NJ Fishing Reports for the week of 4-21 to 4-27-2008

[bunkerjoe4]

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!

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
CISP - Corson's Inlet State Park
CMC - Cape May County
CMR - Cape May Rips


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

[bunkerjoe4]

The week in Review 4-21-08

This has been a decent week for the surf fishermen, and boat fishermen are starting to pick up some decent catches as well. The first weakfish have been reported, first in South Jersey in the back bay areas, and Saturday some were caught in Raritan Bay.

Bluefish have arrived as well, making my predictions accurate. (I was a little nervous they wouldn't turn up this week, folks, but my logs showed I caught bluefish 2 years ago on April 12. It was a little colder this year, so I gave it an extra week.:)).

Bigger bass were caught, but the red hot night bite seemed to taper off a bit in some places. The best spots will shift from day to day, and will no longer maintain status as "best spots" as warmer weather prevails. Fish will be caught in many locations, and now are being caught out front as well. I have seen the first sea robins caught in the ocean while on a scouting trip this weekend. Bet you folks were happy to hear that! :)

The week ahead brings some snotty conditions for the next day or so. If you have a chance to go fishing, remember that some of the biggest fish are caught in the worst conditions. Find a place that has currrent or a stream/river outflow nearby, and you may find some decent fish. Dress warmly, bring extra clothes, and be careful with the nasty weather.


New York week in Review 4-21

Bigger bass are still being caught in the Hudson by those using bunker and herring chunks. Eeling has also worked for some. The flounder bite is heating up, but most captains are still working hard to put decent catches together for you folks. Please remember to tip the mates if you felt they worked hard on your trip. They don't make much money to begin with, and appreciate your loyalty in these tough economic times.

The back bays have warmed up, and have been more productive for bass. Bait fishermen using clams and bunker have been hooking up, but some are successful with jigs, bucktails, and rubber shad-type baits.

Great news out of the Staten Island area, where a 47lb bass was reportedly caught this week. That's a true cow!

Further reports are available in Michael's tackle shop about that fish. Remember folks when you go into those tackle shops and are not happy with the $2bunker and other prices, those shops have to pay for heat, electricity, real estate taxes, rent, and employee salaries before they turn a profit.

You may be able to buy some plugs cheaper in Cabelas or Bass Pro, but you will never be able to get bunker and clams from those big box stores. Once a small tackle shop closes, many are not replaced, so please patronize them. Where else can you get your reels serviced quickly by someone who stands behind their work?

Back to fishing, the bluefish reported in NJ should be crashing the shores of NY, if they haven't already. Take the kids out for a great bluefish fishing expedition, it's one they won't soon forget.

[wish4fish]

Bluefish last night out back Rb, monsters are here. Big blues, some over 10 lbs, from around 6 till dark, kastmasters and krocodile spoons. My arms are tired!:wheeeee:

[Southpaw1123]

RB last night on the incoming, same report as the above post. Big blues all over the bay.

[fishlipper]

Fished a little above IBSP late afternoon, water a little dirty, bunker chunks. Picked up 2 short bass before the blues started slashing the line. Switched to metals, caught about 12 up to 10lbs before dark. Get out your blues beater plugs and old rusty metals, no sense losing something good to the toothy critters.

[captnemo]

Late report. We were in the back of RB on Fri fishing for flounder. Used quite a bit of chum, mussels for bait, but I wasn't impressed with the catch, 7 fish for 3 guys, biggest 2 lbs. Hey, that's why they call it fishing.

[wish4fish]

I was lookin for the bluefish today, yesterdays spot dead. Got 2 bluefish after about 100 casts.http://www.stripersandanglers.com/images/icons/icon8.gif


Anyone see this boat lost on the beach the other day? Man that guy was havin a bad week when he went to the dock lookin for his boat lol.

[clamchucker]

Fished outback RB caught several 8 - 10 lb blues right before sun set.

[fishlipper]

Went our looking for weakfish or bass last night. Hit 3 RB spots as the tide was coming in. People were getting bluefish on bunker chunks at every spot, but I was looking for something different. Ended up on the flats of a river, tossing stuff into the channel edges. Bucktails, rubber shads, pink split tail rubber with small leadhead, small rubber mullet, then x-rap jointed bunker, finally switched to black oversize bomber.

There was only one other guy at that spot, and he was nailing bluefish 6-10 lbs on almost every cast with bunker chunks. After about an hour, I lost a decent bluefish when he nailed the bomber on the top AND hit the line before the leader. http://www.stripersandanglers.com/images/icons/icon8.gif Good thing bombers are cheap.

Bluefish are fun to catch, but a guy I know had been getting weakfish at night, and I felt it was time to try. No success there, so I went over to GK.

More of the same, though bluefish seemed angrier, did lots of tail walking, even the bigger ones. Somewhere around 10 bluefish, 6-10lbs.

In all, it was a great night to be out. Perfect weather, light breeze, even the most popular spots weren't overcrowded. Great night to be alive, and fishin.:thumbsup:

[fishinmission78]

IBSP this am, one bass 27" at first light, then blues 3-5lbs, bunker chunks.

[clamchucker]

RB last night near some moving water, nice size bluefish hitting bunker chunks.

[fishinmission78]

More blues near ibsp this am around sunrise, they're hitting metal now. Wire leaders are a must, or you'll be re-stocking every day.http://www.stripersandanglers.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[wish4fish]

Rb tonight, far in the back, blues nailing Krocs and castmasters till sunset, then poppers after dark. Bite died a little after, but it was a blast, blues, blues, blues.

[fishinmission78]

Bluefish at IBSP inlet this morning at sunrise. Solid action for about an hour, topwater and metal, blues 3-6lbs.