice about it. Then a true gentleman of a fishermen :2flip: ook a crap in the priests' bathroom, got caught, and instead of apologizing, argued with the priest. That access is now closed or restricted to us. Guys cleaning and leaving racks of fish in the trash there might have also angered the priests a little, maybe... :rolleyes:


2. Pullman Ave, Elberon -
Parking restricted because some idiots thought it was OK to park in homeowner driveways, and also leave racks of filleted fish in the homeowner trash there. Homeowners got a little angry over those abuses :burn: and went directly to the Mayor, as I understand it.

There are several more, these are the first 2 that come to my head when I thought about them.

[DarkSkies]

I predict that either one of the popular bridges that people fish or several of the streets leading to oceanfront access will be either restricted from people fishing there, or parking will be eliminated from a street that hasn't had an issue before.

I predict that this will happen by June 1, 2010.

I'm hoping I'm wrong.

I don't want to be right on this one.

However what I and others saw today was sheer insanity. People, especially the fishing public, should have a general sense that you just don't behave that way. Triple parking on a residential street is not an acceptable way of you getting down to the beach to fish. :beatin:

About 1000 fishermen driving along 25 miles of NJ Coast with binocs, all for one or 2 afternoon pods of bunker that didn't have many fish on them today. :kooky:




If I were any of those homeowners, I would not be simply calling the Mayor. I would be visiting him tonight at his house and asking him what I am getting for the high taxes I pay to live there, when there is so much riff-raff parking in my street, that I nor my children, can get to my driveway. :don't know why:

And I can assure you fishermen out there that these conversations will be had in several towns tonight. The next step will be for them to contact the police and enforce the property rights of the homeowners.

Mark my words on this, this will come true.

And then people will whine about it on the internet. :waaah:

[DarkSkies]

If you're down there and see either problems littering, parking, disrespecting property, culling fish, or anything that may affect your fishing access in the future....


Speak up!

You have a voice, use it.

Or call the police and report what you saw over the phone if you don't want the hassle or confrontation.

Don't just talk about it, do something. :learn:

[DarkSkies]

Feel free to post up any examples to add here, as long as you can describe them generically without being too specific. Thanks. :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

There were a few Commercial bunker boats that allegedly killed the action for the Rec guys today. I understand Comms have rights and need to make a living, but in some cases today they came in and interfered with the operations of the party boats. Some others allegedly pushed close enough to some Recs to intimidate them into moving.

That's not fair, right, or good for the reputation the Comms are trying to cultivate with the public. Behavior like this allows the public to point to Comms as greedy, selfish, and not concerned with anything but the dollar. All else be damned. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon13.gif

I also was told by several eyewitnesses that one of the bunker boats out there had a spotter plane it was working with. This is blatantly illegal, but very hard to prove.

The Coast Guard was notified, and for the most part the behavior of the bunker boats was within the statutes. However, that doesn't prevent us from exercising our rights of free speech in pointing out the examples of bad behavior.

Here are some pics Fin took and sent in.

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I'm not making any assessment as to what happened as I wasn't there. However, I invite anyone who's OTW and witnesses poor behavior to take pics and post them up. We can at least try to document some of this stuff for the future.

[DarkSkies]

More pics

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[DarkSkies]

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[DarkSkies]

How about a license to buy some common sense?

Oops. I forgot, ya can't buy common sense, ya either have it, or ya don't. ;)

Real life fishermen OTW today..
I got some great phone reports of fantastic boat fishing from people out there today. I also got to hear some amazing examples of people somewhat lacking in common sense. :don't know why:

It seems the striper interest has reached a fever pitch. The pics of the big fish and the video weigh-ins are causing people who never fished for striped bass in their lives to jump in boats at breakneck speed to get out to where the bass are. The enthusiasm is OK, but some of the people out there apparently aren't interested in doing any research or reading ahead of time about how you actually catch striped bass under these conditions.

Some of the people I know were very candid in their responses to the questions they were asked today... :rolleyes:






1. How do you do this bunker snag thing?
(Asked by someone who cruised over to another boat that was into fish.) The people in question had a pyramid sinker attached to a normal, small size treble hook, and were looking for advice on how to snag with that rig. :kooky:
Answer:
"Go read the Fisherman!"


2. The high low clam rig fishermen in the middle of the bunker blitzes - "Hey, do you know how much weight we should be using with the clams for the striped bass under these bunker?"
(Hopefully after you have fished for more than 24 hours you would learn that when you have bass busting on live bunker, you want to fish what the fish are feeding on, and put the clams away..Apparently not in this case.) :huh:
Answer:
"Yes you have to attach them to your anchor rope with a collar swivel as the anchor gets put down" ;)


3. "How do you fish the graveling hook for bunker?"
Assuming that the person asking the question meant grappling rig, or bunker snag, the
Answer:
"You need to buy a special cannon to shoot it out of, but you have to take a class on that so you don't hit the other boats. You can read about it in this week's Fisherman!"


Apparently, lots of Fisherman magazines will be sold this week! :plastered:

Any of the sharpies out there wanna make a quick grand or so and set up some bunker fishing seminars? http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif

[rip316]

My question is how many bass got netted along with the bunker?

[DarkSkies]

My question is how many bass got netted along with the bunker?

Bass are often under the bunker, Rip, good point. They're supposed to toss them back, but many times they're tossed back dead. Maybe Fin wants to answer that one.

[DarkSkies]

I have a good friend who's able to fish a lot. Sometimes as much as 7 days a week. He's all over the place, he never keeps a bass, and fishes all types of surf zones.

We were talking about the mass hysteria going on now to not only kill every bass you can, but also document every single bass with tackle shop or video weigh ins. He's lived through the moratorium when there were no bass. We admit our bass fishing is like an addiction for us, and have intense discussions about anything today that could affect tomorrow.

He's given up trying to sort it out. He said to me:

"Rich, I hope they kill all the bass. That's the only way we'll ever be able to fish in peace. Then all the dillydocks will stop fishing because they have no clue how to catch a fish. "

I don't know if I agree with his opinion. It seemed a little harsh. Thinking about it, I could definitely understand where he's coming from.

In the past I've talked here about the difference between "wanting" to fish, and "needing" to fish. He, I, and a host of others out there "need" to fish.

We would be miserable if we couldn't. The possibility of catching, the hunt, the challenge, is what drives us. So we would still fish for them even if 90% of all bass were gone. Because we know that 90% of the people would then stop fishing for them.


"Those who do not remember the history of the past are doomed to repeat it." :learn:

[surfstix1963]

Well that just shut down a good day more likely days of fishing.:2flip:

[DarkSkies]

^^Absolutely, Surfstix, but everything was done legally, except for the spotter plane. One of the sad effects of the elimination of the factory bunker boats in NJ. :don't know why:

*******************


I didn't want this to be a thread where all we do is talk about how people suck. There was a thread in the past where I was trying to describe to Jake of Stripercoast :HappyWave:the most common way surf guys in NJ fish for "bunker bass". That method is to sit on a bench, lean against a railing, or hang in your truck with binocs to wait till the bunker and bass are close enough, and then start fishin.

Whatever happened to blind casting?
Well you won't find much of it in NJ during the bunker blitzes. :huh:

Last week I found a guy on some rocks who knows what it is to blind cast. He was far away from the crowds, doing his thing, without a bunker to be seen, trying to catch a bass anyway.

There are those who would say what he was doing was a waste of energy without seeing pods of bunker. :kooky:
I say to those people:
How can you be sure ONE 20, or 30, or bigger, isn't swimming by at this time of year, when the fish are migrating north and there are fish within 1/2 mi of the surf zone? You can't be sure, and this guy was out working his plugs to give it a shot.


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Hat's off to this unknown fisherman. :clapping:
If anyone knows him, tell him to contact me and I'll send him a free plug. :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

Rant:

People so happy and caught up in the moment with their fish that they can't understand that posting an internet or tackle shop pic with houses or key buildings in the background will clue untold amounts of surf fishermen into the last place where you were fishing.

I'm sick of hearing that fish move. Tell that to the smartest :thumbsup: club guys who don't even chase them anymore, they just hang around in their vehicles and on ocean sidewalks waiting for those fish to come in every day.

If you're posting a pic and it has identifiable background, it's a little hypocritical if you then whine like a baby how many people were casting over your head.

Food for thought. :learn:




Rave:
For the guy where I was yesterday, hooked his finger in the morning, went to the hospital, and was back an hour later, trying for his shot at a fish... hardcore. :thumbsup:

[bababooey]

How about a license to buy some common sense?

Oops. I forgot, ya can't buy common sense, ya either have it, or ya don't. ;)

Real life fishermen OTW today..
I got some great phone reports of fantastic boat fishing from people out there today. I also got to hear some amazing examples of people somewhat lacking in common sense. :don't know why:

It seems the striper interest has reached a fever pitch. The pics of the big fish and the video weigh-ins are causing people who never fished for striped bass in their lives to jump in boats at breakneck speed to get out to where the bass are. The enthusiasm is OK, but some of the people out there apparently aren't interested in doing any research or reading ahead of time about how you actually catch striped bass under these conditions.

Some of the people I know were very candid in their responses to the questions they were asked today... :rolleyes:






1. How do you do this bunker snag thing?
(Asked by someone who cruised over to another boat that was into fish.) The people in question had a pyramid sinker attached to a normal, small size treble hook, and were looking for advice on how to snag with that rig. :kooky:
Answer:
"Go read the Fisherman!"


2. The high low clam rig fishermen in the middle of the bunker blitzes - "Hey, do you know how much weight we should be using with the clams for the striped bass under these bunker?"
(Hopefully after you have fished for more than 24 hours you would learn that when you have bass busting on live bunker, you want to fish what the fish are feeding on, and put the clams away..Apparently not in this case.) :huh:
Answer:
"Yes you have to attach them to your anchor rope with a collar swivel as the anchor gets put down" ;)


3. "How do you fish the graveling hook for bunker?"
Assuming that the person asking the question meant grappling rig, or bunker snag, the
Answer:
"You need to buy a special cannon to shoot it out of, but you have to take a class on that so you don't hit the other boats. You can read about it in this week's Fisherman!"


Apparently, lots of Fisherman magazines will be sold this week! :plastered:

Any of the sharpies out there wanna make a quick grand or so and set up some bunker fishing seminars? http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif

You just can't make this stiff up, great examples. We have been running into the same types of people out there, the idiot factor is high. You should see some of them trying to pull into a slip when there is a big swell or it's windy.:bucktooth:

[SharkHart]

Another big problem for Jetty fishing is guys using 8 ft "fall" type rods which are bad for several reasons.

I seen some casting horrors going on this week, the shorter rodsjust dont keep the plugs above other guys noggins and they are launching from a lower trajectory i was wincing all days plugs hummed just a foot over others head. For what ever crazy reason a lot of these guys seem to have a sideways hitch when they cast maybe compenating for the underpower rod and trying for distance. If you are Jetty Jocking anything under 10 ft is way to short.

The other problem going on was when these guys would hook up they couldnt control their bass and they were swimming every which way for too long, now the angler is happy but others if considerate and thats a big IF have to wait and lose precious time that the fish are in range. I was 2 spots next to a guy who had a bass nearly swimming to portugal , he was all smiles and laughs as he fought the fish for an eternity while i wanted to cry because I couldnt cast. Im sure none of this help anything so im just venting really!

[speedy]

Bass are often under the bunker, Rip, good point. They're supposed to toss them back, but many times they're tossed back dead. Maybe Fin wants to answer that one.
i just got off the phone with my freind from fish&game he needs pics of this they have to c&r the bass not kill them he said:burn::burn::burn::burn::burn::burn::burn:

[DarkSkies]

It's kinda hard Speedy, but not impossible. They told me they want specific proof. I spent a few afternoons last year taking video footage of a Comm, but the best I could do was document some minor violations. Not worth it for them to prosecute.

A lot of the boats Fin is talking about have proper permits. The only way to make them disappear is for fishermen to get organized like they did in the 1980's, when guys like Finchaser, Joe Melillo, Surfwalker, and a host of others and Fishing clubs out there all got together and kept at it.

I don't mean to sound cynical, but to get that level of invoilvement from fishermen today might be next to impossible. We Recs can't even make a good % showing at the March on Washington. There are millions of Rec anglers on the US's Coastal Zones, yet only a few thousand showed up to protest regs that affect the rules for everyone.

Today, at this moment, many fishermen are more concerned about when the next wave of big fish will be close and how they can get one. That's the way it is. I don't see that changing much until the majority see the cause and affect between netting the bunker in close and the immediate decline in the fishery after.

Many fishermen out there today aren't old enough to remember what life was like back then, nor do they care. That's what were working with here, although I have many thanks and praise for those who DO care. :thumbsup:

[speedy]

Another big problem for Jetty fishing is guys using 8 ft "fall" type rods which are bad for several reasons.

I seen some casting horrors going on this week, the shorter rodsjust dont keep the plugs above other guys noggins and they are launching from a lower trajectory i was wincing all days plugs hummed just a foot over others head. For what ever crazy reason a lot of these guys seem to have a sideways hitch when they cast maybe compenating for the underpower rod and trying for distance. If you are Jetty Jocking anything under 10 ft is way to short.

The other problem going on was when these guys would hook up they couldnt control their bass and they were swimming every which way for too long, now the angler is happy but others if considerate and thats a big IF have to wait and lose precious time that the fish are in range. I was 2 spots next to a guy who had a bass nearly swimming to portugal , he was all smiles and laughs as he fought the fish for an eternity while i wanted to cry because I couldnt cast. Im sure none of this help anything so im just venting really!
i have 8ft. rods and 9ft. ,some 10ft. they all work fine i am out there right with the other guys my thinking is if it works for ya use it :naughty:

[SharkHart]

Im specifically referring to fishing in crowds and the dangers and ethics, I do understand you will eventually may get your fish in and you are happy but you have to consider if it costs another guy a shot at his. Some just don't know what they dont know there is no way a 8 ft light rod can steer a 30lb class bass around a rip off a jetty tip. If my 10ft heavy lami was groaning to do this how can a light rod.

another thing is A plug clearing another mans head by three feet rather then one is extremely safer, but if you think its all good you might be one of the guys we can never get through to and bunker madness goes on and on.

[speedy]

Im specifically referring to fishing in crowds and the dangers and ethics, I do understand you will eventually may get your fish in and you are happy but you have to consider if it costs another guy a shot at his. Some just don't know what they dont know there is no way a 8 ft light rod can steer a 30lb class bass around a rip off a jetty tip. If my 10ft heavy lami was groaning to do this how can a light rod.

another thing is A plug clearing another mans head by three feet rather then one is extremely safer, but if you think its all good you might be one of the guys we can never get through to and bunker madness goes on and on.
you have to be in it to win it i get a fish i back off so some one can get a crack at it no i am not one for plug shaving it sucks having meat balls casting over your head two deep i back off i dont need to get hooked i am out for fun and yes i have hookedup with a 30lb. bass with my 8 ft. rod and yes my spool was screemingand i landed it too its the fun of it :plastered::plastered::plastered:

[SharkHart]

Its fun for you when your fish is running all over and 2 or 3 guys near by cant cast when the school is range , but why give a crap about them right, There apparently is an I in team when bunker fishing. I give up on this thread.

[finchaser]

Its fun for you when your fish is running all over and 2 or 3 guys near by cant cast when the school is range , but why give a crap about them right, There apparently is an I in team when bunker fishing. I give up on this thread.


Yep the new breed of bass fisherman made by the INTERNET,who follow advice most of the time from people who know less than them. It's getting sickening to watch.Without the bunker 1/2 of them couldn't catch a fish. I personally hate bunker and the insane fever they cause.When the bass are wiped out again all these so called clueless bass fisherman will ask why or blame the commercial guys.
This statement is not aimed at anyone in particular.

[speedy]

Its fun for you when your fish is running all over and 2 or 3 guys near by cant cast when the school is range , but why give a crap about them right, There apparently is an I in team when bunker fishing. I give up on this thread.
i dont cause problems for others like some do the fish was not all over it was in infair time :D

[rip316]

Speedy. you are taking the right route. You are trying your best to be respectful and in the same time trying to have a good time catching fish. I personally can not put myself in that situation. If someone is casting over my head or putting a plug in my waders it is definitely going down. That is why I wouldn't even do it. All I can say to all is catchem up when you can and whatever way you know how to.

[speedy]

Speedy. you are taking the right route. You are trying your best to be respectful and in the same time trying to have a good time catching fish. I personally can not put myself in that situation. If someone is casting over my head or putting a plug in my waders it is definitely going down. That is why I wouldn't even do it. All I can say to all is catchem up when you can and whatever way you know how to.
thank you.....:clapping::clapping::HappyWave::HappyWave:

[hookset]

What would you consider 10 boats chasing after a pod of 100 bunker to be, and none of them catching anything because they all overran them, putting it down? I saw that yesterday, and have seen that repeated over and over again in the last few days. I have a boat, and will not take it out on the crowded weekends.

This morning was like a boaters convention. You would have thought they were giving away free tanks of gas instead of striped bass. Stopped and saw these boats later on, didn't see one bass caught.


some pics

[Monty]

This morning was like a boaters convention. You would have thought they were giving away free tanks of gas instead of striped bass. Stopped and saw these boats later on, didn't see one bass caught.

I have a totally different appreciation of fishing that excludes crowds and doesn't include the snag and drop.
I just don't understand the "lure" of that type of fishing.
And then the concern I have for the dwindling Striper breeding stock. If they did start catching and killing would I be happy for them? No.
Thanks for the pics Hookset

[CharlieTuna]

I used to live in Jersey and we never had parking lots like that so close to shore. That looks to be about 1/4 mile off. All because of the bunker blitzes that you folks are into? Unbelievable.:kooky:

[wish4fish]

hookset thats just stupid i heard there were not a lot of fish caught on sat anyway. all that waiting for what

[storminsteve]

This is the attitude of a lot of guys out there, In Ristori's column Friday.


"Capt. Chris De Stefano of Wall said his son got into lots of big bass off Spring Lake this morning but was upset about the lack of releases of those large females by some boaters."

[finchaser]

this is the true beginning of the end which is getting closer as each day and blitz end, the bunker will truely be the demise of the bass

[finchaser]

Yes, it's pretty disgusting the behavior of some of these so-called "fishermen". The worst part is that I don't consider bunker blitzes to be real fishing but more like shooting into a barrel.

It makes them all pro from a no skill method to me they are a bunch of losers

[skinner]

It makes them all pro from a no skill method to me they are a bunch of losers

X2

[williehookem]

This is the attitude of a lot of guys out there, In Ristori's column Friday.


"Capt. Chris De Stefano of Wall said his son got into lots of big bass off Spring Lake this morning but was upset about the lack of releases of those large females by some boaters."


this is the true beginning of the end which is getting closer as each day and blitz end, the bunker will truely be the demise of the bass


It makes them all pro from a no skill method to me they are a bunch of losers


I got a text this morning saying its on in jersey. *** should I get out of work early, cross bridges and tunnels, and speed 80mph to get my May trophy? :kooky:there will be bigger fish in M in 4 weeks. What I don't understand is why the guys stand around and don't even try to fish until someone else is hooked up. Is that really fishing?

[Monty]

I got a text this morning saying its on in jersey. *** should I get out of work early, cross bridges and tunnels, and speed 80mph to get my May trophy? :kooky:there will be bigger fish in M in 4 weeks. What I don't understand is why the guys stand around and don't even try to fish until someone else is hooked up. Is that really fishing?
I do not consider it fishing. I would and do avoid it, no interest in even trying to be part of that mess.

[CharlieTuna]

^^^ I'll never understand that kind of fishing. We didn't do it when I lived in New Jersey because we didn't have the bunker coming in close like you folks do now. I believe that is a relatively recent phenomenon.

[BassBuddah]

Charlie they do the same thing at mecca but it isn't that pronounced. There are those of us who will fish no matter what. the spyglass crowd will always be looking over our shoulder. I don't know if you can do much about it. Sign of the times.

[nitestrikes]

BB some of these binoc guys are fat and out of shape. They wouldn't last 5 minutes hopping rocks at M.

[DarkSkies]

Speedy had a funny take on it when I was talking to him the other day...he called them "Waiters".
I thought I didn't understand, thought he meant "Waders"...

He said...."No dude, it's WAITERS! The guys too lazy to actually fish until someone is hooked up, sitting there with the binocs, they WAIT till someone else hooks up and come running down, they are WAITERS! "

Great word Speedy. :HappyWave:

[storminsteve]

He said...."No dude, it's WAITERS! The guys too lazy to actually fish until someone is hooked up, sitting there with the binocs, they WAIT till someone else hooks up and come running down, they are WAITERS! "

Great word Speedy. :HappyWave:

:clapping: :clapping: :clapping: :clapping: Awesome Speedy!!!!!!!

[baitstealer]

Don't forget the boat guys. Last year I was fishing near the rocks in moco and this capt came within 100' of us to fish. Unbeleivable!
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[DarkSkies]

Epic Fishing - What does it mean to You??

I have seen this term thrown around so loosely lately that I have to confess it gets irritating to me.
....IMO one of the most over-hyped terms in usage for Saltwater fishing
I thought I would ask for opinions here......How do you define it?

Is it
Quantity of fish
Quality of fish
Duration of the bite
Can bluefish be mixed in with bass for it to be epic, or does it have to be pure bass?......Why??

Or...is it being all by yourself, away from crowds. and managing the most fish you have all season, in one night....until your arms are tired....What I'm getting at here...is how and what it is...that causes you to define a "good" trip as something more than that....what makes it epic?




Would love to hear you peoples' thoughts and opinions......thanks :HappyWave:

[surfstix1963]

Duration/ all day blitzes on miles of beach, fish are fish get over the striper thing blues will eff you up better then any bass that swims.

[seamonkey]

Duration/ all day blitzes on miles of beach, .

I have never seen an all day blitz. The best was like 3 hours. You must of been fishing a long time to see that. thanks for sharing

[hookset]

Can bluefish be mixed in with bass for it to be epic, or does it have to be pure bass?......Why??




Has to be pure bass. Most guys who have custom lamis, Zeebasses, and the most expensive surf gear have no interest in blues. Ever see how they kick them back into the water from the sand and don't bother waking the extra 20 feet to put them in? Bass are the only thing that matters to the coolest of the cool. Go on facebook epic is pasted on the top of every report where they got more than 10.

[buckethead]

Duration/ all day blitzes on miles of beach, fish are fish get over the striper thing blues will eff you up better then any bass that swims.


I have never seen an all day blitz. The best was like 3 hours. You must of been fishing a long time to see that. thanks for sharing

What surfstix said. Blitzes that lasted days and even for a week at a time. Not tall tales just true recollections. The blitzes today are nothing. The spriing bunker blitzes can last for hours but I tend to avoid them because of the type of fisherman they attract. There used to be real blitzes where your arms would get tired. You would go to the 7-11 for coffeee and then come back for some more at night. The duration is the thing that has been appreciably less.

[finchaser]

Access problems for surfcasters 2014

1) Less Fish
2) More fisherman as other species have shorter seasons
3) Access issues
4) Facebook liars, braggers and just plain idiots

[storminsteve]

3) Access issues
4) Facebook liars, braggers and just plain idiots

I agree with all but think these 2 will give the most problems

[fishinmission78]

Facebook liars, braggers and just plain idiots

this is the worst offense no doubt did anyone see the latest facebook photo on surfcasters inc? There are dozens of comments laughing about the camraderie and the fun they had fishing together. jmo but looks about as much fun as hanging out at a gay bathhouse. not for me thats for sure.

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[Monty]

They might as well be fishing a pond elbow to elbow.
Not for me in any way.


this is the worst offense no doubt did anyone see the latest facebook photo on surfcasters inc? There are dozens of comments laughing about the camraderie and the fun they had fishing together. jmo but looks about as much fun as hanging out at a gay bathhouse. not for me thats for sure.

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[jigfreak]

may 23 2014

[finchaser]

They are here let the insanity start back to no fishing on weekends

Just watched a fisherman get pushed out of his spot by surfers on the web cam:2flip:

[hookset]

June 4. Needle in a haystack.

[finchaser]

A picture from today's intel Bucket head where are you

[buckethead]

Finchaser I was off to the side. Some of the younger guys saw us catching fish and came running down like the calvary soldiers from WWII. I am too old to play games with those folks and just moved on. I kept walking looking for large concentrations of bait while many of the others were looking for blitzes with binoculars. After moving a bit I found some more fish and kept doing that so I was on the periphery. A lot of my fish were taken by blind casting. I did just as well or better than some of the younger folks literally running up and down the beach to follow the bunker. There was other bait under the surface. Ended up fishing next to 2 young Spanish or Mexican gentlemen. What impressed me is with all the good fishing going on they only left with 3 nice fish between them. Some of the club members I saw had a few fish laying around on the beach, possibly more than their limit. I feel there is some culling going on by some fishing club members and it should be addressed by their Presidents. I try to walk away as it sickens me to see it. I am too old to fight these young Vikings. I would rather catch fish on the edge than be in the midst of the mayhem.

Congratulations on your fish as well. I am impressed with your 45lb bass and have enjoyed your reports here for years. My 26, not so much although it was a good fish to me. I remember the old days at Giglios when a 26 would rarely cause a raised eyebrow because many of the "nice" fish weighed in were much bigger. Those were the days.

[finchaser]

^^^Great job I must know you I use to go to giglio's when Art was there.

Yes the younger generation are all about blitz and cell phone fishing . I am not into that commando fishing either. It's amazing how us old folks still show respect for the sport, people and the fish. Many of them don't realize we taught them what they know not what we know. Anyway great catching the 26 from the beach is a greater achievement to me then a 45 from a boat:thumbsup:

[SharkHart]

I am never cold when I am catching fish thats the key!

Anyone see this photos from today floating around facebook, truly amazing 19074

[jigfreak]

Yeah I agree. Catching brings your adrenaline level up. Cold dont matter if you are into some nice fish. Saw that fb pic as well. Ocean county has turned into a zoo with not much to show for it.

[fishinmission78]

What it looked like at the park a few days ago when news of the bite got out.
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[cowherder]

God thats crazy! Who would want to fish in that crowd?:kooky:

[finchaser]

the 1 day bite is over fish moved on yesterday see above the boats thought they might be in the surf like Saturday wrong yesterday suc_ed on beach and the 300 hundred or so boats

The Gambler had 80 fairs and drew the pool out of a hat as no bass or blues were caught

[surfstix1963]

If those boats did that here they would have holes in the side of them.That's when surf fishing and boat fishing clash in NY

[VSdreams]

:clapping::clapping: I'm not saying you should start fights with boats but some times you have to stand up to the insanity. I go by the general rule that whoever was at the spot first should get to fish - surfers, boats, surf fishermen, divers, whatever. All should respect the others. Unfortunately in this society there are a lot of selfish chaps.

[DarkSkies]

Good topic, Pete....
Bringing this to the top because of the intense competition, limited areas, abundant bait, and limited bodies of fish, are causing some folks to act really stupidly and thoughtlessly out there.

Got a few stories yesterday from the boaters....
I don't want to veer toward any one group....there are plenty of thoughtless and rude stories about folks who are fishing from land as well now...running up and down a beach without regard for their fellow fishermen, or those who might have been there first.....

Thought you folks might want to share, what you have been seeing......:fishing:
And asking people to realize that a little courtesy goes a long way.....:learn:

[surferman]

Thought you folks might want to share, what you have been seeing......:fishing:
And asking people to realize that a little courtesy goes a long way.....:learn:

Found these on the net. Seems like every boat within 50 miles was fishing up in seaside today?

[surfrob]

I remember being in the surf flyfishing, by myself, catching a bit... all of a sudden, and I mean "one minute lonely, one minute mugged" I was surrounded by the crowd. Obviously "they" didn't know what a flyline does. Totally nuts. Gave up and left since I didn't want to hook anyone. I gave up following the crowds long time ago, might have decreased my catch rate but surely improved my quality of life. The boats on the beach drive me insane as well, understandable at times, but still not cool if you were standing there first.

[seamonkey]

:viking:Run run to mantaloking! Wonder what happened to the stripers at seaside. Looked at the surf cams and there are a lot of empty beaches out there. In Cape May by us it has been a desert.

[seamonkey]

I remember being in the surf flyfishing, by myself, catching a bit... all of a sudden, and I mean "one minute lonely, one minute mugged" I was surrounded by the crowd. Obviously "they" didn't know what a flyline does. Totally nuts. Gave up and left since I didn't want to hook anyone. I gave up following the crowds long time ago, might have decreased my catch rate but surely improved my quality of life. The boats on the beach drive me insane as well, understandable at times, but still not cool if you were standing there first.

:clapping::clapping: To you man for not following the crowds! It gets very frustrating. The reports talk about fish they got yesterday. Have never seen bunker around for more than one day unless in the back bay. I can't believe they would mug a fly fisherman too! Aren't they afraid of getting hit by a back cast? smh

[lostatsea]

:viking:Run run to mantaloking! Wonder what happened to the stripers at seaside. Looked at the surf cams and there are a lot of empty beaches out there. In Cape May by us it has been a desert.


From a report posted yesterday

Saturday sucked ,saw one good pod of bunker off the pipe and 50 boats trying to run each other over snagging ,bunker spooning whatever.It was dogfish heaven as well, very few bass came over the side after 7am.the late bite ended up past the governors mansion off LBI trolling bunker spoons,they liked white.

[strikezone31]

:viking:Run run to mantaloking! Wonder what happened to the stripers at seaside. Looked at the surf cams and there are a lot of empty beaches out there. In Cape May by us it has been a desert.


When it looks like this is when mistakes are made. Was in a crowd early spring like that. Idiots running through and too close to others. It doesn't take too much to put the bunker down.

[fishinmission78]

They should make everyone who takes the boating safety course watch a 30 minute video on how to fish properly without screwing it up for their fellow fishermen. You would think this would be common sense. Apparently not.
My .02

[baitstealer]

Read this on the net. Seems like it was absolute insanity on Sunday. Why would people not want to practice basic courtesy? i don't get it.

"I've never seen so many boats fishing so close to shore over such a relatively small area. At one time the fleet of boats had to stretch for close to three miles or more. There were a few jackasses who just couldn't resist blasting through the boats and the bait. There were a few uncourteous individuals who ran in between boats that were livelining only yards from their transoms. They couldn't see the bunker schools people were working or they didn't care to see. It was not easy to work around all of the boats to get to the bait, but it wasn't impossible if you just were patient. Check out the fleet pictures from off Lavalette today. Even the Belmar boats were there and the party boats were railed. For the amount of customers and the number of fish available to them, a lot of fishermen on the party boats went home fishless."

[plugcrazy]

Man that is nutz! So close if they had to take a dump and ran out of TP they could borrow a roll from the next boat.

[surferman]

Unbelievable. There must be hundreds of boats in that one pic. Read about it on fb. Near limits and limits for everyone. I sure hope some fish are still swimming by the time they get to Cape May.

[baitstealer]

Fished moco yesterday for 2 hours till dark. Got a lot of that "you just missed em buddy they were here today!"

Hah I got that too. Tried several places in moco. At one they were saying they got blues and some stripers and catching good. Then some guy named capt ron in his huge boat came and mugged them. Isn't that weird a boat mugging the surf guys rofl.

[baitstealer]

Nice going to all u guys who found them! I haven't been out just reading reports and it's crazy to me how some are saying "the best fall run ever" and "the bass pop is strong".....Maybe the best run for some on a personal level but not as a general statement...Way to spotty and WAYYYY to many guys fishing opposed to catching...I saw some pics of the boats lined up in OC..it was INSANE how many there were!! The bunker schools and puts have been hold fish and some good ones but if ya don't find the schools seems your SOL!!....

Thats what I was hearing. Got skunked last night. Did hear of some nice blues and a few stripers mixed in until the boats came and ruined it.

[cowherder]

Not that unusual. Have been at Sandy Hook many times and got mugged by the boats. They just don't care. "Me first" attitude. Even with their fellow boaters. You guys were saying that the other day. what happened to common sense and respect for the fisherman next to you?:don't know why:

[lostatsea]

This is a screen grab from the montauk video posted. How would you like to fish that close to each other?

[hookedonbass]

Ocean County yesterday.
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[7deadlyplugs]

I recognize some of those guys in that picture that's where I ended up getting fish yesterday. it was very crowded reminded me of demo when the sand eels were here 2 years ago.

[seamonkey]

WOW!!!!!! No thanks!

[fishinmission78]

It's been a zoo, that's putting it mildly.

[surferman]

That is insanity. I don't care if they are catching fish or not I would not want to fish in that.

[jigfreak]

I was part of that craziness this weekend, got a few decent fish out of it. the problem is they really are not a lot of fish. You either fish blitzes during the day and try to get in the middle, or you won't get numbers. It is what it is. night fishing is so much more peaceful. The night bite has been up and down for me. You can't count on it. So a lot of guys chase the blitzes in the afternoons and that's the results.

[bassmansjc]

That jetty is so sanded in I don't think there are any more fish there

[dogfish]

Looks worse than the canal in June

[seamonkey]

Pic taken by a guy I know.

[jigfreak]

Mothers day and memorial day usually signal the start of the jersey bunker blitzes. Have been out on the surf seen a lot of happy bunker lately. Will history repeat itself in the next 4 weeks?

[finchaser]

yep here we go again

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=21483&stc=1

[bababooey]

Love it! Thats why I stock up on good liquor on the holidays and try not to leave my house.

[buckethead]

Not entirely happy with them either. I do feel our towns need the money they bring to spend.

[seamonkey]

The new blitz areas the AC jetties!

[nitestrikes]

Hate that kind of fishing. Reminds me of the inlet at demo or the canal in the fall. Too much room for error and someone hooking you because he doesn't know how to cast in a lineup. No thanks.

[BassBuddah]

Combat jetty jockeying. For the young and foolish.

[jigfreak]

Wouldn't be so bad if he didn't hype it up so much. Have seen him post the same video and fish 2 days in a row to hide the slow days from the ones who can't read. He def takes advantage of the immigrants. Run down for the banging fishing! Then when they get there only a few are caught. It's still a dawn and dusk bite along the coast, for those who don't want to fish at night. My .02.

[plugcrazy]

Yep def noticed that!