NJ fishing reports for October 2010

[DarkSkies]

NJ fishing reports for October 2010
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]

_StorminSteve,
you won the plug in the September random drawing!:clapping: :thumbsup:
PM me your address so I can send it out to ya!




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.

If you struck out or got skunked, it would be helpful to hear that as well. Anyone who posts a report can win a plug even if they got skunked! :skunk::D


This month we're giving out plugs from Ace Baits, or something similar.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...splay.php?f=83 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/forumdisplay.php?f=83)

Thanks for posting and helping to make this a great site! :clapping:


http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6338&thumb=1&d=1238964999 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6338&d=1238964999)

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6340&thumb=1&d=1238965622 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6340&d=1238965622)


http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6339&thumb=1&d=1238965319 (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6339&d=1238965319)

[LennyD]

Fished Oc this am, started after 3am, first on a jetty, nada, the i went to ibsp, saw bait in the wash, small. Then i hooked up a shad, at least i think thats what it is.
No bass, no blues. Water got warmer after the storm, wasnt to dirty, just a little off color.

[fishinmission78]

:thumbsup: Nice pics Lenny. That's a hickory shad, we're getting lots of them on teasers. Great fight on light tackle.
I fished IBSP this am, one bass 29" and a few bluefish on an ava dressed with a bucktail.
After sunrise I put a teaser rig onn, got a few shad, but the fish were over the bar as the tide went out. Wish I had a kayak.

[LennyD]

:thumbsup: Nice pics Lenny. That's a hickory shad, we're getting lots of them on teasers. Great fight on light tackle.
I fished IBSP this am, one bass 29" and a few bluefish on an ava dressed with a bucktail.
After sunrise I put a teaser rig onn, got a few shad, but the fish were over the bar as the tide went out. Wish I had a kayak.

Thanx fishinmission78! I have a kayak but yesterday wasnt the day to put it on the ocean!

[DarkSkies]

Nice shad, Lenny. :thumbsup: They're also called Jersey Tarpon.

I know many people remain focused on bass, but on light tackle the hickory shad are great fun. When compared to herring, they're way more aggressive and will eat other fish, so you can catch them with large teasers or spearing. They're a good fish to bring the kids out for, these and the small bluefish that are around now. :fishing:


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

Always check the weather report! :beatin:
I'm so obessive about checking the weather, and check it every day several times. Not only the beach cams, but when the weather is changing I look at predictions broken down by the hour to see the best window.

Today I failed to do that, as I dragged Pebbles out of bed at 4am. :o Call it being tired or googanism, I didn't hit the PC updates before we left. Last night they said 10-15 N, and variable. Not too bad, fishable... :lookhappy:

We got down to the water, the wind was howling before sunrise, straight in your face NE. We tried to hide behind some structure, but the 20mph, and gusts to 30, made things unfishable where we were. Gave it a few casts and decided to change plans.

We went and mugged Finchaser! :kooky: :laugh: :wow: :fishing: :HappyWave: He was hard at work trying to pull a fish or 2. Bait was around but more scattered than usual.

We all gave it our best. He might blame me for shutting the bite down. :moon: The real blame today goes all to the wind. There were a few maniacs trying for fish in any spot that offered a lee, the best we heard of was one bass on an Ava47, and one small bluefish.

Finchaser, the Old Grouchy Basstard, managed a few bite offs on rubber, not much luck with anything else. Called it a morning early.

It's gonna be hard to present to the fish today, guys and girls. Good luck to anyone who tries. :thumbsup:

[Pebbles]

It was great seeing and fishing with you today Bob. :)

As Dark said we did not get anything but I did have a good time.

I would much rather get up at 4:00 then stay up and go out at 12:00 or 1:00.

The wind was howling.:(. Thank Goodness Dark had a hat for me to use.:kiss:. Once we got to Finchaser we were a little more protected from the wind. I was able to cast very far, with my Finchaser rod. I learned some more about fishing bucktails, still no fish.

[Mike O]

Fished SH on out going tide early Sat. morning. Lots of bait. Managed a small fluke and a cocktail blue.

Mike O

[DarkSkies]

Hey Mike how ya been? :HappyWave: Are you fishing the surf or the boat, more this year?

[Mike O]

I have not been on a boat in years! To fish. Land Lover for sure. Went on a Cat cruise a couple of years back in Hawaii and got seasick while my wife was enjoying mai tais and snacks LOL. No more boats for me.

Mike O

[DarkSkies]

Went on a Cat cruise a couple of years back in Hawaii and got seasick while my wife was enjoying mai tais and snacks LOL. No more boats for me.
Mike O

Hey that's one of the reasons why we get married, right?....so they can spend our $$ and keep us out of trouble. :plastered:
Good luck this season, Mike, hope to bump into ya one day soon. :HappyWave:

[Monty]

Fished out front from 5:00 to 8:30 this morning. Got this one short on a teaser in front of a 2 oz F14 and had one other hit. Was a wee bit windy out there this morning.
12176

[LennyD]

nice catch,Monty!

[DarkSkies]

Fished out front from 5:00 to 8:30 this morning. Got this one short on a teaser in front of a 2 oz F14 and had one other hit. Was a wee bit windy out there this morning.
12176

"Wee bit windy"
Understatement of the year, Monty. ;) That wind was howling, many guys who gave it a shot got blanked.

Some of the best catches of the day... one on an A47 this morning. And G and the Dirty Water guys got a few in the back, 31" bass on bunker and a few blues. And yours. :thumbsup:

I'm impressed you were able to punch it out there with the 2oz, with a teaser attached as well. WTG, nice fish.:clapping: :fishing:

[finchaser]

Tonight 6 to 7:30 a 32" bass on white shad rap waaaaaaaaaaay in back, bait came back where there was none this AM. Wind and rain getting worse:( we quit cause we couldn't see.

[kevnmary]

I thought that was your car Monty. I didnt feel like walking all the way South to where I think you were, I fished the break between the rocks. Wind was unbearable, I snapped off a nice AOK T-hex with a bass candy teaser. I fished until about 8:00 and couldn't take the wind anymore. Skunk for me.

[storminsteve]

Nice catches guys! I didn't go today because I figured it would be unfishable. Way to hang in there.:clapping::clapping:

[Monty]

I thought that was your car Monty. I didnt feel like walking all the way South to where I think you were, I fished the break between the rocks. Wind was unbearable, I snapped off a nice AOK T-hex with a bass candy teaser. I fished until about 8:00 and couldn't take the wind anymore. Skunk for me.
Water looked pretty clear, tons of white water. But was a lot warmer than I thought it would be. I used a chartreuse teaser, like the one you used in that area last year when you schooled me.


"Wee bit windy"
Understatement of the year, Monty. ;) That wind was howling, many guys who gave it a shot got blanked.

Some of the best catches of the day... one on an A47 this morning. And G and the Dirty Water guys got a few in the back, 31" bass on bunker and a few blues. And yours. :thumbsup:

I'm impressed you were able to punch it out there with the 2oz, with a teaser attached as well. WTG, nice fish.:clapping: :fishing:
Thanks. Wind played havoc with my hat, cord choked me, hat on side of head, in eyes. Was ridicules. For me catching one fish in those conditions, even a short, is very satisfying (especially when I have basically no idea what I am doing), I love the challenge.


nice catch,Monty!
Thanks

[cardoc765]

Ran an afternoon trip on saturday. We had 6 guys on board and decided to fish nomoco area. Took a few minutes of smashing clams over the side, but we managed to turn the bass on. The day was awesome weather wise and in 4 hours time we managed to catch 50 plus bass. Only 12 were keepers. Most of the throw backs were 27-27 3/4. Keepers ranged from 29 3/4 to 32. All the fish were very fat and yet not much bait in their bellies. Was great to find the fish and make a unexpected nice day for the guys. No other boats around us either. Those that did sweep by to see if they could get some action left quickly without a single pick up. HAHA sucks for them.

[DarkSkies]

The bass are passing by every day, the key is to figure out how to get to where they are.
WTG, Cardoc, glad ya's got into them. :thumbsup: :HappyWave:



*****************
10-4 report
Fished out back this morning. The wind was pretty intense, shifting from the E/NE. Strong gusts, it didn't let up for long. The rain wasn't that bad, though. Found a lee from the wind in the back, with small spearing and mullet still around. Fish feeding on the surface before the change of the tide. Threw rubber but it kept getting chopped. Switched to a 4" bomber profile chartreuse swimmer, managed a few small bluefish.

[finchaser]

This AM 6:30 to 8:30 had 6 blues,1bass all on jig head and rubber way in the back

[buckethead]

Decided to go out last night and do some bait fishing. I had some eels and bunker head. Worked my way all over MOCO. Ended up in Sandy Hook with a 28" bass. Let the guy go for the future fishermen.

[DarkSkies]

^ WTG on your persistence in this sloppy weather, guys. :clapping:

*********

Fished the back this morning from 5:30-7. The wind was 10-15 E/NE, rain a light drizzle. Not bad. I threw shads, other rubber, bucktails, and finally small plugs resembling the bait profile, with teasers. Mullet started to show around sunrise, but the bait today was nowhere near the amount that showed up yesterday. Water was cloudy and the tide was higher than usual with all the rain. :skunk:

I couldn't hang around to see if it turned on when the tide changed, had to get to work. Tomorrow's another day. :)

[wish4fish]

hey dark u shud of fished clams we killed em last nite got 9 bass in the bay between 4 guys in 2 hours, 2 keepers at 30", clams are king when the northeast blows!:plastered:

[LennyD]

awesome, wish4fish! Good to see bass report from the bay! Thanx

[surferman]

Fished near CMP today, got 2 bass right at sunrise. clams. 25 and 27".

[c4charlie]

Got to fish with a good friend tonight somewhere East of GSPKY. Hit a couple spots and found bait and fish. I caught 7 bass to 34" and one big bluefish. Had another 3-4 fish on and off and lots of bites. The fish are loving the cooler weather and so am I. My friend got a bunch of bass as well.

Must have been sandeels or rainfish in the area because they like Bombers, Rebels, Mag Darter, Crystal Minnow. The bluefish went for my brand new northbar bottle darter.

[DarkSkies]

Nice fish C4! :clapping: :thumbsup: :HappyWave:


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


10-5- report
I was a little crabby last night. I had a plan laid out to fish the kayak, got the eels, sandworms for the T&W, the map of the trip all laid out in my head. Then traffic got in the way, and I didn't make it out till it was almost dark. I knew T&W would be not that productive in lower light. To top it off, at the end of the incoming, the NW wind kicked up, about 20 mph. Where was the 9-11 SW they forecast? :burn:

So I changed plans, and fished some inlets. I was kinda tired of the smaller schoolies, and wanted to target some quality fish. :drool:

First place got blanked. 2nd place jerked around with different presentations for 1/2 hour, not a touch on bucktails, shad, other rubber, diving swimmers, and small top water. Out of desperation I switched over to a fin-s, even though there wasn't much bait around at that time.

2nd cast I was into a nice fish, took some drag, and bent the Finchaser rod in half. :dribble:

It put up a good fight for a few minutes, my nicest fall fish so far. Got it into shore, it went 37" and about 18#, belly was round and fat.

12231

12232

12233



Might have weighed more, I didn't weigh it. :lookhappy:
(post #2 is the weight chart)
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=154

Caught that fish right at the change of the tide to the ebb.

I had to work for all my fish, except later when adult bunker and big mullet came around.

1/2hour later I nailed one 29", also C&R. 1/2 hour after that I got a small one, 24".

In between I was getting chopped by tiny bluefish. That was all the action until later when bigger bluefish came in after the bunker and mullet.

It's nice to see some bigger fish around. :plastered:

[storminsteve]

Wow great catches guys! Yesterday I fished nomoco 4-7, 2 short bass on a needlefish.

[Simp]

Great fish Rich!:thumbsup:

[yukon]

Great reports guys. I wish I had something to add. Should be getting out again next.

[vpass]

:thumbsup:Nice going guys,:thumbsup: I will be out tonight to get a few.

[LennyD]

awesome catch, Rich.
bay or out front?

[GeoffT]

Nice catch, Rich. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile. :don't know why:

:D

[wish4fish]

thats a fattie dark, nice bass!:plastered: :thumbsup:
we were out today clamming and got 3 bass before sunrise only one keeper 28 on the nose, the rest were about 23". dark u cd clam fish with us anytime well save you a spot, lol, but i guess u got yur own spots lol you da man!:fishing:

[fishinmission78]

Got a keeper tog this morning at Ibsp before the tide change. The tog they are a chewing guys, get them while you can. Hit a few holes on the way out, just a few small bluefish for my efforts. Darkskies, that's a quality fish you pulled out of the water, way to go on the release.:thumbsup:

[gjb1969]

nice fish there dude:HappyWave::fishing:

[chas527]

fished sh this morning with clams.got one small striper two sand sharks an 3skates. did;t see any bait or birds working .

[LennyD]

fished ibsp this evening 5-8pm, got 2 schoolie size bass on a teaser, also saw birds at least 1/2 mi out working on something.
saturday I'm fishing @ MTK, I'll give you guys report from there.

[DarkSkies]

Nice catch, Rich. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile. :don't know why:
:D


Why thank you very much, bro! Highest honors for the blind squirrel and googan that I am. ;) :moon: :HappyWave: :fishing:



**************
10-6 report
Pebbles and I went out tonight to fish the slack tide and 2 hours of the ebb. We went a little N of where I was yesterday, on a hunch.

15 minutes after the tide changed, the bait (mullet) started blowing up, with small bass and bluefish periodically moving under them. Unfortunately, given the large size of the bait pods, we only managed a few half-hearted hits with our mullet profile presentations.

The best way to catch those fish would be to have netted some mullet and then fished them dead or alive.

I did better with artificials last night when the bait was scattered and sparse. Hey, that's fishin. :fishing:

[rip316]

Why didn't you go to SHP like you were suggesting to me.

[DarkSkies]

Why didn't you go to SHP like you were suggesting to me.

1. Cause she only had 2 hours to fish and couldn't stay out late. Work comes first. :d

2. When ya gonna send me some fish pics, bro, instead of those nightmare-inducing pics you find on the internet? :eek: ;) :HappyWave:

[vpass]

Fished SH from 6.30 to 9:00pm. Water was dirty, and there was no bait around
I got skunked. Wish I had more time I would have headed south.:don't know why:

[basshunter]

Fished IBSP this morning from 6-9 with clams, 2 bass to 29".

[hookset]

Somoco for the first hour before sunrise. Threw metal and teaser, one bass on the black teaser.

[fishinmission78]

Fished the park, top of the outgoing, 2 short bass on swimmers, one more at 31".

[jigfreak]

Fished some structure before work, a few big blues, chewed the heck out of my rubber.
Funny you mention them not wanting bucktails, Dark. Bucktails are usually the first thing I toss, and they wouln't touch them this morning. Only wanted to slice my rubber. Go figure.

[clamchucker]

South OC this morning. I threw bombers, mambo, and metal on and off. Nothing to report other than the water seemed a little dirty. The NW wind should turn on the fishing, if it lasts.

[c4charlie]

Only two fish for me last night. Got a chance to use my new boga. 14 pound bluefish :scared: that was an incredible fight. Thought I had a nice big bass cause the fish stayed down the entire time. I also caught a short bass and had one come unbuttoned.

Most fun I had was listening to a veteran of the sport tell me about the good old times! I also now know where all of the fish are. ;)

[DarkSkies]

I also now know where all of the fish are. ;)

^ Well if ya know where all the fish are ya shoulda caught more than 1 bass, no?
Just sayin'......:d :HappyWave:





*************
10-7-report

Took a ride with G to find some fish last night. We made quite a few stops.

I think I left the road map to where they are at home, we had to work for our fish. ;)

We fished a lot of hours for not great results, but all fish were over 28", ya gotta take what ya can get some times.

Fished for the last hour of the flood, slack, and 4 hours into the ebb. Right as the ebb started was the best activity of the night. G nailed a 30" bass on rubber, and helped another guy near us land a fat 35" bass, also on rubber, that prob was 18+ lbs. These are fat fish :dribble: that have been passing through in the ocean lately, at the upper end of the size chart, with big bellies. My 37" fish the other night could have been 20lbs with the big belly it had, but I would rather underestimate the size if I'm not weighing it. It's C&R fishing anyway.

I managed 2 gator bluefish somewhere around 12# each on swimmers. The activity died where we were so we moved to another place on the beach. Ran into C4Charlie, he was just leaving to scout another place. :HappyWave: A friend and fellow site member JoizyBass came out, and for his first surf outing nailed a 29" bass on rubber. JoizyBass also nailed a 2# hickory shad on a bomber before we ran into him. :thumbsup: :HappyWave:

G tossed his bass back because we were anticipating larger fish, but that never materialized. :(

JoizyBass tossed his back because it only had one eye and he didn't feel like taking advantage of the handicapped. ;) :thumbsup:

In all, it was a slow night. We all had a few more hits and misses, but I think the incredible amount of bait, spearing, adult bunker, mullet, and hickory shad made it such that there was too much forage for the fish.

I usually feel more comfortable fishing artificials when the bait is scattered in different strategic places at night as opposed to spread thickly throughout the water, but that's just my opinion. :don't know why:

[c4charlie]

^ Well if ya know where all the fish are ya shoulda caught more than 1 bass, no?
Just sayin'......:d :HappyWave:


I didn't say that they are easy to catch. I just know where they all are. I'll tell you since it sounds like you want to know.

All of the fish are in the water. :D

Seriously though, we were talking about some other states and what goes on there compared to NJ. I added a new striper fishing place to visit on my list and it is not NY.

[DarkSkies]

^^Touche, Bro. :HappyWave:
Just busting your ballz, you know that. ;)
You teed that up so high I just had to take a swing at it.




The activity N of us has been great this year. Places other than LI have had some memorable surf activity, nice fish as far as the CC canal and flats, and in between.

And as for LI, the LI guys are kicking our butts this fall!
Not just at Montauk, but all along the South Shore.
I don't know if there are more googans in NJ :laugh: or if the LI guys just get out more and fish all kinds of weather, or if those LI fish are passing though the Mudhole after they hit Breezy (the Finchaser theory) but LI surf guys have been into quality fish for a month now from the surf, and the Brooklyn boats have had a somewhat steady pick of bass and monster blues for 2 months now.

The LI guys are eating our lunches, guys and gals. :o
Let's show some local NJ pride and get out there and put the time in. Catch em up! (and please try to release the bigger ones if you can, thanks! :thumbsup:)

[SharkHart]

sorry to interupt the reports with nonsense:d but wholly geez it must be good out there if Dark is into pretty good action:naughty:

Im heading to LI but i hope NJ rocks, the southern part of nj has turned on as well, the next big NW here should be interesting.

[nitestrikes]

And as for LI, the LI guys are kicking our butts this fall!
Not just at Montauk, but all along the South Shore.
I don't know if there are more googans in NJ :laugh: or if the LI guys just get out more and fish all kinds of weather, or if those LI fish are passing though the Mudhole after they hit Breezy

The LI guys are eating our lunches, guys and gals. :o
Let's show some local NJ pride and get out there and put the time in. Catch em up! (and please try to release the bigger ones if you can, thanks! :thumbsup:)


From what I heard NJ is FILLED with googans.:ROFLMAO :HappyWave:
Not a chance of you Jersey guys beating us, most of you don't even use bucktails unless you go to Montauk.:d

[rip316]

Dark do not take this post as if I am messing with you but, I have a question. You stated that G caught a 30" fish that he released with the anticipation of getting a larger fish. Than a later post post says that all the bigger fish should be released. I would have kept the 30" fish for the table and if I caught a larger one I would have released HER to hopefully spawn one day. I am learning that the majority of the larger fish are females that will lay millions of eggs depending on their size. I am just trying to get the picture here of what I am being taught. JMO.

[DarkSkies]

Rip, very good question. :thumbsup:

What my opinion is, about releasing fish, is often quite different than the opinion of others, or whether there is even a need to release fish. :don't know why:

There are a lot of people out there who don't believe striped bass numbers are down. Go on any site where boaters make up a large % of membership. For any post where a seasoned captain talks about how the numbers are down based on the hard science of his logs, there will be 10 other posts where guys will tell him he doesn't know what he's talking about. All these attacks, despite the seasoned captain sharing what his year to year experiences are, and using years of personal fishing log data to make those statements.

I think some of the disparity is when guys fishing from boats compare their catches when in bunker or bait blitzes and try to draw inferences from that great fishing to whether the numbers are down. What they are seeing, especially if they have only been fishing a few years, are the "M&Ms" in the middle of the bowl.
(more info here - bowl of M&Ms always looks bigger in the middle - posts 68 & 69)
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=760&page=7


For guys who fish from the surf or land, we are on the edges. Traditionally, surf guys will see the "overflow" of bass and blues, and if there is an abundance, or decline, more quickly than those who only fish from boats. Yet, there are so many other factors (bait migration, inshore water temps, seasonal differences, etc) that sometimes it's hard to empirically say there are less bass around. :huh:



Nonetheless, and I say this without ego or malice to anyone.....when you hang around with guys who fish almost every day, they will privately admit to you their personal catch numbers are down.

Striped bass are not managed for a realistic future growth by our fisheries management committees. They're managed for MSY (Maximum Sustainable Yield) which means, in its simplest terms, that the target for us to take (In NJ 2 bass at 28") is a number (yield) slightly under the amount that are born each year.

For a long time I have believed biomass decline to be true. I've done my best to try to present the opinions of others here...Finchaser, the Old Farts Fishing Club, Gunny from Stripercoast, Surfwalker, Clamchucker, and many members here who have so many more years of fishing than I do.

In acknowledgement of these opinions and what I believe, I decided to promote C&R fishing to raise awareness of the declining striped bass biomass and YOY figures. Several of our local charter boats are now suggesting this as well.

That doesn't mean I have a right to tell people what they can, and cannot keep. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif

You know from fishin with me that I'm pretty outspoken in my thoughts, beliefs, and actions. You remember one of the times we fished together one of the conditions was that if I got you into a keeper, I wanted you to release it in honor of all the work Finchaser and others have done to raise awareness. :thumbsup:






Summary:
I'll try my best to sum it up point by point:

1. I started contributing to the C&R thread (credit to Cowherder for the original idea) :thumbsup: :HappyWave:to continue to raise awareness for what I believe is a decline in the overall striped bass biomass, and numbers of bigger fish, the breeders.

2. When I C&R a fish, or if I decide to keep it, it's my personal choice. No one has the right to tell me I must do that when the law says I can keep them.

3. I try to follow this principle with others. However, as you found out the other night when I wanted you to move from where you were for a chance at better fish, I can be pretty "persuasive' :laugh: about something I feel strongly about.

4. So if I'm fishing with someone, and may bring them into fish they might not have had the opportunity to catch otherwise, I "strongly" encourage them to release it. ;) Truth be told, I did that with you, and I did it with G last night.

5. I told him we might get bigger fish, and he should let that one go. It was his choice to decide to keep a bigger fish if we got one later on. It's also his choice to decide to listen to me or not. :d


I'm the one asking people to release their larger fish, but all I can do, realistically, is ask. The rest is up to them. We shouldn't judge people who keep their limit, either from the surf or from a boat. Doing that just makes us come across as self-righteous. :kooky:

In the last few years I've learned that few arguments are won when one of the parties comes across that way. Far better to share the facts with people, show them some supporting documentation, and let them make up their own minds.


And it's far less stressful too. :lookhappy:
Hope that gave you some answers Rip. Thanks for asking a reasonable question, and doing so respectfully. :thumbsup:








sorry to interupt the reports with nonsense:d but wholly geez it must be good out there if Dark is into pretty good action:naughty:
Im heading to LI but i hope NJ rocks, the southern part of nj has turned on as well, the next big NW here should be interesting.


I'm just a googan with a white bucket, bro. :moon: :HappyWave:
Good luck up North, some great action there right now. Catch em up. :thumbsup:

[jigfreak]

Rip, very good question. :thumbsup:

What my opinion is, about releasing fish, is often quite different than the opinion of others, or whether there is even a need to release fish. :don't know why:

I think some of the disparity is when guys fishing from boats compare their catches when in bunker or bait blitzes and try to draw inferences from that great fishing to whether the numbers are down. What they are seeing, especially if they have only been fishing a few years, are the "M&Ms" in the middle of the bowl.
(more info here - bowl of M&Ms always looks bigger in the middle - posts 68 & 69)
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=760&page=7


For guys who fish from the surf or land, we are on the edges. Traditionally, surf guys will see the "overflow" of bass and blues, and if there is an abundance, or decline, more quickly than those who only fish from boats. Yet, there are so many other factors (bait migration, inshore water temps, seasonal differences, etc) that sometimes it's hard to empirically say there are less bass around. :huh:



:clapping::clapping: What Darkskies said.
I fish 3-4 nights a week and my numbers are definitely down. I know how to catch fish and if they are there I'm catching them. Compared to 6 years ago, when I could catch 20 bass a night easy, these years you're lucky to put a catch of 5 together.

I fished last night 3-6am, 2 bass to 31", rubber.

[fishinmission78]

Fished the park today, got 3 tiny blues right at sunrise on metal. Tons of small bait around, not many fish under them.

[vpass]

Fished yesterday from 3pm to 8pm. first beach landed 4 fluke on 7 inch sluggos. Seen some big fish busting off shore. On my second stop there where loads of Peanut swimming with out a worry in the world. stayed with them to long.:don't know why: I will try again tonight.:d

[gjb1969]

ok now i dont keep all the bass i get i do let fish go if i think i will get a bigger one so i did not get a big one so crap happens thats how my year has bin :don't know why:now that i am getting fish i feel a lot better :HappyWave:

[Pebbles]

Went fishing the other night. I am not one to fish on a work night but was told fish were in abundance. Mullet was in abundance, but only managed one tap. I had a fish take my line but I could not set the hook and lost it. Oh well I guess that's why it is called fishing and not catching.:(:(

[DarkSkies]

Last night was tough for me, there was no pattern to catching, had to change up presentations and pounded a lot of sand.
Managed 3 small bass as I fished 4 hours of the ebb. First 2 were on the Ace baits bunker profile, different locations. The last one was on rubber, another beach location.

It seemed the bite was off, really had to work for those fish. And each one of them was progressively smaller. :o

Morning bite:
Slept in my car, up at 5, managed a 31" bass and a big bluefish on rubber at sunrise today. Happy again. :)

[voyager35]

We had a mix of bass and blues to 23# about a mile off the hook this AM. We fished eels before sunrise, and clams after.

[vpass]

I fished the outgoing last night. I Worked my @ss off.:rolleyes: Hit many beaches. I worked my way from south to north. On one beach I went sledding on the sand, luckily there was no rock buried as I miss read the sand slope.:embarassed: I didn’t see much bait except on my last beach. At my last beach, I had 3 good bumps on a metal lip this was at low tide,:don't know why: I did make some mental notes on some impressive holes and other soft structure.:skunk:

[rip316]

Fished OC this morning from 5am until 845. Incoming tide. Had a nice fish on, on a needle fishing it REALLY slow. Lost it in the wash. A 31" bass on a yellow popper right before the wash. Startled the crap out of me. I never had a bass inhale a popper like that right by my feet. He had the entire 5" popper in his mouth just the head of the popper was showing.

I do not mind baitfishing, I rather enjoy the slower pace and seeing my rod bend straight over with the hopes of sticking a nice bass or blue. This has been my first year of getting into pluggin on a consistant basis. It is frustrating at times and a couple of times I swore to never do it again. I have to admit though, it is pretty cool when you get slammed 5' from your feet by a 31" bass. Just another step in the direction of becoming a better fishermen.

Thanks to all the posts you guys have put up. I am learning a great deal from you all. Thanks

[basshunter]

Fished IBSP at the inlet this afternoon, got a nice 22" tog on green crabs.

[Monty]

It is frustrating at times and a couple of times I swore to never do it again. I have to admit though, it is pretty cool when you get slammed 5' from your feet by a 31" bass.

Rip, nice fish!
I love the rush, excitement of catching on poppers.
Feels great fooling a bass with an artificial.

[GeoffT]

I had my butt handed to me by monster blues to 15.5# this morning, non-stop action livelining 5-6" peanuts way in the back MoCo. All incoming.

Water temp was 62 degrees.

[rip316]

Cardoc and I caught some blues way in the back the other day but, nothing that big. Congrats on the big blues. Love those big blues.

[GeoffT]

Cardoc and I caught some blues way in the back the other day but, nothing that big. Congrats on the big blues. Love those big blues.

Thanks. So do I . The near 16 pounder bent my stout Lamiglas rod to a frightening angle. I thought it was gonna snap at any minute. :scared:

There's an area where my buddy and I can count on for these huge blues this time of year and in the spring too. And they didn't disappoint. :)

[Monty]

Tried it out back this morning and ended up with the skunk. Fished 3:00 to 8:30. One hit on a Hogy. I miss those big Blues, my worst year ever in terms of catching blue fish.

[Pebbles]

Dark and I went out early this morning. Actually got there a little on the late side. Tried to fish some metals and rubber. I did not even get a tap. :skunk: We also went out last night for an hour until 7:00. I had a few quick taps but nothing more.

The best thing I like about fishing nowadays is my handy dandy finchaser rod. :clapping: It is perfect for me. :) No more shoulder pain when casting. I vote Finchaser rods to be the best of the best. :kiss::heart:

[storminsteve]

I miss those big Blues, my worst year ever in terms of catching blue fish.


I got the skunk too Monty, from 4-7am in somoco. I did get one sea robin on my teaser, though.:d
And I def agree with you on the gator disappearance, which gives me the blues:( Last year they were thick in Ocean County, Island beach, and Sandy Hook. They disappeared for a time in the summer but were back in late August with a vengeance! Boy I sure miss them too.

[surfwalker]

Out front - 4am - 8am. Plugs. I guess I'll join the skunk brigade also. Didn't see any life in that water at all. Still, it was a beautiful morning to make the walk.

Happy Trails

[captnemo]

We spent the early part of the morning today off Sandy Hook in what I can only describe as an epic amount of fish. Bait readings solid throughout the water column, mostly sandeels, very thick.
The 4 of us managed 43 bass to 27# using 4 to 6 oz jigs. We kept 4 middle size fish that were in the high teens.
I hope they come into the surf, and that you shore guys get a chance at them. They are out there, good luck!

[DarkSkies]

A 31" bass on a yellow popper right before the wash. Startled the crap out of me. I never had a bass inhale a popper like that right by my feet. He had the entire 5" popper in his mouth just the head of the popper was showing.

I do not mind baitfishing, I rather enjoy the slower pace and seeing my rod bend straight over with the hopes of sticking a nice bass or blue. This has been my first year of getting into pluggin on a consistant basis. It is frustrating at times and a couple of times I swore to never do it again. I have to admit though, it is pretty cool when you get slammed 5' from your feet by a 31" bass. Just another step in the direction of becoming a better fishermen.

Thanks to all the posts you guys have put up. I am learning a great deal from you all. Thanks

:lookhappy: Great report, Rip. To me, the feeling of a fish hitting an artificial presentation means that everything you did came together and fooled that fish. It's an adrenalin high that no amount of alcohol or any substance could come close to.
A lot of guys fish bait and catch fish. A good fisherman learns how to adapt to changing conditions. One important thing in your growth as a surfcaster is to learn how to challenge yourself in varying circumstances.
If you always fish clams or bunker, and never give artificials a shot, you're keeping yourself at one level and not pushing yourself to learn all you could learn. Again, nothing wrong with fishin bait IMO, some of the biggest bass are caught in the New England area by drifting live eels.
However, it remains a challenge to keep asking yourself..."What more can I learn so I can catch fish under any conditions, and how do I apply this new knowledge to make me a well-rounded fisherman?"
I believe you're on that path, bro, nice fish and keep up the good work. :thumbsup: :fishing:







Tried it out back this morning and ended up with the skunk. Fished 3:00 to 8:30. One hit on a Hogy. I miss those big Blues, my worst year ever in terms of catching blue fish.

Count me in on that "missing the blues" club, Monty. They're around, but only in certain strategic areas where bait is stacked. Last year and the year before they were a lot thicker, and more consistently available. I spent all of Aug and Sept specifically targeting big blues while the small schoolies were around. I would trade all the schoolies I caught this year just to be able to return to that great monster bluefish action of years past. :(







I had my butt handed to me by monster blues to 15.5# this morning, non-stop action livelining 5-6" peanuts way in the back MoCo. All incoming.
Water temp was 62 degrees.

Say it ain't so, Geoff!! :eek:

I remember some of your reports have the tag line "All on artificials, no baitfish were harmed"....now yer snaggin and droppin peanuts??? :don't know why:
Please tell me you had someone else snagging and dropping those peanuts for ya, this greatly concerns me... ;) :HappyWave:



Geoff and the peanuts.... :)
Will the sun rise tomorrow?
Will the moon be as bright?
Geoff is fishin with bait.
What a terrible fright! :scared:



I may have to take a trip to the Himalayas to consult my guru and ask him if the end of the world is coming.....:wow: ;) :HappyWave:

[wish4fish]

hey dark why are you hassling this dude dont be so harsh!:moon:
some of us do good on bait, last nite i got 3 monster blues and one shortie bass, all on bunker, in the back. that aint too bad now is it? nuttin wrong wit fishin bait, sometimes its all the fishies want and u gotta give it to them or you get:skunk: lol

[gjb1969]

well done on the fish:HappyWave:

[finchaser]

hey dark why are you hassling this dude dont be so harsh!:moon:
some of us do good on bait, last nite i got 3 monster blues and one shortie bass, all on bunker, in the back. that aint too bad now is it? nuttin wrong wit fishin bait, sometimes its all the fishies want and u gotta give it to them or you get:skunk: lol

:don't know why:Here he goes again:huh:he's busting a friend
Dark usually keeps bait in his car or pockets he never leaves home with out it, you both probably have permanent bucket rings on your A_ _es

[DarkSkies]

^It's all good, Fin, no problems here. Y'all bust me about the swans and West Wind Wally, so why should bait fishin be any different? Feel free, if it makes ya happy... :2flip: :HappyWave: :kiss:

And why the hell do you have to tell everyone about the bait in my pockets? It was supposed to be top sekrit!That's the sekrit sauce I rub on the plugs, and now everyone's gonna copy that. :burn:
It took me years to learn that trick from the sharpies, and now ya just gave that away... :( ;)

[GeoffT]

Say it ain't so, Geoff!! :eek:

I remember some of your reports have the tag line "All on artificials, no baitfish were harmed"....now yer snaggin and droppin peanuts??? :don't know why:
Please tell me you had someone else snagging and dropping those peanuts for ya, this greatly concerns me... ;) :HappyWave:



Geoff and the peanuts.... :)
Will the sun rise tomorrow?
Will the moon be as bright?
Geoff is fishin with bait.
What a terrible fright! :scared:



I may have to take a trip to the Himalayas to consult my guru and ask him if the end of the world is coming.....:wow: ;) :HappyWave:

:d Once in a while I have the urge to throw live ones to the lions. :don't know why:

In this spot, however, bait was a must as the blues were keyed in on anything live and natural; they usually won't chase artificials here. Also, we didn't do the snag and drop but netted the peanuts and put them in the livewell before heading out. One throw was all we needed. :clapping:

We used circle hooks so none of the blues swallowed the hook. It was great fun to brace ourselves for the inevitable powerful pull and screaming drag at each drift. :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

^Ya know I couldn't resist busting your balls, though. ;) :plastered:

Hey I would have done the same thing. You're a good sport for playin along. :thumbsup:
If I knew that the best way to catch 15+ lb blues was to smear dog crap on bagels and toss it out :eek: I'd be doing just that. :laugh:

Those big bluefish put up an intense fight and don't want to quit even when they're half-dead. WTG. :thumbsup: :fishing:

[finchaser]

^Ya know I couldn't resist busting your balls, though. ;) :plastered:

If I knew that the best way to catch 15+ lb blues was to smear dog crap on bagels and toss it out :eek: I'd be doing just that. :laugh:

Another top secret exposed might as well burn the spot :beatin::HappyWave:

[cowherder]

I fished SH in the afternoon, and got the el skunko on metal. I sure do hope the fish come in closer. It was a perfect day, not many fish. Saw one fish caught on clams, a short.

[GeoffT]

Another top secret exposed might as well burn the spot :beatin::HappyWave:

That's easy. Just find a place where you can collect lots of dog crap and a bagel shop nearby. ;) :HappyWave: Rich has a very good nose for it. :eek: :laugh:

[c4charlie]

Put on the korkers for some early am fishing and got 3 bass to 15lbs or so. All three were about the same class. Had to do a bit of photoshop to keep my magic rockpile anonymous. Had two more that were on and off. Shad, my little 5" rebel, and a big redfin were the lures of choice.

12262

[rip316]

Nice. Good 4 you man.

[Mike O]

Fished with my son early Sat. morning SH. All I managed was a gull that flew into my line working a popper! He took a chunk out of my hand while I was trying to get him untangled from my line lol ! He flew of laughing and all I got was a bloody hand. Hey, I was the only guy on the beach that caught something.

Mike O

[rip316]

Mike, next time put something over his head and body. That will make them calm down so you can have an easier time untangling him. It happens to me a couple of times a year.

[LennyD]

Put on the korkers for some early am fishing and got 3 bass to 15lbs or so. All three were about the same class. Had to do a bit of photoshop to keep my magic rockpile anonymous. Had two more that were on and off. Shad, my little 5" rebel, and a big redfin were the lures of choice.

12262

Nice catch charlie!

you guys should check out my kayak report.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=6408&page=8

[DarkSkies]

That's easy. Just find a place where you can collect lots of dog crap and a bagel shop nearby. ;) :HappyWave: Rich has a very good nose for it. :eek: :laugh:

Touche! :laugh: :clapping: :HappyWave:
Let me know if ya ever want to borrow my white bucket for that bait yer carrying around. ;)


He took a chunk out of my hand while I was trying to get him untangled from my line lol ! He flew of laughing and all I got was a bloody hand. Hey, I was the only guy on the beach that caught something.
Mike O

Rip had a good point. :thumbsup: I usually put a towel over their heads and hold them tight. They're freaked out and just want to get away. Once you minimize their exit strategy they seem to calm down a bit. Now ya got scars from fishin Mike, something great to tell the grandkids one day! :d ;) :HappyWave:



you guys should check out my kayak report.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=6408&page=8

Lenny, I'm kickin myself for not going up there. A good friend was kind enough to offer me a place to crash up there if I would drive up and meet him for some hardcore fishin this weekend. Sadly, that's not in the cards right now. :( It's killin me to miss out on that action. But I'm glad all you guys are getting into the great fishin. :clapping: :thumbsup: :fishing:
And Lenny, that's an awesome report and vid, you captured an insane slice of it, in that 25 sec video. :drool: :viking:

Congrats to all who got out and fished.







*************
Today's report....full report in the kayak reports section

I fished RB to see if any fish were on the edges this morning, as opposed to the few strategic places that they have been holed up in. I managed 5 bass to 24" in an hour once I found a piece of structure they seemed to be thicker on.

All on the Finchaser tubes with circle hooks, which make C&R pretty simple. :thumbsup: :HappyWave:

Total:
3 small bluefish
5 bass to 24"

On the way back I checked out the bait situation in a few more places. A lot of the mullet have left, save for a few key areas. What's left are peanuts, in most areas scattered except for a few places, as mentioned, where they're thick.

Everything is primed for a good surf run, but if the large bodies of bass stay offshore in NJ, a lot of guys will be disappointed. Hey that's fishin. :fishing:

[bababooey]

Everything is primed for a good surf run, but if the large bodies of bass stay offshore in NJ, a lot of guys will be disappointed. Hey that's fishin. :fishing:

And they were offshore today, in 70feet.:d
We jigged a baker's dozen bass to 29# and a few nasty blue demons using gold hammered jigs, 4 oz.
I hope they come in too, but in the meantime you folks should get out on a boat and get in on some of this great action.

[bababooey]

That's easy. Just find a place where you can collect lots of dog crap and a bagel shop nearby. ;) :HappyWave: Rich has a very good nose for it. :eek: :laugh:

Dark has a special talent for sniffing out dog crap, swans, loons, and buzzards. :eek: I'm surprised he would let one of his secret techniques out so easily.:d
Next he'll be writing a book, the art of swan stalking while surf casting.:laugh: :lookhappy: But can he find the bass, that's the real question?:don't know why: - I see he's had a spate of luck lately, but Rich you should come out on the boat with us some day, today was fantastic action, once we found the fish.

[wish4fish]

fished bunker in the back and got one blue before it rained

[DarkSkies]

Next he'll be writing a book, the art of swan stalking while surf casting.:laugh: :lookhappy:

:laugh: :2flip: :moon:



But can he find the bass, that's the real question?:don't know why: - I see he's had a spate of luck lately, but Rich you should come out on the boat with us some day, today was fantastic action, once we found the fish.

Last night my luck wasn't so hot, only managed 2 fish, no stripes. Glad to see you got in on that great action. Thanks for the invite. :HappyWave:






Report 10-12 AM
Fished in the rain last night, the slack tide and the first 2 1/2 hours of the ebb. Managed 2 bluefish in the 13# class, the ones I couldn't find that morning. I'm always happy to find big bluefish. :lookhappy: I had to work for those fish, caught about an hour apart, on rubber.

The lightning stopped locally where I was fishin, but continued to move offshore. The sky was lit up with explosions for about an hour. It was pretty amazing, like WWIII. :rolleyes:

Water seemed a little murky, and the bite was off.

[plugcrazy]

Fished a beach near CM this morning with bunker, and bombers before sunrise. Only one dogfish.

[kevnmary]

Fished a popular NoMo spot yesterday morning from 5-9:30. Beautiful morning just not alot of cooperation from the fish. I managed one 22 inch striper on an AOK T-Hex fishing off the end of a jetty. I saw the fish come up and roll on some spearing or other bait so I knew he was there. About a dozen cast later he hit. I could see large fish breaking the water about 1/2 mile out but nothing pushed them in while I was there, I was almost hoping for some wahoo in a boat to run through them so they'd scatter and maybe push in a little closer, but alas no such luck. There was about a dozen clam rods set up in eyesight by the time I left so maybe they got lucky later in the day.

[yardvillejimmy]

Went fishing yesterday evening with the OFFC in NoMoCo. Skunked again:skunk: but had best night yet. Saw a guy with a fish hooked up for about two minutes. After he lost it he exclaimed "boy that was fun".

[c4charlie]

Fished from 3-6am this morning and only one striper about 25" in the back. Very slow morning. Fish are not in the usual spots in any big numbers.

I will not fish until 6am ever again. I hit traffic on the way home and there are some very poor traffic lights on 36.

[DarkSkies]

Went fishing yesterday evening with the OFFC in NoMoCo. Skunked again:skunk: but had best night yet. Saw a guy with a fish hooked up for about two minutes. After he lost it he exclaimed "boy that was fun".
Yup, Yardville, the new take in fishing in NJ is that a few minutes or hours of action is "epic". You guys and others like Finchaser remember when the action was sustained for days, not minutes. That wasn't too many years ago, but longer than a lot of new guys have been surf fishing. Many of them have no clue how fantastic is used to be.


Fished from 3-6am this morning and only one striper about 25" in the back. Very slow morning. Fish are not in the usual spots in any big numbers.

I knew ya weren't gonna go home when we agreed the fishin sucked.




My report:
Fishin sucked, fished the building NW for awhile, plenty of bass water but the bass didn't have the same idea. Too many hours for one short bass, 24", rubber. Got at 6:05 am before sunrise. Also saw some nice action with a few 15# class bass harassing a lone school of adult bunker at 6:30. I was right there but they were only interested in the bunker, the best I could do was watch this 2 minutes of cool action. And that was it...had to get to work on time.

[rip316]

Thanks for showing me around Dark. It was nice to meet you, C4CHARLIE. It's nice to put a face with a name.

[DarkSkies]

My report:
Fishin sucked, fished the building NW for awhile, plenty of bass water but the bass didn't have the same idea. Too many hours for one short bass, 24", rubber. Got at 6:05 am before sunrise. Also saw some nice action with a few 15# class bass harassing a lone school of adult bunker at 6:30. I was right there but they were only interested in the bunker, the best I could do was watch this 2 minutes of cool action. And that was it...had to get to work on time.

^^ Sorry I didn't go into more details Rip, had to get to work on time, and sage advisors :moon: recommended I shorten up the words in my reports. Yeah, like that might happen. :laugh: ;) :HappyWave:

Bumped into Rip last night, we set out on a scouting mission as we wanted to see what conditions were like along a widespread section of the NJ coast. Hit and observed many places, much dead water. Rip did well when I tested him on some "reading the water" and "presentation of artificials" skills he allegedly claims to have learned. Yup, I might schedule another outing, Rip, ya done good. :thumbsup:

We fished hard at each stop, working all levels of the water column. The sustained NW made it a little difficult to present in all areas. We eventually bumped into C4Charlie :HappyWave: who was also hard at work trying to figure a pattern. There was none. Charlie managed one solitary fish for hours of fishin, I did the same. Rip we gave it a shot, we'll gettum next time. :thumbsup:

[paco33]

We burned a lot of fuel today but finally found some striped bass. We got 3 to 19lbs this morning off the Hook on eels.

[rip316]

Fished SH this morning from 530 until 9am. with Cardoc. We clammed, bunker chunks and heads and we plugged a little too. One fluke and a small doggie. Fishing sucks lately. ***.

[fishinmission78]

Fished Ibsp from 6-8, skunk followed me home.:skunk:

[plugcrazy]

OC beach from sunup till 1/2 hour ago, the skunk seems to like to follow me too lately.

[basshunter]

I too got blanked this morning in moco.

[storminsteve]

Fished Ibsp from 6-8, skunk followed me home.:skunk:

Well don't let that happen again! :beatin:Take a shotgun and blast it to smithereens before it sprays you and you're marked for life.;)
I got skunked today too in nomoco, poppers at dawn and metal after.

[voyager35]

We caught a few keepers today, bass to 21lbs, and some big bluefish. All on jigs in 65', a little further S than where we found them last time. It was a quick bite for us, done by 8. Kept one bass, 15lbs. For the surf guys, I don't know if these bass will come in, the bait readings in the depths are just unreal.

[jigfreak]

Fished in the rain from 3-5, outgoing, at a favorite rainy day spot. Goose eggs.

[cowherder]

Well don't let that happen again! :beatin:Take a shotgun and blast it to smithereens before it sprays you and you're marked for life.;)
I got skunked today too in nomoco, poppers at dawn and metal after.

Now that was funny, if someone could sell "skunk repellent" that would guarantee no skunk for fishermen, they would be rich!:d
I fished SH for an hour, just got done in the rain, nothing on metals or poppers.

[cardoc765]

Went back out to Sh this afternoon at 1:30. Got 1 26" really fat bass on clam. Tried plugging and metal and nothing. I swore the bass was a keeper, but the measuring tape said differently. Oh well my first fall bass of the season this year. :d

[rip316]

Cardoc, I give you alot of credit for going back out after we already fished from 5 until 9am. You had a plan and went for it. We just should have planned to stay for the entire day. That would have been cool. Good job though. Glad you got at least one.

[Monty]

Congratulations on your first bass of the fall.
Reports on a bunch of sites are full of skunks. I don't ever remember seeing the word skunk so often in the reports.
:skunk: Rules!!

Went back out to Sh this afternoon at 1:30. Got 1 26" really fat bass on clam. Tried plugging and metal and nothing. I swore the bass was a keeper, but the measuring tape said differently. Oh well my first fall bass of the season this year. :d

[DarkSkies]

Went back out to Sh this afternoon at 1:30. Got 1 26" really fat bass on clam. Oh well my first fall bass of the season this year. :d

You weren't happy with the morning and went back for high tide. :thumbsup: Fall surf fish are scattered, some may even say absent so far this year. The best opportunitiies center around high tide and change of tides. WTG on your first fall bass. :clapping:


Congratulations on your first bass of the fall.
I don't ever remember seeing the word skunk so often in the reports.
:skunk: Rules!!

Ditto, Monty, that's why I posted a thread discussing some of the reasons for this. Stop by and weigh in, all opinions are welcome. :HappyWave:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=7174

[hookset]

Fished a moco beach this morning, last of the outgoing, got a 32" bass right before the sun came up, released, gibbs popper. Cardoc you're right they seem to be fat. I wonder if they are eating the sandeels, or there is something else in close they are snacking on?

[wish4fish]

fished the hook last nite with bombers and buctail got one 25" bass on a black bomber dudes it is gettin cold at nite bundle up, lol

[cardoc765]

thats the fish I caught yesterday

[basshunter]

Nice fish cardoc looks healthy!
I fished LBI this morning, plugged from sunup till 8, nothing doing.

[rip316]

Still can"t believe that fish is short.

[DarkSkies]

Only had an hour to fish before dark. Wanted to try a new place with the yak, the water was cold and relatively clear for NJ. Fished a few rocks, but the wind made it tough to present. No fish, just an exercise in paddling against 30mph NW wind. Full report in kayak reports.

[cowherder]

Fished a moco beach 5-7pm. I was throwing metal, and the casts were great because the wind was at my back. I saw fish and birds out about 1/8 mi but could not reach them.

[rip316]

That sucks Cowherder. I would rather not see them at all. Sat. or Sunday should bust open.

[yardvillejimmy]

Fished SoMoCo and OC with another member of the OFFC yesterday afternoon and evening. Saw birds and fish everywhere. Only that all the fish were baitfish(All you wanted). Definitely a disappointing ending to what looked like was going to be a great fishing day.

[clamchucker]

There are not a lot of fish around, I fished OC south of the inlet from 5-7am and managed a 28" bass on a bottle plug. Some friends go into a nice bite of blues and bass in the park. I had other obligations today and couldn't be there. It seems there is a good bite but the locations are very specific and the action is limited.

[fishinmission78]

Don't feel bad CC, I missed out too, got 2 gator blues on metal, that's all she wrote.

[VSdreams]

Fished nomoco for 5 hours. I saw a lot of fish just out of casting range, and also some albies. I got the skunk.

[vpass]

I fished the SH from 4:30pm to 7:00pm. I caught 1 short, and dropped a bass in the wash. I Also had a shad biten in half. I seen fish busting off shore. lots of bait around. I got the bass on Sluggo. :plastered:

[Monty]

Nice to see guys hitting the surf and some fish being caught, was skunk city for a few days there. I'm heading out in an hour or two.

[vpass]

I fished Oc from 4am to 8am. Tons of bait, but no fish. water was clean and Flat.:skunk:

[Monty]

Fished out front 1:15 to 10:15 this morning, as Vpass said water was flat, got a little chop when sun came up. Was like fishing a lake. Got one short bass on a teaser. Saw small bait, looked like it was being harassed, could only get this short from there. Waded out the last couple hours and casted at fish working bait in the southerly direction.....rather quickly.............just out of casting range. Was a fun, enjoyable fishing experience.
12316

[surfwalker]

Plugged out front-4am-9am. Not a tap on many offerings. Saw no bait, no action, don't follow my footprints.

[rip316]

Monty, only a few people could fish for 9 hrs, get only one fish and call the experience fun and enjoyable. I definitely appreciate your passion for being out there on the only day you can fish and truly enjoy yourself. We said the night we fished together that catching fish was a bonus. To be out there with a good friend just bs'ing and having a good time is what it's all about. Hope to fish with you again soon.

[DarkSkies]

Fished out front 1:15 to 10:15 this morning... Got one short bass on a teaser. Was a fun, enjoyable fishing experience.

Yer a better man than I. One of the best attitudes about fishing I've ever come across. :thumbsup: You worked hard for that fish, Monty, you deserve it. WTG. :fishing:




Plugged out front-4am-9am. Not a tap on many offerings. Saw no bait, no action, don't follow my footprints.
Would that half the surfcasters out there could follow your footprints, Surfwalker. :thumbsup:
Would that half of us had the chance to fish the beaches along the Stripercoast like you have. :fishing:
Would that half of us had to fight as hard as you and your fellow surfcasters to get people involved in caring about striped bass, and instituting the moratorium, and with others keeping the pressure on the two faced politicians as the striped bass stocks were slowly rebuilt...
Would that half of us out there could share the perspective you have, and the love for the striped ones, and the walks along the wetline.

I'd be honored to follow those footprints, my friend. :thumbsup:

As for not catchin bass right now, join the club. :d
Here's hoping the overall surf picture gets better soon. :)



Report 10-17
Pebbles and I fished some fishy water for 1 1/2 hours into the ebb tide tonight. Covered 20 miles of shoreline first looking for a place to set up for the sunset. Saw some bait in places, but mostly a lot of dead water, water that should have been alive with predators. Congrats to those who were on the red x today and yesterday. A few miles of great action along acres of promising but unproductive NJ shoreline. :(

We did have some limited action, her fishing rubber, me fishing a rigged eel, but no fish landed. Slim pickins, folks. :fishing:
Wish I didn't have to work tomorrow, I know where I would be for sunrise. Lightning may strike again in the same spot. Or not, that's fishin. :lookhappy:

[zev]

yesterday tried the middle of outgoing around 930pm at local river. caught a 22" on a blurple bomber. tried again tonight around 1030pm caught 1 @26" on silver yozuri crystal minnow and 1 @33". nice looking migrating fish when u wipe the mud off them!! hope this cooler weather keeps them biting. tons of fish hitting something on top. i threw alotta stuff at them and didnt do much damage. yellow bucktail, storm pnut bunker, couple diff color and size bombers. beautiful night out there. might even try the incoming later on.

those storm peanuts look awesome and swim disgusting. any current kills any action they have. weird.

http://img811.imageshack.us/g/s7000946.jpg/

[DarkSkies]

Way to keep at it Zev, looks like some decent fish finally came your way. :thumbsup:

[storminsteve]

2 bass to 27" this morning between 4-6am, moco jetty. I used an orange shaded magdarter, erratic retrieve. Nice fish Zev!

[bababooey]

We went south yesterday after coming out of Shark River. It took a while to find bass. There were a lot of adult and smaller bunker, and tons of sandeels. We managed 3 bass to 21lbs, on 4oz jigs. There were enough big bluefish to make it interesting as well, and a few weakfish. My friend got one that weighed 5#. All weakfish were released. Most of the fish were in 50-60'.

[jigfreak]

Somewhere in the OC surf, I got a bass last night went 23.5 on the boga, on a ML swimmer, at 3am, incoming tide, released.

[clamchucker]

Fished ocean county above the park this morning, managed almost 20 big bluefish to 15lbs, they were hitting metal and poppers. These big blues really tire you out.

[rip316]

Fished today and here's my report. FISHING SUCKS.

[fishinmission78]

^ Yeah it does suck, but there are times when it's good. The bite has been very sketchy so far. I got into some big blues this am, occo, 11-16lbs, poppers, metal, they beat up my tackle and gear. Other days have been spotty, but this morning was a blast.

[rip316]

Fishinmission. I have been up and down looking for fish. Different winds and tides, bait fishing and plugging. Yesterday it seemed I was either a mile away from the bite or missed it by a couple of hrs. I just can't seem to put it together.

[basshunter]

Fished out back early this morning. Landed a small bass on
rubber.

[clamchucker]

I was into gator bluefish for a few hours today, north of IBSP. At times they were close, other times they were at the furthest end of the cast. A few bass were caught as well, none by me. I did have to move a few times to stay in the action.
rip316, the fishing is not as steady here this season. You have to move around to get the fish, and just when you think you know where they will show up, they end up showing up 3 beaches down from that. So you must do a lot of driving. Also, I am retired and can do that, many folks can't.
Don't give up, we still have a long season left.

[storminsteve]

Yesterday it seemed I was either a mile away from the bite or missed it by a couple of hrs. I just can't seem to put it together.

Dark talks about being on the red x, I think thats a good analogy. I fished nomoco last night and had a good night. The skunk has followed me home so many times I may end up trying skunk for dinner one night.:d
I managed 8 bass to 36", some on danny swimmers, and others on redfins. Love those redfins, they fit the sandeel signature. I think the dannys worked because there were some adult bunker splashing out far. But other than that, last night has been one of the best nights I have had in the fall. The fall striper fishing has been almost non-existent for me.:don't know why:

[LennyD]

Fished IBSP this evening,some small bait in the water.
Ended up with nothing.

[c4charlie]

Got down to the fishing grounds at about midnight. Tried my luck out back and it was dead. I decided to go to ocean and look for bass jumping out of the water.

So I decide to start with my blurple magnum bomber and casted towards the splashes. Got the first one from the beach on my first cast and it was game on. The bass were at the very far end of my cast so I decided to go back to my car and get some korkers on. Once I got to the front of the jetty, the party began.:plastered: Bass were heavily on bait and they just loved to commit suicide on the big bomber. After catching a bunch, I tried to give them other plugs but they refused and each time I went back to the black bomber, I had action.

The setting right now is pouring rain, bass doing cartwheels, me on the front of the jetty hooking and unhooking fish, LIFE IS GOOD! Plus the bass were all different sizes from pint size up to 15 pounds. To show my kids, I was taking pictures of a lot of them.

I get this nice bigger bass and decide to not just release him as usual but put him on a nice rock so I can admire and possibly take a pic. For some reason, I chose the rock behind me and a little higher. I go to lip the bass with the trebles still in its mouth and .:embarassed:.. all of a sudden, bass moves just before I get a good grip and hook goes in and out of my thumb and I am connected to the bass. I still can't really see what is going on because my headlight is off. I am now on a smaller rock, holding the bass firmly down with one hand and my other hand is hooked to the bass. Need to figure out how to turn on my light and get my pliers or free myself from the bass before he moves again. Meanwhile, I can feel the blood and pain. Think about it for a minute and remove one hand from the bass to turn on my light. Of course, bass moves and jumps off the rock while still attached to my hand. I am able to wedge the bass between me and a rock and now I see that I can undo the other treble. Thankfully the bass does not move and I unhook him from my hand. I slide him down in the water and now I can finally see the hook in my thumb. Get my pliers, thank god I have pliers that can cut VMCs. Cut the hook and slide it out of my thumb. I was lucky that it was not too deep.

Washed out the hand with some saltwater and back to fishing. :fishing:Caught many more bass from both the jetty and also the beach. Then I had my last hookup.... Bass comes out of the water and slams the lure. This bass is not like any of the others. He is taking drag and feels heavy. Also keeps going down further and further with strong heavy run. I start to come towards the back of the jetty thinking that this is going to be a big one and the rocks are easier towards the back. Finally I get to see the bass and land it. It wasn't what I expected. It was a 15lb bass that got hooked directly in the AZZHOLE. :huh:The fish were still there but I had enough fun for one night.

Must have caught over 15 fish with about 5 keepers.

I would make sure you always have pliers on you that can cut through hooks.

1233712338

1233912340

1234112342

[rip316]

Good for you Charlie.

[gjb1969]

way to go man u got them good just keep a eye on that hand :HappyWave::fishing:

[Monty]

C4charlie, awesome report, incredible night.
Could you tell us the manufacturer and model of the pliers you use?
Carrying pliers that can cut VMCs is very important, the ones I carry rust relatively easy.


Get my pliers, thank god I have pliers that can cut VMCs. Cut the hook and slide it out of my thumb. I was lucky that it was not too deep.

Must have caught over 15 fish with about 5 keepers.

I would make sure you always have pliers on you that can cut through hooks.

[DarkSkies]

Congrats to all who nailed fish.

We hit it hard this morning with not much to show for it.
I fished 5:30-7:30 with Rip316. A few bumps in the dark on swimmers and rubber, sand eel profile. From 6:20-7 there was a flurry of activity, first with small bass eating sand eels, then with small bait, possibly anchovies, being harassed in the surf line. The real height of activity was over in 20 mins.

Rip was high hook with 1 sundial, and 2 fluke on his teaser, 1 fluke being an out of season keeper. :thumbsup:
12350


All fish released, and we stayed too long based on that limited activity.

I paid Rip back when I stopped in the Wilson Ave deli for the $1.49 pork roll egg n cheese sammiches, and bought out the inventory before he stopped in. :moon:
Sorry, bro, that's my breakfast for the rest of the week. ;)

And to let you people know, the sand eels are back. Apparently a lot of people showed up in one area last night thinking the previous night's action would repeat. The eels moved off a bit. We found them in another area by morning but they weren't as thick.

12351

Hey, that's fishin. :fishing:

[finchaser]

I paid Rip back when I stopped in the Wilson Ave deli for the $1.49 pork roll egg n cheese sammiches, and bought out the inventory before he stopped in. :moon:


Love pork roll but that has to be mystery meat :scared:

[finchaser]

Got down to the fishing grounds at about midnight. Tried my luck out back and it was dead. I decided to go to ocean and look for bass jumping out of the water.

I get this nice bigger bass and decide to not just release him as usual but put him on a nice rock so I can admire and possibly take a pic. For some reason, I chose the rock behind me and a little higher. I go to lip the bass with the trebles still in its mouth and .:embarassed:.. all of a sudden, bass moves just before I get a good grip and hook goes in and out of my thumb and I am connected to the bass. I still can't really see what is going on because my headlight is off. I am now on a smaller rock, holding the bass firmly down with one hand and my other hand is hooked to the bass. Need to figure out how to turn on my light and get my pliers or free myself from the bass before he moves again. Meanwhile, I can feel the blood and pain. Think about it for a minute and remove one hand from the bass to turn on my light. Of course, bass moves and jumps off the rock while still attached to my hand. I am able to wedge the bass between me and a rock and now I see that I can undo the other treble. Thankfully the bass does not move and I unhook him from my hand. I slide him down in the water and now I can finally see the hook in my thumb. Get my pliers, thank god I have pliers that can cut VMCs. Cut the hook and slide it out of my thumb. I was lucky that it was not too deep.





Another reason why I fish crushed barbs:huh:

[LennyD]

Great report Charlie. Hope your finger is OK.

[rip316]

Prick knew I was coming and bought all the sandwiches that were left. If you can eat those sandwiches for the rest of the week, all I can say is that I would hate to be your toilet paper.

[chas527]

fished moco this morning 6am till 8 got one small bass on a slug-go.

[GeoffT]

Prick

Guess we now know how you really feel about DS. :clapping: :laugh:

[vpass]

I was out also last night from 7pm to midnight. I fished many ocean front beaches looking for action, No Dice.:burn: I did catch a micro fluke that was only 2 inches bigger then my plug. It was to nice out, and the moon was to bright.

[Monty]

I would also be upset with the guy that took all the pork rolls. No Bass, no pork rolls....... Tough times. Never mess with a guys breakfast sandwich.
:HappyWave:


Prick knew I was coming and bought all the sandwiches that were left. If you can eat those sandwiches for the rest of the week, all I can say is that I would hate to be your toilet paper.

[DarkSkies]

Prick knew I was coming and bought all the sandwiches that were left. If you can eat those sandwiches for the rest of the week, all I can say is that I would hate to be your toilet paper.


Wow, and after I forwarded you that Finchaser e-mail with all the ti**ies. :naughty:

:clapping::clapping: :ROFLMAO Bro, you know the deal by now...:laugh:
If we're fishin and I'm catchin and yer not, you know I'll take my plug off and give it to ya... how many times have I given ya something different to catch fish with? http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif

But a man's gotta draw the line somewhere..;)
And I ain't sharing any breakfast sammiches with ya unless you're Heather Locklear. It only took them 5 mins to make ya another one, and I think that chick cookin em wants to have your babies.:naughty: :D :HappyWave:




Guess we now know how you really feel about DS. :clapping: :laugh:

Rip is my brother from another mother, he can get away with that...it's all good. :thumbsup:

[yukon]

Last night:skunk: nothing more to really say.

[storminsteve]

Fished Moco till 9pm tonight, outgoing. One 30" bass on a sluggo, released. Nice night out, bright moon.

[rip316]

Thanks Monty for sticking up for me. True friend that you are.

[rip316]

As for the comment on that nasty *** looking terrorist wanting to have my baby. I'd rather wear your waders. lmao. All in fun DARK.

[plugaholic]

Occo, first light, one 27" bass on a gibbs popper.
Rip316, I respectfully suggest (all in fun)that you and Dark get a room to continue this love affair. We'll send flowers.:laugh: btw, I don't like to share my sandwiches either.:HappyWave:

[finchaser]

As for the comment on that nasty *** looking terrorist wanting to have my baby. I'd rather wear your waders. lmao. All in fun DARK.


terrorist woman or Darks waders . I gotta go TW :HappyWave:

[rip316]

I spend a lot of time fishing with Cardoc and hanging out. Richie says that I can have him. Sounds like a little jealousy thing if you ask me.

[basshunter]

You guys are sick! mentally ill. Get some help.:eek:
I fished nomoco for 3 hours this morning, skunk and one sea robin, or does a sea robin erase a skunk?

[fishinmission78]

Fished the park, sunrise till 8, some big blues on pencils.

[clamchucker]

OC on the outgoing tide, managed a dozen big bluefish on bottle poppers and tin.

[VSdreams]

terrorist woman or Darks waders . I gotta go TW :HappyWave:

Yeah, those terrorist women are hot.:rolleyes: But given the chance of doing one of them or getting close to the darkskies smelly waders, I would have to go with the terrorist chick too.:cool:
C_qzEY8R3rU





I have to say that this thread is an entertaining part of my day. You guys seem to have no levels to the depths of embarassment you will sink to, and the way you bust on each other without fighting. Love to fish with some of you maniacs sometime, you really know how to laugh at yourselfs.:thumbsup::plastered:

My report - I fished somoco this morning and got the skunk, it looked like the dead sea out there except for some far off birds.

[rip316]

vs. send me a pm.

[c4charlie]

Another reason why I fish crushed barbs:huh:

Now you tell me....

anything else I should know. :)

[cardoc765]

This freaking west wind has made it seem like i'm fishing in Jamaica. The ocean is clean and clear for quite a ways out. One can see clear to the bottom and no waves. Would be great to bring in a nice fatty in that kind of water since most times it's during a nice swell or big rollers.

Hey RIP, ima have mrs cardoc make us up some sandwiches again like she did last time. LOL. Boys will be boys around here i guess LOL. Why can't we all just get along:beatin:

[DarkSkies]

^^ Cardoc, you and Rip should go fishin tonight. (Sandwiches or no sandwiches ;) :HappyWave:) Call Rip or me for details. :lookhappy:


Fished the ebb tide last night. Scouted a few spots before setting up. There were so many people fishing clams it was almost as if a local tackle shop put a $5000 bounty out for a keeper bass. :don't know why: Lots of dead, unproductive water.

It was breezy but bearable, around 15mph. The wave duration was every 2 secs. Managed 3 short bass on black bomber, and rubber, different locations.

Later on the wind was howling, around 25-30mph, which made it tough to present. I left, and picked up a stray 10# bluefish on a small swimmer on my last stop of the night.

[seamonkey]

I fished LBI from 5-7. One bass 29", bunker. Beautiful morning.

[cowherder]

Somoco, threw poppers from sunrise to about 15 mins ago.:skunk:

[fishinmission78]

I fished the park for an hour at sunup. No soup for me.

[bababooey]

That's the breaks, fnm.:don't know why:
WZ3AOmZ2fps

[vpass]

Fished last night for a few hours from 6 to 10pm. walked miles no bait no fish. I'm questioning if I know anything at this point.:embarassed::kooky: Will try again tonight. I hate the moon:burn:

[jigfreak]

That's the breaks, fnm.:don't know why:
WZ3AOmZ2fps

Classic, that never gets old.
Don't feel bad vpass, I fished some of my best honey holes last night, back and front. skunkola. The only real concentrations of bass are where the bait is thickest in deep water for the boats, or where the sandeels school up. Otherwise it's like the sahara desert out there. Me, I'm just looking for an oasis.:fishing:

[SharkHart]

Found a bunch of twinkies last night, after several stops and several tries, 17-22"ers had residents written all over them. The cool winds and cloud cover has come about 12 hours later then expected, lets hope this brings more bass into town

[LennyD]

I hate the moon:burn:

i never do good with full moon!

[DarkSkies]

Yak
Hit a bay yesterday in the yak, try as I might I couldn't get out till the last of the ebb. The wind was intense, caused me to fish unfamiliar areas to find a lee. It presented some difficult challenges. Fished the last 3 hours till slack, managed 9 bass to 26" on T&W, full report and pics in kayak fishing reports.

Land
Hit the surf for the next ebb tide, missed the beginning, but fished with G for the last 3 hours. It was a slow pick, and we had to work for the fish after some others gave up. Presentations changed as the tide changed, no real pattern to the bite, mostly rubber and small swimmers. Tons of bait in the surf at different times, some at our feet under the "unlucky" full moon. :rolleyes: Water was gin clear.

As I said, it was a slow pick, but I managed 1 short bass, 1 big bluefish. G managed 2 legal bass to the mid teens. Also some fluke and sundials for both of us, and some swings and misses.

I said a prayer to King Neptune before we started, to bring some good mojo on G for some larger fish. After he got them, he said "Well, these are OK... but the fish are bigger where I fish." :kooky: :beatin:

Are you frikkin kidding me? :eek:
I'm pulling G off the King Neptune fish catching request list, apparently the surf fish ain't as good as his dirty water fish.... :moon: :laugh: :HappyWave:

I'll post pics when I get a chance.





Rip and Cardoc, stop playing around wit yer sandwiches and come on out fishin. No bait allowed. :ROFLMAO :2flip: :HappyWave:

John, nice to meet ya, always had the utmost respect for R and your crew. :HappyWave:

[baitstealer]

I'm pulling G off the King Neptune fish catching request list, apparently the surf fish ain't as good as his dirty water fish.... :moon: :laugh: :HappyWave:



Hey darkskies could you putme on the king neptune request list, I could use some good vibes and luck. I'm trying but it's not working out too well, the skunk likes to follow me home!

I fished somoco with a diamond jig from 5 to 8:30 today, and got one fluke. There was some kind of bait in there but I didn't see any bigger fish.

[wish4fish]

i fished by some jettys today in the front got 2 shorts on bunker at the sunrise. lately i can't catch squat i dont care what you say dark the full moon sux those fish you dudes got were lucky fish lol but anyway put me on the list to the neptune dude i sure need some luck too.:HappyWave:

[vpass]

Found a bunch of twinkies last night, after several stops and several tries, 17-22"ers had residents written all over them. The cool winds and cloud cover has come about 12 hours later then expected, lets hope this brings more bass into town

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

I don't know if I were fishing the same spot as you. I found them good last night same size fish with one almost keeper. I also caught a shad, and had 2 9 inch sluggo bitten off buy blues. It was a fun night. Caught around 11 bass. and many hits. Also had a nice blowup on a popper would have been the biggest bass of the night.

I'm taking my flyrod next time.:d

[gjb1969]

well the fish are not as thick and ds knows that is true but i was still happy with them first time a bass limit just got a call a 49 in bass and a fat 35 in the dw so its all good and i dont care who makes jokes as long as u get my name right :thumbsup:

[storminsteve]

so its all good and i dont care who makes jokes as long as u get my name right :thumbsup:

And don't call you late for dinner, right?:d
Lots of fun on this site, you guys sure know how to entertain when things are slow. I fished nomoco this afternoon, incoming tide, 1 snapper blue on metal. I'll trade my snapper today for the bass you got yesterday gwb, nice catch!

[gjb1969]

if u were close u could just have one no need to trade

[rip316]

If I were King Neptune I would tell G to kiss my azz and go back to the Dirty Water.

[gjb1969]

hes bin fliping me the bird all year so it all good with my luck i wont get any more keepers so its fine by me and i will be back in the dirty water all the bass are not keepers but they are bass no skunk:HappyWave:

[rip316]

G, So you guys are getting bass consistently. Not getting skunked? Really, really guy.

[DarkSkies]

That Dirty Water has become larger than life to G. He loves it so much he swims in it, glamorizes it, and when we're fishin at night he glows in the dark. :ROFLMAO :HappyWave:

Let's face it, the Dirty Waters will always hold fish. Based on the amount of pilings and bulkheads, a bass can slurp a crab or grass shrimp off a piling before settling into the deeper water. Some bass don't migrate and spend all winter in that dirty water.http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon3.gif

As for catching those bigger bass, they're few and far between, if you consider the numbers of people fishin for em. The exceptions are the Spring and Fall migration when they stage in the harbors for awhile. That's like saying IBSP or Sandy Hook always produces fish. When you have 100 guys fishin a place every day, one of them will inevitably catch a fish.

Unless G catches one soon of the size he's braggin about I'm gonna refer to his dirty water monsters as ghost fish. ;)
The clock is ticking, G. :fishing: :HappyWave:






Report 10-23
I took Pebbles out tonight to try to find her some bass. If I was a paid guide I would have had to refund her $$ for the trip. :d

We were a little lazy, though. Only made 1 stop instead of my usual 5 or 6.
We did find bass. I managed one short on rubber after 983 casts as we fished the last hour of the flood, 2hours of the ebb. Some fish were dropped by both of us, but no fish landed by her.

I really believed fish would turn on at that stage of the tide. Turns out the best stage last night was the beginning of the flood, about 4 hours after we left. Hey, that's fishin.

She was very happy using her new Finchaser rod. Although she didn't cast 983 times she was able to cast hundreds of times ;) without having a sore shoulder. She fished rubber seriously for the first time, and was able to learn several presentations, so I'm proud of her for that. :thumbsup: :kiss:

We prayed to King Neptune to get her a fish before we started. King Neptune didn't seem to hear her prayers. Pebbles said that was because Finchaser wasn't able to fish with us. :(

He, and his politically incorrect comedic commentary :argue: of all things good and bad, were on our minds tonight.

Miss ya Bob... please hang in there, we're hoping for the best, and we missed ya badly tonight. We even missed your grouchiness. God, please help OGB recover. He doesn't belong in a hospital room, and there are people who miss having him yell at them. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.gif

[c4charlie]

My good buddy and I each got 5 bass tonight. All shorts that put up a good fight. Fun night. My bass were all caught on soft plastics.

[vpass]

I had a fluke/sundal blitz this morning. I don't know how many were caght. my biggiest fluke was about 22 inches. no bass for me today.:( fluke were caught on rubber, and Ava. I did see some bass caught.

[cowherder]

I fished Monmouth County from 3-6 this morning. I caught 1 nice bass, 31", using an unweighted sluggo. I got it at the furthest end of my cast. Thanks for the advice guys I really appreciate it.:thumbsup:

[Monty]

Fished two locations ocean side this morning (1:00 -4:00) and (5:00 - 9:00).
Second spot 1 fluke. First spot 3 bass, largest ~35 inches, other two shorts. Some fluke, small blues and these other two fish (ID help?). Rubber teaser for the bass. Was talking with Dark earlier in the day and he did some crazy math and said I would catch 3 bass. Must have a direct line with that Neptune guy. Great time, had beach basically to myself. All fish released.
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[cowherder]

:clapping: Wow, Monty that is a nice fish, it looks much bigger than the one I caught. Congrats on a good night, congrats on the release, I released mine also.

[bababooey]

Was talking with Dark earlier in the day and he did some crazy math and said I would catch 3 bass. Must have a direct line with that Neptune guy. Great time, had beach basically to myself. All fish released.
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12364

12365

2nd fish is a hickory shad, 3rd is a common NJ skate, also known as a NJ tackle shop revenue booster/ or the variegated clam and bunker stealer.:d

How big was that shad, Monty?

As for Dark and that King Neptune crap, I remember him praying to King Neptune for years now. If he would get himself a small boat and fish inshore and the back bays in the spring, he would get fish every time instead of talking about all those nights skunked.:ROFLMAO
Just kidding, it seems like you folks are catching a lot of nice fish from the surf.
When it gets really good, call me on the cell phone, and I'll try to finnagle Killie's number from Finchaser and we'll come down to the surf and show you guys how to really catch some fish.;) :plastered: :moon: :fishing:

[ledhead36]

Last night, fishing with eels, got 2 bass to 22lbs in 30' of water. Monmouth beach area up to the Hook, fish were tight to the rocks.

[gjb1969]

rip i can get all the small bass i want in the dw but i get very tired of that just put on small bait but who wants runts all the time not me :(

[rip316]

I am heading out tonight and hopefully will have good things to report.

[Monty]

Congrats on a good night, congrats on the release, I released mine also.
Thanks, congrats to you too.


3rd is a common NJ skate,
How big was that shad, Monty?


Have not used bait in over 10 years.....forgot what a skate looks like......UGLY...

The shad was about 10-12 inches.
Also caught a fluke with no tail.....was a wacky two hours.

Next time I'm going to ask Dark to see if he can have that Neptune guy set me up with a "Really Big Striped Bass".

[Mike O]

Fished SH early Sat. No bait and no fish! Maybe next time.

Mike O

[vpass]

I went out this morning from 12am to 8:30am. Landed 8 bass, 1 keeper around 30 inches and it still swimming. The other bass were between 17 to 24 inches. Bass were caught on sluggos and Teasers.:d

[rip316]

Fished from 10pm until 5am. Nomoco, with Cardoc. 2 short bass for Cardoc, countless skates (snagged), small bluefish, fluke, sundials, and a bunch of Shad. Lot of small bait in the water in really tight to the beach with fish just slurping the bait on the surface. Really tough time last night getting on the bass. Lot of action though. The majority of fish were caught on teasers. Congrats to VPASS. At least you had a better night than us.

[wish4fish]

i fished nomoco too last nite, dudes it was strange cuz the fish wud bite hard, and then they turned off. they did this 3x, and the 4 of us got 3 bass to 28" on clams, and lost a few more, and usually clams or bunker will get us a lot more than that.:huh: vpass grats on the 8 fish looks like you had a good nite, did they hit mostly on the teasers or the sluggo?

[captnemo]

We fished Saturday from 3-8pm, incoming tide, from the Hook to SRI. It was tough to put a catch together. After many false starts and a few big bluefish on 4oz hammered jigs, we switched to umbrella rigs.
It was very slow, and not many out there seemedd to be successful catching bass. We got only one short bass, and then went to the new sandeel rig, as the sandeels were covering the whole water column. We then got into some bass, catching 5 and releasing 3. The biggest was 16lbs. The sandeel rigs work well, I would recommend them.

[fishinmission78]

When it gets really good, call me on the cell phone, and I'll try to finnagle Killie's number from Finchaser and we'll come down to the surf and show you guys how to really catch some fish.;) :plastered: :moon: :fishing:

Oh, and then you freaks can be cell phone muggers, no?:d

I fished oc this morning, there was a slow pick of fat bluefish, biggest 11 pounds. I managed 7 on metal and dropped a lot more.

[rip316]

VS DREAMS. I tried sending you a pm but the site wouldn't allow it. Let me know when you straighten out the problem. See ya.

[SharkHart]

did the 10 pm to 3 am shift with several stops for 3 bass 24 to 29" lost two others , they still feel thin. waiting for that big pop of migrators yet . Im off work so time to go look for bluefish meanwhile

[vpass]

did they hit mostly on the teasers or the sluggo?

4 on the teaser, and 4 on the sluggo. I was using the 6 inch Sluggo in black and gray with a 3/4 oz jig head. I did catch Shads, and 2 flukes in the dark. I also lost few bass during the fight. I basicly reeled it slow and twitched the rod. I had hit every casts from the Shads when they were in front of me, which was almost all night.

[cardoc765]

Last night was really tough for RIP and I. We threw everything including the kitchen sink at the fish. I worked a slug go with a teaser for a long time hoping I could get a nice hook up on it. Nothing. Ended catching the 2 bass on 2 different teasers and the bluefish hit the teaser as well while reeling in a metal lip swimmer. But like i said we tried everything rubber, plastic, metal we had. The one bass hit the teaser just as i bounced a shad profile 10 feet away from me.:huh:

[cowherder]

At least you guys got a bass. I fished SoMoCo tonight with metal, and sluggos, it was windy. I got one stargazer and a sea robin, not such great luck. The stargazer didn't want to come in and buried in the sand.

[jigfreak]

Fished some concrete structures for 4 hours in the back tonight, I didn't like the S wind in the front. 1 tiny runt, rubber.

[c4charlie]

C4charlie, awesome report, incredible night.
Could you tell us the manufacturer and model of the pliers you use?
Carrying pliers that can cut VMCs is very important, the ones I carry rust relatively easy.
Monty,

I missed your question initially. The pliers that I used are not very expensive and were able to accomplish the job for me. They are Shimano BlueWater Brutas pliers.

Charlie

[storminsteve]

I fished MoCo last night, 5 bass, biggest was 34". Sluggo.:lookhappy:

[clamchucker]

A friend and I got into some tackle busting blues this am in ocean county, above the park. We caught over 30 between the 2 of us. Many were over 15lbs, with some smaller ones mixed in. Poppers worked at sunrise. We got the rest of them with t-hexes.

[DarkSkies]

Fishing Mon AM:
Hit the surf from 5-8:15, nothing for me but a fluke. Ran into Vpass out there. :HappyWave: The dude lost 45# on a diet. :clapping::clapping: :thumbsup:Ya look great, best of health V!
Motivation for me to lose more than the 9# I seem to be stuck at. :o



Fishing Tue AM:
Fished the last of the ebb last night, and half the flood this morning.
Hit a few places. First place managed a 8# bluefish on small swimmer. Fish were feeding but picky.

2nd place... nothing.

3rd place... I had missed the earlier bite, so I worked rubber and small swimmers for 2 hours until I got a short bass. No further action until sunrise for me, when things heated up a bit. Fish were in close feeding on sandeels.

I managed 9 more bass and some other fish on rubber and metal.

Total for the night:
1 bluefish
10 bass to 31"
2 fluke
2 hickory shad





I left when the action died down to a slow pick. Late for work, had to apologize to people all day. :o

(Also to the guy whose pics I took of him and his fish on the beach last week and haven't e-mailed them to him yet....Tim, if you're reading this please accept my apologies. I haven't had much computer time as fishing has recently taken over. I will send them out to ya first chance I get. :thumbsup: :HappyWave:)

I'm happy to have action like that :lookhappy: but sad at the same time, because I often don't have the discipline to leave when the action is good and I have to be somewhere else. Is there a 12 step program for fishing addiction? ;)

[surfwalker]

The time is always too short and the addiction never goes away.

Happy Trails

[plugcrazy]

Is there a 12 step program for fishing addiction? ;)

Yeah, it's called mo fishin and mo fishin. Fish till you die, that'll cure you!:plastered:

I fished OC from 3-5 after work, 3 big gator blues on ava17.

[yukon]

Finally got into some quality fish last night. Fished from last of the incoming to half way through outgoing.

Got 5 nice bass plus as many shorts. Keepers were from 30in to 37in. Got the first on a black bomber then a Small sluggo on a jighead then the rest came on a 5in gulp sand eel smacked onto a 1/2 oz RonZ lead head. They were very picky since there was about a billion sand eels in the water. So that was my ticket.. it worked and there ya have it!

Would have had more pics but I kept putting the camera in video mode and in the dark that just doesn't work out so well.

Tight Lines!

[SharkHart]

nice catches guys, im a loser i gave it half hearted real fast try late last night, the wind was up by then , found one 30" bass and convinced myself the south was too much, bailed on this morning too, sounds like a nice wave came in.

[vpass]

I finally took my fly rod out for the first time in 2 yrs. It was a good move.:thumbsup: I used a sparsely tied deciever and landed 9 Bass to 34 inches, 15 pounds on the boga. I had a few keeper size fish. I kept the 34 incher for the table.:drool:

After it got dark I had a hard time with the flyrod so I went back to the car to get my plugging stick and caught 4 more bass. I got a total of 13 bass with my personal best flyrod caught bass. It was nice to see my backing again.:D

I checked the stomach contents of the 34 incher, and it was stuffed with 4 inch to 5 inch Sandeels mostly fresh and not digested yet.:plastered::kooky:

[DarkSkies]

Nice catches All!! The season is ramping up, some great action out there for those willing to put in the time. :thumbsup:

Vpass, exceptional time fly fishin that ya had. I loved hearing that story, could listen to it again and again. You hunted and stalked those fish away from the usual places, and got some well-deserved action. :clapping: :thumbsup:



*************
Fished last night 8-12. I missed the early action, and ended up on a beach with a few other maniac surfcasters. Ran into Joe'sfishinproblem and a few other die-hard surfcasters. All of us giving it our best shot. I couldn't even manage a tap at that time, though I didn't fish the teaser because I wanted distance in the swell.

The building S wind and swell, with 4' waves breaking on the beach at times, made it tough to present. High hook where I fished was a guy to my left who got one short bass on a teaser. Good meetin ya's. :HappyWave:
He's the type of guy who didn't want to give up. Almost everyone else had left and he said to me as I was leaving "I'm gonna give it just one more hour..." :kooky: :thumbsup:

I was shot from the lack of sleep, and knew I had to leave when I started seeing things that weren't there on the way back. Hallucinations in color, back to the LSD days. ;)

I imagine if the S wind laid down it would start up again, but had to get to work early today.
Bumped into Rip and Cardoc on the way to my car. I told them they should wait till sunrise, as I predict another mad dog morning bite right about now... :wow: :bigeyes: :fishing: :plastered:same as yesterday. With no sun it should go on for awhile.

Last I heard they had one fish, hope ya got into em, guys. :HappyWave::thumbsup:
If anyone fished the sunrise today, please let me know, either here or PM. I'd like to see if the prediction came true. :drool:



Was talking with Dark earlier in the day and he did some crazy math and said I would catch 3 bass. Must have a direct line with that Neptune guy. Great time, had beach basically to myself. All fish released.

Monty, it's a lot better than that. I used to just pray to him, now I send Brazilian and Russian strippers to Atlantis, his home away from home. ;)
He's a lot more forthcoming with the intel when I talk to him now...:naughty:

[storminsteve]

I told them they should wait till sunrise, as I predict another mad dog morning bite right about now... :wow: :bigeyes: :fishing: :plastered:same as yesterday. With no sun it should go on for awhile.

Last I heard they had one fish, hope ya got into em, guys. :HappyWave::thumbsup:
If anyone fished the sunrise today, please let me know, either here or PM. I'd like to see if the prediction came true. :drool:


Dark, you should play the lottery today, your pimp hand is strong.:d :clapping:
I fished from 6-9 on the incoming. The bass were aggressive and killing the sluggo. For an hour they were slurping right on top, then they went deeper but still eating. Got 22 bass.:lookhappy: Most were 22-26", but 2 were 32 and 34". What a morning. I too was late for work, and used the "flat tire" excuse.:rolleyes: I wonder how many times I'll be able to use that before my boss gets suspicious?

Thanks again Dark.:thumbsup:

[wish4fish]

hey u dudes are getting some nice bass out front grats on the fatties! me and some buds fished the back last nite and killed the gator blues we snagged bunker and fished chunks and heads got 11 giant gators up to 15 lbs on the chunks and one 33" bass on a head.

[Monty]

Vpass, great report, congratulations on the fly rod PB, nice fish!

I used a sparsely tied deciever and landed 9 Bass to 34 inches, 15 pounds on the boga. I had a few keeper size fish.
I got a total of 13 bass with my personal best flyrod caught bass.:

[cowherder]

Congrats on your PB flyrod Vpass! Great stories here, it looks like some nice fishing is ahead of us! I got into them too, 13 bass to 17lbs, all released, 3 over 15lbs, I started at 5pm and just finished a few minutes ago, what a night of fishing! I don't know how I'll make it through work today but I'll be :lookhappy:. All on sluggos. Thanks for the sluggo advice Dark!:HappyWave:

[c4charlie]

Over 10 bass including this one which I truly enjoyed catching. :)What a great fight. Released after a quick photo. Bass made my lunker city jig head look like a pretzel. Hooked on a long sluggo.

Plan to sleep before fishing did not work out so time to suck it up. Got home after 5am. :eek:

Got some excellent news from Yukon last night that my older son is on page 3 of The Fisherman for his tournament win. :thumbsup: Picked a couple up on my way home.

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[jigfreak]

Most excellent reports fellas. I landed 7 to 18#, there were some bigguns last night. Outgoing. 6 on sluggo, the biggest on bucktail and pork. All still swimming. Congrats on your son in the Fisherman, Charlie, you should scan it and post it up. And Vpass, nice bass on the fly rod, it must have been a blast!

[cardoc765]

Hit NOMOCO last night around 4pm. The bite was already on. My 2 brothers and I start fishing everything we had and put 2 bait rods out. Great night catching 30 shorts in the 26-27 1/2 range and 7 keepers. I have a bonus tag. We love to eat them and so does our family so for this trip we kept the keepers. When we left at 9:30 the fish were still there and still biting. Also managed a few fluke in the mix that hit pretty hard. All released. Check out the second bass's tail how it is bent. That is how he was caught. I thought it was kinda weird.

[rip316]

Fished NOMOCO this am and caught 4 shorts all around 26". Not a lot of fish caught and the ones that were all went back. Same area as Cardoc was last night. Totally different results though. All the Atlantic Highlands head boats blew by the beach heading south. Just goes to show you that fish do swim. Will be back out this evening.

[GeoffT]

Don't let Charlie's picture fool ya. He's a real short fella. ;)

BTW, WTG on a good night!

[gjb1969]

way to go cardoc got into the fish good i need nights like that:fishing::HappyWave::thumbsup:

[vpass]

Fishing Mon AM:
Ran into Vpass out there. :HappyWave: The dude lost 45# on a diet. :clapping::clapping: :thumbsup:Ya look great, best of health V!


Thanks Dark, the last few pounds was due to crazy fishing:kooky:


Vpass, great report, congratulations on the fly rod PB, nice fish!


Thanks Monty.:)


Congrats on your PB flyrod Vpass! ]

Thanks Cowherder.:)
Nice going on your night out. This definitly the good times.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


Got some excellent news from Yukon last night that my older son is on page 3 of The Fisherman for his tournament win.

Congrats. C4Charlie. That's cool.:thumbsup::thumbsup: Nice going the those fish this morning.:clapping:

-------------------------------------
Good going guys on your fishes.:clapping::clapping::clapping:

This morning from 2am to 9:30am. I fished with a good friend (godfather to my daughter, and My best man of my wedding) He got 4 bass to 31 inches on Vision Sandeel.

I got 9 bass to 13 pounds on the boga. Maybe 5 keepers. It was a ball. I used sluggos, and teasers. I think 2 of the fish were on the teaser. It was a nice pick in the dark. I will be heading out again this afternoon for a few hours. My body feels broken.:kooky::eek::wow: I'm also a little Loopy:kooky: from the lack of sleep.

Went out for a second round from 5:30pm to 8:30. I got 1 short on sluggo.

[basshunter]

Those are great pics and stories. I am heading out in about 15 minutes. I am all catch and release, so you won't see a line up of fish from me.

[LennyD]

wow. you guys really killing them. nice job everyone. cant wait to get out again!

[GeoffT]

Night before last between 8:30PM-12:30AM, 15 bass to 15 lbs with at least that many, probably more, hits and misses. Once I found the school of fish it was an active night for me, not so much for those around me. I love catching fish when everyone else around me isn't. :d

Most of the fish were in the last two hours of incoming through the slack. Bite died when the skies cleared up a bit and the bright moon peeked out.

X-Rap and sluggo on a 1/2 oz. jighead were the tickets, both reeled fast with quick jerks every couple cranks. They weren't interested in the usual slow retrieve.

[LennyD]

Nice.how long IA the sloggo and what color that u guys using?
I'm going out tonight and wanna have some success.

[GeoffT]

Nice.how long IA the sloggo and what color that u guys using?
I'm going out tonight and wanna have some success.

It's a secret otherwise I would have to kill you. :bucktooth:

j/k. 9-10" sluggo, either black or white worked.

[DarkSkies]

It's a secret otherwise I would have to kill you. :bucktooth:


Lenny, he offers up these golden tidbits about once a year. Anything more than that is like getting your town to reduce your property taxes by 50%...possible but not very likely. :laugh: ;) :HappyWave:

If an accomplished surfcaster like Geoff is offering such advice, I suggest you write it down in a notebook titled "fishin secrets :fishing: " and put it in a safe place.

He was one of the guys fishin metal for bass at night when others thought it was :kooky:, and bagged the high-teens bass to prove it worked. :thumbsup:

Surfcasters gold I tell ya! :wow: And it might be a year or 2 before ya see any advice from him again, so relish every word of it. :lookhappy:

[DarkSkies]

First want to congrat all those catchin, some great reports out there! :clapping: :thumbsup:


***********
Multi day report.

Thu 10-28
Took the kayak to a place I hadn't yak fished before. The weather reports were way off for yesterday. Fought 25mph steady winds for hours. Tough to position and present as I ran into bunker with some quality fish under them. None for me, full report in the kayak reports.

Thu PM
Fished from land 8-12:30pm. The west wind which had been OK started building to a hard NW of 20 sustained. The swells kicked up, and waves were breaking sideways along the beach. Wave duration about 4 secs, very strong N to S sweep, making it tough to present. Nothing for me, even on the standard rough water darter, and bucktail, presentations. Met some eel guys on the beach, they had no action after an hour of soaking eels. Nice to meet ya's, hope ya hooked up later on.

Fri AM
Slept in my car, OTW at 7:15AM . Beginning of the flood. Where I was, there wasn't much action until later on. There were a few very small bass flipping out of the water right in the surfline as they fed on small anchovies. Picked up a short bass on metal, nothing else until 9AM.

The bright sun went into the clouds, and I had a 10 minute flurry :rolleyes: :laugh: of activity on a bucktail as I managed another 3 short bass. That was it, called it a morning at 10am. The activity along the whole stretch of beach shut down, even for the fly guys.

[cardoc765]

It's interesting this season. I have found like Geoff that the faster retrieve has been producing far better than the usual slow retrieve. I was using slug gos the other day with a teaser. After 20 or so casts, I started to think about my presentation and why wasn't i getting a hit. So i started to change reeling speeds for 2 reaasons. First to get the bait higher in the water colum. Second was to change the action of my lure. Once i started reeling in at the faster speed, first shot bamn. Then almost every cast after that. Just a thought for you guys.

[wish4fish]

hey dudes ur right i was fishing nomoco today and got 2 bass reeling fast that way with a diamond jig. damn the bass are small when are the big ones coming down from montauk?

[LennyD]

Thanx Geofft!
I'm going to report tomorrow about my journey.

[LennyD]

hey dudes ur right i was fishing nomoco today and got 2 bass reeling fast that way with a diamond jig. damn the bass are small when are the big ones coming down from montauk?
They already here. Mostly on clams and Bunker chunk

[ledhead36]

We got into a nice mass of bass today off Sea Bright. Bass to 27lbs, fattened up with sand eels. 6 oz jigs, 40' of water. They are definitely here, fellas.