NJ Fishing Reports April 2012 www.stripersandanglers.com

[DarkSkies]

NJ fishing reports for April 2012. ..www.StripersandAnglers.com (http://www.stripersandanglers.com/)




NJ fishing reports for April 2012...www.stripersandanglers.com (http://www.stripersandanglers.com/)
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:
Out Front (Ocean) OR -- Out Back (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]

Ledhead36,
you won the plug in the March 2012 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)

[fishinmission78]

Fished OC early before sunrise. Clams, 6oz, big surf, outgoing tide, zip.

[xtreme_visions]

fished sun on the incoming with clams. nothing for me. guy by me caught 2 bluefish :don't know why: hit the same spot mon and fished the top of the tide & 3hrs outgoing. :skunk: hope i have something better to report this week :boring: messed around with a few plugs and some rubber while the bait was sitting. fished with 3 other guys mon. nothing for any of us. i have been fishing the north & central jersey areas.

[xtreme_visions]

:skunk::skunk: hey dark my signal was horrible out there. nothing for me tonight. 2 diff places. clams, bunker. 1st place got crowded quick. poles being put up within inches of each other.

[paco33]

Fished raritan bay tonight. Beautiful night out there hardly any wind. Got one 31" bass, clams.

[DarkSkies]

Xtreme, maybe it's time ya got a new phone....:HappyWave:
Keep at it folks, there is a long line of bass out in the ocean.

My thoughts are that these are all Hudson fish, as Finchaser and I've been stating previously.
As it is, they are there now, feeding on the tremendous quantities of herring, butterfish, and bunker

It's my feeling that within 2 days- 2 weeks these fish could be gone....moving into the NJ/NY Bight and up the Hudson to spawn.

There is some regret as I read these reports and ponder the ones phoned in to me....there don't seem to be too many fish in the over 20# class,...

Finchaser was mentioning yesterday that they were probably made up of a band of year classes that comprise 3 specific classes at most.....The large numbers of older class, 30-45lb fish, seem to be greatly under-represented in this body...more on that in another thread.....

Remember these fish will not be in that general location forever, and there will be a lull in fishing for up to 30 days during the spawn....

Good luck out there....:fishing:

[finchaser]

I know boat fish don't count but all kidding aside, there were no fish or birds from Monmouth to shark river inlet HEAD BOATS STRUCK OUT BIG TIME. We left them and made a run and finally found some. I ended the morning with 8 fish to 12# all still swimming. My friend who has the new(2012) 28' Regulator had 5 TO 11#.

Scary part there are no big or small fish around everything is 29 to 36".
Sad part is these fish are all spawning size and haven't spawned yet and very few are thrown back,these are the last of the breeders:burn:.

The major schools are 1 1/2 to 2 miles off very very little inside 50'. The bait out there you could walk on in spots did not mark or see any sand eels, 99% herring. The death wish Kayak crew were 2 miles out many you couldn't see in the swell and chop,they are not going to be happy until someone gets killed and restrictions are put into effect.

[DarkSkies]

Report 4-4-12
Was driving to fish the ocean last night and noticed the wind had kicked up to 20mph steady NW 2 hours after the tide change....modified my plans and fished in the back, artificials.

Wind was still a problem where I was, gave it some honest effort for 1 1/2 hours. Other than some stray bunker against the line, no action at all for me.

Still wanted to fish the ocean. Drove there, went to sleep in the vehicle for a few hours hoping the wind would minimize.
Woke up in the dark of night....wind was still unfavorable, called it a night.





It's my feeling that within 2 days- 2 weeks these fish could be gone....moving into the NJ/NY Bight and up the Hudson to spawn.

Remember these fish will not be in that general location forever, and there will be a lull in fishing for up to 30 days during the spawn....

Good luck out there....:fishing:



This is why they call it fishing, not catching....
That big wave of bass minimized to less than 10% of the original mass, overnight....
Some may have headed a little south chasing schools of herring....bass are a little bigger in that wave or body of fish....

The rest probably split up within the NJ/NY Bight,,,,some in the rivers, some along structure, and a large procession following the natural highways (the Channels) on a direct line into the Hudson River....

Now is a good time to be on a boat as some of these fish are being trolled on the ledges I mentioned, stretch 25s.
Some friends have sent in some nice pics....

Some have also splintered off to the edges and hard and soft structure. If you know the area you fish and the best tides for that area, now is a good time to be out there.....anytime within the next 2 weeks,

After that most of the fish will be involved in the spawn and there could be a noticable lull in the action....

[DarkSkies]

Fin, WTG on the action....glad ya got some on your first trip of the season.,:clapping::clapping:....IMO it was a long-overdue one....


Small question....is it possible yer gonna be a little less grouchy from now on? :ROFLMAO :HappyWave:

[cowherder]

Fished last night at a nomoco park. One 27" bass on a storm shad, right around sunset.
Finchaser congrats on the bass, good to hear you are out fishing again!

[storminsteve]

Good for you cowherder. I tried MoCo between 9:30-10. The wind was honking and my plug was getting tossed like a piece of paper. i went to a heavier plug and still it was like flying a kite with that wind. Hope it will be better tonight. Good job finchaser!

[jigfreak]

Fished the last hour of incoming before it got dark yesterday. 2 bass to 32". Swimmers.
Way to get the job done finchaser.

[captnemo]

This is why they call it fishing, not catching....
That big wave of bass minimized to less than 10% of the original mass, overnight....
Some may have headed a little south chasing schools of herring....bass are a little bigger in that wave or body of fish....



Yes they did, ds. We got into some nice fish today NE of MI. 9 stripers for the 2 of us, up to 18lbs. Kept 4 around 13lbs each. We did have to burn some fuel to do it though. Herring with bass under some of them.
Finchaser wtg sounds like you had a good trip as well.

[finchaser]

Did the boat thing this AM 18 fish to 23# my partner had 12 to 19# only us and another boat until a few party boats joined us.

Did the boat thing late afternoon howling SE wind and gun and run boaters put them down and spread em out but managed 3 to 14#

All released and still swimming

[xtreme_visions]

:skunk::banghead2: TONIGHT I MADE MY 4TH TRIP THIS WEEK. WISH I WAS STILL FISHING WITH A $50 WALMART COMBO SO I COULD HAVE SMASHED AND STOMPED IT IN THE PARKING LOT :burn: CONGRATS TO ALL U GUYS WHO R CATCHING. :clapping:


FISHED 6PM-9PM WITH THE WIND AT MY BACK :huh: WATER VERY CALM. FISHED BUNKER WITH 1 POLE AND TRIED A FEW PLUGS AND BUCKTAILS ON ANOTHER. :skunk::boring: GIVING IT ANOTHER SHOT TOMORROW :viking:

[jigfreak]

You can't hit them out of the park every time, EV. Maybe the water was too calm. Maybe the bait wasn't there. I was out 3 times this week only started to pick up better numbers the other night. I fished the front tonight and it was breezy and cold. The wind kicked a bit and it was a strange S and SE. At first there was a flurry, several of us got fish. Then it died, I stayed and ended up with 4 bass to 13#. Swimmers,
Nice catching FC. Some of the boats said it was epic but it wasnt't even close to that where we were, just a slow pick. Thanks for the dose of reality. Speaking of the run and gunners, I hate guys like that. Sinker time when those JOs come around.

[Monty]

Did the boat thing this AM 16 fish to 23# my partner had 12 to 19# only us and another boat until a few party boats joined us.
Did the boat thing late afternoon howling SE wind and gun and run boaters put them down and spread em out but managed 3 to 14#

All released and still swimming
Great to see you fishing and catching Finchaser, congrats on the great outing.

[DarkSkies]

Xtreme, hope your phone works, make some time to fish this weekend....Like Jigfreak said, all it takes is one nice fish to turn a dull night into an electric night....:bigeyes: :HappyWave:
It's time to fish, people.....:fishing:





****


. I fished the front tonight and it was breezy and cold. The wind kicked a bit and it was a strange S and SE. .


My report 4-5-12 - marathon session....
Drove down to fish the surf. We've had some crazy shifts in patterns from beginning to end of day, Jigfreak. Congrats on sticking it out. :thumbsup: By the time I got out there last night the wind was back to NW again. I fished for an hour before it became difficult, some gusts NW were 25mph.

West isn't that bad, for NNJ and SNJ. Even at 30mph and 35 degree temps...it's bearable because the wind is at your back...

a N/NW is fantastic for Bay Head, and further South....For above that and North, Surfcasting the ocean, it can be an issue when it's more N than NW.




Nothing for me. :skunk:
Went to sleep for a few hours waiting for the wind to lay down.
When I woke up, I ran into some folks who come in to the area to fish, and drive 1 1/2 hours each way, each time.

The guys were both plug makers. I took pics of some of their work and even managed to ho a plug from one. ;)
Great to finally meet you guys, thanks so much for the plug. Hope you got some fish. :HappyWave:

Still had a few hours of darkness....made a drastic move and got on the road to a different area.
Launched the yak and managed 2 bass in the same size class. Dropped one, but the one I landed was 41" and about 25#.
My nicest fish of the year so far. :)

Full report in the kayak reports thread.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8317-Kayak-Trips-and-Fishing-Reports-2012

[DarkSkies]

The death wish Kayak crew were 2 miles out many you couldn't see in the swell and chop,they are not going to be happy until someone gets killed and restrictions are put into effect.

Fin, I responded to this, and will try to post it on a few kayak sites when I get a chance. I'm not trying to offend or start arguments but you are absolutely right. :clapping:


Posts 26 and 27...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7920-Kayak-Safety-Kayak-deaths-Accidents-across-the-US/page3

[storminsteve]

Xtreme, hope your phone works, make some time to fish this weekend....Like Jigfreak said, all it takes is one nice fish to turn a dull night into an electric night....:bigeyes: :HappyWave:
It's time to fish, people.....:fishing:





****




My report 4-5-12 - marathon session....
Drove down to fish the surf. We've had some crazy shifts in patterns from beginning to end of day, Jigfreak. Congrats on sticking it out. :thumbsup: By the time I got out there last night the wind was back to NW again. I fished for an hour before it became difficult, some gusts NW were 25mph.

West isn't that bad, for NNJ and SNJ. Even at 30mph and 35 degree temps...it's bearable because the wind is at your back...

a N/NW is fantastic for Bay Head, and further South....For above that and North, Surfcasting the ocean, it can be an issue when it's more N than NW.




Nothing for me. :skunk:
Went to sleep for a few hours waiting for the wind to lay down.
When I woke up, I ran into some folks who come in to the area to fish, and drive 1 1/2 hours each way, each time.

The guys were both plug makers. I took pics of some of their work and even managed to ho a plug from one. ;)
Great to finally meet you guys, thanks so much for the plug. Hope you got some fish. :HappyWave:

Still had a few hours of darkness....made a drastic move and got on the road to a different area.
Launched the yak and managed 2 bass in the same size class. Dropped one, but the one I landed was 41" and about 25#.
My nicest fish of the year so far. :)

Full report in the kayak reports thread.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8317-Kayak-Trips-and-Fishing-Reports-2012


Awesome report Dark! Fished nomoco last night with bucktail and big grub. It was nasty windy and only stuck it out for awhile. One bass 32", released.

[finchaser]

thanks guy's appreciate it



Fished again today where we had a banner day yesterday except the fish didn't get the memo to return.
:skunk:a Strong wind and swell met a large holiday fleet . The mass array of bait,bass and gannets disappeared from the hook to Seaside private ,head and charter boats marked and caught nothing. The head boats had a few.

The only thing in abundance was Salty Tours gill nets , there are no blues or weakfish so he targeted guess what? Striped Bass. Right now he has 10 nets set from in Mantaloking to do the killing tonight.
last night was further north. Fish and game did nada which su_ked considering they told me they had a boat in the area checking the fleet.:burn:

[madcaster]

Only had a hour or so .....worked the sod banks in my area with jigs on incoming:skunk: I saw a small blue pulled in on bait ....the first snow flake ----then the storm :drool:, didn't see any thing else caught. :HappyWave:

[seamonkey]

I fished a cape may beach last night for sunset and 2 hours after. Used fresh clam. Got one fat striper 25" and a huge skate.

[seamonkey]

thanks guy's appreciate it



Fished again today where we had a banner day yesterday except the fish didn't get the memo to return.
:skunk:a Strong wind and swell met a large holiday fleet . The mass array of bait,bass and gannets disappeared from the hook to Seaside private ,head and charter boats marked and caught nothing. The head boats had a few.

The only thing in abundance was Salty Tours gill nets , there are no blues or weakfish so he targeted guess what? Striped Bass. Right now he has 10 nets set from in Mantaloking to do the killing tonight.
last night was further north. Fish and game did nada which su_ked considering they told me they had a boat in the area checking the fleet.:burn:

Well if he can't catch bluefish and only stripers he is obviously poaching them. Why can't they do anything about it? Those guys make me mad .

[ledhead36]

Caught the skunk in the bay last night. One 30" bass caught by us.

[ledhead36]

Happy Easter everyone!

[storminsteve]

Happy Easter to all too! Had a 5 minute flurry yesterday in nomoco. 2 bass to 30" on bucktails in the current, then it was over lickety split.

[cowherder]

Hey Storminsteve great catch! Happy Easter to all S&A people and their families too.
I was out and about yesterday, nothing for me.

[bababooey]

:HappyWave:Happy Easter folks.

[wish4fish]

we got tha stinky skunk last nite too, lol. happy easter to all the dudes and dudettes here.

[Monty]

Happy Easter to everyone and their families. Nice catch StorminSteve

[gjb1969]

happy easter to all went out last min on sat and got the skunk wind in the face drove me nuts

[Mike O]

:skunk:Fished Sat morning RB incoming tide, nothing to report

[hookset]

Fished out back last night the fish were hungry. We even had bluefish eating clams.. 3 blues to 36", and the bass were bigger. I got 6 bass to 38". Ledhead beat me and got 4 bass but his biggest was 39", These bass were all keepers, no small ones. All bass on bunker. We kept 2 each. Nothing in there bellies. The wind was insane and the bunker were in full effect.

[ledhead36]

Yup I did beat you hook. He and I got bass again last night to 35". Kept 4. Bunker. Hungry fish.

[chas527]

fished the hook with clams nothing but skates and crabs.did see one black fish caugth on sand worms.

[storminsteve]

hook and led you guys are hardcore! The wind has sucked but I guess when the bass have to eat they have to eat. chaz I can't believe blackfish are in already. Crazy Spring.:kooky:

[jigfreak]

I guess when the bass have to eat they have to eat. :kooky:
They have been eating all this week. Tight lines.
Fished the incoming, different kinds of rubber, hogy, 5" bass assassin, etc, 8 bass to 14lbs. Hungry bass.

[finchaser]

yesterday did the boat thing 4 bass to 31# all on butterfly jigs all still swimming

[chas527]

fished the hook yesterday morning.windy day got 8 skates 1 big clear nose ray.and a small black fish

[DarkSkies]

Clear nose ray, how can that be? :kooky:
It's only freaking April! :scared:



I just got off the phone with Chas. He's retired and been fishing a long time. It sounds impossible to believe, but it was indeed a clear nose ray. Took him forever to get it in.....somewhere in the 20# class or bigger, he didn't weigh it.....

So be careful of your spiked rods, you folks who are fishing in the ocean.....
Don't venture too far away or a ray could just end up taking your gear towards England....

As Head Googan here, it might seem like I know some things....
:bucktooth:
Believe me, ya don't want to ask me how I know this....I learned the hard way,,,,,so you folks can benefit from my mistakes....They're here already....

[cowherder]

Unbelievable. Almost sounds like an April Fools joke. Congrats Chas at least you got something. Getting blackfish from the surf is awesome!
I was out in nomoco tonight, got 4 bass to 27 1/2" on tsunami shads.

[storminsteve]

Got 3 bass to 16pounds, rubber. Fished the back, late tide. The bass are on herring big time.

[hookset]

Caught the skunk as far as stripers. We did get a mess o blues, all on bunker. Freaky.

[finchaser]

Did the boat thing Friday from IBSP to Long Branch all the bass schools are much smaller and the headboats were 4 1/2 to 6 miles off in 70 to 80 feet of water, very little life in closer than 1 1/2 miles water 50 everywhere. Have not seen any bunker schools mostly herring no one even trying to snag. A few of my charter Friends have reported it's like this all the way down to Virginia no large schools of bass . Seems the warm winter may have changed everything, mother natures way of protecting her own.

[hookedonbass]

Nice going guys! Fished somoco this am on the outgoing tide. Fished with storm shads and bombers not a touch. There was some bird life but it didn't seem that concentrated and it was way far out.

[DarkSkies]

Pebbles and I took a ride to the ocean yesterday. It was almost at the end of the ebb. A poor time for fishing but good for scouting. She wasn't in the mood to run all over the place like I usually do, so we walked one beach area and fished a bit while I noticed how the structure had changed.
There have been some significant changes in northern NJ beaches, well worth the walk to scout out the soft structure changes and new holes and cuts.
Missed the window for a yak trip after we got home, back at it another night. :skunk:

Way to put in your time, people. :thumbsup:

[storminsteve]

Hey Dark you can't win em all. Nice to hear Pebbles is fishing again. Glad to hear you both got out together.
I fished moco tonight and got 8 bass to 39" on a loaded bomber, and white shads. All released. Most of the action was on the bottom of the incoming. These fish were very aggressive and a lot of fun. Good times!:cool:

[eltosoro]

Took a loooooong walk this am to fish the top half of the ebb out front. Managed two on an ss needle, both around 34". Fun morning!

[Monty]

Fished MOCO 1:30 to 8:00 this morning. Caught 5 Stripers, (4 were all around 33", other ~24"). 2 Bass on a 14" Hogy (rear hook), 1 on metal lip plug (herring color with a rattle), 1 on a Daiwa SP minnow, smaller bass on on a small Creek Chub Chrome Striper Strike Popper. Lost 2 on 7" rubber shad and missed a few hits. Nice action throughout the night, awesome time. All released and swimming.
http://rocksimpson.com/images/2012_4_15_SB2.jpg

[finchaser]

:thumbsup: way to go ^^^^^^:thumbsup:

[vpass]

Nice going Monty, that's a good outting.

[DarkSkies]

Excellent effort guys, getting out there and making your own reports instead of waiting for instructions from the internet. :) :thumbsup:
Monty you really mixed it up out there....The mark of a good fisherman is finding a bite and seeing all the different things that might work for that place in time....I know you haven't been out in awhile and missed a lot of the action....seems like you made up for it in that marathon.....I enjoyed all the reports, people, great effort. :fishing:

I got out on the yak this AM before dawn and had a slow pick of bass to 34", 15#. I covered an insane amount of ground and once the sun came up a lot of people seemed to be fishing and not catching.....starting to see the fish are really concentrated around certain areas, with a lot of dead water in between....full report in the kayak reports thread...

[cowherder]

Woo hoo the bass are here! Fished moco last night on the outgoing tide. It was some great action and I got 4 stripers to 36". Man were they fat! On Daiwa, and bombers. They were slamming the plugs! Ran into Storming Steve and he beat up on em too with some bigger fish. I think he got 8, awesome night.:wheeeee: All released.

[jigfreak]

There must be something secret in the water up there. Time for a road trip. good job fellas.

[xtreme_visions]

CONGRATS GUYS! IVE MADE ABOUT 9/10 TRIPS IN THE PAST 2WEEKS. MANAGED A FEW SHORTS 1 14" IN NORTHERN NJ ON THE 6TH AND 2 MORE IN THE MID 20'S ON THE 11TH WITH MY 2 GLUED TOGETHER FINGER TIPS :huh:.

[wish4fish]

extreem dont worry if u are out rite now u wud be catching. we are getting a lot o bloofish but sum bass too. get fresh bunker it works! i fished the back last nite and only got 1 shorty bass but the guy about 20 feet away got a 50 inch bass i saw him measure it dont know if he weighted it in at a tackle shop but it was big and fat he took it home what a pig!

[ledhead36]

Yup extreme he is right. We have been blasting the blues on bunker all week in the back where the flats are. I got a few bass but mostly blues. Big ones too to 35". Nasty critters. Congrats on the bass guys.

[xtreme_visions]

havent caught a blue yet :don't know why: if anyone is feeling generous and wants to point me in the right direction feel free to PM me :HappyWave: i dont want to put the spots ive been fishing up on the board so PM me. people have been catching around me. nothing to brag about though. 10-20 guys most of the time and only 1-3 shorts being caught being caught. shitty odds! ive been fishing with bunker and throwing rubber and plugs with my other rod. sorry for the shitty report guys . i had all the details stored in my head but as the days passed and i didnt get to post i forgot most of the details.

[jigfreak]

havent caught a blue yet :don't know why: if anyone is feeling generous and wants to point me in the right direction feel free to PM me :HappyWave: .

If you want blues go to the back of the bay. They hit the same places every year right around the end of day. Not too hard to find, look for the sailboats. Throw bunker chunks and hold on to your rod.
Fished the front tonight, no bait in sight. No bluefish either. All bass, 4 to 13#, Swimmers and rubber.

[zev]

1st keeper for me this eve on the out up a local creek. just under 32" and about 12lbs. using a 6" vision rigged sand eel bouncing along a shadowline. thought i was gunna see more action but that was it.
1513015131

[rip316]

Hit the back last night with my wife son and daughter. All the big blues you wanted with a few bass mixed in. lots of fun watching my kids struggling to reel in the blues. Fin you might have flipped out watching KK bait the hooks with chunks. she was loving it. good time with the family. Mr. and Mrs. Cardoc were with us too.

[Monty]

Nice report!!
Welcome back, that must really have been great with the kids. Sounds like awesome action, perfect fishing family outing. And without a boat???



Hit the back last night with my wife son and daughter. All the big blues you wanted with a few bass mixed in. lots of fun watching my kids struggling to reel in the blues. Fin you might have flipped out watching KK bait the hooks with chunks. she was loving it. good time with the family. Mr. and Mrs. Cardoc were with us too.

[rip316]

Nice report!!
Welcome back, that must really have been great with the kids. Sounds like awesome action, perfect fishing family outing. And without a boat???

No Uncle Monty, did not take the boat out. My contract at the marina starts May 1st. then my feet wont see sand until Nov. Oh and by the way, you know the 8' rod you gave me? well theres a bluefish out there laughing his *** off because it snapped 16" from the tip while fighting the fish. I have caught a lot of bass on that rod all fall. one bluefish and good night Irene.

[finchaser]

Hit the back last night with my wife son and daughter. All the big blues you wanted with a few bass mixed in. lots of fun watching my kids struggling to reel in the blues. Fin you might have flipped out watching KK bait the hooks with chunks. she was loving it. good time with the family. Mr. and Mrs. Cardoc were with us too.

Would have loved to see her,but I quess you had to bring a wife and since I didn't qualify you didn't call. Second thought you didn't want me to see her out fish you:HappyWave:.Give her a hug for me.

[finchaser]

I know boat and Kayak fish don't count but we had 38 bass yesterday to 27 pounds all on jigs and all released

[Monty]

No Uncle Monty, did not take the boat out. My contract at the marina starts May 1st. then my feet wont see sand until Nov. Oh and by the way, you know the 8' rod you gave me? well theres a bluefish out there laughing his *** off because it snapped 16" from the tip while fighting the fish. I have caught a lot of bass on that rod all fall. one bluefish and good night Irene.
:laugh::laugh: Was it like a 40 inch Gator at least? Darn, I didn't mention it was for Bass only? :laugh:

[gjb1969]

way to go ladies and gents i can dream of big fish from your reports:clapping::HappyWave:

[cowherder]

1st keeper for me this eve on the out up a local creek. just under 32" and about 12lbs. using a 6" vision rigged sand eel bouncing along a shadowline. thought i was gunna see more action but that was it.
1513015131

Zev thats a real nice bass there. What is that baitfish hanging out of its mouth?

[cowherder]

Wow congrats on the catches guys! Finchaser, zev, rip, jigfreak. I got one bluefish on a shad last night. Tore it up., one and done. There were a lot of bunker around but it didn't seem like there were too many fish eating where I was. Maybe next time.
Welcome back Rip! :HappyWave:

[madcaster]

Worked my area with plugs:skunk: . lots of happy bunker playing around. snaged a few for a furture bait trip. I did see a bass caught. not sure what bait he was using . His pole almost got dragged in :HappyWave:

[zev]

Zev thats a real nice bass there. What is that baitfish hanging out of its mouth?

yea nice little fight on a daiwa capricorn 4000 and a 7" st cr premiere. felt good. about the bait fish --i was hoping someone here would know. me and my uncle were trying to figure it out before but came up empty. anyone?

[rip316]

Thanks Cowhereder. Back at it tonight and all I can say is my arms are tired. Fin, do you really want to come? honestly? let me know. KK said hello and hopes u r well. She got her braces yesterday so if we are ever jigging and run out we can make something out of her teeth. lol.

[DarkSkies]

WTG on the fish, guys and girls.
:clapping:
RIP good to talk to you yesterday..:HappyWave:.Glad to see you and the Cardoc Family got out together and that KK got some fish. :thumbsup:

Bluefish are lots of fun and make kids and adults alike happy. They are worthy adversaries...as you said what bass would have ended the fight with you having a broken rod?....nope...that honor goes to the bluefish...and some of them lately have been big mean and nasty....:headbang:

The water temps have spiked up and with them the action....blues still not consistently hitting plugs or metal from the shore but that could change this weekend.

I sent a newer kayaker out there in the bay yesterday with the advice to use metal and he did pretty well with fish up to 35", so the shore metal bite can't be too far behind.... Catch em up, people. :fishing:

[plugcrazy]

Thanks dark, hope we see bluefish in the ocean soon. Fished a CM beach this morning on the outgoing tide. Got 2 skates, one doggie, and 1 27" bass. Clams.

[basshunter]

I tried ocean county above seaside today around sunrise. Plugs, bucktails, and tsunami shads. :skunk:

[finchaser]

Thanks Cowhereder. Back at it tonight and all I can say is my arms are tired. Fin, do you really want to come? honestly? let me know. K said hello and hopes u r well. She got her braces yesterday so if we are ever jigging and run out we can make something out of her teeth. Lil.

Only if KK baits my hooks and is my partner, i may just take you up on that,

Well the pain in the a_s bunker schools are here and stretched for miles with no fish under them. That didn't stop the snag and drop crew from stopping and snagging away. But then again bunker makes everyone a bass fisherman. Since it was super slow the headboats even stopped on the Bunker and let the people snag away to kill time.
, as we disscussed this on our cell phones. Fishing was slow mostly do to the south winds that will be with until Monday but we ended up with a 16# and 18# both jigged on a spot with good marks no bunker or birds. We ate them raw on the boat only kidding we released them.

All head boats are now fishing bass as no one wants the good eating bottom fish,

[clamchucker]

All head boats are now fishing bass as no one wants the good eating bottom fish,

Very true finchaser. The striped bass has risen to the top of the demand heap and most folks want to fill those coolers every time.

[fishinmission78]

Nice going finchaser. At least you got some decent ones. I fished upper ocean county this morning above the park and got one bass on clam. 31". A few others were caught. All action died once the sun broke through.

[captnemo]

FC you did better than we did. 2 hours of trolling this morning with bunker spoons yielded one 13lb bass. Kept for the dinner table. As you said there were bunker everywhere but not many marks under them.

[storminsteve]

Woo hoo the bass are here! Fished moco last night on the outgoing tide. It was some great action and I got 4 stripers to 36". Man were they fat! On Daiwa, and bombers. They were slamming the plugs! Ran into Storming Steve and he beat up on em too with some bigger fish. I think he got 8, awesome night.:wheeeee: All released.

Cow I actually got 7 to 39", not 8. Biggest was 20 pounds, nice fat fish. That was my best night of the spring so far, the last 2 nights it has dropped off and I got 2 bluefish and 1 short bass on bucktail.
Monty and Finchaser nice catching as well!

[storminsteve]

1st keeper for me this eve on the out up a local creek. just under 32" and about 12lbs. using a 6" vision rigged sand eel bouncing along a shadowline. thought i was gunna see more action but that was it.
1513015131

Zev that looks like a small white perch or a small baby shad to me. Not sure might be easier to tell if I could have seen the whold fish.

[storminsteve]

I know boat and Kayak fish don't count but we had 38 bass yesterday to 27 pounds all on jigs and all released

finchaser the striper king.:clapping:

[storminsteve]

Hit the back last night with my wife son and daughter. All the big blues you wanted with a few bass mixed in. lots of fun watching my kids struggling to reel in the blues. Fin you might have flipped out watching KK bait the hooks with chunks. she was loving it. good time with the family. Mr. and Mrs. Cardoc were with us too.

Hey rip316 welcome back!:HappyWave: You seem to be killing the blufish, congrats. I will have to move a little more into the back and bring out the bunker. How big was the biggest blue?

[rip316]

Steve 29" I don't fish with wire as I feel the bass feel the weight and drop the bait so I lost a bunch of hooks even with 40lb mono leader. The bite in the back has started as soon as the tide turns outgoing. They ate clams, chunks, and whole heads. Everytime I had a hit on the clam rod or the rod with the head I got excited thinking it was a big bass, only ended up with another blue. The spot I fished was between union beach and Lh. Not spot burning but the bite has been hot and all the beaners are out in force so why not let a fellow member know where the blues are. Later guys.

[zev]

Zev that looks like a small white perch or a small baby shad to me. Not sure might be easier to tell if I could have seen the whold fish.

good thinkin--it very well could be a small white perch

15135

[buckethead]

Fished OC around sunrise, 1 33" bass on clam, and 2 big skates.

[madcaster]

15136
Finally got my blue fish fix for the 2012:drool:. found some in my area on bunker chunks. fished outgoing .We tried plugs and metal but not takers:huh:. We had to use bait. Luckely we found a bag of bunker on the beach. :HappyWave:

[gjb1969]

blues!!!!!!!!:clapping: now if they just come my way :drool:

[hookedonbass]

Fished some rough surf in ocean county today. There was about 15 minutes of activity for me, 5:45-6am. 2 bass, one 27" and the other 34". Good deal on the bluefish guys. I wonder why we aren't catching them in the surf yet.

[hookedonbass]

:dribble:Nice bluefish madcaster! Does anyone know why the bluefish are all over the back bay and not on the surf side? I read darks thread but maybe he's not finished with it yet. If they are hitting the bay they should be running along the beach, no?

[clamchucker]

hookedonbass, the blues are very lethargic in the early spring. They seek out the back bays because the water is warmer. You could catch some in the ocean as well if you were using bunker chunks. The closer you are to an inlet the better your chances of catching some of the bigger ones. Otherwise you can get them on a flats or sedge bank back bay area where the mud warms up. Good luck.
That is a nice bluefish madcaster, congratulations. Welcome back rip316.

[wish4fish]

hey ripdude welcome glad to c u posting again. hope u are cool with me no probs its all good when it comes to fishing. i bin getting a lot of blue devils at nite they are like flies hard to get rid of but they r big mean and nasty. u kno they are like little satans but they r fun. catch em up dudes!

[Monty]

15136
Finally got my blue fish fix for the 2012:drool:. found some in my area on bunker chunks. fished outgoing .We tried plugs and metal but not takers:huh:. We had to use bait. Luckely we found a bag of bunker on the beach. :HappyWave:
Nice, I'm still looking for my Gator fix. Specially since last year I didn't get a Blue over 5 pounds.

[rip316]

hey ripdude welcome glad to c u posting again. hope u are cool with me no probs its all good when it comes to fishing. i bin getting a lot of blue devils at nite they are like flies hard to get rid of but they r big mean and nasty. u kno they are like little satans but they r fun. catch em up dudes!

Wish, All is well bro. Thanks.

[DarkSkies]

Fished a bit with Pebbles last night. We had 10 minutes of feeding activity. I dropped a bass on the 2nd cast, keeping with the googan path, and making Finchaser happy...:laugh:
Pebbles hooked and lost 2.....

The traffic and people were too irritating for me, Fri night fishin at it's best.....but lots of bunker were around.
We left that area and went to a more secluded ocean area...where I taught her some more subtle nuances of night plugging...the wind kicked up and we left.

Went to bother Speedy but she talked me out of it at 1AM. We were thinking he might have shot me...:laugh:
Made a stop on the way home and we worked rubber jigs pretty hard. She managed one bluefish and was the high hook for the night. :clapping: :clapping:

All bass were toward the bottom. bluefish in the top half of the water column.
Some have said you can't catch bluefish on artificials from land yet...it is possible, but they're picky in the night bite..small rubber that resembles herring is a good profile to throw. And as of today it seems they have invaded all the early season places, instead of just a few they were in last week.

Her 2nd trip of the year, and she out-fishes me...good for her....:clapping: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:...damn proud of that girl....:heart: :fishing:...I'm a lucky guy to have a girlfriend who actually wants to fish in the dead of night...:cool:

[Monty]

Her 2nd trip of the year, and she out-fishes me...good for her....:clapping: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:...damn proud of that girl....:heart: :fishing:...I'm a lucky guy to have a girlfriend who actually wants to fish in the dead of night...:cool:
Congratulations Pebbles. Sounds like an awesome date night. I'm thinking that was a wise decision at Speedy's

[DarkSkies]

The Skunk, the Hunt, and Another Googan Tale....
Fished last night, 7 hour marathon, not as long as a "Monty Marathon" :laugh: but close to it.
Half of one tide, half of another....

Was fishing solo.
Ran into a friend I haven't seen in awhile. :HappyWave:

I wanted to try to get him into some fish so we worked it hard. Really pushed it and covered a lot of ground, a 10 mile area of beachfront. With 2 of us throwing different profiles and covering all the area we did, we should have run into at least a few fish....and we both got skunked....but not for lack of trying....:headbang:

We did have some action, last place we stopped at....both hooking up and dropping fish once, and some missed hits as well for both.....
It was disappointing as he fishes 5 nights a week and has gotten into some nice fish this season,,,,we just couldn't bring anything into a solid hookset.

The water was murky, and it was apparent the fish that had been aggressive were sluggish....cycled through a lot of presentations, plugs, rubber, bucktails, etc. My best action came on a ML swimmer, his on swimmers...but in the end we both struck out.

He went home, I continued on....
Found a beach where I ran into S&A's most notorious Googan Monty
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8090-I-win-the-googan-of-the-year-award&highlight=googan+year

....I crept up behind him Injun style intending to scare him into the water, but his Dark Skies stench detection skills were too good...:ROFLMAO....we fished for a bit and had a solid :rolleyes: 10 minutes of activity which started 1/2 hour before sunrise and was over in the blink of an eye.

Nothing for me in the Monty-Marathon...:skunk:..
Monty Marathon defined....
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?1877-fishing-terms-dictionary&p=58101&highlight=fishing+terms#post58101



..but Monty, with super-human effort...worked a sekrit formula and caught the only bass caught in that area for the pre-dawn bite.....WTG, bro, nice to run into ya...:HappyWave:.hope the DarkSkies stench didn't put ya off too much...proud of your efforts, and the release as well....nice fish...:clapping: :clapping: :thumbsup: :fishing:

[Monty]

Fished 1:30 -10:00 this morning, lots of fun, not lots of fish. Was great running into Dark, he helped me out with his special bucktail rigged with a trailer of bunker. Caught the bass Dark mentioned on it, was my first Striper on a bucktail (thanks Dark, like you said it all starts with bunker):HappyWave:. Then I picked up one more bass a couple hours later~24" on a jointed metal lipped eely (another first for that plug (no bunker on it:wheeeee:)). Had a few hits and missed hook ups, a couple rubber shads and Hogys destroyed by blues. Water looked great, weather was incredible, no wind knots, was great seeing and chatting with Dark (you must have a very difficult time sneaking up on others), not a lot of people fishing, a couple bass, ....... I had a really great time out there today.

[gjb1969]

well i wen fishing in my spots and the year is just like the last i cant seem to get a keeper the small bass were hitting worms and clams in one spot six keepers were pulled up all nice size not cows but nice the night before last i was right by a shallow flat and in the moon light i saw bass breeding pairs going back and fourth that was nice thing to see but i am still batting 000% but in the last few days i have seen bass so its ok i can still get them blues when they come round:clapping: another good thing a friend who allmost lost his life is back fishing 15138

[porgy75]

A bucktail with bunker? Did you cut a bunker into strips or something?Awesome reports guys you even make the skunks entertaining. I have not been able to fish that much because of the gas prices. I do enjoy your reports and the back and forth. Keep em coming!

[wish4fish]

Her 2nd trip of the year, and she out-fishes me...good for her....:clapping: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:...damn proud of that girl....:heart: :fishing:...I'm a lucky guy to have a girlfriend who actually wants to fish in the dead of night...:cool:

dude u got beat by a girl lol! i dont kno i go fishing to get away from the chix when i want to see sum one i go to the go go rama and see all the femalez i need! the funny is she beat u dark and u fish all the time haha!:moon: i fished last nite in the rain it was disgusting and water was like yoohoo i kno ppl think it was crazy but the rain has been the time of the cows and we had 10 fresh bunker snagged from the river. we tried for 2 hours around high tide one 27" bass and no blufish guess they all went on vacation till after the storm. monty nice catching it must have been good to catch bass the rain does turn them on sumtimes and all the googans stay inside.

[madcaster]

walked the beachs in the rb . just threw plugs:skunk: . tide was going out . I did see a lot of blue fish heads and bones on the beach
I did see enough bunker left on the beach were I don't think I would ever go to a bait shop again :huh:.
:HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

I did see a lot of blue fish heads and bones on the beach

I heard a rumor they all came from Monty and Rip...those bait fishing GOOGANS....:laugh: :HappyWave:





I did see enough bunker left on the beach were I don't think I would ever go to a bait shop again :huh:.
:HappyWave:


Highly unlikely...don't you know there's a bunker shortage? :beatin: :HappyWave:



Madcaster you have mail..... :fishing:

[DarkSkies]

dude u got beat by a girl lol! i dont kno i go fishing to get away from the chix


W4Fish, Pebbles has mad skills, what can I say....:)
She's fished at an inlet with me where she was high hook for the morning among all the anglers there.....

As for fishing artificials, and not bait.....I'll put her up against you any time.....If you lose you have to eat half a peanut bunker, no beer to wash it down....:plastered:

If you win :ROFLMAO, I'll eat half a peanut bunker....
Let me know when yer ready, bro....:moon: :HappyWave:

[Monty]

I heard a rumor they all came from Monty and Rip...those bait fishing GOOGANS....:laugh: :HappyWave:


Professor Bunker you know better than that:laugh:.
Rip may be banging the slammers with bait:HappyWave:......but I am still Gatorless for 2012 :huh:.....Associate me with bait....:beatin: :kooky: :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh: Googan of the year 2011 yes.....bait no.......:HappyWave:

[rip316]

So what if i get ring around the *** cheeks once in a while:2flip:

[Monty]

So what if i get ring around the *** cheeks once in a while:2flip:
:thumbsup:
Reaon number 7 as to why I don't fish bait.

[DarkSkies]

Monty is right, folks, we were just having a little fun here...

And looking to irritate Finchaser a bit....so far, he hasn't taken the bait.....:rolleyes:


..I don't think Monty has ever fished bait in his life...I think when the rest of us were 10 years old and digging worms for trout and catfish bait, Monty was out in his Dad's garage looking for pieces of aluminum and tin to try and invent another spinner or trout lure.....:laugh: :HappyWave:





So what if i get ring around the *** cheeks once in a while:2flip:


Rip.....Yep, and there are so many ways this could happen, for you.....that I don't think I want to ask ya why.....:scared: :ROFLMAO :rolleyes: :HappyWave:

[finchaser]

the bunker part I believe as you have have been slipping back to the dark side no pun intended

[rip316]

I do have to say the one night we went fishing and you asked if i had rubbers had me hoping you meant rain gear. Thank god it rained.

[bababooey]

In todays times, it's perfectly acceptable to be gay, fellas. Brokeback buddies are all over. I was in Hoboken the other day and there were some guys who were very chummy. Be proud. :laugh:

[DarkSkies]

^^ In your dreams, bababooey....:2flip: :HappyWave:

Rip that was funny as hell. I almost fell out of my chair when I read that...:clapping: :thumbsup: :ROFLMAO :whoo: :scared: :laugh: :HappyWave: Thanks for the laughs...:clapping:













the bunker part I believe as you have have been slipping back to the dark side no pun intended

I've heard it said that sometimes you have to walk through the darkest nights, to be able to see the light of day...:idea: :)

[DarkSkies]

Radio silence is now off folks, back to normal around here.... ;)
I know I contacted some of ya's who were fishing regularly and asked ya's not to post this week as the tides were too convenient and easy to figure out.

We're having some access issues which may affect us down the road.
Just one example:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8390-I-have-a-Favorite-Spot-I-Fish-Can-I-Lose-Access

A lot of folks may not know of all the behind the scenes work I do to protect and preserve fisherman access, both in NJ and other states....

1. I maintain a presence on just about every internet fishing site out there for the express intention of educating other fishermen about Fisheries Management, Striped Bass Biomass discrepancies, Conservation Awareness, and Preserving Fishermen Access.

2. My tireless efforts have caused folks to remove too-specific videos from Youtube, or edit or privatize them.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8299-Surf-Fishing-and-the-GoPro-Camera-Newbies

3. Elsewhere, some discussions with site Moderators have caused them to take a look at some of their policies on publishing every fishing location imaginable, to the detriment of local homeowners.

4. Part of this is trying to keep a specific bite location from leaking out when only a few are catching and most are not...because naturally hordes of folks will tend to gravitate to an area when they start to hear stories of bigger fish...

5. I hope people aren't put off by this policy...the guys who fish a lot are already aware when the fishing is good. It seems the biggest complainers about the lack of specific locations, on other sites, and to some extent here, are folks who are lurkers and don't contribute very much to any community they belong to....so I read the complaints with a grain of salt.....and a realization that in the many online communities I belong to, I have made lasting friendships because I have a genuine interest in those communities...lurkers shouldn't carry any weight because they do not participate...Again, that's just my opinion, and part of a very strong belief system in the way I was raised.








******
So post your results if ya want, guys and gals....
It's been a fantastic 3 weeks of fishing.....some great numbers...
And as that fishing seems to be winding down....feel free to help folks out in any way you wish other than posting specific locations...

As always, that's what PMs are for.... :learn:

thanks for understanding and congrats to all who were out there in all kinds of weather and crushing the fish....:clapping:

I'll try to post my accumulation of reports when I get a chance....:HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

NJ Bluefish Invasion:
I tried to clue some folks in on it here...
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7637-NJ-Bluefish-Palooza!!!-status-updates


but right now we are having one of the best bluefish bites we have had in NJ in years, right in Raritan Bay and the NY Bight...these fish have invaded the shores there and present some great opportunities for a full day of Family fun-filled fishing...if you can't find them, it's possible you may have to move around a bit as they are currently following the bait and tides, and part of the usual rules don't apply. I go into that in more detail in this thread, bluefish migration..
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8378-Stripers-amp-Anglers-Education-Series-Understanding-Bluefish-Migration


Your best bet for these fish is a bunker chunk....if you do this near the top of the tide you could be into non-stop action. Remember that the water has dropped in temp in the last few days, and this will affect the aggressiveness somewhat....

If you want them on artificials you will have to work a little harder.

The interesting thing is the mized sizes. As mentioned in the highlighted thread above the big blues migrate from Offshore, the East...and the little ones migrate along the coast....they are now in many East Coast Bay areas in full force and ready to do battle...

Contrary to fishermen myth, bluefish are more picky than you think, and pretty challenging to catch on artificials at night. To me, that's part of the fun....get out there and get yourself some Angry Bluefish. :viking::viking:

[hookedonbass]

Been crushing the bass and blues for two weeks, in the back. Bunker heads and chunks. Bunker were thick but thinned out a bit. Bass to 20lbs, blues to 14lbs. Hoo-rah.:cool: Fresh bunker is the ticket.

[storminsteve]

Great gator action after work in moco today.:dribble: Bunker, gorillas, sore arms. Over 35 bluefish this afternoon with the biggest being 15#. On metal and poppers. Getting something to eat and some more line and may try to get out again.

[ledhead36]

We must be fishing the same water hookedonbass. I got 17 bass to 26 pounds this week, bunker, back. And the bluefish were such a nuisance, lost so many hooks to those basstids. Nice going on the blufish steve. Catch them all so we have more room for bass.

[Monty]

Bunker, gorillas, sore arms. Over 35 bluefish this afternoon with the biggest being 15#. On metal and poppers.
Nice report SS, great action. Congrats to others w/blues and bass.

[gjb1969]

this was a nice treat today first one in a long time15151

[Monty]

Fished MoCo this morning from 1:30 to 8:30. Water was nice, seemed a bit colder than last week. Great night/morning out there. Got El-Skunk-aroo. You name it, I threw it. Walked/fished a lot of water, never saw any signs of bait.

[finchaser]

this was a nice treat today first one in a long time15151

You do know they are endangered and illegal to keep

[storminsteve]

Monty don't feel bad. I went back that night and got 11 more fish. 46 total, it was a great night as bunker were allover. They were a lot harder to get in the dark, though. Bucktails were the ticket, very picky. Was out last night and got no bass, no bluefish, and no loving when I got home. Struck out on all 3 fronts. Life sucks sometimes.

^^ gjb, that looks like a sturgeon. What is it doing on the ground with blood coming out of it and a snag hook next to it? :huh:

[gjb1969]

the fish is still swiming the guy was snagging bunker and got that

[jigfreak]

Was out last night and got no bass, no bluefish, and no loving when I got home. Struck out on all 3 fronts. Life sucks sometimes.


There's always rosie palm and her 5 daughters, dude.
btw got the skunk last nite.

[Monty]

Got El-Skunk-aroo. You name it, I threw it. Walked/fished a lot of water, never saw any signs of bait.


Was out last night and got no bass, no bluefish, and no loving when I got home. Struck out on all 3 fronts. Life sucks sometimes.





btw got the skunk last nite.

Skunkfest:headbang:

[ledhead36]

There's always rosie palm and her 5 daughters, dude.
btw got the skunk last nite.

:clapping:Quote of the week, fish hard and if you have a bad night rosy is waiting for you at home with a few beers. Heaven.
you guys need to fish bait. We crushed the blues last night and got some bass up to 12lbs on bunker. All in the back. Try bunker, it's an American food.:moon:

[wish4fish]

yea dudes dark said the water waz cold well it is and wen its cold the fish will still hit bunker and clams. rite now bunker will get u bass and blues and if u wanna get the big girls u throw a head. i fished last nite it was a little slow but we still got 11 blues for 2 guys all on bunker chunks.
relly like that pic gjb! kewl!

[cowherder]

Some of you guys are slamming the fish. Not me lately I guess I didn't get the memo.:( Congrats anyway! Guess thats why they call it fishing and not catching.. I smell a finchaser seminar in the future. How about it finchaser?
I fished nomoco this am and got the :skunk:

[DarkSkies]

I don't know what to tell you people who missed fish..maybe ya's really do need a Finchaser seminar.. ;) :fishing: :HappyWave:

Now that the herring have cleared out of the back bays and ae swimming in the Hudson....I can tell ya's that these last 2 weeks were a golden opportunity for guys fishing from land....I've been tracking those herring since December, and have been obsessive, waiting for the perfect storm of things to come together.....put this week in your logs and remember to take the time tio fish hard next year around this time.

I'm still working on my reports from the last 6 nights, got skunked once, but overall I think I had around 140 fish to 17#...for me it was the best week of Spring night fishing on artificials in years....

Although the artificial bite has wound down (for right now), some friends of mine who fished bait on Mon night (April 23) had fish to 28#,.,,,it was truly a robust, action packed, insane bite.....and mostly due to those stinky smelly herriing......

I'll try to post soon....mark your calendars for next year.....:drool:






Congrats to all those who were out there and got in on the action.,:clapping: :thumbsup:.....IMO it was a lot more challenging than the pencil popping snag and drop bunker blitz fishing that a lot of people are waiting for.....

[Mike O]

Fished early sat. Caught everything except a bluefish. All still swimming, clams, bunker and a little pluggin. I even snagged a bunker. Saw a lot of fish busting just out of range. No birds on them, strange. Maybe just schools of bunker. They were out there for about 2 hours.

[chas527]

fished the hook this morning with clams ,nothing

[DarkSkies]

100 Fish Marathon 4-24-12 (Monday into Tues)

100 Fish Marathon...31 blues (landed and released with dehooker) to 12#

65 blues (quick release, defined as being on at least 30 secs, or released in the wash or at my feet as I leadered it in and kind of allowed the quick release. Early on, I realized that if I were to last all night and get good numbers, I would have to release these bluefish as quickly as possible, so often giving them a bit of slack was enough to have them fall off right in the wash as you brought them in)



Action, missed hits, activity of at least that many more...

7 bass landed to 17#, all released
103 fish total

**The action was so good that at the end of the trip my reeling hand cramped up on me into a claw. :scared:
I had to take the fingers of my other hand and pry them back to normal. Good times. :cool:






All on rubber, bucktails and pork, and swimmers like bomber plug profile.
(Interestingly enough, I threw the bottle plug no hits on that), although I got savage hits and landed and lost some nice fish on metal lip swimmer.

** Lost the biggest bluefish of the night on surfstix' metal lip swimmer. it was down deep and fought like a bass.I brought it up from the bottom. At the last seccond I saw it had inhaled the Surfstix plug....and it bit through the 100# leader...Sorry Surfstix....:( .It did not go down in vain, caught 2 bass on that plug before it was sacrificed.



Action from over 100 fish total, I had a fish on or lost one on every 2nd or 3rd cast for a total of 5 1/2 hours solid feeding activity.

All because there were bunker, herring (4-6") and small spearing where I was.


These bluefish were so aggressive they were hitting the plug 3 and 4 times in competition...
But you had to stick them HARD to get a hookset, as plugs are not natural to them and they were bumping the plug and then letting go....

I have had better bass action.....but.... the bluefish action was insane, best bluefish night artificial action in years for me. :drool:

[DarkSkies]

4-25-12 Tue PM/Wed
Continued Activity levels

Got out later in the tide. Met with a friend. He already had 8 big bluefish landed by the time I met with him. The herriug were still around, and we continued to hammer fish on plugs in the 2 1/2 hours I fished with him.


Him - total 22 big blues to 12#, one 28" bass.

Me - 20 blues landed, and 3 bass to 10#.
Had action from at least that many more.
Action was fast and lasted to about 1/2 hour before first light.

15161

[DarkSkies]

4-26-12 Wed PM/Thu
Ebb Tide
Met up with Finchaser. It was the Old Grouchy Basstard's first surf trip of the year.:headbang: The tides were late, and I almost didn't make it out there as work and fishing were taking a toll. So I showed up late, true to my nickname AL.

We ran into some VS sharpies, had all the gear anyone could desire, but not a clue on how to fish.....
Thread on that here:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8389-Hewey-Dewey-and-Stewie-the-tale-of-3-Surf-Sharpies


Finchaser had 3 bluefish before anyone else even got a tap. Showing the young pups how it's done.
The area got crowded, and we left for a quieter place.
We both hooked up with a few bass to 33" and dropped a few.
Although we did catch fish, it seemed the level of activity was off, and we called it a night.
It also seemed that the herring had disappeared, and we marked very little bait throughout the night.

Total - Fin spanked me in bluefish hooked, and also had bass in the low teens. :thumbsup:
I managed 2 bass to 13#, released.

15162

Overall, the fishing wasn't that great compared to previous nights, but the company was....hands down one of the best and funniest nights of the entire week as Fin made running commentary about Huey, Dewey, and Stewie.....and almost convinced them to leave for another place until one of them caught a bass....the things the Old Grouchy Basstard says are priceless.....good times...:fishing: :HappyWave:











4-27-12 Thu PM/Fri
Ebb tide
I was shot from all the fishing, work , family responsibilities, Walking around like a zombie.
Still, I knew I had to be out that night giving it a shot. I missed the agreed on time with Finchaser, and didn't make it out till 3:30am.

The wind was terrible, N/NW 20+ mph all night, and cold, around 40 degrees.
(Funny how everything is relative..I fished in 22 degree weather in the Winter, and was comfortable,. yet I was cold in this 40 degree weather because of the constant wind)
Absolutely no action at any locations that previously produced.
Ended up in the ocean near an inlet for sunrise, still no action.
First skunk all week, hey that's fishin'. :skunk:

[DarkSkies]

4-27-12 Fri PM/ Sat
This was a better night. Fished for 5 hours total, both flood and ebb tides.
Started out really slow, only 2 bass in 2 hours. 1 was only 27", the first time I have gotten a short bass in a month or so. This concerns me because there should be a varied mix in what we are catching, and there isn't...all the fish have been 32" and above for the past few weeks.

Around 3am, the bluefish turned on. I had no more bass, but good bluefish action for 2 hours. Landed 21 to 10#, lost quite a few more. All on bucktails and pork rind, They would not touch a plug during that trip.
No bait visible at all during the entire trip,

Total:
2 bass to 10#,....and 21 bluefish to 10# landed.

1516415165






4-29-12 Sat M into Sun
Tough night. No bait or predator activity visible at all.
I plugged and bucktailed for a few hours, not a touch. Just when I thought the night would be a bust, I got 20 minutes of feeding activity....yep that's right, only 20 minutes, and I had to wait the whole night for that window....remember that the next time someone says how easy bluefiish are to catch at night....:kooky:

Total:
Managed 4 bluefish to 10#, saving me from the skunk.
The interesting thing is, they wouldn't hit bucktails, all they would hit was big profile, bunker style swimmers, and at the end dropped one pretty large bluefish on a shad.












**************
Total for the 6 nights:
141 bluefish to 12#
14 bass to 17#.











**Note: for the week, all bass still swimming. The bluefish with my hands in the gills, I kept...

Also, you can see how the activity levels declined, especially with the bass, as it got later in the week...those herring were really the key to the fish holding where they were.


** Also note that nowhere in the above reports do I describe the fishing as "epic"..:kooky:.

We used to have this kind of fishing, a few times a season, just 8 short years ago...and it saddens me that many of the new anglers out there do not have this perspective. Every time they catch 20 fish or more,. it's "EPIC!"

[finchaser]

spot burner I recognize the sand in post 137 :HappyWave:

[storminsteve]

I know what you mean about the tired hands dark. My hands were definitely cramping after that. One of the best days bluefishing, they were so damn aggressive on that bunker!:scared: So much harder to hit at night though, as you said, just pecking at the plug when hours before they were crashing what you threw. Congrats on your week looks like you really slayed em.
I fished nomoco last night and got the el-skunko.