NJ Fishing Reports for April 2013....www.StripersAndAnglers.com

[DarkSkies]

NJ fishing reports for April 2013. ..www.StripersandAnglers.com (http://www.stripersandanglers.com/)





NJ fishing reports for April 2013...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. 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.

1. 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?

2. 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)

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. :fishing:












Some acronyms -

SH - Sandy Hook
NoMoCo - Northern Monmouth County (below the hook to Shark River Inlet SRI)
SoMoCo - Southern Monmouth County (below SRI to Manasquan Inlet)

OC - Ocean County
IBSP - Island Beach State Park
LBI - Long Beach Island

AC - Atlantic County
CISP - Corson's Inlet State Park
CMC - Cape May County
GEI - Great Egg Inlet
TI - Townsend's Inlet

RB - Raritan Bay
BB - Barnegat Bay
CB - Chesapeake Bay
DB - Delaware Bay

[DarkSkies]

Ledhead36,
you won the plug in the March 2013 random drawing!http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/smilies/clapping.gif http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif
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)






























2013 will be a very different year for a lot of fishermen, particularly those who fish the surf.

There is still limited access at many ocean areas.
Bay areas wracked by Sandy's destruction are slowly being rebuilt.
There are still several areas that may take years for them to put them back together...
**We are all responsible for the Access we have as Fishermen out there......

Please don't let this happen...
Remember this Spring we will have twice the number of fishermen, fishing in half the number of places because of this limited access. Please try to keep that in mind when posting reports or pictures..
Thanks for reading, and Best of Luck this Season....:thumbsup: :HappyWave:

**Also, for those who are not aware, there are several threads on Drag Island at Somers Point in Cape May/Atlantic Counties.....
I am on the DIAPA Committee. We are tryiing to promote awareness and save this access for ALL fishermen.....

For those who have some time, please join us in calling the governor, or helping to fight for this Accesss.....

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8824-Losing-Access-Save-Drag-Island-Access


http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8881-Drag-Island-What-s-All-the-Fuss-over-One-Lousy-Island

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8951-Cape-May-Atlantic-Fishermen-Why-should-YOUR-County-be-the-Red-Headed-Stepchild


**For those who are too busy to get involved, please at least sign the petition.....
If you have signed already, many thanks...but I will continue to ask for more support until there is a firm resolution...Please see if you can re-affirm your committment by getting as many of your family members to sign as possible...you can even use the same e-mail...Thank you to all who have been willing to continue this battle.....

463 so far!
Thanks for any support you can give.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/s...island-access/ (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-drag-island-access/)

[jigfreak]

Fished this morning, 5-6am. In the back. Rubber and lite jig on the bottom. 3 runt bass. Crappy and rainy conditions, just perfect for bassing. Should have been a few more there but that was all she wrote.

[buckethead]

Crappy and rainy conditions, just perfect for bassing. Should have been a few more there but that was all she wrote.

My kind of fishing weather too. You win some you lose some jigfreak at least you got into a few. Nice going.
DS as to the drag island thing I agree with jigfreak. The fishing clubs have thousands of members. It's time for them to get their members to sign,

[ledhead36]

Got out of work early and hit the back of the bay late afternoon for 1 1/2 hours. It was windy and cold. Some fish around, 3 to 27". clams.

[Monty]

Got out of work early and hit the back of the bay late afternoon for 1 1/2 hours. It was windy and cold. Some fish around, 3 to 27". clams.

Nice, congrats on the action and getting out there. Wind really kicked up where I live (inland).

[ledhead36]

wish4fish and I got out in the bay again last night. 4 fish to 33" I got the bigger one. His was just barely a keeper.:moon: 2 shorts. Clams. Water warmed up a bit

[cowherder]

Great report ledhead! did you see any drum caught. Heard there was one along for a ride with the bass.

[ledhead36]

Cowherder, they got a nice one earlier but not when we were there. I know the guys that got it they are good fishermen and out every day. I would rather talk about what we are catching than hype it up about others catches. It is still a little slow but if you put your time in you will catch.

[hookedonbass]

I would rather talk about what we are catching than hype it up about others catches. It is still a little slow but if you put your time in you will catch.

:thumbsup: True dat, make your own reports and put your time in. In many places guys are asking whos catching, where are they catching, what should i use? Get out there and fish! Thanks for your reports dude and congrats to you both you earned those fish.

[surferman]

Nice!

[wish4fish]

wish4fish and I got out in the bay again last night. 4 fish to 33" I got the bigger one. His was just barely a keeper.:moon: 2 shorts. Clams. Water warmed up a bit


haha dude but you got 1 and i got 3 lol! gotta hit it again got a good feeling about tonite

[jigfreak]

Nice going led and wish. Fished last night but got shut out by the wind.

[VSdreams]

Fished in the back 4-6pm got 2 stripers on clams. one 20" one 27" both released

[fishinmission78]

Way to go fellas.

[wish4fish]

thanx dudes we got sum more last night a crew of us there we got 11 bass to 34". 3 keepers! I got the 34 incher ledhead came close but I beat him by 1" and no tail stretch. all on clams fish r hungry get out their!

[jigfreak]

Good report again wish4fish. Fish definitely more active. Managed 5 yesterday in the back. All runts, but shorter fishing time than the night before. Small rubber on the bottom. Still windy, more variable.

[ledhead36]

Fish definitely more active. Managed 5 yesterday in the back. All runts, but shorter fishing time than the night before. Small rubber on the bottom. Still windy, more variable.


Way to represent jigfreak! I think it is all turning on at the same time. Last week was terrible real spotty. Way better this week. wish4fish did beat me but there's always tonight. We will be back out hoping to see if it will continue. Good luck guys it's a beautiful day out there!

[cowherder]

Man you guys are on a roll! Thanks for the reports will probably be out tonight or tomorrow. High tide at six o clock should be prime!

[porgy75]

Nice going guys thank you for the reports.

[fishgutz]

We have a few small local bass around. Nothing like you are getting though. I enjoy the reports and photos. Catch em up!

[surferman]

Fished back bay, cape may area from 4-6:30 am and caught the skunk.

[storminsteve]

Did the wait and bait thing today. Started at 12 low tide it was really low with the new moon coming on the 10th. Fresh clams one striper 26" as the tide was coming in. Had to wade out and hold the rod to get that fish. Glad that the water is warm. Got a little tired of the wait and went in search of some adult entertainment. :pig:Had an early dinner and will try to find some action in the next few hours. It's really nice down here but you have to pick your spot. Lots of guys fishiing not many catching.

[bababooey]

Got a little tired of the wait and went in search of some adult entertainment. :pig:Had an early dinner and will try to find some action in the next few hours.

I am thinking that your early dinner was the adult entertainment. LD Room?;)

[storminsteve]

^^^^ My lips are sealed.:cool:

[fishinmission78]

Soaked some clams at island beach. Zippo.

[plugcrazy]

This is stll a great time of year to be a beach fisherman. Guys in the boats are striking out big time when searching. Apparently the bass aren't around even in enough numbers for them to find consistent marks. It sucks to sit on the shore and wait all that time for a few fish. At least there is a chance when the flats warm up at the end of day. Thanks for the reports good to know there are a few bass around in the bays.

[storminsteve]

Guys in the boats are striking out big time when searching. Apparently the bass aren't around even in enough numbers for them to find consistent marks. It sucks to sit on the shore and wait all that time for a few fish. At least there is a chance when the flats warm up at the end of day..


I agree 100% you nailed it. Seems like the fish come through a few at a time. Flats warming up should be the ticket not always. Went back again yesterday late afternoon and got bubkus. :skunk:

[baitstealer]

Glad to see I wasn't the only one that skunked out. I fished raritan bay last night and got nothing not even a tap. Was using clams. Oh well that's why they call it fishing and not catching.

[Monty]

Fished ocean side this morning. Tried the same area I was in last week from 1:30-4:30, threw rubber jigs, plastic and wood with teaser and had no action. Moved to another area and fished there from 5:45-9:15. Picked up a short on the Surfstix teaser.

Also a skate on a rubber jig:beatin:.

Fun time, nice weather. Water was a bit murky in both areas, had a nice chop to it. Great having the beach to myself:).

Seems like the ocean has more water in it this year :idea: , didn't remember ever seeing it this high...my memory may be shot too...


http://rocksimpson.com/images/2013_4_7_SR2.jpg

http://rocksimpson.com/images/2013_4_7_SR1.jpg

[ledhead36]

Love those sunrise pcs monty they are some of the most awesome ones I have seen. Good to see you found a fish and had some fun.
4 of us fished clams in the back last night. Nice night but the fish didn't really cooperate. 3 fish for a 5 hour tour, 2 were keepers to 31".

[surferman]

Fished an inlet in south jersey from 4-6am. Dirty looking water came up empty handed.

[surferman]

Love those sunrise pcs monty they are some of the most awesome ones I have seen. .

X2 keep em coming and thanks for sharing.

[porgy75]

Fished the raritan bay from 2-6:15 Was using clams. The guy in the tackls shop said they are crushing them every day but I dd not see that. If you ask me I think he's saying that bs to get the fishermen out there. There were a lot of guys lined up. Late afternoon there were a few fish caught. Some nice ones too. I got one that was 22", put him back to get bigger. thank you guys for the advice about holding the rod. It was a pita but I think if I wasn't holding the rod I might have missed the fish. There were a few guys who didn't set the hook right and lost fish. These were the guys sitting down the ones with 4 rods apiece. By the time you get to the rod the fish could be gone. I think you''re def better off holding it.

[porgy75]

Fished ocean side this morning. Tried the same area I was in last week from 1:30-4:30, threw rubber jigs, plastic and wood with teaser and had no action. Moved to another area and fished there from 5:45-9:15. Picked up a short on the Surfstix teaser.

Also a skate on a rubber jig:beatin:.

Fun time, nice weather. Water was a bit murky in both areas, had a nice chop to it. Great having the beach to myself:).

Seems like the ocean has more water in it this year :idea: , didn't remember ever seeing it this high...my memory may be shot too...


http://rocksimpson.com/images/2013_4_7_SR2.jpg

http://rocksimpson.com/images/2013_4_7_SR1.jpg


haha monty at least you caught a bass. I think it's cool that you caught a skate too on rubber no one seems to be catching them yet exept you. Good luck this spring and let me say I really like those pictures you post.

[bababooey]

^^^Monty is the Pro at most unusual catches. A skate? pffft. he's just warming up.:laugh: :HappyWave:
Where are finchaser and dark aren't they fishing already? Let me know when the fat fish get here fellas. In the meantime I'm happy with a glass of Curvosier. Catch those little runts up. I'm shooting for the finchaser hotline this year.:)

[jigfreak]

The guy in the tackls shop said they are crushing them every day but I dd not see that. If you ask me I think he's saying that bs to get the fishermen out there.

That's part of the game porgy get used to it. You want honesty from tackle shop owners you have to be a regular customer. Get to know how to read between the lines. In the first weeks of the season half the fish that are weighed in at one shop may not even come from that area. The worst is the one in seaside that posted the daily youtube and facebook videos. He would film a pod of bunker popping and feeding and call it a blitz. After a while you learn who to believe and who exaggerates everything 200%. Buying stuff in one shop regularly is your best bet.

Even Ernie Wuesthoff would tell you he was killing them every day. One good thing with Ernie you would get a colorful story to go along with the bs. Miss ya Ernie.

[finchaser]

^^^Monty is the Pro at most unusual catches. A skate? pffft. he's just warming up.:laugh: :HappyWave:
Where are finchaser and dark aren't they fishing already? Let me know when the fat fish get here fellas. In the meantime I'm happy with a glass of Curvosier. Catch those little runts up. I'm shooting for the finchaser hotline this year.:)

Another week or so me for me, when the dog woods bloom. Not into molesting juvenile fish some still stressed from the winter. As for Dark he is in a world of his own.

[finchaser]

That's part of the game porgy get used to it. You want honesty from tackle shop owners you have to be a regular customer. Get to know how to read between the lines. In the first weeks of the season half the fish that are weighed in at one shop may not even come from that area. The worst is the one in seaside that posted the daily youtube and facebook videos. He would film a pod of bunker popping and feeding and call it a blitz. After a while you learn who to believe and who exaggerates everything 200%. Buying stuff in one shop regularly is your best bet.

Even Ernie Wuesthoff would tell you he was killing them every day. One good thing with Ernie you would get a colorful story to go along with the bs. Miss ya Ernie.


so true and always across the street from the store he is missed by many

[ledhead36]

We took the night shift last night. Lots of fish hungry for clams. Managed 19 to 30" between 3 of us. 4 keepers, kept 3 released one. Sea lice on fish they are here.

[storminsteve]

:clapping: :clapping:Nice ledhead! I am killing myself for not going back last night. Way to keep at it you deserve those fish!

[hookset]

This is stll a great time of year to be a beach fisherman. Guys in the boats are striking out big time when searching. Apparently the bass aren't around even in enough numbers for them to find consistent marks.

X2. Some of the headboats have been striking out. There was one report from yesterday, private boat. The guy loaded a circle around his boat with crushed clams. Clam chum and clam on the hook they should have clobbered the fish. Their catch? One 28" bass for all that and 1/2 bushel of clams. :kooky:Tells me the fish are really not as thick as some say they are.
Ledhead nice job. Thats your best bet right now to let the bass come to you as they scour the flats for food at the end of the day.

[cowherder]

Great catch ledhead you da man!

[jigfreak]

Jigged up a few in the back tonight. They were aggressive maybe feeding on small grass shrimp or spearing not sure. Small rubber. Some fat fish. Got 9, one that went about 8#. No legal fish. All still swimming.

[chas527]

fished the ocean the morning with clams not a thing. going to try the bay tonight.

[DarkSkies]

:thumbsup: to all who are making the effort.

The TCB crew was at it last night got some fish on clams to 10-11#. :HappyWave:

16817

[DarkSkies]

I was out last night for the 2nd trip of the season.
First kayak trip of the year, bad time and tide by the time I got out there.
Still managed 2 short bass on rubber.

Report in the kayak reports thread.

[cowherder]

Picked up 4 bass today in rariitan bay from 4:30-6:30. Tide was incoming. Water was very warm. I don't know what the exact temp was but the app I checked on the phone said it went from 48-58 degrees. Wow 10 degrees! Bass were 22-26 ". Clams. good to go! Beautiful weather, very crowded.

[storminsteve]

good deal I was itching to get out there today and couldn't. Thanks for the reports.

[chas527]

fished the bay last night 630 till 930 2 bass 1 keeper 29 1/2 inches and a skate.it was a beautiful night,and only 2 other people fishing on the whole beach.

[striperhunter]

Fished rb early am to 10 am. A few shorts caught and saw bunker poping in close.Anyday the fing should pick up.

[hookset]

Bay last night. Found a quiet spot got one keeper at 30" and a few shorts. stinky clams

[DarkSkies]

1. Caught on Mon night. Sent in by a member here. Caught by his friend. 28lbs, Congrats :HappyWave:

16818



2. Other congrats to T, who I met about 8 years ago and fishes every chance he gets. Landed a 15# bass about 2 hours ago before the rain. :HappyWave:







Congrats to all who are getting out. The smartest ones are not following the herds. They have their own logs to follow. They remember the patterns from year to year and don't need the internet to tell them how and where to fish.

Some of the standard crews have been out since the beginning of the season, pulling all-nighters and suffering for it with work and family the next day. These are the guys who have been out whether the weather is good or bad and do pay attention to subtle differences every year.....when you hear that they caught 20 or 30 in a night there will be haters who feel it isn't possible...

The best response I can say to that is:
"If you are only fishing when the weather is good, and not willing to sacrifice, freeze your hands and feet, sacrifice hours of sleep, and not willing to learn not just where, but why, you may catch one of these fish....but to do it consistently, every year....you need to open your eyes and fish when the fish are there....

Despite the hype, there are very small windows each year.
Every year, in my experience, those windows get smaller and smaller.....
The numbers of resident fish shrinks, the sizes shrink....
The reality is that the bigger fish, have been caught at the rate of about 1 out of every 200 fish.......

Food for thought.....:learn:

[jigfreak]

:skunk: tonight. Dropping pressure good, lightning on the water bad. Nice fish dark.

[basshunter]

Beautiful fish 28 lbs whoa! Looks like the bigguns are finally here!

[ledhead36]

The best response I can say to that is:
"If you are only fishing when the weather is good, and not willing to sacrifice, freeze your hands and feet, sacrifice hours of sleep, and not willing to learn not just where, but why, you may catch one of these fish....but to do it consistently, every year....you need to open your eyes and fish when the fish are there....

Despite the hype, there are very small windows each year.
Every year, in my experience, those windows get smaller and smaller.....
The numbers of resident fish shrinks, the sizes shrink....
The reality is that the bigger fish, have been caught at the rate of about 1 out of every 200 fish.......

Food for thought.....:learn:

:clapping: Amen brother!

It almost sounds like you're referrring to Swiss, yamo and DT with the crew reference. You couldn't have been talking about us we catch fish by accident. ;) We were out there last night till it got hairy. Few small fish and one keeper 31". Lightning on the water and all hell broke loose mad dash for dry ground. Its been said here many times that no fish is worth your life. Be careful out there fellas.

[buckethead]

Its been said here many times that no fish is worth your life. Be careful out there fellas.

x2 don't be a hero. Be safe

[Fishman]

Tonight from 6 to 10 I finally decided to see if I could get some action on the bay. Didn't get any keepers but pulled in two shorts. :)

[ledhead36]

1Some of the standard crews have been out since the beginning of the season, pulling all-nighters and suffering for it with work and family the next day. These are the guys who have been out whether the weather is good or bad and do pay attention to subtle differences every year.....when you hear that they caught 20 or 30 in a night there will be haters who feel it isn't possible...



Well we didn't get 20 or 30 but we did get 18 tonight.:headbang:Good night of fishing. Weather not as bad as the forecast and the fish were hungry. Seems like a new crop moved in. Most were small but we did manage to pull 4 keepers to 36" out of the slop between the 4 of us. Some nice fat fish. Went through a half bushel of clams. One of the better nights we have had so far.

[basshunter]

Nice ledhead thanks for the info!

[surferman]

Finished work early today and went down to the delaware with some worms. Fished the incoming tide for 1 1/2 hours. So far nothing. Water is pretty dirty from the rain and there is some junk floating by. I will try for another 2 hours will report back if I hook up.

[hookset]

Out last night on the incoming tide, halfway in. Great weather, not great fishing. I must have picked the wrong piece of real estate. Managed 2 short bass on rubber mullet. nice going ledhead looks like you were in the right zone.

[porgy75]

well I went out there and fished in the raritan bay from 4 to 7. I got one striper 27" and I missed a nice one. Put it back. Should have paid attention to you guys who said hold the rod. will remember next time! Clams from the tackle shop.

[ledhead36]

Seemed a little slow last nite a bud and i fished together. We fished a different area. Only 3 fish between us. They were bigger though. 23", 28", and 33". Fished the whole tide. Congrats on your catch porgy. Holding the rod you will lose less fish.

[baitstealer]

Seemed a little slow last nite a bud and i fished together. We fished a different area. Only 3 fish between us. They were bigger though. 23", 28", and 33". Fished the whole tide. Congrats on your catch porgy. Holding the rod you will lose less fish.

way to go leadhead it seems like you fish a lot of hours. whole tide that must be tireing but you do what you have to do to get the fish. thanks for the tips as well I appreciate them. I fished this morning in the rb, 8-10. The tide was incoming the water seemed cold and a little dirty. I was using fresh clams from freds. Maybe the cold water turned them off a bit? I had one hit and I missed it. May try again tomorrow depends on the wind. Good luck to all you guys!

[ledhead36]

Thanks baitstealer. We try to figure it out by looking at log books. Still tough just when you think you have these fish figured out they throw you a curve ball. They show up in the same places every year, but not the same place every night. We are starting to move around to find them. There were a few skunks during the week that I did not report so its not always fun and games. I thought a new crop of bass came in the bay but by tomorrow they could be swimming up the hudson you never know. Thats the reason to put your time in. Good luck to you too.

[cowherder]

Wow ledhead you are on a roll kudos to you! Great job putting your time in you deserve your catches. I was in the bay today and fished the last 2 hours of the outgoing as the water was cold and I thought I would wait. Clams got me one short striped bass. I put it back but some guy didn't put his back. There were a few others caught, not much action at all. The guy with the short got nabbed by a game warden and he was ticketed!:clapping:

[SharkHart]

Finally got out after this cold spring start, managed 5 bass to 28" for me on plastics while my friend did the damage on plugs, Not a bad start, they weren't in some places we expected to find them by now though, hopefully all the spots up and down the coast will fill out nicely. Its time guys!

[surferman]

Nice going guys I fished the del bay this afternoon. It was pretty nice out there but someone forgot to tell the fish. One tiny striper didn't measure but it was probably about 12" on bloodworm.

[surferman]

The guy with the short got nabbed by a game warden and he was ticketed!:clapping: Glad to hear that the more tickets they write the less the guys will poach.

[Fishman]

Went out last night but got :skunk:.

[DarkSkies]

Good to hear about the game wardens cowherder. Have been getting feedback about them for a few weeks now and am glad to see them making the rounds.

Fishing slowed down a bit yesterday with the cold water from the rain as some bay temps dropped 10 degrees. Friends with yaks noticed this as well but still caught using rubber. One friend fishing S Jersey got an 18# fish last night with rubber.

The fish below was caught yesterday afternoon with clams, nice and fresh, clean lines. Sent in by a member. :HappyWave:

16844

[SharkHart]

tough night found a different class of fish 18-21" but had to make 4 barren stops before finding those. should be more fish in some these key traditional spring spots i,m checking. Feels like a continuation of the weak fall so far hmmm

[Monty]

Fished this morning ocean side from 1:00 until 10:30.
Its like Ground Hog Day for me......
I have fished 3x this year and each time I have caught 1 short bass on the same Surfstix Teaser.......
Had a great time, water was a bit murky, but was nice.
Getting close to mid season form for me, fished the whole time (hours per bass getting close to normal), missed a couple hits, shoulder is completely shot, tripped in the sand 1x ...next outing if I catch the skunk I'll be there :)


http://rocksimpson.com/images/2013_4_14_SR1.jpg

[cowherder]

Monty at least you caught something. I got the skunk. fished rb this morning on the incoming tide. Ir got a little windy, no fish caught by me or anyone else at that spot. We tried but it didn't seem to be the morning to catch. Will try again next weekend or maybe sooner if the bunker were around. Nice going on your catches too sharkhart!

[cowherder]

. Feels like a continuation of the weak fall so far hmmm

Why do you say that? thanks sharkhart.

[SharkHart]

I can t break 28" much like fall even like over 25" seems tough

[cowherder]

^^^^Do you think the resident fish are getting smaller or do you think the cold weather has something to do with it?

[J Barbosa]

^^^^Do you think the resident fish are getting smaller or do you think the cold weather has something to do with it?

Since the size regs were last changed it seems like more of the resident population has become sub 28" fish. Maybe this is just a result of what was left over from the slot sized years -> sub keepers growing up?

There is certainly less fish around compared to just a few years ago and more fisherman.

[J Barbosa]

Here's a family report:

I went out Saturday morning with the family (brother, mother, father).

I woke up later than they wanted to head out and they were all giving me hell about it. I had been out fishing the night before for a few hours after a tough day @ work. It was cold, raining and the wind never laid down like they predicted it would. When I got home around 2am I didn't feel like sleeping so I started working on my taxes. I fell asleep sometime around 4am, they woke my *** up around 7 and said "everything's in the car, you coming?".

Knowing that some bigger fish were being caught I said YES!

We started fishing around 8am. It was slow just a few hits and small fish between us and then it happened.

I casted one of my setups with a new toy on it (Shimano Albrid) and handed it to my Mom. I had setup the rod myself with one of my FF rigs and set the drag on it. The reel was spooled with fresh line (sufix 30lb 832) and the knots were done right.

She gets a hit and sets the hook. Im standing right next to her and I can hear this fish peeling some serious line (on a tight drag). She turns the drag knob a bit to tighten the drag a bit more and a few seconds later the rod is seriously doubled over and POW the line snaps. I grab the rod and check the drag, it was practically locked down at that point. We all agreed the fish was easily 20lbs+ by what we experienced in the initial run.

My mom is experienced and knows not to over tighten the drag but she is use to fishing on reels like a shimano bait runner where you need to do a full turn before it affects the drag. The Albrid reel is like a VS where it can go from tight to locked down very quickly.

We called it quits about two hours later - nothing else worth mentioning.

We went home and I got some sleep. My mom wanted to go back out again for the night tide so I agreed and convinced my brother to come also (dad has to work). I wanted to hit the outgoing starting around 11:30pm but they wanted to give it a try on the incoming so that's what we did. From 7-12 all we got was constant harassment by bunker.

[storminsteve]

^^Yeah we should have an award for coolest Mom or something. lol. How did you get one like that JB? Can you get one from mail order? Awesome report.:thumbsup:
I fished the bay from 5:30 to 7:30 pm the beginning of the incoming. JB you were right as the tide came in the bunker came in especially as I was getting ready to leave. The thing was no one was catching on bunker very strange. I got one short 27" on clam. A few other fish caught nothing spectacular. I think this week ahead will be the one and the blues should show up too.:drool:

Love the sunrise pic Monty.
Dark here is an invitation you have to stop all that other stuff and make time for fishing. Come on out! Waiting to see a crazy kayak report where a tanker chases you down again.:HappyWave:

[J Barbosa]

Your Mom loses a 20lber and then that is not enough she wants to go back for more? Hah you have the worlds greatest Mom, brother! Great story thanks for sharing.


^^Yeah we should have an award for coolest Mom or something. lol. How did you get one like that JB? Can you get one from mail order? Awesome report.:thumbsup:



LOL, she is one of a kind.




I fished the bay from 5:30 to 7:30 pm the beginning of the incoming. JB you were right as the tide came in the bunker came in especially as I was getting ready to leave. The thing was no one was catching on bunker very strange. I got one short 27" on clam. A few other fish caught nothing spectacular. I think this week ahead will be the one and the blues should show up too.:drool:


The bunker has been on the flats in decent numbers for two weeks now, some nights thicker than others.

Last night was particularly bad for about an hour we had a football field of bunker from 15ft off the shore out as far as we could see. My brother tangled three that were swimming mouth open into his line. The bunker boats have been setting the nets really close to shore.

We tried chunking bigger and smaller sized pieces with no luck but same went for our clams.

[ledhead36]

Pretty good night, 2 of us nailed 11 fish to 34". 2 keepers. w4fish got the bigger one this time.:2flip: All on clams.





We tried chunking bigger and smaller sized pieces with no luck but same went for our clams.

jbarbosa don't bother chunking right now. The fish are in cold water mode and clams are getting it done. If you want to score a big fish then snag a bunker and throw the head only. There is one place where bunker will trump all but that is way in the back. I wait till they come back down the Hudson before I start throwing bunker. Or, if the bluefish come in and start chopping the bunker up, that could change the game a bit. Good luck.

[DarkSkies]

Congrats to all getting out. Seems Mon was a good night for all those who could deal with the wind. Some pics sent to me.
16846

16847

[J Barbosa]

19 bass on the kayak mostly nice sized healthy keeper fish around 10-15lbs. One or two may have been a little heavier.


I got 10 in the boat on shads, Sebile magic swimmer, and sluggos. White and fast was the key.


My brother got 9 mostly on 4" shad and a few on 6" shad.


We must have lost another dozen that were not hooked well and countless hits.


Pics to come later.

[J Barbosa]

jbarbosa don't bother chunking right now. The fish are in cold water mode and clams are getting it done. If you want to score a big fish then snag a bunker and throw the head only. There is one place where bunker will trump all but that is way in the back. I wait till they come back down the Hudson before I start throwing bunker. Or, if the bluefish come in and start chopping the bunker up, that could change the game a bit. Good luck.

I kept a 16lber today (boga) that swallowed a quickly trolled magic swimmer (single front treble) so deep that the tail of the plug was in its stomach and front treble in its gills. It was bleeding badly and it was clearly not going to make it so I kept it.

I just finished cleaning it and found a whole bunker in its stomach and also two large egg sacks :(

[hookset]

Holy smokes Barbosa you found the pot o gold. Is there any Irish blood in your family?;) :HappyWave:
Nice work dude way to go. fished the ocean for 2 hours around sunset tonight managed 2 bass to 26" white bomber. Things are looking up my first bass from the ocean this Spring.

[buckethead]

Outstanding work jb, did you fish the whole outgoing tide? Pretty warm today the bay shot up 10 degrees guess the aggression of the fish proved that.

[ledhead36]

I kept a 16lber today (boga) that swallowed a quickly trolled magic swimmer (single front treble) so deep that the tail of the plug was in its stomach and front treble in its gills. It was bleeding badly and it was clearly not going to make it so I kept it.

I just finished cleaning it and found a whole bunker in its stomach and also two large egg sacks :(

jbarbosa I am not saying you won't catch fish with bunker but the preference bait fishing seems to be for clams when the water is cold. When the water warms up the the blues start showing up the bass get used to seeing pieces of bunker on the bay floor and start hitting. I know the bigger bass are eating bunker.

Another smart thing is when the blues are here they will hit bunker faster than clams, real hungry they will hit anything. Clams will tend to get you more bay bass in this time of transition and most important might keep some blues off your hook. Today the water got really warm went up to 58 and it was game on.

You want a big bass throw a bunker head that trumps all. The bunker came in tonight where we were fishing and we outfished a group of 3 other guys who were messing with bunker and chunking. You said you were out on a yak. The next time you are out there you should try livelining bunker I bet you will find a bass big enough for a sleigh ride. Great report sounds like you really crushed em your good to go!:clapping::HappyWave:

We fished the whole incoming tide tonight with clams. 2 of us got 7 fish to 33". Quality beat quantity tonight as most of the fish were keepers but didn't start up till 1 hour past sunset. Aggressive hits. Kept 2 fish around 30" each, fat fish. Hold your rods dudes or you may be buying a new one.

[Monty]

Holy smokes Barbosa you found the pot o gold. Is there any Irish blood in your family?;) :HappyWave:
Nice work dude way to go. fished the ocean for 2 hours around sunset tonight managed 2 bass to 26" white bomber. Things are looking up my first bass from the ocean this Spring.

Nice report Hookset, not many reports of out front fish caught on artificials..

[SharkHart]

Looking for stripers locally in the river, I got a 20lb flat head on a tsunami shad :whoo: I knew it was fighting weird but i was sure it was a lazy cow. No bass home for anyone there. Either the patterns have all changed or they are thin, hoping to find some good fishing real soon. I d like to see an all out ocean run even if its a boat bite just to get a guage on the stocks , im getting paranoid i know :scared:

[J Barbosa]

jbarbosa I am not saying you won't catch fish with bunker but the preference bait fishing seems to be for clams when the water is cold. When the water warms up the the blues start showing up the bass get used to seeing pieces of bunker on the bay floor and start hitting. I know the bigger bass are eating bunker.

Another smart thing is when the blues are here they will hit bunker faster than clams, real hungry they will hit anything. Clams will tend to get you more bay bass in this time of transition and most important might keep some blues off your hook. Today the water got really warm went up to 58 and it was game on.

You want a big bass throw a bunker head that trumps all. The bunker came in tonight where we were fishing and we outfished a group of 3 other guys who were messing with bunker and chunking. You said you were out on a yak. The next time you are out there you should try livelining bunker I bet you will find a bass big enough for a sleigh ride. Great report sounds like you really crushed em your good to go!:clapping::HappyWave:

We fished the whole incoming tide tonight with clams. 2 of us got 7 fish to 33". Quality beat quantity tonight as most of the fish were keepers but didn't start up till 1 hour past sunset. Aggressive hits. Kept 2 fish around 30" each, fat fish. Hold your rods dudes or you may be buying a new one.

Ledhead I mostly agree with everything you said but sometimes when your not catching for hours you have to change it up. I mentioned that that bass had a bunker in its stomach to help others. I hope to start livelining next week.

[J Barbosa]

1684816849168501685116852

[Monty]

Great pics J Barbosa, congrats on the catching.

[cowherder]

I fished the bay last night 10-12 midnight incoming tide. 2 short bass on clams.
Wow John looks like you guys had an awesome time. Great job! About how far off the beach would you say you were?

[hookedonbass]

Jbarbosa crushing the bass nice work.:thumbsup: :fishing::clapping::clapping:
Hit the ocean in moco from 5-7 this morning. Last of the outgoing tide. Managed one 27 1/2" bass, clams, released.

[buckethead]

Outstanding report John Nice to see brothers fishing together. Last time you mentioned you beat him trout fishing. this time looks like you won too. If he is your little brother maybe you want to let him win once in a while too, or give him some pointers to equalize things. I always enjoy your reports and see that you both have a great time out there. Lots of enthusiasm. Thanks for sharing.:thumbsup:

[clamchucker]

Thank you for sharing your report jbarbosa enjoyed reading it. I fished Island Beach from 8-10 Managed 3 short bass to 27" on clam. Not many folks fishing today. A fisherman down the beach from me got a very nice black drum on clam and released it.

[J Barbosa]

Thanks guys


I fished the bay last night 10-12 midnight incoming tide. 2 short bass on clams.
Wow John looks like you guys had an awesome time. Great job! About how far off the beach would you say you were?

We found fish within wading/casting distance and then at the furthest we were probably 500yards from shore.


Outstanding report John Nice to see brothers fishing together. Last time you mentioned you beat him trout fishing. this time looks like you won too. If he is your little brother maybe you want to let him win once in a while too, or give him some pointers to equalize things. I always enjoy your reports and see that you both have a great time out there. Lots of enthusiasm. Thanks for sharing.:thumbsup:

I already give him enough, I told him what to use and how fast. I even gave him the shads as he never buys any plugs himself...LOL

[buckethead]

I even gave him the shads as he never buys any plugs himself...LOL

Oh I see maybe you are being too nice. Next time make him buy coffee and lunch.;)
Keep up the good work.

[DarkSkies]

Great effort people.....the rains have abated and there are fish out there...
Some of the catches in the last 48 hours sent in to me......


16865

** Edit 4-23-13 - It's hard to tell from looking at the fish below, but the angler in the pic is a big guy. It was a 50" fish. They called me today and said it was about 45#, and they have been catching and releasing bass from 20-45# for the past 10 days. :clapping: :thumbsup:

16867

16866

[DarkSkies]

^^Sadly, it seems this year they are in less concentrations than they have been. (so far)
If you are fishing an area they normally stop at on the migration highway, you are likely to do well.

What I have seen and am hearing so far is there are a lot of other areas that are dead water.

This could be partially due to lingering affects from Sandy...
They are in an area for a night or 2, and with no bait to hold them move on quickly..
As of the beginning of the week, there aren't many varieties of bait in most of the northern bays, other than bunker and worms....

Southern bays are a bit different....holding spearing and some other small forage....


The Spawning Areas...
Every year there are reports of big fish C&R in these areas....
There are a lot of strong opinions on this kind of fishing, so if ya's want to discuss it please feel free to start another thread on that...:thumbsup:











1. Chesapeake Flats fishing....
started about 10 days ago with some decent action....since then it has been spotty.....even night fishing with plugs which has traditionally yielded the biggest Spring fish. A few large were reported. I've received reports from some of the area's best anglers...guys who in the past said catching multiple 40# class fish in a night was a given......

Some are saying the flats fishing has been declining for the past several years.
These same guys are reporting that those fish have not been there in numbers this year.....
Why not?


2. Delaware Bay and Flats fishing....
The activity in this fishery ramped up within the last week. Nonetheless many of the anglers out there who are reporting double digit catches are catching quite a few of those fish in the 10-22" range....small YOY and 2nd year schoolies,,,,great to see them, but where are the bigger fish?
Again, I'm well aware of some of the bigger fish...I have the pics sent to me....but as far as quantity of big spawning Delaware stock fish...guys are already grumbling and asking where did they go this year?


3. Hudson River and Flats fishing.....
They are still catching small fish up there.....with an occasional 20# thrown in....but my point is, the big bass up to 60# that normally are swimming up the Hudson this time of year have not yet been sighted or documented.....Even by the guys who are fishing the lower Hudson, and NY Bight.

(Right now the NY Bight should be filled with millions of bass, if one were to truly believe the specious argument that the Hudson stock is composed of 4 million striped bass)........:rolleyes:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8346-where-are-the-bass-in-the-Hudson-this-year
The anglers fishing those mentioned areas would be the first to see the bigger fish before they make the long trek up the Hudson, and they haven't....


**I know there are folks who claim to be experts on this,,,,saying that the colder winter slowed things down a bit....set the clock back.......I'll buy that argument, to an extent....and am stilll trying to be optimistic.....but if these fish are not in the bays in the numbers that they have been, not in the canals, inlets, and river mouths.......

Where are they?

** Yes there have been some ocean fish following schools of bunker and herring over the past week, but they are there one day and gone the next....which to me indicates no real concentration of bass.....This worries me greatly.

more on that in this thread here.......

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7784-StripersandAnglers-yearly-coastwide-fish-stock-assessment-state-of-the-fishery
food for thought, folks....:learn:

[storminsteve]

Good to hear some honesty dark. All the tackle shops are saying how everyone is crushing the bass. I have been lucky a few times so far but not many. If I could go out all the time like ledhead might get some more. :HappyWave:
It does seem spotty though. fished rb this afternoon, 2-4pm on the incoming, clams. It was windy and the water was dirty, Nada for me.

[J Barbosa]

There is less fish around this year IMO. I had my worst March ever (ok, some could be blamed on weather). April is not off to a bad start but up until this week it hasn't been great either.

today's report:

It was really windy and the water was pretty stained, water levels were extremely low due to small tides and stiff west winds.

The incoming was pretty slow but things really turned on around high tide. A bunch of us caught decent sized bass from 4-7pm. It was practically non-stop action for everyone as soon as your bait hit the water. It slowed down after that and the fish got much smaller so we called it quits.

Kayaks tomorrow, I will try to get some pictures.

[ledhead36]

:thumbsup:Nice, John. We were out last night too. Windy and dirty water as mentioned. Fish bit around the top of the tide and into dark. Managed 4 to 31". Clams. Did not see any bunker come in that time.

[SharkHart]

SNJ had a shot better fish earlier in the week but in one small spot only- i went looking for them but only found 4 small bass and first 2 blues of the season, everything hit the teaser. This spring is tough for me so far, time to mix it up.

[J Barbosa]

We tried fishing from the kayaks this morning but the weather did not cooperate. We made it out for a short spin and then decided to call it quits.

Also the water on the flats is much colder thanks to last nights cold front.

[finchaser]

had 3 bass to 30" and 6 blues on SP minnows lazer shiner color . The 30"bass was on the new Savage swimmer. The fish left as fast as they came.

the 5 day northeaster that's forcast surely cant help especially in the bay where I here it's like a cesspool

[Monty]

Fished this morning 1:00-11:30. 2 spots ocean side and 1 spot bay side and picked up el-skunkaroo.
After battling the ocean the bay was a pleasure to get skunked.
Was a cold wind and lots and lots of waves.
Nice sun rise and I did catch something (foul hooked with my metal on bottom).
Great getting out and fishing.

http://rocksimpson.com/images/2013_4_21_SR.jpg


http://rocksimpson.com/images/2013_4_21_Fish.jpg

[cowherder]

Finchaser kicking *** and taking names nice going!
Hey Monty beautiful sunrise pic. it's not always about catching right? That skate looks pretty big any size to him?;) :HappyWave:

[cowherder]

^^Sadly, it seems this year they are in less concentrations than they have been. (so far)
If you are fishing an area they normally stop at on the migration highway, you are likely to do well.

What I have seen and am hearing so far is there are a lot of other areas that are dead water.

This could be partially due to lingering affects from Sandy...
They are in an area for a night or 2, and with no bait to hold them move on quickly..
As of the beginning of the week, there aren't many varieties of bait in most of the northern bays, other than bunker and worms....

Southern bays are a bit different....holding spearing and some other small forage....


The Spawning Areas...
Every year there are reports of big fish C&R in these areas....
There are a lot of strong opinions on this kind of fishing, so if ya's want to discuss it please feel free to start another thread on that...:thumbsup:











1. Chesapeake Flats fishing....
started about 10 days ago with some decent action....since then it has been spotty.....even night fishing with plugs which has traditionally yielded the biggest Spring fish. A few large were reported. I've received reports from some of the area's best anglers...guys who in the past said catching multiple 40# class fish in a night was a given......

Some are saying the flats fishing has been declining for the past several years.
These same guys are reporting that those fish have not been there in numbers this year.....
Why not?


2. Delaware Bay and Flats fishing....
The activity in this fishery ramped up within the last week. Nonetheless many of the anglers out there who are reporting double digit catches are catching quite a few of those fish in the 10-22" range....small YOY and 2nd year schoolies,,,,great to see them, but where are the bigger fish?
Again, I'm well aware of some of the bigger fish...I have the pics sent to me....but as far as quantity of big spawning Delaware stock fish...guys are already grumbling and asking where did they go this year?


3. Hudson River and Flats fishing.....
They are still catching small fish up there.....with an occasional 20# thrown in....but my point is, the big bass up to 60# that normally are swimming up the Hudson this time of year have not yet been sighted or documented.....Even by the guys who are fishing the lower Hudson, and NY Bight.

(Right now the NY Bight should be filled with millions of bass, if one were to truly believe the specious argument that the Hudson stock is composed of 4 million striped bass)........:rolleyes:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8346-where-are-the-bass-in-the-Hudson-this-year
The anglers fishing those mentioned areas would be the first to see the bigger fish before they make the long trek up the Hudson, and they haven't....


**I know there are folks who claim to be experts on this,,,,saying that the colder winter slowed things down a bit....set the clock back.......I'll buy that argument, to an extent....and am stilll trying to be optimistic.....but if these fish are not in the bays in the numbers that they have been, not in the canals, inlets, and river mouths.......

Where are they?

** Yes there have been some ocean fish following schools of bunker and herring over the past week, but they are there one day and gone the next....which to me indicates no real concentration of bass.....This worries me greatly.

more on that in this thread here.......

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7784-StripersandAnglers-yearly-coastwide-fish-stock-assessment-state-of-the-fishery
food for thought, folks....:learn:


Thanks for your assessment dark. They really should just close the bays during the spawning. I bet if they did that no one would be saying that there are less stripers tbey would be everywhere in full force!

[jigfreak]

SNJ had a shot better fish earlier in the week but in one small spot only- i went looking for them but only found 4 small bass and first 2 blues of the season, everything hit the teaser. This spring is tough for me so far, time to mix it up.


I fished for 3 hours last night and only 2 runts to show for it. Rubber. Lousy year for me so far. I won't throw clams you should be able to get them on artificials now. They are spread thin. don't know if it's the lack of food or this extends to the spawning areas like dark said but this spring has been real spotty. Fish one night, gone the next. No sustained pattern.

[madcaster]

16869
Fished RB 5pm to 7pm ...top of the tide ....saw some big bass caught and carried off the beaches. Caught my first blue of the year on a ava.

[Monty]

16869
Fished RB 5pm to 7pm ...top of the tide ....saw some big bass caught and carried off the beaches. Caught my first blue of the year on a ava.
Nice catch Madcaster.

[buckethead]

Nice catch madcaster. Managed 14 bass to 15# this AM, out front. Wind was blowing but fish were right in the wash. 6-8am. Most were short, 2 keepers, released, bucktail and pork.

[storminsteve]

Great reports madcaster and buckethead! Blues and bass in the bay, bass in the ocean doesn't get any better than that. Too bad the wind is blowing so bad.

[jigfreak]

Nice move getting in there before it got all churned up, bucket.:thumbsup:
I hate the NE wind, and yet there are fools online clamoring for more of it today.

[hookset]

Nice move getting in there before it got all churned up, bucket.:thumbsup:
I hate the NE wind, and yet there are fools online clamoring for more of it today.

16879

:bucktooth:dillydocks.
I have $5000 in a Grand Cayman account and will wire it to the first person who can catch a 25lb bass from the NJ surf in the moco ocean today on arties, no cheating with clams. This wind sucks, good for nothing but a few dinks. (no offense buckethead, glad to see you were in the game with some fish). Like JF said you timed it right, good deal.

[storminsteve]

^^ haha wheres west wind wally when you need him?dark this is a perfect opportunity to make a wally video about the great northeaster fishing.:rolleyes:

[ledhead36]

16869
Fished RB 5pm to 7pm ...top of the tide ....saw some big bass caught and carried off the beaches. Caught my first blue of the year on a ava.

Good job madcaster catching those blues will only get better from here on out.
Getting ready to hit the bay and fight with the wind. Maybe I'll see you out there mc, will look for your truck.:HappyWave:
buckethead great news on the ocean bass.
I have a buddy with a boat he crushed them in the bay yesterday bass to 22lbs. New body of bass came in. Lots of kayakers out there too. I wish those kayakers would be more responsible though. He almost collided with one that didn't have a flag. One of these days there is going to be a serious accident and the kayakers family will get a high price lawyer to sue the boat owner when in reality the kayakker should have been more careful.

[J Barbosa]

Fished the high tide this afternoon with my dad for 2.5hrs. 15-25mph+ winds brought us one 26" for my dad and one missed hit for me.


When the tide is suppose to move out and it's still rushing in its time to call it quits.


The wind wasn't that bad when we showed up but it got worse and worse it seamed.


If I sell my fly rod will this wind go away?

[ledhead36]

Nice going John it was real tough out there tonight glad you were able to stick it out and get some fish. Fishing with your Dad even more a bonus.

I got 2 bass to 33". Not really worth the effort but they were active. Best was around high tide, The wind was like being in a giant wind tunnel. Terrible.

[J Barbosa]

Nice going John it was real tough out there tonight glad you were able to stick it out and get some fish. Fishing with your Dad even more a bonus.

I got 2 bass to 33". Not really worth the effort but they were active. Best was around high tide, The wind was like being in a giant wind tunnel. Terrible.

Nice LH,

We showed up around 6:30 and there was others catching tiny fish around 10-14". I haven't seen that many dinks caught in a while. Only saw one other fish caught in the mid 20"s and it was kept.

[DarkSkies]

Anyone out fishing last night deserved a medal, or psychiatric exam. :laugh:
Wind was brutal. Never shifted to the west for part of the tide as Wunderground predicted, hard E all night with 5 minutes at a time of minimizing. As the night got later the wind got worse. Steady 20mph, relentless. Gusts over 30mph causing me to question my sanity. Blasting sand on every part of my body that was not protected. :kooky:

Some have said it in this thread. I'll re-iterate it. NE pattern conditions (generally) do not help you to catch a lot of bigger fish from land in NJ. They work against you and destroy any favorable bite or forage pattern that has developed. You will catch more quality fish, and with more consistency, on a NW/W pattern, or before a NE pattern has developed, as Finchaser and others have explained many times. Just ask West Wind Wally. :) Some people will never understand this, so be it.

With that being said, some of my crazy friends found ways to hide from the wind and caught a few nice fish. The bite was nothing like it could have been, had the wind only shifted for a few hours. Every fish was a lucky fish, no pattern.


16880

[cowherder]

Great going guys. My report drove down to the bay, wind was like a freight train. Turned around and went home. You dudes are hardcore!:headbang:

[ledhead36]

Nice fish dark glad you finally got a chance to get back in the game.
Heading out now, wind died down a bit. Stop by you know where we'll be.:HappyWave:

[lostatsea]

Good job fellas hope to be out this weekend after the seas calm down.

[ledhead36]

Lots of small runts tonight. Slow pick of baby bass, with a sprinkling of small blues as well. dirty water. Oh well can't bat 1000 every night. dark you didn't stop by and we texted ya with some profane pics. You out there?:HappyWave:

[buckethead]

Fished some sod last night picked up a 15lb bass on a swimmer. Released.

[cowherder]

Nice going buckethead even nicer on the c&r.

[DarkSkies]

Very nice effort, people. :HappyWave:

Some nice fish were caught in the past few days....
16891

[madcaster]

Fished RB 5:00 to 7:00 . Threw metal and needles ....only had one hook up and lost it. Bait guys were doing good on the blues. The blues seem to be getting bigger. I had my first wind knote with my PP slick..... at least I didn't lose the plug. Might have to buy some bait for the next trip out.
I saw horse shoe crabs in the water ...that time of the year

[VSdreams]

Got into some nice blues to 10lbs yesterday around dinner time, back of the bay. Daiwa sp minnows.

[finchaser]

this am 2 bass on jig head and rubber
this afternoon 3 blues on wind cheater

[fishinmission78]

Fished Island beach on the incoming tide. 2 runt bass to 25" clams.

[SharkHart]

Finally connected with a solid bite- Took the trip north to see what i could find, double digit catch with bass to 10 lbs, this was fishing nearly all night. Wear your wading belts gents, I took a plunge with a mis step tonight without one :( luckily I had extra clothes and found bass to lighten the spiit.

[madcaster]

Fished for RB 7pm to 8pm.Caught 2 blues has the sun went down ....so crowed I had to go to my back up spots just to get to the water
Didn't not see any other fish caught .....blues might be moving in.

[chas527]

want fishing the last 3 nights nothing but small bass and skates.

[storminsteve]

Ir's crazy how one beach will turn on one night and be dead the next. madcaster and chas I was skunked a few times this week too did not report it. Then last night I switched to a different beach and got 3 bass to 33", and a few blues. All on plugs. Best bite was right around sunset. I will be there tonight and probably have jinxed myself and there will be no fish, lol.

[fishinmission78]

Fished island beach for the last of the outgoing tide, 4 bass to 29 1/2", clams.

[J Barbosa]

My brother and I fished in the kayaks from 9am until 4pm. As we were paddling out he catches a 5lb blue right away. I thought it was going to be one of those banner bluefish days. That ended up being the only hit for a few hours until my brother caught a 30" bass. That's it...we covered a lot of water. We should have strapped the kayaks to the roof and joined everyone further out east. They did pretty good in the kayaks out there today.

[DarkSkies]

Getting behind in my trip logs so here goes....

1 Sun PM - 5 hour trip.
I was determined to catch a fish somewhere, in the hours leading up to the noreast pattern, which we have discussed extensively here.
Made 7 stops. Each one of the stops should have produced at least one fish. They did not, Lots of dead water.
Redeemed myself 1/2 hour before the end of the trip with one short bass on bucktail and white grub, ocean fish.





Mon PM 4-22 - against my better judgement I went out there. Found a cove in the back bay where I thought I could hide from the wind. I was wrong as it was too intense and I got sandblasted in the bay for a few hours. There was nowhere to hide in that area. Still, with the water temps not having dropped yet, I felt there could be some fish.

Managed 3 bass to 14#, all legal fish, all released. Could not find the pattern or the bite I was looking for, all random fish, hundreds of casts. Big swimmers were the only thing I could get out there in that fierce wind.

16892






Tue PM 4-23
Water temp had dropped 10 degrees, which gave fish lockjaw for the artificial night bite.
The winds died down a bit later on, and finally shifted W/NW, a welcome relief.

Threw small rubber, managed 2 fish to 13#, both legal, released.
Again, no pattern, hundreds of blind casts, fished 4 hours.:fishing:

[madcaster]

Fish RB 7pm to 8pm 16899 My daughter caught her first bass of the year ....ava
We aslo hooked into some big blues ...she was little rusty on realing in bigger fish .... they kept coming off ....after I showed her what to do ...blues moved on. She will be ready next time. Going to start bring a second rod for her.
Bunker were right along the shore line:HappyWave:

[J Barbosa]

That's great Madcaster :thumbsup:

[ledhead36]

Madcaster good Dad good job! You have a fishing partner for life! Thanks for sharing. Jbarbosa at least you tried nice effort.
I fished the bay for the incoming yesterday the bunker were real thick. No hits until an hour before I was getting ready to leave. 2 bass to 32", kept the first one 29" let the other go. One more short bass other than that.

[vpass]

4- 27-13 Report - I made a few stops ocean front to see the conditions. Only seen 2 others fishing in the 3 spots I stopped at. I ended up fishing the inside from 5pm to 8:30pm. There was bird action off shore. I hooked up near sunset, but lost the fish after the blue made a good acount of it self. I was using shad, and it came back with no tail. I also discovered on my way out from wading 1/4 of my left leg was filled up with water. I couldn't tell while i was in the water that i had a problem:kooky:. These effin :burn:waders don't even last a year anymore.

[vpass]

Fish RB 7pm to 8pm My daughter caught her first bass of the year ....ava
We aslo hooked into some big blues ...she was little rusty on realing in bigger fish .... they kept coming off ....after I showed her what to do ...blues moved on. She will be ready next time. Going to start bring a second rod for her.
Bunker were right along the shore line:HappyWave:
That's awesome!!! The smile on her face says it all. Good going.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Fishman]

I hit bay last night and came up with a short. About three hours of plugging. The decline of bass over the years has always been apparent to me. I hope there is a lot of C&R going on to help build up the numbers.

[Monty]

Fish RB 7pm to 8pm My daughter caught her first bass of the year ....ava
We aslo hooked into some big blues ...she was little rusty on realing in bigger fish .... they kept coming off ....after I showed her what to do ...blues moved on. She will be ready next time. Going to start bring a second rod for her.
Bunker were right along the shore line:HappyWave:

Great report and pics Madcaster

I fished this morning from 1:00-4:00 out front, 5:00 -8:30 in the back and 9:30-11:30 out front again. Could only manage 1 short bass on a Chartreuse Teaser on the later trip out front. I'm having a weird beginning to the year fishing.
Beautiful night out there, had a great time. Nice sunrise.


http://rocksimpson.com/images/2013_4_28_SR.jpg

[fishinmission78]

Madcaster super awesome trip with your daughter. Hope you have many more.
Fished island beach for on the incoming tide today. 2 bass to 32" on clams.

[DarkSkies]

Getting behind in my fishing reports.

4-23 Wed
Scouted a few places back and front. Lots of dead water.
Found a good solid bite in the western bay where bunker were schooled up with the wind pattern.

6 hour trip
Managed 9 fish....10 to 17lbs.
There was solid action for 1 1/2 hours, the rest of the time I had to work hard for each fish.
All on small bomber type swimmer.
All the hype out there about the expensive swimmers Daiwa, big wood, etc, etc.... and I caught these fish on a $5 plug......:headbang:
All released

16904
16905








4-24 Thu
Had some business in South Jersey.
On the way home I fished some unfamiliar water.
Fished 7 hours total.
3 bass to 9lbs, all legal, but some were skinny.
all on small swimmer.
All released.


16906








**********
Madcaster those pics are so precious. You will blink your eyes and before you know it she will be too old to fish with her Dad anymore....these moments are fleeting and so memorable....I know you are both having a blast.....thanks for sharing with us...:HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

4-28 Sun PM - 7 hour Monty Mini Marathon...
I was out there last night ahead of the building SE forecast for today.
Winds were not bad at that point. It did seem that the S wind made the water colder and diminished the artificial bite, at least for me.

Stopped at many promising areas ocean and bay.
Fished all levels of the water column.

Lots of dead water.
4 1/2 hours into it, I had no success at all, not even a tap.
Decided to move way into the bay flats where I was hoping to find some water that was a bit warmer, and some shelter from the building S wind that was forecast through the night.

Blind casting countless times saved the night for me....
Managed one 15# bass. Released.








on a small swimmer - The kinds I am encouraging the new anglers out there to try, in this contest.....
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?9001-The-Surfwalker-Challenge-Do-you-Follow-the-Herd-or-Lead-your-Own-Way

Dropped one other fish....lots of effort for small amount of fish...but that one fish, made it all worth while, to me. :)

[finchaser]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:kooky::kooky::kooky: bright side it rained you showered

[DarkSkies]

^ Interesting that you would mention that....:kiss:

I even brought some soap with me and scrubbed my private areas as the rain got a little more intense.
Felt good not to smell like old sweat and pizz for a few hours......:moon: :HappyWave:

[hookedonbass]

Fished Brigantine island twice this weekend. Sat got 2 short stripers on clam. Sun am got the skunk.

[storminsteve]

^ Interesting that you would mention that....:kiss:

I even brought some soap with me and scrubbed my private areas as the rain got a little more intense.
Felt good not to smell like old sweat and pizz for a few hours......:moon: :HappyWave:

Note to self, if invited to dinner at ds's house bring your own soap!:upck:
Dark i admire your persistence. Nice going. Fished out back last night and only managed one short bass with clams. Will try plugging next time out thanks for the info.

[bababooey]

Note to self, if invited to dinner at ds's house bring your own soap!:upck:
Dark i admire your persistence. Nice going. Fished out back last night and only managed one short bass with clams. Will try plugging next time out thanks for the info.

Steve the way this dude operates he probably doesn't even bring a bar from home. I bet he brings a container around and pumps it out of the hand dispensers in macdonalds and the porta pottys.:ROFLMAO

[finchaser]

1 bass 9# and 6 blues in the 6 to7 pound range all on school bus SP minnow all released fished from 1 to 3 pm lunchtime.


BBB don't give him anymore ideas

[SharkHart]

Found 2 5lb weakies last night and I lost 2 more, these were lean males so nice to see them. A fair Wind was in my face or I think I could have got more they were at the end of the cast. My ever present pink zooms did the trick. i switched up spots and got a few small bass.

[hookset]

Nice going gents. Picked up 4 bass to 14# plugging tonight on the incoming tide, all released. Slow undeliberate hits, seemed a little sluggish.

[J Barbosa]

Here is a little tease for you guys and gals:


What happens when your fishing a few days after the full moon and have a nice tidal flow over the flats but not too strong.
Now make that tide a little later in the night to help curb some of the crowds.
Sprinkle a chance of light to moderate rain to further thin the crowds and provide some good cloud cover.
Now add at least a few acres of big bunker and just a few blues to keep you on your toes.


35lb bass with a gut ready to explode
28lb bass
2 bass both right around the 20lb mark


The two of us also had a good number of 10-20lb sized fish. All big fish swam away unharmed after being weighed on the boga.


The night started out slow but once we figured out the bass only wanted heads spoon fead to them the action heated up pretty quickly.


These fish were in close, with the exception of snagging bunker we did most of our casts from knee deep water until the tide really moved out.

[ledhead36]

Outstanding report Jbarbosa! We were fishing clam last night and got some nice ones. Didn't do as well as you though, you crushed them. And on releasing so many big girls as well. We kept our first 2 fish around 29". Released the bigger ones that came in later. As the tide came in the bass got bigger. Picked up an even half dozen to 41". Quality over quantity. All keeper size. You are the king for last night though. :thumbsup:
sounds like you had some fantastic action. congrats!

[finchaser]

Way to go JB

[cowherder]

Awesome action fellas!
:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping: on the catch and release!!!!!!!

[Monty]

Awesome action fellas!
:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping: on the catch and release!!!!!!!
^^^^^^
What cowherder said, Awesome!

[DarkSkies]

Great catching and releasing people.....I don't like to preach about it because there's nothing wrong with eating striped bass.....
It is nice to see some of the younger folks starting to look at the big picture though.....:HappyWave:



PM April 29 - 3 1/2 hour trip
Fishing, for me, was very slow last night on artificials...as hookset mentioned the fish seemed a little sluggish for that artificial bite...whereas the other night they were very aggressive, last night they barely hit the plug at times. My one fish hit the back treble. Dropped/missed a few others as well.

On a no-name swimmer, nice chunky bass, ready for the spawn, #15, released.





Back to swimming up the Hudson.....
16921

[vpass]

Awesome JB. You got me :drool:

Nice going guys

[hookset]

Pretty work, fellas.