NJ fishing reports for November 16-30, 2009

[DarkSkies]

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

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

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

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


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


If you are unclear on this concept, ask yourself:


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


If the answer is "Yes", then you should probably not be so specific.
More discussion on this:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ead.php?t=3763 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=3763)

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.






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

[DarkSkies]

Let's hope there are still some fish left for the surf fishermen. Tomorrow I'll say a prayer to king Neptune. I suggest all you surf anglers who want more quality fish do the same. ;)

They're catching some fish in the 20's and bigger right now in the Delaware and Chesapeake bays. Might be time for a road trip.

[yukon]

Got out today at SH with the kids 3:30 - 5:00. Only had a line in the water for an hour with nothing to show. Big swells. Took 8 oz to hold. Clams and an AVA. Heard one keeper was caught but overall looked dead. Saw the boat reports had em good today with fish in the high 20's which is good to see some bigger fish around.

A few good things out of the day.... Kids had a blast which is always a good thing.. The eels we're HUGE at the B&T I stopped at so I picked up 6 to rig up for later this week and I got some cool pics of the sunset.

[basshunter]

Yukon, what kind of damage did the storm do to SH?

[wish4fish]

awesome sunset pics yukon, i wuz prolly across from you tonite, little more in the bayshore, 1st 2 hours of outgoing, 2 bass, one 23", one 27 3/4" if i pinched the tail it would be a 28. i didn't wanna keep it in case the fish po po was cruzin. clams on the halfshel, nice nite out.

[LennyD]

awesome pix!

[crosseyedbass]

Great sunset! I bet the kids had a blast.

[jigfreak]

Very nice pics, thanks for posting. I fished somoco 3:30-5:30am with surf clams. Some places look bad but I was out early enough on the incoming that I could see some structure. No takers on the clam.:skunk:

[chas527]

tried fishing nomoco this morning forget it.there is no beach just water.waves were breaking st least 50 feet from shore. saw alot of birds diving but a long way out.

[gjb1969]

well i was sitting at home and it came to me this is the day i had no intention of going out dirty water trash all over but i had to do it i had some bunker i stayed in my go to spot bait and wait and it payed off 40 in fish clean and heavy fish had a big gut on her 9 hr fishing time not bad lots of small fish to make it worth the time spent out there so staying in the back payed off for me:clapping::plastered:

[DarkSkies]

^^ Nice, G!!! Any pics, weight estimates? I'm glad you finally got one. Sitting out there for all that time can play tricks on your mind, you stuck it out and nailed a fattie! WTG bro, ya done good. :clapping::clapping: I'm surprised you didn't drag AA out with ya! :HappyWave:

[VSdreams]

tried fishing nomoco this morning forget it.there is no beach just water.waves were breaking st least 50 feet from shore. saw alot of birds diving but a long way out.

Yes, I know what you mean. I ventured out to moco as well. There is too much debri and sand. I went back home with my tail between my legs. :(

[vpass]

Yes, I know what you mean. I ventured out to moco as well. There is too much debri and sand. I went back home with my tail between my legs. :(

I did the same. I hit a few spots on the Incoming top of the tide. It was not fishable. I walked out to get near the sandbar and the trough drop was like 2.5 feet:eek:, and I was on a steep slope, I panic. I didn't expect it to be that deep. It was the same in other spot I checked.

I will be scouting the beaches tomorrow at low tide. Looks like we will have lot of soft structure.:drool:

[finchaser]

Eleven of us( all veteran surf men) fished 5 AM to 7:30 AM this morning in 3 different places in SOMO and NOOC:skunk: There is no signs of life except for birds working off shore where the boats crushed fish yesterday in 70' of water. We were met by 15 to20 mph NNE winds and 3-5' building seas. These conditions are said to be here until Sunday

Most of Ocean county between no way to get on or off beach (10 to 15 drop) and whats left of them under water has put an end to fishing many prime area's:( In the few areas accessible places there are any where from 2 to 3 bars with no way to get to the outer bars.

[DarkSkies]

Same experience as all you other guys out there. :skunk:

Only last night, I convinced myself it would be different because I had live eels! :wheeeee: :laugh:

I had some diseased eels that had to be culled from the tank, so I set out for a place where bigger bass might hide in wait. Fished from 10pm-12am. First stop I noticed a building NE, whereas it had been a promising light NW when I left my house. :(

It was OK, because in comparing notes with other fishermen I ran into some people who I always wanted to meet. Nice meeting ya DJ A :HappyWave:, and I ran into my friend the eel man, a great source of info for rigged eels. :HappyWave: He has not been doing as well as last year on his eels, and that set a bad tone for the night. There was a report of a small pod of peanuts with bass under them, but no one managed a fish out of that pod despite valiant efforts.

It was good times out there anyway, the weather was comfortable. Sometimes when the bite really sucks, you can still learn a thing or 2. I'll be trying wire for the rigged eels I'll set up now, thanks for the tip. :thumbsup:

Wanted to try a few more spots with the eels. At the 2nd place near deeper water, it looked promising but I kept getting weeds from the outgoing on the line. Decided to move to another spot, better current, but I eventually lost the rigs on the bottom. There are times when having a boat to bounce eels really has its advantages. You can present to the bass very effectively.

Wasn't feeling it, so called it a night early. If you managed to pull out more than one fish last night in Moco you were Houdini. Even the guys fishing the steel structure weren't havin a good night. Hey that's fishin!

[vpass]

Fished NoMoCo, Between a friend of mine, and I we landed 7 fish, all but 1 were 23 to 24 inches, My friend had a bass on the Boga 15 pounds about 32 to 33 inches. All fish were super fat. fish were caught on metals, and teasers The beaches are fishable from Mid outgoing to low. We left the fish biting. The fish were in and out of the surf zone. Birds were workig the bait. As soon as the bird were with in reach we would hook up.

[yukon]

NoMoCo/MoCo 7 - 11:30 pm Nothing Nada. 3 guys. clams, bunker, rigged eels, needles nada ... nothing... 3 spots. Just was hard to get out far at hide tide even with making it out onto the bars. I think mid to low tide would have been much better to at least find some deeper water. Saw a few guys and they had the same story. Who the hell knowshttp://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/images/smilies/headscratch.gif

[buckethead]

Fished IBSP last night 8-12, outgoing. I ended up with 5 short bass. No size to them but I still had a good night. Clams and sandworms. 3 on the sandworms, 2 on the clam.

[storminsteve]

:skunk:I fished moco last night 7-10, needlefish, darters, and windcheater plugs. The swell was a little scary and the wind picked up as it got later. I worked the darter between the sets of waves, tried different sorts of retrieves, nothing. Congrats to the guys who caught, I found the conditions kind of tough.

[DarkSkies]

Nice effort guys. :thumbsup: It may be trending toward a daytime, "baitfish in the surf", bite for awhile until the sandeels come back in numbers other than a few choice spots. Also the way the huge sand bars are set up now in places, particularly OC, with 2 or 3 in a row, means that we need some time for new cuts to break through, or you really have to do your homework scouting at low tide, or you need to be 8' tall so you can wade out 200' and deal with the new terrain. :D

The sad result is that with a few known holes or "edges" left as compared to before, more people will gravitate toward them. That's why it's good to scout for the less popular ones. And IMO it's not a smart idea to let people blab on about them ad infinitum on the internet. :don't know why:

Now more than ever it's critical to read the beach, and know where you want to be during each stage of the tide. There are places that are still good, but only around high tide. There are other places that you should only hit during the last 2 hours of the outgoing so you can wade out past the bar, weather permitting.

Fishing has definitely gotten a lot tougher, and many are accurate in saying the season could be downhill from here. There are a bunch of schoolies being caught now in LI, many between 18-22". They are making their way into all the bay, fringe, and surf areas. We can expect that small fish action in the next few weeks as well.

I don't want to give up yet because the weather has been pretty bearable, even at night. However, throwing artificials at night is not always the most productive choice with the northeast weather patterns coming our way. NE weather patterns tend to push the bait away from the beach. I think the guys who were focusing on the NW pattern, and keeping good logs, got the best of the action so far this fall. :clapping:

Another suggestion to keep a good log. :learn:

[finchaser]

Nice effort guys. :thumbsup: It may be trending toward a daytime, "baitfish in the surf", bite for awhile until the sandeels come back in numbers other than a few choice spots.

The sad result is that with a few known holes or "edges" left as compared to before, more people will gravitate toward them. That's why it's good to scout for the less popular ones. And IMO it's not a smart idea to let people blab on about them ad infinitum on the internet. :don't know why:

IMO newbee ego

Now more than ever it's critical to read the beach, and know where you want to be during each stage of the tide. There are places that are still good, but only around high tide. There are other places that you should only hit during the last 2 hours of the outgoing so you can wade out past the bar, weather permitting.

Read the beach new learning curve for the bird chasing cell phone Crew

Fishing has definitely gotten a lot tougher, and many are accurate in saying the season could be downhill from here.

Like it use to be, before everyone turned bass fisherman, you have to work for fish this leaves out the pro's made by bunker snagging.

However, throwing artificials at night is not always the most productive choice with the northeast weather patterns coming our way. NE weather patterns tend to push the bait away from the beach.
Nah that's when big fish are caught:D

I think the guys who were focusing on the NW pattern, and keeping good logs, got the best of the action so far this fall. :clapping:

Nope we're nuts but it's good to be crazy

Another suggestion to keep a good log. :learn: Mine has a few double digit catches of 10# to 21# fish caught this fall, great idea to all.

Well written my friend but hopefully it won't fall on deaf ears.

:clapping:White water, big seas, and big fish the new generation.:clapping:
Ask how many big ones they have caught especially on clams:don't know why:oh yeah the tackle store said, I forgot.

[clamchucker]

NE weather patterns tend to push the bait away from the beach. I think the guys who were focusing on the NW pattern, and keeping good logs, got the best of the action so far this fall. :clapping:

Another suggestion to keep a good log. :learn:

Well-put, Dark. A comprehensive log helps you to look at the past and see historic migration patterns. For example, a log will record when the striped bass usually hit the back bays in the spring, when the bluefish show up, and when they start to leave. It will also tell you when certain bait species start to show up, and when they thin out. And when the bigger bass will start to show up in the surf again.
Finchaser, you're right about the new breed of fishermen. Out of the young folks I meet out there, about 2 in 10 truly want to learn the old fashioned way. Many others are happy to run after a cell phone report, while in some cases they are leaving fish when they go to another place. I will help those who seem genuinely interested, though I am disappointed to see the others who just want it handed to them.


2 day report from the park -
Yesterday I fished clams from 12-3. There was a slow pick on the incoming, 6 bass to 26".
Today I managed 2 to 28 1/2", 12-2:45pm.

For all the folks who go down to IBSP, be careful. There is a lot of beach that was carved away. For a few days they were restricting entrance during high tide, but it's back to (almost) normal now. What is not normal is the terrain. You need to be aware of the drops and skinny areas re: the tide. I would suggest to anyone who has not been there for awhile to take some extra time and go during the day to re-familiarize yourself with the cuts and drops. Better safe than sorry.

[SharkHart]

"this one time at band camp we caught cows all week after the storm"

Ok thats a joke but thats what most of the big seas "reports" sound like i predicted the crash (elsewhere) and was called clueless for doing so some of the online Emperors have no clothes, and believe it just sounds cooler to talk of epic action without first hand landings data etc. My friends been fishing the back bays of SNJ and it just emptied out all the bass in a few areas.
compare the last two weeks side by side, mark it down history repeats.

Ok now that i ranted on that looks like we may have a window friday into sat, bring the bait back to us surf guys maybe
FRI NIGHT
NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT.

[surferman]

Got a few blues on metal in moco today 10-3, one guy next to me pulled out a monster.:scared:

[vpass]

Fished NOMOCO all of the outgoing from 9am to 3pm with a buddy. We fished many spots with out a hit.:skunk:

We seen some bird action near the end of our day far offshore. After we parted I scouted other beaches, and stumbled on to birds working beyond casting, about 1/4 mile long. :drool:

No one on the beach were hooking up. Since I ran out of time, I had to go. They were so close to hiting the surf zone it really hurt to leave.:burn:

I believe there are fish to be had tonight just can't get out.

[finchaser]

"
My friends been fishing the back bays of SNJ and it just emptied out all the bass in a few areas.
compare the last two weeks side by side, mark it down history repeats.

Ok now that i ranted on that looks like we may have a window friday into sat, bring the bait back to us surf guys maybe
FRI NIGHT
NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT.

:thumbsup:I'm just as clueless but with you again on these two:fishing:

[DarkSkies]

Finchaser, you're right about the new breed of fishermen. Out of the young folks I meet out there, about 2 in 10 truly want to learn the old fashioned way. Many others are happy to run after a cell phone report, while in some cases they are leaving fish when they go to another place. I will help those who seem genuinely interested, though I am disappointed to see the others who just want it handed to them.


Clamchucker, right on. It took me a year to catch my first legal size bass on artificials. People helped me, but it was more like "go to XXX beach and learn the structure, go as many times as you can in different times of the day and night" or "throw these series of plugs, they're working now, and keep throwing them until you catch a fish and learn what works for you"

So I followed the advice and I learned. I'm grateful that those people took the time to take an interest in my success. I didn't expect to be spoon fed, and was disappointed a lot of times because it didn't seem that their advice was working. But then I gradually learned, little by little, on my own. The pieces of the puzzle became a little clearer.

For me, I have always appreciated the knowledge I gained by doing it hands on. There's a big difference from reading something in a book and learning to apply that knowledge. And I never turn down some helpful advice from a stranger, unless it's in Asbury park at 3am. ;)



Mine has a few double digit catches of 10# to 21# fish caught this fall, great idea to all.

Well written my friend but hopefully it won't fall on deaf ears.

:clapping:White water, big seas, and big fish the new generation.:clapping:
Ask how many big ones they have caught especially on clams:don't know why:oh yeah the tackle store said, I forgot.

Are you causing touble again??? ;) :laugh: :HappyWave:


"this one time at band camp we caught cows all week after the storm"

Ok thats a joke but thats what most of the big seas "reports" sound like i predicted the crash (elsewhere) and was called clueless for doing so some of the online Emperors have no clothes, and believe it just sounds cooler to talk of epic action without first hand landings data etc. My friends been fishing the back bays of SNJ and it just emptied out all the bass in a few areas.
compare the last two weeks side by side, mark it down history repeats.

Ok now that i ranted on that looks like we may have a window friday into sat, bring the bait back to us surf guys maybe
FRI NIGHT
NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT.

You guys have all shown that keeping a good log can be an enormous help. :learn: I have never known any of you to brag about your catches, but if people knew the actual amount of fish you had been catching in the 3 weeks prior to the latest Noreaster, their eyes might pop out. :wow:

The proof is in the pudding. You're not "lead into gold" alchemists, but serious fishermen who are extremely motivated to be out there at the right times and places.

As for the :argue: it's sad to me that many of these things deteriorate into pizzing contests on the internet while these boastings would never happen in real life. There's something about the safety of the internet that inflates the egos of guys, all who I know to be good fishermen, yet seem like it's important to trump one another.

It's a shame because almost all of the guys getting involved in arguments are guys you wouldn't mind fishing next to. They let ego get in the way of productive discussion. IMO that's one of the reasons groups like PETA, the Pew Trust, and the other environmental groups can organize and run circles around us fishermen as far as getting "anti" fishing legislation enacted because...

They know how to organize.
They don't let ego get in the way.
They are masters at coalition building.
They are very effective at manipulating the facts to further their agenda, and to get contributions from wealthy patrons, thereby furthering their reach.

It's sad that despite our best efforts, we might never be as well organized as these enviro freaks, merely because we let our egos get in the way. :(

OK, this PSA is over, let's go fishin!! :D :plastered: :cool: :fishing:

[cowherder]

Fiahed SH this morning with clams, and had one rod to throw avas with. Nothing on the clams, one small blue on the ava27. 5-7, incoming.

[fishinmission78]

:skunk: in oc today, water was ugly.

[stripermania]

Fished IBSP last night. I got one short on metal and teaser.

[fishinmission78]

IBSP 5-8:30am, 3 bass to 30", t-hex and black sluggo teaser. Water cleared up a lot, fellas.

[DarkSkies]

Fished OC 8-10am, one medium bluefish on an Ava27. Got in on the end of the action. Sand eels are back. ;)

[storminsteve]

5:30 to 7 today, 2 bass to 30", 5 blues, ocean county. On a SS needlefish.

[cowherder]

I fished nomoco 3-6p, threw an ava and teaser, and later on tried a windcheater plug. The water was pretty brown, it looked like dirty bay water flowed into the ocean. No fish for me.:(

[captnemo]

Great bass and bluefish action today in 40' of water. S of PP inlet Diamond jigs 2 and 3oz, red and green tails. They were spitting up sand eels.

[yukon]

Sorry for the late report. Last night 11/19 9 - 11 OC one short in some pretty heavy surf. Was glad to at least get one. Then went to SoMoCo off a few jetties with a rigged eel on a tin with no luck. Got a text that my son had a fever and that was it. Headed home and hes fine which is all that matters. I'm in for the weekend with daddy duty. Be back out on Monday and deprive my sleep and my job... Damn these stripers:dribble:!!

[SharkHart]

did i ever mention i love a good NW wind, west bite best and like that its back on, found 2 nice fish on consecutive casts in the 33-36" range goin back in a few hours we lost 8 days with that storm :( time to make up for it

[yardvillejimmy]

Fished OC yesterday late afternoon with the OFFC. No one with even a bump. The fish have not been in our time zone this fall.

[surfwalker]

5am-10:30am. Dropped one at first light on blk/sil plug. Not a tap after that. Only saw one short-fat stomach pulled in on an Ava. Sand eels were abundant. Birds were out far/casual. Water was clear early, then seemed to dirty up on the in-coming.

[vpass]

Fished from 5:30am to 9:00am in OC. At sun up the birds started working just outside the last sandbar Only the best cast would hook up until the tide was high enough for the bass and sandeels to make it over. I used Ava17 with green tail, and a teaser. I ended up with 6 bass from 23 to 31 inches and lost a few. I kept the 31 incher. I also let a 29 incher go. Wife wants the bass for the holidays. It was a really nice day:D

[basshunter]

OC eariler today. Caught one keeper on Needle fish.

[cowherder]

Wow guys today it all paid off! I fished nomoco from 9-4. At the first spot I got one small bluefish on an ava with a tube teaser, like the kind Monty uses. I moved to 2 more spots, and lucked out into the mother lode. I saw a lot of guys hooked up and ran out there. We had a great time catching striped bass after stripe bass! I got 18 bass! :wow: Most were under keeper size. I did get one 28 1/2 inches and let it go because the action was so good and I thought I might get a bigger one. It was a lot of fun and I saw a few monster bass caught. I have no idea how much those weighed but they were a lot bigger than 28". It was a great day. I have been pretty down on my fishing because I never seem to catch more than a few. I will remember this day forever. There a lot of guys like Surfwalker, Monty, Dark, and others here who have helped me, and I would like to say thanks very much!:fishing:

[bababooey]

Good day jigging in OC. We weren't too far off the beach, bass and bluefish in the mix. Bass to 28", bluefish to 32". About 60/40. Hope some of you guys got into em, we saw quite a few hooked up on the sand. Green tails seemed to work the best.

[wish4fish]

:clapping:great day cowherderdude! i mite have been in the same place but i think i missed most of it. check yur pms. 4 bass to 29" on diamond jigs an a yellow teaser 2-4:30 nomoco.

[clamchucker]

I fished the park today on the incoming from 6-9. I was throwing a t-hex with a chartreuse teaser. Managed 5 bass to 27".

[SharkHart]

im sore, the second outing of fri into sat was productive in some spots, others held fish they were picky as can be. Lots of nice bass are around however, think I had 5 total over 32"

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll194/SharkHart/000_0718.jpg
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll194/SharkHart/000_0719.jpg

[DarkSkies]

Headed home and hes fine which is all that matters. I'm in for the weekend with daddy duty. Be back out on Monday and deprive my sleep and my job... Damn these stripers:dribble:!!

Yukon, family comes first. Otherwise there is no family left. You'll gettum next time.





did i ever mention i love a good NW wind, west bite best and like that its back on, found 2 nice fish on consecutive casts in the 33-36" range goin back in a few hours we lost 8 days with that storm :( time to make up for it


im sore, the second outing of fri into sat was productive in some spots, others held fish they were picky as can be. Lots of nice bass are around however, think I had 5 total over 32"

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll194/SharkHart/000_0718.jpg


Man, I think you're a liar!! :2flip: you and all the other lunatics around here who believe in all that "Northwest is best" mumbo jumbo. Don't you know the world is flat and if we sail onto the edges we will fall off? :ROFLMAO

The only problem with that above statement is I can't say it with a straight face after seeing your pics today. :burn: Quality fish, I don't know how ya can get lightning to strike twice, but ya did. Actually I was more impressed with the bluefish pic, that thing's a pig! It's hard to get a true idea of how big it was from that shot. Thanks for showing me the pics.

I'm saying a special prayer to King Neptune. Maybe he can fix it that you'll have to fish with one hand tied behind your back, that should even things up a bit.

Ya done good man, WTG. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[finchaser]

50 to 60 feet of water today jigged numerous bass to 15# and too many blues to count to 12 pounds


Killie was on the boat and is now Jimmy the Bluefish Slayer

[DarkSkies]

It was a great day. I have been pretty down on my fishing because I never seem to catch more than a few. I will remember this day forever. There a lot of guys like Surfwalker, Monty, Dark, and others here who have helped me, and I would like to say thanks very much!:fishing:

Cowherder, you've come along way since you first joined. You put in your time, you deserved those fish. Glad you had a blast. :clapping:

Congrats to all who went out and fished today whether ya crushed em or not, it was a beautiful day to be out there. :thumbsup:






Killie was on the boat and is now Jimmy the Bluefish Slayer


Umm, I heard it was the other way around. Heard it was pretty even between you 2. Is that true, or just an unfounded rumor? :eek:;) :laugh:

[SharkHart]

Last free one ;) You didnt do so bad yourself

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll194/SharkHart/000_0700s.jpg

[DarkSkies]

Last free one ;) You didnt do so bad yourself

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll194/SharkHart/000_0700s.jpg


One of the smaller ones?? I'm definitely sayin that prayer to King Neptune tomorrow. :burn: :2flip: ;) :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[gjb1969]

good to see there is another body of fish now lets see if they stay around for me to get in on the action:fishing::dribble: i want some of those big blues:wow:

[DarkSkies]

good to see there is another body of fish now lets see if they stay around for me to get in on the action:fishing::dribble: i want some of those big blues:wow:

So do I dude, haven't gotten a big bluefish over 15 this year, very disappointing. Meanwhile they're a nuisance to people like Shark and the OFFC. The OFFC got one 17# 2 weeks ago, they said it was no big deal. :don't know why: A 15-17#bluefish fights like a runaway freight train. :thumbsup: :viking:

[DarkSkies]

I'm trying to break these "livin in my van" weekend reports down to smaller reads, because I tend to be too wordy. Gotta work on that. If a bunch of you think it's cluttering up the reports thread too much this way, let me know via PM, and I'll try to modify.

After my one bluefish that morning, spent the rest of the day in search of a decent bite. I failed and came up empty. :(

What motivated me was early conversation I had with surfers about fish in the water. They said around 7:30 am, they had "big fish" swirling around them on bait. The fish were so big they said they were nervous.

:scared: for them, :dribble:for me! They also said they saw a whale swim by about 500' out. :cool:

4:00-6pm
Slow pick at the most recent OC hotspot. I was there and it seemed too crowded to me. The OFFC came down and didn't want to fish the mob scene either, so we split up and scouted a few other beaches.

I ended up wading out on a diagonal bar on the outgoing. At the end of it I was 150' offshore, trying to reach a choice piece of structure, but the swell was still rough. Even though it was low tide, I got pounded by waves on the incoming. Everyone left the beach, I was the only fool left.

A few minutes after I got near where I wanted to be, I got a slight tap in one of Tony Spina's needles. I really haven't nailed any fish on that one yet, but I will say I like the way it sails and swims. It comes with a siwash bucktail, for $10 you can't beat the price.

Stayed too long until the kidney punching waves became too much, and made my way back to shore.

I was bummed, I had high hopes for that spot.

I saw a marriage proposal in progress on the way back to the van. Pretty cool. :thumbsup:

Convenience store for quick dinner, back out in the suds at 7pm.

Fished a prime spot that's covered with fishermen in the daytime. Not a soul was there last night, fish weren't there either. :D Threw a sluggo, magdarter, big needle, and weighted redfin.

It was pitch dark where I was. I was tired and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I swore I saw 3 shooting stars, maybe it was a meteor shower? Gave it up at 10pm, crashed in the van.

[DarkSkies]

OTW at 5:35, back to fishin the structure I got blanked at last night. I got blanked again, or I should say that the fish just weren't active yet. Generally things start up around sunrise. Had to leave and look for Vpass anyway, so I bailed. On the way out ran into Joe Melillo and the "sharpie" crew. ;) Took some pics, hope they come out. Nice meetin ya's! :HappyWave:

I wandered past "ground zero" beach where everyone thinks all the fish in OC are. It looked like opening day of trout season. They were pulling a truck out of the sand as I got there.

To much activity for me, I set out to look for a quieter beach that held some sandeels. Failed to meet up with Vpass. Glad ya got some fish, man! :thumbsup:

I'm BSing with some people who are bait fishin. Suddenly Shark creeps up Indian style, not a sound. People look a lot different in night and day. We both see bass swirling on sandeels at the same time. The guys fishin bait somehow don't see the action, so he and I geared up and took a shot. I got one short bass on metal, and one of the bait guys joined us. Smart man. :thumbsup: :HappyWave:

However, the fish were moving N with the bait, and we didn't feel like chasin. Shark left, I moved to find another body of fish.

Finally came upon a beach where there was a slow pick. Most of the people had left after the rising tide turned slack because it was "dead" there. ;)

There was a crew of old-timers steadily picking away at bass. The "ringleader" :D and one of his buddies were outfishing all of us 4:1, schooling everybody. :beatin:

Took me over a 1/2 hour of no fish to discreetly find out he was using a tin squid instead of an ava. This isn't an advertisement for tin aquids. The main reason why they were crushing everyone else is that they're good, and have mad skills. :D

People think "If I just buy this or that, that will make me successful" IMO, if you pay attention to who's catching, and exactly what they're doing, THAT will make you successful. :learn:

I will say that when the tide first turned and was not really moving, the tin squid out-produced the other metal partly because of the way it moves through the water. Once the fishing picked up, guys and girls were getting them on tin squids, Hopkins shorties with bucktail, and Avas.

Fishing changes every day. Last week one of my friends found that a trick to us getting more bass at night was a faster than normal retreive.

At night...sounds ridiculous, but it worked for 2 nights in a row, and then it was time to try something else.

11:30-2:30
Started catching fish, and it was a blast! Landed 10 more to 28", dropped a whole bunch more, and had great action, all on a tin squid with a green tube teaser. Only 11 total for the day. Not nearly on par with some of the excellent numbers pulled by some of the old timer crew, but I had a blast fishin with them anyway.

I only had one bass on the teaser, but one guy had 3 double headers on his tin and teaser setup. At times it was intense, at times it was slow. The longest I went without a hit was about 45 mins.

Taking a few minutes break, I found out that the "old timer" and his crew were Ron Muccie and his friends. :HappyWave: Also met Ellen. She was fishing with this crew. I shot some video of her. This lady angler schooled a lot of guys on the beach today, landing 16 bass! WTG Ellen. :clapping::clapping:

Around 2:30 water started getting low, and most moved to the outer bar. I took my only food break of the day to eat and re-tie my rig. Went back out to the outer bar. Fished 3-5pm, not a tap.

Some afternoon fish were caught in that area by anglers who switched over to yellow mambo minnows. In the morning some bass were caught using yellow bombers.

To me it seemed right now the action is centered around the morning bite. If it dies out, an overcast day can stimulate a better bite. As it was overcast and the surf was filled with sandeels, the bite lasted, as a slow pick, throughout the day.

It was still great acton. I keep playing the adrenalin rush from that action over and over. :drool: :heart: It was great day of meeting different people, and a better than everage day fishin. :thumbsup::fishing:

[DarkSkies]

My SD HC digital camera card crapped out today. Severely bummed because I had over 150 pics and action shots on that card from this weekend. Met many new people who are in those pics. Some incredible fishin and scenery shots. :(

I have our resident computer expert CasewayComputers working on a solution or a program to recover the data from the card.

If anyone proficient in data recovery can offer me a solution or suggestion that hasn't already been mentioned by Caseway Computers, or doesn't cost a million $$$, I'm offering a $50 reward or 5 free plugs from anything in our inventory here:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/forumdisplay.php?f=83


Thanks for any help you can offer, people. PM me with any suggestions. :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

Quick report, Pebbles and I went down to fish OC this morning.

Building seas and N NE wind, wind 15 normal, 20 gusts.

Few fish caught over the bar this AM, otherwise ya can't reach em and bait is moving offshore with the NE. There is a good deal of bait, fish, and bird activity over a broad area past that outer bar. Unless for some reason they come in closer, right now if ya can cast 500' or more you could be catchin fish all day! :kooky:

Fish with clams for 5 hours and ya might catch a short bass or 2.

Otherwise if ya have a distance to travel, you're better off staying home. The NW window has closed for now. :(

[vpass]

Fished OC from 5am to 10:00am. At first light birds started working. I waded out to cast over the outer bar. Hooked 1 bass about 25 inches. Guys next to me on the same bar were hooking into bass, and Blues. The bird action stopped. a half hour after it started. We had to get off the Bar due to Rising tide. At about 8:30am The birds started beyond the outside bar. I waited to see if they would come over the bar as the tide rised, But they didn't.

[GeoffT]

Did the annual one-time boat trip yesterday. Super-charged giant blues to 17-18 lbs kicked my butt and everyone else's too. Full of sandeels, of course. Some bass to the teens in the mix. Jigging avas without a tail did the best. I had two fish on that I couldn't budge at all or barely until the line broke off. One pulled me all around the boat until it broke off. I would have loved to see how big that one was.

Shrews Rock. Boat traffic was surprisingly not bad for a weekend.

[finchaser]

Did the boat thing again today fish are now in 70 to 80'

Caught over 30 bass to 22# and loads of 11to 14# blues
Cenzo Battled a bluefin on a shad rig for over an hour until hook pulled.
The surprise catch was a 4' long 40# Sturgeon caught and released by Cenzo

[DarkSkies]

Here's a reply I posted somewhere else along with additional comments:


sometimes you're the dog, sometimes you're the hydrant. http://www.noreast.com/discussion/images/smile.gif
Don't beat yourself for missing any action, it is what it is, fishin not catchin.


NY
There's a large body of fish off LI, but in deeper water for the most part, as well.

The Northeast patterns have not hurt them as much as NJ. Montauk is situated in a position where such a pattern is less damaging. IMO a big part of the bite at Montauk and the areas directly S of that is more dependent on current, tide, and bait migration, than it is on the weather. The bait migration tends to be closer to Montauk point and the beaches S of that because of those additional factors.

IMO, naturally. ;)



NJ
If you have a chance, try to get out on a boat for some of the offshore bass action. They're still moving through, but in deeper water. In RB they're still getting fish between the channels. Bigger bass are now being caught in the Del and Chesapeake bays, and at the CBBT.

Delaware bay bass!!

8393


CBBT bass

8394

8395



For the most part in NJ, (as Finchaser, Shark, and others have seemed like they were preaching to us, but were actually crystal clear in their predictions) :thumbsup: this Northeast pattern causes bait to eventually move offshore. A sustained Northeast pattern, together with the double sandbars that exist in some areas, means that a lot of surf fishermen are shut out of the final push to the fall migration. Sustained N/NE patterns kill the bite for the NJ surf guys.

There are always exceptions in any case. I don't want people to think I'm speaking in absolutes here. I just want to try to paint a picture of what generally happens so people have a better idea of when to fish, and when they might be wasting their time.

What's left are 2 potential bright spots:
1. Hickory shad and herring:
For the last 6 weeks now, maybe longer, people have been catching hickory shad. They're in many of the inlets, and good fun to target with the kids near high tide on those sunny days when they kids are crazy and you know if you don't take them outdoors somewhere you could be the next statistic on tomorrow's daily news. :argue: :rolleyes:
As these hickory shad stage and as some herring start to gather at inshore places they are often found at, there could be a fantastic last bite of bigger bass. These are only possibilities. Whether it comes together is a coin toss.

2. Final schoolie migration:
There will continue to be schoolies around if the water remains in the 50's. We could have a week or 3 of action where there's a picket line of guys at the beach catching 14-20" schoolies on metal as they dart in and out of the surf on their southern migration.

I'll be out there for that, though I feel a certain sense of sadness as I know there's a 10% mortality rate for these fish. I have no problem with eating fish, or throwing them back either. The thing that gets to me is I want to know that the fish I throw back makes it to grow larger. I can't stand wasting fish as a resource. :beatin:

I don't want to preach too much about this either. By being out there and catching those baby bass, I'll be just as culpable as anyone else. I need that action, so I'll be out there. :embarassed:

It is what it is, as JimmyZ always says. :D :HappyWave:

[vpass]

I enjoyed reading that, Thanks Dark.:thumbsup:

I'll will also be out there Till christmas on nicer days.:(

[basshunter]

Did the boat thing again today fish are now in 70 to 80'

Caught over 30 bass to 22# and loads of 11to 14# blues
Cenzo Battled a bluefin on a shad rig for over an hour until hook pulled.
The surprise catch was a 4' long 40# Sturgeon caught and released by Cenzo

Bluefin on the shad rig? How far out were you guys? Did you mark them deep or were they busting on the surface? He caught a sturgeon that way also? I thought they were bottom fish. Great catches, sounds like you had an amazing day.:clapping:

[clamchucker]

Fished the park yesterday from 6-8:30 in the morning. Lots of white water, it wasn't really a good day to fish. Managed one short on clams.
Today I fished from 6-7, the water was worse and there is a strong north to south sweep. I got the skunk and decided to end it early.
Finchaser, that is a great report, you got a little of everything. Good going.

[clamchucker]

this Northeast pattern causes bait to eventually move offshore. A sustained Northeast pattern, together with the double sandbars that exist in some areas, means that a lot of surf fishermen are shut out of the final push to the fall migration. Sustained N/NE patterns kill the bite for the NJ surf guys.

There are always exceptions in any case. I don't want people to think I'm speaking in absolutes here. I just want to try to paint a picture of what generally happens so people have a better idea of when to fish, and when they might be wasting their time.

2. Final schoolie migration:
There will continue to be schoolies around if the water remains in the 50's. We could have a week or 3 of action where there's a picket line of guys at the beach catching 14-20" schoolies on metal as they dart in and out of the surf on their southern migration.

I'll be out there for that, though I feel a certain sense of sadness as I know there's a 10% mortality rate for these fish. I have no problem with eating fish, or throwing them back either. The thing that gets to me is I want to know that the fish I throw back makes it to grow larger. I can't stand wasting fish as a resource. :beatin:

I don't want to preach too much about this either. By being out there and catching those baby bass, I'll be just as culpable as anyone else. I need that action, so I'll be out there. :embarassed:

It is what it is, as JimmyZ always says. :D :HappyWave:

Dark, spot on about the noreasters. It is a good thing not to bring people down when the fishing is poor. There is no reason to fish right now from the beach, unless you are retired like me and live close by.

[Frankiesurf]

Those are the shad that left us here on LI a few weeks ago. There are a few good bodies of decent fish up here right now. You guys in Joisey will be fishing through December if the temps stay decent.

[finchaser]

Bluefin on the shad rig? How far out were you guys? Did you mark them deep or were they busting on the surface? He caught a sturgeon that way also? I thought they were bottom fish. Great catches, sounds like you had an amazing day.:clapping:

Bluefin was in 27' of water in between the channels at the hook on a white shad rig. I had an 80# bluefin at the shrewsbury rocks 4 years ago on a chartreuse shad rig

The sturgeon was not caught on a shad rig

[DarkSkies]

Caught over 30 bass to 22# and loads of 11to 14# blues
Cenzo Battled a bluefin on a shad rig for over an hour until hook pulled.
The surprise catch was a 4' long 40# Sturgeon caught and released by Cenzo

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8386&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1258943741 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8386&d=1258943741)


That's a great catch Fin. Sounds like Cenzo had one of the best trips of his life. :wow: :bigeyes: :drool: :fishing: :clapping::clapping:

And a BFT where you guys got it from couldn't have been more than a mile from shore. :lookhappy:

You're a good role model, although a little cantankerous at times. ;) :HappyWave:

Geoff, Fin and others, congrats on the boat trips. It seems that's the best place right now to get into any fish with shoulders.



Bluefin was in 27' of water in between the channels at the hook on a white shad rig. I had an 80# bluefin at the shrewsbury rocks 4 years ago on a chartreuse shad rig

The sturgeon was not caught on a shad rig

Basshunter I think they were jigging when they got that sturgeon. As for the bluefin, a BFT on a shad rig makes for some crazy action, you're lucky it didn't break off. Great action and report! :thumbsup:

[killie]

for a guy who shuts the fishin down I think I do pretty good for myself :)

[DarkSkies]

for a guy who shuts the fishin down I think I do pretty good for myself :)


Yeah and even better when you take your kayak out there in search of BFT. You're a brave dude to do that. :wow: I was amazed when I talked to Fin the other day and he told me ya just paddled up to him as he was 2 miles offshore in search of BFT. I shoulda asked ya's what reel you were using, but, gullible as I am, you had me almost believing it for a sec or 2. :rolleyes: :HappyWave: ;)

[yukon]

Yeah and even better when you take your kayak out there in search of BFT. You're a brave dude to do that. :wow:

Like this guy!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/sports/23fishing.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

[DarkSkies]

That's an awesome kayak story Yukon, thanks for posting. One of my goals is to make it up there next year to try that. Those bluefin can tow you for miles. I think if I did that I would relay a float plan to friends first.


Had to get out for a bit this morning before work, 8-9am. Drove down to the ocean, on the way there the wind seemed a lot milder than the 15+ mph report. Even 1 mile away from the beach it seemed mellow. Then I got there and saw the forecast was accurate. :(

About 100-150' of the surfline had white foam, there was no bait or birds visible in close, and a strong N wind blew down the shoreline. Met some old-time sharpies who had already fished 3 spots by then and got blanked. We did mark some birds as we were BSing, but they were at least 1/2 mile offshore.

Decided to hit one place where there is a pocket, in case bait was trapped there. It wasn't. Fished with an Ava47. The waves weren't real bad, but only 2 hours into the flood and they were breaking over the rocks where I was. I realized no fish would be caught by me and left after a 1/2 hour.

When the wind lays down I'll be back, but the seas while I was there were pretty churned up and lifeless. Some video from today:

7805060


7804519

[finchaser]

When the wind lays down I'll be back

See ya next week:D

[vpass]

Winds are going to blow from the west sometime Friday and thru the weekend, we see. I'll try tomorrow.

[chas527]

tried fishing nomoco this morning .big waves rough water no fish. have a great thanks giving everybody

[DarkSkies]

When the wind lays down I'll be back


See ya next week:D

I can't stay away from the water for that long. The sound of the waves and those cantankerous trouble making sturgeon fishermen sharpies is something I just can't get enough of. :ROFLMAO :HappyWave:

Here's a beach cam pic, looks like the wind has minimized a bit.... too bad I have to work now :D

8405




Here's another one even more promising.

8406

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers before midnight. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 45. Southeast wind at 6 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thanksgiving Day: A chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59. Light southwest wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 44. Calm wind becoming west between 7 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

[DarkSkies]

This is part of the stuff most people don't read at the very beginning of the fishing reports each month:

[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.]


The reason I'm bringing it up is I have had a lot of conversations with members in the last few weeks. They feel if they didn't catch a fish, they have nothing to contribute. That seems illogical to me, here's why...

We have more and more members who live far from the salt, travelling up to 6 hours for one fishin trip.

If you went out and got blanked, that's critical data that could help someone decide whether it's worth it to spend the money on gas to come down.

So being part of the community here, posting a report on your catch, or lack of it, helps others in this community, in the same way you receive help when you need it. That's what makes a site like this work, not my dynamic personality :kooky: :ROFLMAO, not the great or corny jokes and ball bustin, but the effort of each and every member to try to help their brother fishermen. :clapping:

You don't have to be specific to help the members here. You'll notice I'm very vague about where I fish. Meanwhile, the people who see me out there regularly can figure it out.

I think it''s more important to let people know what worked for you that day, and how. Hence the detailed reports I put out. I want to see people who are having trouble get into fish, and have the same great time I'm having out there. :fishing:

Even when I get skunked, I post it. It's no big deal. It has no bearing on who I am whether I catch fish or not. No one, even the greats, catches fish every time out. If they claim they do, they're lyin. :D

I have many friends who have no use for the internet. They send me pics, reports, etc, and for many of them I have to keep silent. That's OK, I respect and follow their wishes.

But for you other members, if ya feel ya benefit from coming here and clicking on the reports, let me be the first to say it ain't no big deal to get blanked while fishin.

Feel free to post those skunk reports, and don't worry about what others think of you. We don't have that giant ego "Holier than thou" vibe here that you sometimes see elsewhere.

So step up and embrace your inner skunk!!! :laugh: :HappyWave: Don't be shy, post up, :thumbsup:


Nitestrikes posted this a while back:
"I went out early morning
hoping the weather would be fair

the tide was right and I hoped with might
that some stripers would be there.

but as the day wore on a stench set in
Yes something really stunk!

and by the time I left, I knew for sure
that I was fishing with the skunk! "

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

[SharkHart]

I fished the bay tonight, landed 3 dropped one but the water was off color and lots of grass in the water

there is a sweet weekend opportunity brewing :)

[yukon]

there is a sweet weekend opportunity brewing :)

I was thinking the same thing and of course I have to go to the in-laws in upstate NY for turkey day:upck:

[Chapin521]

Fri nite hit NOC beaches and rock piles threw everything in the bag, covered pretty much all levels of the water column w/o so much a tap. Decided to use my ace in the hole (clams) at the top of the outgoing tide. Proceeded to catch dogfish after dogfish on just about every cast (which where safely release back into the wash). Went through dozen or so clams. Did managed a nice tussle w a heavy fish (put a nice bend in the rod and took some heavy drag) but because of my negligence (not checking leader) I'm writing about the big one that got away. What kind of fish it was, your guess is as good as mine. But the fustration of losing that fish kept me glued to that one spot longer than i would normally stay. Especially considering i had to be at work 6 am. After a 12 hr shift on Sat went home slept for a few hrs and Sun early am thru Sun nite plugged and threw bait in both the front and back of OC without so much as a sniff or nibble from the crabs. Did snag some sandeels and mole crabs by dragging a crippled hearing on the front beaches. So much for my :skunk: report.Tonite after helping wifey prep for Thanksgiving dinner i might get an opportunity to head out. Thinking bout targeting the bay. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

[DarkSkies]

Fri nite hit NOC beaches and rock piles threw everything in the bag, covered pretty much all levels of the water column w/o so much a tap. Decided to use my ace in the hole (clams) at the top of the outgoing tide. Proceeded to catch dogfish after dogfish on just about every cast (which where safely release back into the wash). Went through dozen or so clams. Did managed a nice tussle w a heavy fish (put a nice bend in the rod and took some heavy drag) but because of my negligence (not checking leader) I'm writing about the big one that got away. What kind of fish it was, your guess is as good as mine. But the fustration of losing that fish kept me glued to that one spot longer than i would normally stay. Especially considering i had to be at work 6 am. After a 12 hr shift on Sat went home slept for a few hrs and Sun early am thru Sun nite plugged and threw bait in both the front and back of OC without so much as a sniff or nibble from the crabs. Did snag some sandeels and mole crabs by dragging a crippled hearing on the front beaches. So much for my :skunk: report.Tonite after helping wifey prep for Thanksgiving dinner i might get an opportunity to head out. Thinking bout targeting the bay. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

This is an example of a great report. We have an idea that Chapin fished the ocean and bay. We know from reading it that he approached it methodically, and gave it 110% trying to catch fish on artificials. And he let us know HOW.

When that didn't work, he had clams as a backup. It is this adaptability that will give guys an extra edge sometimes and bring them a catch. :thumbsup:

While he has no bass to show for that trip, he did catch some dogfish, and had fun fighting something unknown that was bigger. :wow: :lookhappy:

So in all, it seems he did have some action, although not with the fish he was looking for. Still better than no action at all, and it gives the reader a vibe that it's ok to stay home right now, if they're travelling from a far distance.

On another site, the guy asked for fishin advice and was accused of being a report chaser. He was told to go out and find out for himself, even though he came from Pa and was just trying to get a feel for whether it was worth it to make the trip or not. :kooky:


Thanks for the great report, Chapin, you'll gettum next time. :clapping: As others here have said, try to be out Thu into Fri if you can. The sandeels are building up again, and a W/NW pattern could make it worth your while. The day bite has been better, so try to time your visit for the dawn to dusk hours if you can. Pay attention to the marine weather forecast and strike the moment that wind shifts. Good luck! :HappyWave:

[surfwalker]

Stopped at one beach at 5:30am and the waves and trough were too tough to handle, moved on. Second stop was fishable. At first light hooked one small 16” slim/lean Bass, on a six an a half inch sand eel plastic teaser used with an Ava, dragged on the bottom. A few more hits between first and full light, then nothing. Threw mostly metal and bucks, with/without teasers. Wind seemed to intensify a little with the rise in tide. Constant breakers-some beaches out far/some beaches in close. Water mostly off color. Some shorts were seen caught on Ava green tubes and one keeper, but very sporadic catches. Walked off at 10am.

Happy Trails

[DarkSkies]

Fished 6-10:30pm with G. :skunk:

Sandeels are back, we set out to find some. Fished perfect water. The conditions were perfect. Wind had died down, a light rain, which eventually diminished, and the swell diminishing as well in Moco. Water was clean and clear. Threw needles, rubber, bombers, magdarters, sluggo, weighted redfin, and some rebel type swimmers. Not a tap.

Given the poor results, we decided to scout some new water in the back. We hit some places just as the flood was starting. No success there either, but we did find some safe shore and kayak access spots for the future, and marked some small bait in the shallows. It was good to see bait back there this late in the year, so we'll be back there again on a different tide.

Some small fish, and some bigger ones, were caught in the ocean today, pretty slow pick from the reports that were phoned in. The day bite is your best bet for anyone who has limited time to fish.

[finchaser]

Fished 6-10:30pm with G

same thing I got:don't know why:oh yeah I was home:D

[yardvillejimmy]

Late Report: Went fishing with OFFC last Saturday afternoon. Missed the morning bite at SH. We managed to catch a few fish on mambos. One Keeper.

[hookset]

Went out this morning a little late and missed the first light bite. Stayed a little longer did a little scouting. Fishing turned on for me with using a popper. Caught two short.

I had to leave to get some turkey!

[DarkSkies]

Yes there were. ;)

I'll fill in the report later, just made it back in time for dinner. :lookhappy:

*******************************
Overslept and OTW at 10am Nomoco. Found some birds about 500' offshore. Boats found them too and put the fish down. I was BSing with an old timer for awhile until I decided to give it a shot anyway. A lot of the morning people had given up and gone home.

Started throwing metal, couldn't reach the birds, kept casting and working the water. Finally got a short bass on a 2 oz tin squid with bucktail.

1/2 hour later I got a keeper bass on a mackerel magdarter with bucktail siwash. The bass was bleeding as it had inhaled the magdarter and surgery to take out the hooks wasn't successful, so I decided to keep him.

8475



Knew at that point I had to leave or I would have been late for dinner. It was a slow pick, but the fish were there if you wanted to work for them. Anytime the action is like that, I'll take it! :fishing:

The sandeels are back, in different places. You have to move around until you find them. As I said, if your time is limited, the day bite is your best bet right now. If you want a shot, try to be OTW at sunrise tomorrow. Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. :thumbsup:

[cowherder]

Congrats on the catch, Dark. I was at SH and got not even a bump from 6-8am, the last of the outgoing tide. I did see some swirls around sunrise. I was casting a ava17 with a green tail and a red tube teaser. There was a group of birds way far out. I bet they were catching fish. Would that be the shrewsbury rocks off Sandy Hook?

[plugcrazy]

Was out 5-7am. Saw some birds working but no matter what I did I fish escaped me. Tried, poppers, pencils, metals, and darters. I did not have the magic touch this morning.

[fishinmission78]

Late report, was out yesterday in upper ocean county. Managed 13 bass to 28" from 6-8:30am. Ava17 with green tail and redgill teaser. The sand eels were so thick you could snag them on almost every cast. All fish over the outer bar.

[vpass]

Fished OC from 6am to 9:30am. I got 4 Bass to 27 inches. Birds were working every where about 300 yards off the beach. I scouted other beachs, and around 10:30am Ganets were diving about 500 yards off the beach and appear to be come closer to the beach. I ran out of time, had to leave. I will be out tomorrow.

I caught 2- bass on crippled herring with red bucktail, and 2 on yellow teaser.

[surfwalker]

Stopped at one beach at 5am and threw for awhile there, but decided to hit another beach and left after an hour, hitless. Found out later that my friend picked up a good amount of Bass there on Ava/green tail/no teaser, naturally after I left that area.
Second stop was able to walk the outter bar on the drop. No signs of anything happening- no bait seen/no nervous water. Picked up one short on a plain Ava17, and 3 shorts on a six an a half inch rubber sand eel teaser, used with the Ava, dragging. Also picked up an above keeper size Bass on same teaser, released. All fish caught north or south of cutaways from 7 to 9am, in close.
Water a little off color. Constant breakers. Overcast/North to NNW wind-steady. Walked off at 10am.

Happy Trails

[LennyD]

Fished SOMOCO 530am - 10am, 3 bass to 27" +1lost.
all the action was b4 8am.

[voyager35]

We fished down the beach from the Hook today. About 2 miles out. Good mix of bass and blues to 32". Ava47 with green tail pulled in most of the fish. They were so filled with sand eels they looked like fat little piggies.

[DarkSkies]

Also picked up an above keeper size Bass on same teaser, released.
Happy Trails

Aw, your PM to me was a lot more colorful than that! :bigeyes:

I think it's a great story. Would you tell it for us? (it's entirely up to you). Surfwalker and all the people who got fish today, there was a slow pick in most places, and some really fantastic fishin in others. If you weren't on the red X, ya missed it. It's good to see fish were caught at places other than the usual hotspots.

Congrats all. :clapping:

[DarkSkies]

If fishin was a job and ya had to produce, today I would have been fired. :laugh:

I did everything wrong, and didn't stick to a disciplined plan like I coach everyone else to. :don't know why:

Fished 7a-5p. I should have stayed where I caught fish yesterday, but decided the fish pasture was greener in OC. I blew it, and failed. Spend the rest of the day getting to places as the guys were sayin "Yep you shoulda been here an hour ago!" That's fishin.

I scouted and fished 25 miles of shoreline, and managed to miss the 3 key areas where guys did well. I failed to consider that where I got them yesterday in nomoco could strike lightning twice and produce today.

After hitting 2 places in OC and striking out (I did see a slow pick of bass for the guys out on the bar), but managed to arrive at each place as the bite was crashing, I moved north.

I felt like fish poison. I didn't hit all the OC areas I usually do, and as a result missed some good action. Around 10, I headed up to nomoco and spent way too much time where I was yesterday. By that time the bite was over. I stubbornly resisted that reality. :bucktooth: The best I could do was one dropped fish on a white X-rap.

Meanwhile, there were birds all over, just out of reach. From a few birds to clouds of hundreds, I was tortured by them all day. I wished I brought the kayak, but the building west winds would have blown a paddler 2-3 miles out to sea.

Eventually wound up in nomoco and bumped into the OFFC, and some other "famous" people. It was like a who's who of NJ surfcasting, yet most guys had quit fishing at that time.

"Just missed em!" was the mantra.

Ran into Asbury Guy and Sudsy, and guys reppin all the other clubs. Sudsy makes my afternoon by immediately askin me "Gee where didya get those boots, didya just come from a gay pride parade or something?"

They were Cabelas guide boots that were originally black and green. Since I wear them all the time, the black die faded and now they're purple and tan. I never noticed, but Sudsy did. Thanks for noticing, man, and keepin it real! :2flip: :HappyWave:

The consensus was that the bite was over as the tide hit slack, and then the ebb started. I fished with the OFFC till dark anyway, hopin for a stray bass or 2. Sadly, it was not to be, we all smelled the skunk. :skunk:

The highlight of my day was when the OFFC presented me with a custom 9' lami rod made by Fishjay many years ago. Even though we didn't catch fish, we gave it our best shot, and had a great time fishin together. From the bottom of my heart, thanks, guys! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Monty]

Fished Friday morning 6:00 to 10:00 :skunk:.
Birds working 200 yards+ out.
Had 1 hit on hogy early on and missed.
First time out in 3 weeks, so in was great being out there.
Wow, my favorite fishing spot is changed big time :(.
Gladly take the skunk than not being able to hit the surf.

[SharkHart]

in OC a lot of birds bait and bass BUT super picky, after an hour some started to hit, I was lucky to get a few good ones about 14 and 16lbs and about 5 shorts bombers and teasers today

[vpass]

I fished in OC today. At first light Birds started working and the there were bait everywhere. Bass were swirling around the bait, and busting further out. There were peanut around also.

In the area I was fishing I saw only 2 fish caught. I was amazed with all those fish that were in casting distance, and that I could not hookup with any of them. I fished that spot from 5:30am to 9am.

I went to a second spot. I met Dark, and we fished together. We had fish busting beyond casting distance. We seen a few guys hookup to nice size bass. seen afew being dragged off the beach some of the fish were around 18 pound range. It looks like it going to be a good Dec.

Like Monty said "Gladly take the skunk than not being able to hit the surf." It was a nice day to be on the beach.

[SharkHart]

someone turned on the bunker switch today adults all day over 6 miles, then peanuts in the afternoon, Now here is the good part a few jumbo bass were on the adults before monster blues took over. a 35 lb bass hit the sand sorta caught by an angler, it was snagged. My buddy saw another jumbo bass breach through the school then blues took over, and were harrasing them out of the water at times. 98% of the time the bunker were 5-15 yrds out of range. if you coul snag one it would get wuffed fast. a few boats finally saw them and got ridiculous close to the surf crew and they were into big blues.


p.s the sandeel bite appers to be a morning affair least for now

[gjb1969]

see thats the stuff that drives me nuts i dont go fishing and things happen:burn::burn::argue:

[Pebbles]

Dark is on his way up to your place with some bluefish G, he should be there in about 30 to 45 minutes.

[gjb1969]

ok thanks for the heads up:HappyWave:

[finchaser]

someone turned on the bunker switch today adults all day over 6 miles, then peanuts in the afternoon, Now here is the good part a few jumbo bass were on the adults before monster blues took over. a 35 lb bass hit the sand sorta caught by an angler, it was snagged. My buddy saw another jumbo bass breach through the school then blues took over, and were harrasing them out of the water at times. 98% of the time the bunker were 5-15 yrds out of range. if you coul snag one it would get wuffed fast. a few boats finally saw them and got ridiculous close to the surf crew and they were into big blues.


p.s the sandeel bite appers to be a morning affair least for now


What they ^^^ said.
Yesterday afternoon nada. This AM I managed one 12# fish they were very finicky. Lots of fish in the wash sand eels swimming around our legs with bass with in 5' of us with lock jaw. Tomorrow going on the boat for black fish something good to eat.

[DarkSkies]

Wow, my favorite fishing spot is changed big time :(.
Gladly take the skunk than not being able to hit the surf.

I hear ya Monty. So much activity out there right now even if you get the skunk it's a blast. I was amped up all day on those bait and fish explosions, not even one cup of coffee. :wow:

As for your favorite place, I met this guy Big D the other day....
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=5236&page=2 (post #20)

He claims there is a big slough and cut there that hasn't existed in years, check it out next time at full or new moon low tide, you might be smilin again. :D




BUT super picky, after an hour some started to hit, I was lucky to get a few good ones about 14 and 16lbs and about 5 shorts bombers and teasers today


This AM I managed one 12# fish they were very finicky.

The next time I run into you guys, I'm searchin your tackle bags for bunker paste!!! Ya's gotta be smearing those tins and plugs with it. :rolleyes: :moon: :laugh:

Seriously, great catches. :clapping::clapping: We did see some very nice fish caught today, but they were few and far between. It was a lot of intense casting, and a little bit of luck, to get a decent fish today. I can't remember the last time I saw so much bait in the water for the fall.

[DarkSkies]

I gotta upload the video I shot today, so I'll try to be brief. :ROFLMAO

I'm now workin on the West Wind Wally fishin reports. Check it out when you get a chance:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=5418


Fished 7a-5p, I can't even say I got a tap or dropped fish this time. It didn't happen for me today, I couldn't buy a hit.

I got skunked by myself.
I got skunked fishin with Vpass, though we did have so many explosions of bass and bait in front of us to keep me there all day. :drool:
I got skunked fishin next to the 2 dads and sons fishin crew, who spanked everyone on the beach with their "bunker head on the hopkins" setups. ;) :clapping: Still, it was a thrill to accept the challenging task of getting a fish when they were keyed in on live bunker and not much else.

I met up with the OFFC and finished the day throwing metals and small plugs for the end of day bite that never materialized.

I probably failed OFFC membership because I left early, and the old farts were still pluggin away at sundown. :viking:They didn't want to give up. They probably brought their sleepin bags to the beach to get an early start for the morning bite. :D :lookhappy: Hardcore, those guys. :HappyWave:

The bait in the surf zone, as Shark and others said, was:
Adult bunker, 5 miles worth
Peanuts
Sandeels
Herring (possible sighting)

I'm bringing my bunker snags tomorrow. I may be stubborn, but I ain't stupid. ;)

Also, for the artificial only crowd, bombers, yellow mambo minnows, and metal lip swimmers have been pulling in some nice bass when tins aren't working.

[gjb1969]

dark one fish gone fillets and now fish sandwich with hot sause:) i am eating as i type now i just need some beer:plastered:

[yardvillejimmy]

Plugged into the dark with OFFC after Dark Skies left. No reward.

[vpass]

Fished OC this morning from 5:30am to 9:30am. It was not like the day before. I did hookup and landed a nice fat 27inch bass. I had a sundial blitz also . I caught 4 sundial almost in a row. also snagged a skate. I'm back to work tomorrow.:eek: I'm back to fishing weeknight and weekends. I hope the night bite starts again.

[surferman]

Fished NOMO this morning 5:30-8:00. Nothing on the end of my pole.

[Monty]

Fished NOMO from 6:30-10:30. Ocean was like a lake (have not fished water like that in months). Water temp 52 degrees Threw the bag (needles, swimmers, rubber teaser and sluggos). Only a hit on the 9" sloggo, missed it. Held off on throwing the AVA, then around 8:30 went to it. Got a hit, set the hook, decent/different fight. Landed a double of striper shorts. Rubber teaser and the Ava 37. A little later threw a 9" ivory sluggo, bird after it, every time the bird dove I yanked the sluggo out of the way. Half way in a fish hits the sluggo, missed it of course. So I should work sluggos more erratically. To nice out, had beach basically to myself.
8510

8511

[gjb1969]

fished with dark south of pp there was lots of boats and surf casters not many hook ups just guys and boats looking for fish guys casting and casting boats going back and forth bunker got pushed up but no fish got one lone blue on a old bunker chunk and one hit on metal but that was it but at least i got the blue:don't know why:

[LennyD]

This am i was out on my kayak, action was early, by 730 they shut down.
here is some picture

[cowherder]

Nomoco 6-9am today. I got one short bass on the Ava with red tube teaser. I did not see a lot of fish caught, but enough guys out there that it looked like they were giving out $100 dollar bills.:eek: Nice bass Lenny, how much did that weigh?

[storminsteve]

I fished ocean county from 5-8 today. Like Lenny said, it seems like it shut down by 8. One runt 22" on a 2 oz t hex. Grats on the bass Len.

[killie]

south of the inlet, hundred guys fishing and saw a few fish caught, a couple of nice ones too. I caught somewhere near a 20lber, swam off to see another day, I hope. metal was the ticket.

[finchaser]

south of the inlet, hundred guys fishing and saw a few fish caught, a couple of nice ones too. I caught somewhere near a 20lber, swam off to see another day, I hope. metal was the ticket.


:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping:

[fishjay]

fished ocean county.

Had 8-12 lb. Bluefish chasing bunker from 1pm to dark with a smatering of bass.

Seemed to us that when DS passed the manasquan river heading home all the fish started.

[finchaser]

fished ocean county.

Had 8-12 lb. Bluefish chasing bunker from 1pm to dark with a smatering of bass.

Seemed to us that when DS passed the manasquan river heading home all the fish started.




Wind finally goes west fishing picks up and then the horse bunker come out of no where and suck fish away like a vacuum.
Went for blackfish today and got reports form my friends on bass boats that bass were almost non existent.The large body of fish the boats have worked on all week were in 70-80' of water off Island Beach then the big blues came to feed now everything is pretty dead. Also following under the blues were dog fish. so after the bunker passed it turned into jig for blues and dogfish.:(

[LennyD]

Nice bass Lenny, how much did that weigh?
I didnt measure the weight, guessing 16-18LB
Stomach was empty!

[fishinmission78]

Snag and drop was the name of the game for today, lads. Got 1 bass 38" and some monster blues with the snag rig, north of IBSP, 8-1:30pm.

[bababooey]

Very slow pick north of the Manasquan inlet today. We were about 2 miles off, jigged a few short bass on metal, and a few big bluefish.

[DarkSkies]

I caught somewhere near a 20lber, swam off to see another day, I hope. metal was the ticket.

20 frikkin lbs? :bigeyes: That was the needle in the haystack trick for today. We saw one other fish in the teens caught, otherwise it was a slow pick that dried up an hour after it started where we were.
This is terrible news, how will Finchaser be able to bustbalz now? :ROFLMAO I think worlds are gonna collide, maybe we'll get hit by a giant asteroid this week and life as we know it will cease. ;)


Went for blackfish today and got reports form my friends on bass boats that bass were almost non existent..:(

I hope you got enough blackfish between ya's all to total over 20#. Otherwise ya gotta bow down to Killie as the new King Sharpie! I think he :beatin: ya today, Fin!



Seemed to us that when DS passed the manasquan river heading home all the fish started.

The guy who shuts the bite down is no longer Killie. It seems that great responsibility has passed to me. WTG, ya's finally got some big bluefish. :clapping:
I also heard that after you were generous enough to snag a bunker and give it to a stranger, that guy caught a keeper bass. See what ya get for bein nice to strangers?? :rolleyes: :D





Congrats to all on the catches, I know you guys worked hard for em. :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

Fished with G today in OC 7-11:30a. We covered 15 miles of sand before we decided on a spot. Saw one guy walk off with a mid teens fish early, otherwise it seemed pretty slow.

All about being on the red x. We had scouted the area where the bunker were in the afternoon, but we were there at sunup and it was dead. :don't know why:

Moved back N and hit some beautiful water on the ebb. Seems bunker were just offshore about 300', but in lesser amounts than yesterday, Nonetheless, everyone was on them like flies on ****.

Not much action from the beach or the boats. We saw both shore and boat fishermen livelining. There were bunker hiding in the trough, but not many. Also saw sandeels swimming as we waded out into the clear cold water, though they were scattered.

G managed a small bluefish on a weeks old stinky piece of bunker. :upck:It was a great story, all the details that went with it. Like one of those TV commercials where everything goes wrong at the last minute. I posted it here.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=5425&page=2

I'll try not to bust his balz too much, at least he got the fish in. ;) :thumbsup:

And we had fun, even with not many fish around. :thumbsup:

[c4charlie]

Fished from 4-7am. Landed 2 Bass, it was slow. Bait was 10 feet away from me all over when it got light but no fish showed up. :(

:thumbsup: Nice sunrise though. :)

Can't believe how many people fish on the weekend mornings.:wow::scared:

Looked like the 100 boats all in one spot a bit off shore were on something.:cool:

[SharkHart]

If those boats u saw were off belmar they were on doggies. I was out today, sucked bad, there was a huge fleet in 60 feet every party boat was there. Dogs coming up like I never seen. We got 2 bass half dozen blues further north. I did manage to get 3 bass and a big blues in quick time before the boat. Blues pinned adults inside a finger jetty just as I was leaving. a few guys fishing the pocket fevrerishly through their clams into them and wht do you know it worked, they were on plugs too, everyones rod was bent when i left

[finchaser]

Fished this AM with the :skunk:as was the case with everyone.

No fish no bait and no birds been like that since bluefish honed in on those miserable horse bunker and chased everything far south.

Hope there are more fish along Long Island or the bunker may be the final blow to this fall:(

[stripermania]

SH this morning 7:30-9:00 am. Caught one short.

[Monty]

NOMO this am 6:00-10:30, caught around 15 shorts (18-24 inches). Was lots of fun, a couple on small metal lip swimmers, a few on Ava and rubber teaser, the rest on sluggos. They were in close. Did a lot of walking and casting, seeing what would catch and what would not. Not many others out.
I am just starting to use Sluggos, 9".
Size ratio Bass:Sluggo
8521

8522

[DarkSkies]

WTG on the catches Monty. You caught those bass on a day when a lot of guys were out and couldn't even pull one out of the water. I know you have put in many hours without decent numbers of fish, congrats. :clapping: :thumbsup::thumbsup:



A new body of bass appeared in the ocean. This morning they hit very small bait 1-1 1/2" long, maybe rainfish or some other juvenile baitfish, activity was in very few places.

Most of the bass were smaller, but some up to 34" were caught.

I fiished 2:30-8:30PM.

2:30-5:30
5 bass to 24". 1 on sluggo, 3 on metal, Ava007, 1 on magdarter. It was a slow pick, you had to work for the fish. Bite shut off at sunset, even though I met a guy who got a 29" bass a little after on a rubber eel teaser.

Be aware that the guy was casting for a few hours before he got his fish. These fish are not all over. Right now they only seem to be concentrated when bait shows up. Today, the W/NW winds brought bait closer to the beach and fish were caught.

I don't want to mislead or give unrealistic hope to anyone here. I believe 90% of the biomass has passed us already and is in the Delaware and Chesapeake bay areas.


5:30-8:30
The night bite is not too productive right now, unless you fish from steel structure, lighted areas or areas with current that are on the fish migration highway. I fished all my best places before I called it a night because I had caught fish earlier and thought it was worth a shot. 3 hours of night casting, not a tap. I say this to prevent other people from wasting their time at night like I did.


Looking forward:
Get out in the daytime, ya might run into some fish. Look for bait or working birds, and fish the best holes you can find. As the water gets colder, if you don't find one of those, your chances diminish with every degree the water drops. There are herring being caught in LI now, that could change things up a bit as they start to filter into the usual areas here. :lookhappy: