NJ Fishing Reports for April 2014...www.StripersAndAnglers.com

[DarkSkies]

NJ Fishing Reports for April 2014.....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.

** Since Sandy and the rebuilding/Beach replenishment, a substantial amount of Fishing Access has been lost. The ones who want to fish, are now crowded into less places, particularly the popular ones.
Please use common sense, when describing where you were fishing. :learn:

1. 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.

2. 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

3. 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 there 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)



**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]

** The old adage....April showers bring May flowers....may mean more than that for fishermen this month....it may actually bring some fish.
Due to unseasonally cold weather, many early season places where striped bass are usually available, have been barren. The water temperatures have struggled to break 40 as we are hit with one cold front after another.

All that should hopefully change soon, as we are in for some decent weather.

This year we are in for more challenges than ever before.
In NJ we have lost approx 50% of our shore fishing access as jetties/groins have been covered in sand.
The effective result will be anglers looking to fish in 50% less area...like trying to cram 10 lbs of potatoes into a 5lb bag.
We all need to be aware of our fishing access and what's going on.



One of the most significant fishing access fights in NJ this decade, will be this one below. Please try to do what you can to help us with an e-mail or phone call. Comment period ends April 10.

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?9405-Jetty-Country-will-be-a-parking-lot-Want-to-stop-it-Get-involved (http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?9405-Jetty-Country-will-be-a-parking-lot-Want-to-stop-it-Get-involved)!
If you ignore this issue, your fishing access in NJ could be changed forever.
Thanks for reading. :HappyWave:





Good luck out there, and catch em up! :fishing:

[storminsteve]

April 1 keeper!
Started at 10pm in the bay last night. It was an awesome night out. Had 3 dozen clams. High tide at 9:15. Tossed out 2 dozen cracked clams when I started.
Sometime after midnight I was getting sleepy. I had 2 rods out about 5 feet apart. I checked the one rod I was holding and went to put it in a holder. The other one I was tossing plugs with. As the tide was halfway out bunker started comeing by. I was drooling and casting but no takers. I kept at it for another 10 minutes during which the bunker got so thick I was snagging them with the trebles on the plug. Still no takers for the clam or the plug. Things got quiet and the bunker seemed to be less and going further out into the bay. I was still casting the metal lip plug and hoping to win the lottery. I tossed a half cast out and started to retrieve a little differently parallel to the shoreline. All of a sudden Bam! The plug got hit and the fish started taking drag. I was worried about my clam pole but this fish was moving away in the other direction. My heart was racing and it was exciting. No one else around but me and the mud dwellers. I knew the fish was hooked but still worried about losinig her. After a few minutes I could see it. Nice fat striper. I pulled it up on the bank, took a pic and released. About 35" and 16lbs! Woohoo!:plastered:

18120

[hookset]

Nice fish and report dude. I think you also caught a keeper in march as well. "April 1 keeper!' - hmmmmm - have to think about the way you titled that there.;)

[porgy75]

wow man that's an awesome striper! nice catch on a plug! thanks for the report

[cowherder]

Great on the catch Steve even better on the release way to go!

[Monty]

wow man that's an awesome striper! nice catch on a plug! thanks for the report


Great on the catch Steve even better on the release way to go!

Its April 1st.....Storminsteve has a reputation. ...He may be pulling our leg?

[J Barbosa]

I am with you Monty but just in case I put a GPS tracker on his car.

[finchaser]

I'm going with April fools Joke

[Blazin420]

Yeah i call shenanigans!! haha...But if its true well done bud!!

[storminsteve]

Its April 1st.....Storminsteve has a reputation. ...He may be pulling our leg?


I am with you Monty but just in case I put a GPS tracker on his car.

Bunch of regular sherlock holmeses here! I guess I'm busted. Good catch fellas. JB if you are putting a gps on a car you are way off I drive a pickup!:HappyWave:
I figured I would do my yearly april fools joke. I was hoping it would last till tomorrow or at least until dark got suckered in. That crazy psycho texted me on sunday night and said he was catching bass in the teens in the middle of a rainstorm! He had me going and I almost drove down there to meet him. He said he would give me the clams he had left so I could get in on the bite. He sounded so believable I swallowed it. Then when he told me it was bogus I almost wanted to kill him. Did anyone else get a text from him and fall for it like I did? Dark you suck!!!!!:2flip: Remember payback is a *****.

[Monty]

Bunch of regular sherlock holmeses here! I guess I'm busted. Monty hookset and blazin good catch. JB if you are putting a gps on a car you are way off I drive a pickup!:HappyWave:
I figured I would do my yearly april fools joke. I was hoping it would last till tomorrow or at least until dark got suckered in. That crazy psycho texted me on sunday night and said he was catching bass in the teens in the middle of a rainstorm! He had me going and I almost drove down there to meet him. He said he would give me the clams he had left so I could get in on the bite. He sounded so believable I swallowed it. Then when he told me it was bogus I almost wanted to kill him. Did anyone else get a text from him and fall for it like I did? Dark you suck!!!!!:2flip: Remember payback is a *****.
I got one from him too , Dark (el-chubo) is anti-clam, kinda figured he was delirious.

[DarkSkies]

I got one from him too , Dark (el-chubo) is anti-clam, kinda figured he was delirious.

Before ya know it....my foot will be healed....and I'll be creeping up on you on the beach, ninja style....minus 15 lbs.....:ROFLMAO






^ Steve, ya gotta get up pretty early in the morning to pull the wool over my eyes. When I sent out those texts Pebbles and I were driving home from South Jersey...the rain was torrential, and I knew a lot of ya's were probably home climbing the walls......I did that trying to bring you some laughs....:laugh: I would not have had you drive down without telling ya the truth......
A significant clue that tipped me off to Steve's story today, is the parrot colored swimmer....everyone knows when it's a new moon, ya throw dark, not parrot colors.:beatin: :learn: Still a good effort Steve...:thumbsup:..feel free to try to prank me again.....any time.......:) :HappyWave:

[ledhead36]

Don't worry about ds. I know him for a long time. He is lunatic with good intentions. Steve enjoyed the report april 1 or not. We fished the bay last night. 2 bass to 27". Clams. The water temps are where they need to be. The bass are barely hitting. Do not spike your rod hold it. I will be out as much as I can from now on.

[surferman]

Thanks for the heads up and congrats ledhead! I'm hoping the delaware starts producing by this weekend. They are already catching shad the stripers and herring cant be far behind.

[seamonkey]

Thanks for the heads up and congrats ledhead! I'm hoping the delaware starts producing by this weekend. They are already catching shad the stripers and herring cant be far behind.

Its on in the Delaware! I got 3 stripers to 24" yesterday afternoon using blood worms. All released. storminsteve love your reports keep em coming! Was a great way to get us sikked!:viking:

[robmedina]

They are already catching shad
Thanks for the heads up. I have been tying up some shad flies.

[surferman]

^^^^seamonkey and ledhead thanks for the intel glad to see someone is catching. I will be out this weekend and post up the results.
Your welcome rob. Got pics?

[wish4fish]

led an me fished the bay last nite 4 shorties for us snot was the bait an we fished for 2 hrs

[hookedonbass]

Thanks for the reports looks promising for this weekend can't wait!

[Blazin420]

Nice job guys!...I REALLY wanted to get out tonight but work till 8 and thats when all the bait shops close :( :(...Id guess some fish will be caught tn!

[plugcrazy]

Great reports gents. I fished the back in ocean county last night. Threw sps and bombers. No takers for me.

[ledhead36]

Bay water temps reached 48 in the afternoon yesterday. We were out and got blanked, go figure. Today it is trending down again. Need more sun.

[storminsteve]

Hey you can't always knock it out of the park ledhead. Thanks for trying at least you are catching something. Which is a heck of a lot better than half the internet cowboys are doing. I will be out this weekend rain or shine and hope to have something positive to post here. Good luck gents!

[Blazin420]

Like steve said ya gave it a shot!! better than i did ..I didnt even make it to the water this week:burn:....Ill be in AC this weekend for the beerfest!!!:plastered:Should be fun! Then im hitting it a couple times next week starting Tuesday..rain shine cold i dont care im ready to catch enuff getting my gear ready and watching old videos of guys catching:rolleyes:

[cowherder]

Fished early this morning in the bay. Used salted clams not too many guys out. I think it was a bad time as the tide was very low and just starting to come in. Got one 20" bass at least it was a tug on the end of the line. Beautiful day out boys catch em up!

[porgy75]

I just skimmed through an internet fishing report thread that had 11 pages and barely any fishing reports. Just senseless chatter and boasting. Half of the comments it felt like you had to be part of a special club to understand them. We are in America plain language is a good choice not some stupid chatter where you need a code book to understand it and no fishing or fish. I know I don't post a lot of reports but I appreciate all the good info and advice I read here.
Letting me know when is a good time to go is all I ask. Thanks for the honest reports and actually getting out there and fishing. My report - i decided to try for flounder this morning the weather forecast was fantastic. I got some worms and went to a pier area in ocean county. There were a few other guys there no one was catching though they did say they had got some earlier in the week. I threw a bunch of corn out and tryed anyway. Got one quicl tap and missed setting the hook. Maybe the water is still to cold. Might try again tomorrow or next week. Thanks for the positive outlook and reports it helps me ge through the week!

[hookset]

I just skimmed through an internet fishing report thread that had 11 pages and and barely any fishing reports. Just senseless chatter and boasting. Half of the comments it felt like you had to be part of a special club to understand them. We are in America plain language is a good choice not some stupid chatter where you need a code book to understand it and no fishing or fish. I know I don't post a lot of reports but I appreciate all the good info and advice I read here.

Letting me know when is a good time to go is all I ask.

^^^^^That's cause they're internet fishermen porgy. Common mostly to NJ this species of girl scouts sits comfortably indoors until they hear of multiple keeper fish on the video weigh in or tackle shop boards. Then they come out in droves. Especially common when the bunker show up. The sharpies who only fish for 3 months a year are out. You can spot them by their top shelf rods reels and surf bags. If you haven't spent $3k to get dressed in the latest surf wear that morning you cant be in the club. cell phones help them to find the fish. They sit on the internet and poke fun at everyone else until the big blitz happens.
Scouting or looking for early fish on their own? Never happen with this crowd.

[seamonkey]

Good to hear of the catching!
Got a phone call from a buddy of mine who lives on the Big D. He says the small stripers are being caught almost every day now on bloods. Just waiting for the females to arrive. This weekend should do it! Good luck out there.

[ledhead36]

We fished last night around high tide. 3 hours out, fresh clams. Picked up 14 bass between the 3 of us, all shorts. Action was a little better than it has been.

[seamonkey]

Burning the midnight oil - nice!!!!!!

[Blazin420]

Nice guys! Back from AC Beerfest had a great time lots of good brews and some good music!! And a hangover haha..Now its time to catch!! Ill be down south tomorrow at grams so ill be checking out some rivers and the bay..Then gonna give it hell in RB this week..:devil:

[robmedina]

soaked some clams yesterday afternoon. low tide in the back bays- caught a lot of grass.

[basshunter]

Nice work gentlemen! It was a beautiful weekend to be out there but I didn't have much success. I fished the ocean in monmouth county on saturday afternoon. Figured I would start out north of an inlet. Soaked clams for 2 hours no bites. It was a nice day on the water. Then on sunday I was fishing in the back of raritan bay. The first place I went to was crowded quite a few there and I saw 2 small stripers caught in an hour. I decided to try a spot that was close to that. For some reason no one was there. The crowd was at the other spot. I fished from dark till 10pm and ended up with one striper 25" on clam. Released to get bigger.
I think this week will be the ticket. The water was cold but when I was fishing into dark it was nice. And a lot warmer than the ocean.

[J Barbosa]

On Saturday I went clamming for the first time ever with two kayaking buddies. We caught a few dozen clams each and then had to leave because the tide was coming up quick and we were only equipped with waders.

My body is still sore from clamming, great exercise. :don't know why:
I took mine home and gave them to Momma Barbosa who went out and purchased some lobsters, shrimp and scallops and made some of her famous seafood Paella. :dribble:

On Sunday, my brother and I went kayaking in the back. We tossed and trolled lures for a while with no luck. Tried all the spring favorites in the shallows, deeper water and even in the channels. I didn't see any bait around; we marked one small fish all day. By this time last year I was catching fish that were already feeding on live bunker (confirmed by stomach contents).

There were other kayakers out fishing bait and they came up empty as well. I talked to a boater fishing clams...same results for him.

A party boat came and anchored up on the flats...and well after an hour of heavy chumming and nobody catching he packed it up and left also.

Tons of guys packed the shorelines and after speaking with two of them nobody caught anything along the shoreline either.

Water temps 47-51F

Every year the spring run in the Raritan seems to get worse and worse.

I think we are two weeks delayed despite what some others have said on other forums. We have April 7th fish feeding like its March 7th :kooky:

[ledhead36]

Tons of guys packed the shorelines and after speaking with two of them nobody caught anything along the shoreline either.

Water temps 47-51F

Every year the spring run in the Raritan seems to get worse and worse.

I think we are two weeks delayed despite what some others have said on other forums. We have April 7th fish feeding like its March 7th :kooky:


Same thing for us. I'm worried about the small fish. Big ones will come soon but every year we have over 100 fish by this time in april. I know it's cold. What scares me is its good one day terrible the next. We fished last night with great expectations. Ended up with bubkus. Well not exactly we got one 17" striper between the 3 of us. Should have been slamming them. The water temps are high enough for them to hit regularly on bait but they are just not there. I say give it another week. Then I will be real worried. We usually get 3-4 weeks of bass before the bluefish come in. I don't think that will be true this year.

[hookset]

Same thing for us. I'm worried about the small fish. .
I think a lot of the small fish up our way are no more, I see less and less of them each year. Maybe the numbers are stronger in the Delaware bay but the Raritan has been on a decline for several years now. just my .02.
I went fishing last night in the rain. Out back tossing artificials. It sucked, I lasted an hour. The end.

[jigfreak]

hook you are a little nuts being out in that rain. It didn't let up all night. I fished the back this morning before work. Windy. Water a little dirty. Jig and rubber. Caught the skunk

[hookset]

^^^^^^ I know it was crazy but you go when you can. I say any day now. you have a better chance of catching near the water rather than on the couch. good luck led. I know a point where those bunks should be thick.

[finchaser]

I think a lot of the small fish up our way are no more, I see less and less of them each year. Maybe the numbers are stronger in the Delaware bay but the Raritan has been on a decline for several years now. just my .02.
I went fishing last night in the rain. Out back tossing artificials. It sucked, I lasted an hour. The end.


agree they keep more and more shorts and they are wiping out the resident fish

[hookedonbass]

good luck dude if anyone can catch them you can.

[madcaster]

when around RB on out going ...saw a lot of shorts be caught about ten just in the hour 1/2 I was out ....threw a jig ....zip o ....they where be caught on clams ....very windy and cold ..water is very dirty ...yes and it was crowed ....just wonder how many poles can you fish in NJ ???....I guess I'll have to get a few claims

[hookset]

Thanks for the intel madcaster. Its still cold guess clams will get more fish until it warms up a few degrees. I'll be out on the weekend good luck gents.

[ledhead36]

good luck dude if anyone can catch them you can.

Thanks but it's really not that hard to catch spring schoolies on clams. All you need is a clam on your hook and hold the rod paying attention. I look for warmer days. Yesterday I was out there and pretty pumped. Still a little slow as I only managed 3 shorts. Didn't see any keepers caught.

[ledhead36]

..yes and it was crowed ....just wonder how many poles can you fish in NJ ???....

I don't think there is a regulation for that madcaster. I agree its crazy out there lately. All for a few schoolies. There should be a limit of no more than 3 rods per person. I usually just bring 2 and fish one with the other being a backup for a good bite. If its slow I will fish 2 rods close together. Can't stand the groups that think its their right to take up 200' of beach with 5 rods apiece.

[cowherder]

Thanks for the reports guys. I'll be out this weekend and joining all the other weekend warriors. Good luck to us all and let's think about catch and release too as the early keepers didn't get a chance to breed yet.

[baitstealer]

when around RB on out going ...saw a lot of shorts be caught about ten just in the hour 1/2 I was out ....threw a jig ....zip o ....they where be caught on clams ....very windy and cold ..water is very dirty ...yes and it was crowed ....just wonder how many poles can you fish in NJ ???....I guess I'll have to get a few claims

Thank you for the intel MC!

[madcaster]

what a difference a day makes ...fishing RB out going ...calm ...no wind ....fished clams .....not one hit ....didn't see any one else catching .....skunked ...I knew I should of bought just one clam like I always do ......I'll try next week ...I'll let the week end crowd have it for now

[fishinmission78]

Fished barney bay in the back this morning. Cold water and some of the warm water isn't that warm either. Skunk for me. May try again this weekend and go further north.

[cowherder]

Real time report. I'm in the backbay. Lots of people out. The 4 and 5 pole brigade that madcaster was talking about. Got some clams and fished 4:30 to 6. one tap missed it. Tide is changing maybe my luck will change. Am sticking to it until I get a fish.

[jigfreak]

^^^^^ Hold your rod next time. No dead sticking.

[finchaser]

could be flounder

[Blazin420]

Got out last night for the outgoing dunked clams and managed 1 lil guy about 18in and missed 2 hits...Back out Sunday..Slow night but it was nice out!! Jig freak had it! Gotta hold the rod..Fish are hitting light..The first 2 hits came with in 10 mins of pole in the water was still getting settled when they hit..Once i held the rod i had a fish on the sand

[cowherder]

^^^^^ Hold your rod next time. No dead sticking.


Thanks thats what I was doing and it made a difference. I ended up with 2 short stripers to 22". Nice night though a little crowded. I will try to get back out there soon. Blazin glad to hear you caught too. Although they are small it is nice to have something at the end of the line. I got mine back in asap so as not to stress them out too much.

[Monty]

Thanks thats what I was doing and it made a difference. I ended up with 2 short stripers to 22". Nice night though a little crowded. I will try to get back out there soon. Blazin glad to hear you caught too. Although they are small it is nice to have something at the end of the line. I got mine back in asap so as not to stress them out too much.
Nice, good to hear you got a bend in the rod.
Great to see everyone getting out and fishing.
I'm looking forward to my Sunday AM trip.

[seamonkey]

Fish in the delaware! Fished this morning got 4 to 29" on worms. Let the 29incher go it was the only keeper. My first keeper of the year. Hope it brings me luck for the rest of the year. The water cleaned up a little. Will try to go one more time this weekend the weather is beautiful.

[fishinmission78]

Fishing in my neck of the woods hasnt been that great. Decided I would learn a bit about northern nj. Fished it years ago so I thought I was going to pm a few of you here to ask some general advice. I didn't have to because there are 2 spots that are now blown up all over fb. I was at one of them last night along with 50 of my closest friends lol. Managed 5 bass to 26" on plugs. I don't want to say any more but I feel where I was at last night could be closed down real soon. Bonfires, litter, beer bottles. It reminded me of march at graveling point or the power plant some of the places near there were great fishing but residential and now closed. I don't understand why people do this.

[storminsteve]

That really sucks fishingmission. Total a-holes. We should start posting their names and pictures. Thanks for the report.

[ledhead36]

fishinmission I agree with what you said. We had a nice place to fish in cliffwood and they ruined it so bad with trash until the police started ticketing. Now we fish elsewhere. It's only going to get worse fellas. The tackle shops are all reporting multiple keepers and some fish close to 20 pounds. Personally I think catching a 20lb striper now is like winning the lottery. There are not a lot of fish to go around this spring. The water has warmed up and my success is still spotty. Less bass spawning each year means less bass on the beaches.

Getting ready to join the crowds and fish high tide. Will report back later.

[Blazin420]

^^^^ Good luck brotha...Crowds are getting to be too much!! this time of year especially

[ledhead36]

Thanks fellas. Right on the money blazin. Caught 2 bass to 26" on clams. Fishing for those bass was not fun. The first place was mobbed the 2nd place wasn't that much better. After the 2nd time a dude casted over my line I knew I didn't belong there. Left and got washed up. Now its time for the ti**y bar. I should have known better but the action has been getting decent. Saturday night its much better to seek strippers than stripers.:plastered:

[surferman]

Sorry to hear that. Guess when it gets crowded its good advice not to fish on weekends. Weekends are when I have the free time to fish tho. I wish people didn't have to be so inconsiderate. I fished the delaware bay last night and got 6 stripers using worms. Biggest was about 24 inches. They were feisty critters and hitting hard.

[SharkHart]

This is a report but- I am in eight million feuds on Facebook fighting the good fight for guys who think land spots should be posted, nearly all these geniuses say Fish are totally random could be anywhere anytime, which totally makes zero sense why u should post a spot IF that were true, anyway I have a nice flats that has a pinch and a rip and every April full moon it seems to bring hundreds of Bass in with the extra current, last night didn't fail, had an epic type bite on plugs and plastics, mostly small but some were 24 to 29", was concerned about water temps but the fish were very aggressive and striking and fighting hard. Left them biting to see if they were at another spot because I am dumb but curious, have to know sometimes, spot B and C had no fish but they probably should this time of year, so we will shall see about the state of this run.

[finchaser]

You're alive:HappyWave:^^^^^^^

[madcaster]

just walked rb bay with my surf stick and handing out brochures ....seen no fish caught ...income ...water was calm ...water was cold ..I put my hand in it .....lot of people fishing ....no signs of any bait in the water ....
I need to print some brochures in other languages it seems

[Blazin420]

Got out yesterday 5-930pm...Slow afternoon but did manage 2 lil guys and a few missed hits...All on clams..Fish were barley 18in saw a few others caught but nothing much bigger..Wanted to get out tomorrow but it looks like a wash out..Hopefully be back out by the end of the week

[cowherder]

just walked rb bay with my surf stick and handing out brochures ....seen no fish caught ...income ...water was calm ...water was cold ..I put my hand in it .....lot of people fishing ....no signs of any bait in the water ....
I need to print some brochures in other languages it seems


Got out yesterday 5-930pm...Slow afternoon but did manage 2 lil guys and a few missed hits...All on clams..Fish were barley 18in saw a few others caught but nothing much bigger..Wanted to get out tomorrow but it looks like a wash out..Hopefully be back out by the end of the week


madcaster hope I don't sound racist but noticed the same thing too. We all have to fish together but can't people at least speak a little English?
blazin at least you caught. That is what I heard about small fish the last time I was out. I felt lucky to catch as some others weren't. I stopped in a tackle shop on rt 35 earlier that day to buy some stuff and see what the owner would say. He told me they were killing them and guys were catching bass to 17lbs.:kooky:
I didn't see any of that where I was fishing. Seems like so little fish this year as compared to last year. Here one minute gone the next. Last year I was not always catching either but some of the spring clam fishing trips I could catch at least 5 at a time. Something is definitely off with the fishing. just my .02

[cowherder]

This is a report but- I am in eight million feuds on Facebook fighting the good fight for guys who think land spots should be posted, nearly all these geniuses say Fish are totally random could be anywhere anytime, which totally makes zero sense why u should post a spot IF that were true, anyway I have a nice flats that has a pinch and a rip and every April full moon it seems to bring hundreds of Bass in with the extra current, last night didn't fail, had an epic type bite on plugs and plastics, mostly small but some were 24 to 29", was concerned about water temps but the fish were very aggressive and striking and fighting hard. Left them biting to see if they were at another spot because I am dumb but curious, have to know sometimes, spot B and C had no fish but they probably should this time of year, so we will shall see about the state of this run.

:headbang:Awesome report sharkhart! Its great to hear you got them on artificials when clams are taking most of the fish.
Could I ask if this was in North or South Jersey? Not looking for a location but haven't heard of a lot of fish being taken on artificials in the rb yet so was just curious as to what part of the state. Some of the other reports online don't even talk about how they got fish. When you hear a guy bragging about his bass thumb without even hinting at what he was using I think that is just selfish. I don't need a location it's just nice to hear that they are starting to catch. Thanks for the reports and the videos as well have learned a lot from them.

[basshunter]

Fished ocean county last night. River plugging. No love for me. El skunkaroo. Will give it a try later in the week. Nice work shark hart.

[buckethead]

I fished the ocean this morning close to high tide last hour of incoming. It was a shock to see how much structure we have lost. By the end of the summer it will be one flat featureless coastline except for the inlets and a few sand bars and cuts. The south wind was a little breezy so I found a spot that gave a little shelter. 2 bass to 23" on bucktail and white grub. Moco.

[robmedina]

I am glad some of you guys are out catching. I have devised my fishing strategy for this year. I will be targeting Carp, LM Bass, SM bass, trout, shad, pike, musky and pickerel. I will fish for Stripers in the spring and again in the fall. I am purchasing a better kayak to hit the back bay spots and also the lakes and rivers where I can't wade fish and get away from people.

[Blazin420]

I fished the ocean this morning close to high tide last hour of incoming. It was a shock to see how much structure we have lost. By the end of the summer it will be one flat featureless coastline except for the inlets and a few sand bars and cuts. The south wind was a little breezy so I found a spot that gave a little shelter. 2 bass to 23" on bucktail and white grub. Moco.
Nice brotha!! Glad to hear of some life outfront!! I may have to give it a shot..at least i can get away from the crowds!!!!

[ledhead36]

Fished the bay last night from 8-12. Fresh clam one dink to show for it. Should have been epic lol. Perfect conditions not perfect for the fish. Lack of fish this year for sure.

[Blazin420]

Got out last night for a couple hours...Between me and my buddy we landed 8..I had 5, 2 of which were better than the previous 18 inchers ive been getting..1 went 24 the other was 27in on the nose..Good night and glad I got some fish before the water is yoohoo from the rain...pic of the 27in.. Seemed the real smelly clams worked better..Had some left over from the weekend and boy were they RIPE lol:scared::laugh:

[J Barbosa]

Why is there 1/2 inch of snow on my car in the middle of April in Northern NJ? :huh:

[finchaser]

same reason there is here in ocean county mother nature paying people back for harassing and killing her young in the bay

[storminsteve]

Nice blazin! Thanks for the intel and congrats! Will be out more this week the tides look good.

[storminsteve]

Why is there 1/2 inch of snow on my car in the middle of April in Northern NJ? :huh:


same reason there is here in ocean county mother nature paying people back for harassing and killing her young in the bay

Bad juju!:scared:

[ledhead36]

Nice going blazin.

[Blazin420]

Thanks guys!! This cold SUCKS!! Hope to be back on the fish Friday night...

[robmedina]

:thumbsup:
same reason there is here in ocean county mother nature paying people back for harassing and killing her young in the bay

[ledhead36]

Well this year there are not too many in the bay. Its 7 weeks into the season and still nothing but rats. Maybe one of the worst springs ever. Fished last night, zippo.

[buckethead]

Fished the front in moco today. Water a little dirty and not that great. Caught the skunk. Will try again this weekend.

[hookset]

Thanks for giving it an honest try bucket. I got off work early today and drove to an inlet to check it out. The wind is increasing and its dirty. You must have been out way earlier. Never know unless you try, right?

[Monty]

Fished the front in moco today. Water a little dirty and not that great. Caught the skunk. Will try again this weekend.

Thanks for giving it an honest try bucket. I got off work early today and drove to an inlet to check it out. The wind is increasing and its dirty. You must have been out way earlier. Never know unless you try, right?
Also will head out this weekend, Sunday early AM, water still very cold.

[jigfreak]

Fished the back ocean county. Last 2 hours of the incoming tide. One dink on rubber. Not too crowded. The weekend may be a zoo so I wanted to get some time in before that,

[robmedina]

fished out back - fished the outgoing. 12-6:30. Got 2 small stripers and 1 fat white perch. My buddy got 3 small stripers. All on blood worms.

[Blazin420]

Got out last night for a bit..El Skunko for me except for 1 hit....Water was still dirty when i got there..I thinks its gonna bust open soon since the bunker have started to show in the back...lets hope!! May check out front just to switch it up this weekend!

[captnemo]

Thought you folks would like to know a new crop of bass have hit Raritan bay. A friend was out there yesterday trolling the old orchard area and picked up a few keepers slow trolling stretch 25s in chartreuse color. They all had sea lice so apparently the migrating bass are arriving. This is good news. He was out a week ago and got nothing.

[storminsteve]

Thanks for the intel captnemo!

[cowherder]

Fished the back of raritan bay with fresh clams. High tide was at 11:30. Fished from 10-6:15, My back hurts! Got 2 short bass before high tide, nothing for the next 5 hours and one 18" bass about fifteen minutes ago. It was a nice day out but didn't see many boats out there. Some were out far near what looked to be the staten island side but too far to tell if they were catching. Where are all these big fish the tackle shops are talking about?:don't know why:

[Monty]

Fished the back of raritan bay with fresh clams. High tide was at 11:30. Fished from 10-6:15, My back hurts! Got 2 short bass before high tide, nothing for the next 5 hours and one 18" bass about fifteen minutes ago. It was a nice day out but didn't see many boats out there. Some were out far near what looked to be the staten island side but too far to tell if they were catching. Where are all these big fish the tackle shops are talking about?:don't know why:

Wow, a marathon session :headbang:
Nice catching on a real nice day.
I am heading out early AM, Jersey report this time.

[cowherder]

Nothing compares with a monty marathon. You are a maniac I don't know how you do it for all those hours.At least I take a break in between. From what dark says you are a one man fishing ninja! Good luck toninght hope someone does better than I did.

[Monty]

Nothing compares with a monty marathon. You are a maniac I don't know how you do it for all those hours.At least I take a break in between. From what dark says you are a one man fishing ninja! Good luck toninght hope someone does better than I did.

Fished Bayside this morning 1:15-7:30 (short marathon :HappyWave:), a Jersey Skunkaroo this time. Threw lots of rubber and some plastic, nada. Real nice night to be out, water was not that murky, but felt cold.
So far this year...
(2) New York skunks
(1) Jersey skunk
and this one Jersey raccoon (looked to be about 15 feet from me and not afraid at all).

18160

[SharkHart]

A lot of shorts this weekend on plastics but they got smaller then last week, mostly 20 to 23" few a tad bigger, no keeper sized fish, one area is dead water the other area they are thick, so idk. Should get better soon for better fish with any luck. Outgoing has been key for me.

[SharkHart]

A year ago today, I had my first blue April 20th Im guessing closer to the 29th this year maybe

[J Barbosa]

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3783/13929550791_53901ccd1e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/ndUA9P)


Outgoing was also key to us also last night SharkHart.

I fished last night with my dad and brother.

We had a slow and steady pick through the night but there was a good thirty minute window on the outgoing tide where the action was pretty good.

We went through a dozen bunkers with most fish being in the 30" range or smaller.

During that window a 16lber and the 23-25lber above were caught.

[hookedonbass]

Wow Barbosa that's a serious fish! Looks like at least 25lbs look at the gut on her! Nice catch.

[storminsteve]

Fished Bayside this morning 1:15-7:30 (short marathon :HappyWave:), a Jersey Skunkaroo this time. Threw lots of rubber and some plastic, nada. Real nice night to be out, water was not that murky, but felt cold.
So far this year...
(2) New York skunks
(1) Jersey skunk
and this one Jersey raccoon (looked to be about 15 feet from me and not afraid at all).

18160


Hey monty are you trying to get an edge on me in the dead things thread? One wrong turn of the wheel and that raccoon could be road kill. Let me know I could help you out if you need some more material.:laugh: :HappyWave: Thanks for the report I hope to fish the ocean soon I think a few more sunny days and more bunker will bring them in closer.

[storminsteve]

I fished the bay last night 9-12 high tide. Guess I went home too early. How do you stay out all those hours monty I drank 2 cups of coffee and it wasn't happening because I couldn't even get a bump. I guess if there would be fish I would have been more awake. That's a beauty JB well done.

[finchaser]

way to go JB

Glad to see your back marathon man

[DarkSkies]

How do you stay out all those hours monty

He buys those energy drinks by the case. :bigeyes:
(us older folks gotta do something to keep up with you young mooks.) :HappyWave:
Nice fish John, there were some decent fish caught this weekend among the night bunker schools. :thumbsup:

[cowherder]

Nice going guys!

[J Barbosa]

Monty values his Costco membership...giant cases of 5 hour energy drinks and bulk redfins

[bababooey]

^^^^^^^ Does anyone know if monty looks like this guy?:laugh: :HappyWave:
18167

18168

[J Barbosa]

Fished the same area last night.

I brought out my chunking sticks and the 60lb boga...a sure way to ensure I would only catch small fish.

Between the three of us we caught about a dozen bass in the 20-30" range including one 27" ALS tagged fish.

All fish came on the incoming tide last night, action stopped around slack tide and not even a tap on the outgoing.

All fish released :HappyWave:

Double header from last night:
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7413/13974301983_05d5dc0c06_b.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/94721242@N02/13974301983/)

[Monty]

How do you stay out all those hours monty I drank 2 cups of coffee and it wasn't happening because I couldn't even get a bump. I guess if there would be fish I would have been more awake. That's a beauty JB well done.


Monty values his Costco membership...giant cases of 5 hour energy drinks and bulk redfins


He buys those energy drinks by the case. :bigeyes:
(us older folks gotta do something to keep up with you young mooks.) :HappyWave:

Thanks Pudgester, way to keep everyone on subject

^^^^^^^ Does anyone know if monty looks like this guy?:laugh: :HappyWave:
]

Lets stay on subject.

Real nice JB, any of these fish on artificials or are they on chunks?
That’s a very nice bass with the guy with the arrowhead.

Energy drinks??????
I think not, it’s the thrill of being out there, the hunt for bass or blues, the walking of miles of beach, hundreds of casts, the dark night, all alone, the adrenalin rush of the raccoon scaring the daylights out of me while running past me (between the rocks and water (3 feet), and me in the middle (and was a different raccoon than the one with the flounder)…..I think it was a raccoon…anyway…. that gives me the energy to go that long…and not want to stop.
I’m still wound up like a top from that trip :wheeeee:(first real fishing of the season for me since last August), can’t wait till next Sunday AM.

:bigeyes:

[hookset]

Nice going fellas. JB seems like you're on a roll. Took a ride to the surf but it looked gnarly and the e wind was kicking. I fished out back ocean county this morning, 4-6am. Outgoing tide. Managed 2 short bass on pink fin-s and light jig.

[surferman]

Wow kudos to you gents putting in the time in and catching the night bite. jbarbose a double header must have been pretty cool fight. Bet you thought you had a world record on there lol!

[J Barbosa]

Wow kudos to you gents putting in the time in and catching the night bite. jbarbose a double header must have been pretty cool fight. Bet you thought you had a world record on there lol!

Double header as in one fish on two different rods at the same time.


Monty, all on chunks the prior night and last night they weren't picky. We got an equal amount of fish on worms/clams/bunker.

I did work a 14" black Hogy for a while but didn't get any hits on that.

You could definitely catch them on artificials right now; the kayakers and boaters have done well trolling the past few days.

The 16lb fish we kept the other day had 3 whole bunker in its stomach.

Water was nice and clear the past two nights.

Go get them Monty :viking:

[buckethead]

Nice work JB. Picked up a handful of schoolies on shads in the ocean about one hour before dark today. Moco, outgoing tide.

[jigfreak]

Fished the back waters of ocean county last night. Good weather and not too windy. 6 bass to 29", megabaits and zooms, released.

[great_white_hunter]

Fished the Raritan in Monmouth County last night from 8pm-11pm. Had hits throughout the night, but was only able to hook up once. Fish was caught at 8:50pm and was a low - mid 20's fish. Caught on a clam with a fish finder rig and bait runner reel. Tried different sized hooks to see if that would increase the hook ups. They seemed to be picking the clam off the hook...

[surferman]

Nice reports guys. I fished the delaware over the weekend and got a 27" and 37" bass on worms. It seems better now as the bigger fish have come up. I still find it hard to figure out the best times and have having the best luck around high tide.

[ledhead36]

gw hunter you have to hold the rod. The small hits were prob eels or bunker. Dead sticking is the way to feed the fish not catch em. Ditch the clams and use bunker from now on. We had a good nightt. Bunker came in and some nice stripers. Fish to 21lbs. 8 fish between the 3 of us all keepers. It was hot for 2 hours and died down as the bunker left. Kept the smallest 3 fish 10-14 lbs. Put your time in and you will catch. We fished for 7 hours last night.

[J Barbosa]

Fished the Raritan in Monmouth County last night from 8pm-11pm. Had hits throughout the night, but was only able to hook up once. Fish was caught at 8:50pm and was a low - mid 20's fish. Caught on a clam with a fish finder rig and bait runner reel. Tried different sized hooks to see if that would increase the hook ups. They seemed to be picking the clam off the hook...

I strongly believe you have bunker bumping into your line; we have experienced it heavily this week.

The other day we barely had to snag any bunker they were so thick they would snag themselves swimming into our lines.
18178 :d

An easy solution is to switch to a true circle hook on a fish finder rig and then enable your bait runner feature. Look for a circle hook with an inline point often sold with the designation "tournament legal" on the package. Size 8/0 - 10/0 depending on brand.
1817918180

A bunker bumping into your line will make your tip move erratically and pull a tiny amount of line. A bass (even small ones) will typically pull line from the reel at a steadier rate. Once this happens disable the bait runner feature and reel tight. Once the line is taught for a few seconds and the fish is hooked I give a little tug to solidify the hookup and ensure that the barb penetrated the fishes lip.

I typically fish this setup with a 4oz sinker and 12-16" of leader from the fish finder slide in the back bay. In the surf I use around 36" of line and disable the baitrunner feature unless the surf is calm and the baitrunner can then be used.

I have a high hookup ratio and the fish are almost always lip hooked.

I stay away from the Gamakatsu 8/0 circle hooks everyone uses. They are garbage and will cause you to loose big fish and gut hook fish.

The points dulls after the first fish, the point has a large offset so many times it gets caught in the fishes mouth/gut rather than the lip.

This is a problem on big fish as the mouth is rock hard and the offset point never gets a chance to fully penetrate. You will be reeling the fish in and suddenly feel the line slip. This is either because the hook point popped free or broke. If you are lucky it catches the fishes lip like it was suppose to do the first time but usually you just stand there cursing

[madcaster]

Fished incoming tide in RB ...water still cold ..wind from NE maybe ..just threw lures ....skunked .....lots of guys fishing clams ....nothing for them as well ...they all looked like they where sleeping in there chairs .....rule to follow .....never fish by a entrance of a beach ....people are lazy and they just want that little spot next to me in stead of walking to the end of the line

[cowherder]

Jbarbosa that was a great post thanks very much for sharing that info. dark just a suggestion but when you have a post like his it might be a good idea to put it somewhere else. Like a "best of" or something like that. This guy really seems to know his stuff and it's nice that hes so helpful instead of reporting "yeah I crushed them last night" which tells you nothing but the dudes need to beat his chest. Thank you to all the helpful guys on here.
I fished last night and it was frustrating. First I went to a well known spot and the police had the lot blocked off. They weren't letting anyone fish. When I asked them why they said someone lit a fire too close to the parking lot and the neighbors complained. Looks like we are going to lose another spot to the idiots!!!!!:2flip:
I went to another bay area and only had a half hour before I had to go home. One missed hit (yes I was holding my rod ledhead :HappyWave:) and that was it for me. The fishermen out there are getting worse and worse and I think it's time someone does something about it. We should post their pics!

[buckethead]

Took another try in the ocean. Picked up another 7 bass tonight before dark. Outgoing tide moco, small plugs and rubber. All sub-legal but hitting aggressively. JB that is a very comprehensive post. it's good to have someone besides us old folks help out the new guys here.

[great_white_hunter]

J Barbosa thanks for the tip. I thought I had heard that shops weren't able to sell bunker this year. I didn't even ask for it. I did have a weighted treble with me, but being night wasn't able to see and didn't know bunker were in so thick. I have a feeling you may be right about the bunker hitting the line....the tip would bounce similar to how it would bounce when fluke hit when drifting..... I was using the set up you posted. Going to try and give it another shot in the morning. On vacation this week so trying to put as much time in as possible while still completing the "honey do" list. Hope to run in to some of you.

[finchaser]

what JB said:clapping:

[storminsteve]

Fished the bay tonight. Fantastic weather and I decided to be different and toss plugs instead of bait. One half heated swipe, nothing else. Last of outgoing beginning of the incoming. JB great advice. Try to tell that to the boat guys who half the time they don't bring back to re-rig they just snag and drip.

[J Barbosa]

I am glad to help when I can.

My choice of circle hooks is a 9/0 Owner SSW Circle hook (the one pictured above).

They aren't cheap at almost $1/each when buying in bulk but I have found my overall cost to be less than when I used the Gamikatsu circle hooks.

The reason being the point on the Owner will stay sharp much longer than the Gami and I don't have to replace my hook as often.

Anyway I rarely loose hooks so cost is the least of my concern when fishing. I spend $20 on gas each trip and hours of my life...why not spring an extra 50 cents for the right hook?

Another reason I like the Owner Circle is because there is a large gap between the bend and the hook point which is perfect for hooking bunker (especially the heads which I hook through the back behind the spine).

The owner circle has a much heavier wire than the Gami.

And the most important reason is I saw my hook up ratio greatly increase when I made the switch.

IMO it's not worth buying bunker in a store as it's rarely ever fresh. Snag your own and you can then guarantee it's fresh.

When you have fresh bunker it's very rigid and you only need to barely hook it behind the spine so that the point of the circle hook is always exposed. You can cast as hard as you want that spine in a fresh bunker will never pull out and a bass won't be able to strip your hook clean.

I'll take some pictures next time I go out.

I am a huge Gamikatsu fan just not when it comes to their horrible circle hooks.

Give the Owner circle hook a try and I'm sure you will be happy. :HappyWave:

[J Barbosa]

JB great advice. Try to tell that to the boat guys who half the time they don't bring back to re-rig they just snag and drip.

I blame the fisheries management teams.

There are many fisheries where officials have required the fisherman to use only circle hooks.

I don't think circle hooks should be forced onto striped bass fisherman but the use of treble hooks while fishing live or dead bait should be prohibited.

[DarkSkies]

Jbarbosa that was a great post thanks very much for sharing that info. dark just a suggestion but when you have a post like his it might be a good idea to put it somewhere else. Like a "best of" or something like that. This guy really seems to know his stuff and it's nice that hes so helpful


Thanks, I'm way ahead of ya on that.....:HappyWave:
I do routine maintenance to the database here....
culling stale or inactive members....
cleaning up threads....
combining threads with one or two posts with others of the same topic....
copying key posts from one thread to another, when pertinent......

Some of ya's may have noticed it seems like you "double post". That does happen sometimes, as I have asked some members here to do that....I appreciate when you post in more than one pertinent area, it really helps me spend less time on maintenance....but when ya's don't.....I simply C&P your post to the appropriate area........

My goal has always been to have this site as streamlined as possible, with relevant links and threads that go deep into detail explaining a fishing concept or technique......I'm grateful for the seasoned fishermen we have here......I know the readers appreciate them as well.....so I'm constantly striving for us to do better and have things easy to find for the new guys out there......













**For example....John's bunker rigging post and others relating to it were copied to the following threads:

1. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?9370-Newbie-Thread
(started by surfstix)

2. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?5298-Helping-the-new-guys-What-do-you-do-differently-if-you-aren-t-catchin


If any of you have a suggestion for making threads easier to find and more searchable, PM me any time.
Also, feel free to tag the threads you start, with the appropriate tags as well.....that would be helpful...:)

** I decided not to do a "best of" for the following reason....usually those threads are stickied to the top....and it's my experience that sticky threads, are often ignored by the readers.......
Any other suggestions....feel free to let me know.....:HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

We have had a noticeable increase in traffic the last few months.....giving me confidence that folks like the way things are around here......
For those new guys, or those who want to learn a little more to polish up your game.....here are some threads of seasoned anglers here, you can rely on for various things.....

Feel free to ask questions in those threads at any time....
These members have been fishing for decades and have given great advice in the past....
(and if ya want to bust their balls....feel free to do that too..:cool:..all in good fun......:thumbsup:)

Finchaser
(OGB - no explanation necessary...one of NJ's living Saltwater legends....and never politically correct....don't ask him questions if you're a new age sensitive male or your feelings bruise easily.....:rolleyes: :argue: :clapping: )
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8784-Ask-Finchaser



Monty
(any question about being a goog....he's your go-to guy) :laugh: :HappyWave:....I really am just busting his balls here.....Monty is about as hard-core as a surf fisherman can get.....he doesn't know the meaning of the word quit..:headbang:...we have taken several members out with us on a nightly trip, only to have them lose energy and fall asleep on the beach before the night is over.....
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8786-Ask-monty-(aka-WWM)


Surfstix
(Crabby old Basstid....but full of wisdom and fish catching advice) :thumbsup:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8785-ASK-Surfstix


Surfwalker
(Another seasoned old salt....fished before and after the moratorium :thumbsup:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?9001-The-Surfwalker-Challenge-Do-you-Follow-the-Herd-or-Lead-your-Own-Way


Vpass
(Old-School fisherman, great for fly fishing or other advice...truly a very humble guy...) :cool:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?9014-Vpass-Helps-the-new-guys-And-other-thoughts-for-Saltwater-Fly-Beginners









or...if ya have questions about Conservation....or want to be entertained....feel free to post a few for me.....a simple goog with a white bucket....:bucktooth:
1. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8788-Dark-Skies-Conservation-Corner
2. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?6110-Fishing-reports-Turd-Ferguson-helps-the-new-guys

[storminsteve]

finchaser -don't ask him questions if you're a new age sensitive male - lol!

[storminsteve]

Fished the bay last night (or tried to). The NW wind was brutal gave up after an hour on the incoming tide, Skunkola. Water was turning into choc milk. Clams and bunker might be the way to go for the bay guys for the next few days. Good luck.

[buckethead]

My goal has always been to have this site as streamlined as possible, with relevant links and threads that go deep into detail explaining a fishing concept or technique......I'm grateful for the seasoned fishermen we have here......I know the readers appreciate them as well.....so I'm constantly striving for us to do better and have things easy to find for the new guys out there......


You and Pebbles do a great job here Rich. I don't mind sharing what I know. I would be glad to buy you a beer some time. Keep up the good work and don't let the naysayers get you down. I generally agree with your assessment on the striped bass and feel by the time something is done it will be too late. If only the newbies could be transported back to see how good things used to be they might get it.
Fishing report, fished moco this morning. Colder and windy but very fishable as the wind was howling from the W/NW. The water temps have gone down and I couldn't buy a hit. Will give it another try this weekend.

[wish4fish]

man were in the back last nite and it was cold! theres a lot of small stripers around we got sum. looking for that big one the cold will make em not want to eat for a while. just took a ride along the bay and its like yoohoo. time for stinky smelly clams an bunker chunks!

[storminsteve]

^^^^^^ I have to tip my hat to you and ledhead dude. You guys are out there in all kinds of weather. True fishermen. Thanks for the report. I'm still waiting on those bluefish!:dribble:

[captnemo]

Trolled several limits of striped bass in the back of Raritan bay this morning. We were out there from the last of the incoming to the first half of the outgoing. The outgoing tide was better. Managed 9 fish to 21pounds. Two of us kept one bass each, 10 and 12 pounds. The water was a little discolored and the chartreuse stretch 25s worked best for us today. Most fish were in 15-20' of water. 2 of them were in 10'. I hope this doesn't appear preachy but we strategically kept the smaller fish. These stripers have yet to spawn and taking the bigger females is just irresponsible at this time of year. Just my opinion.

[chas527]

tried the hook this morning. water still to cold,.nothing but skates.

[ledhead36]

^^^^^^ I have to tip my hat to you and ledhead dude. You guys are out there in all kinds of weather. True fishermen. Thanks for the report. I'm still waiting on those bluefish!:dribble:

Well like its been said here a lot, you can't catch em from the couch. We went out again last night and it was a lot better. The wind died down and we picked up 16 bass between 3 of us. Biggest was 39". Kept a few and released the rest. Fresh bunker did it. Full moon is coming up this weekend get out there.

thanks for the hook report chas. Was thinking of moving our base of operations to the hook over the weekend because of the crowds but we might stick around the bay area for a little longer. The bunker are really starting to load up in some bay and rivers now.

[Blazin420]

Fished the back tonight with my bud 7-11pm I managed 6 fish 5 shorts 3 of which were tiny lil guys..1 was decent around 24-25in and 1 nice keeper that went a little over 31in..Bunker was thick managed to snag a few and thats what the keeper took at almost dead low..We were about to pack it in when I saw a little movement in the rod and WHAM.released her safely for good mojo since it was my 1st keep of the spring.Tried some plugs but I think the water was just a little to dirty to get them to take a plug...My bud managed 1 short and a few swings..was tuff with all the bunka hitting the lines..

[ledhead36]

Nice going blazin. We fished the back last night as well. For some reason we only got small fish this time. Biggest was 20". Either its feast or famine. Not like it used to be.

[jigfreak]

Fished the back in ocean county last night. Rain got worse later in the night. Finally left at 3am. 8 schoolies all runts. Rubber and jig.

[robmedina]

just read a post on another forum which shows Russ Allan's data that Striped bass is NOT in danger and the regulations are working!!! YEAH!!! now we can all go out and catch all them bass.....

[buckethead]

Rob, I read Russ Allen's presentation. I disagree. They are counting on the 2011 year class to make up for all the gaps in the bass now. Not feasible or do-able. That's one of the reasons they are changing the limit to 1 by 2015. Imo it can't come soon enough. Right now Raritan bay has a lot of bass as they are gearing up to make the run into the Hudson. These bass are all around 15-25 lbs. Further evidence of gaps. I think finchaser or dark has talked about this before and it's something I see every time I fish.
Report, I fished moco before the rain. Managed 5 small bass on bucktail and grub. Outgoing tide. Fish were on the bottom with a few bunker.

[robmedina]

Rob, I read Russ Allen's presentation. I disagree.
I was being sarcastic, lol! Yeah Russ Allen is full of crap!

[DarkSkies]

Bucket and Rob, I agree with what you said as well.
We have further discussions on that here:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8080-captains-charters-and-customers-what-are-they-saying

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?760-Where-are-the-Striped-Bass

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8634-Stripers-are-in-TROUBLE

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7755-Candid-conversations-with-fishermen-about-striped-bass

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?8788-Dark-Skies-Conservation-Corner

ASMFC stats
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7594-Striped-bass-reductions-ASMFC-to-reduce-striped-bass-catches-across-the-board

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7506-Recreational-Bass-landings-down-70-from-2006

No disrepect to Russ Allen. I wish I could have been there to meet him and see his presentation. I would have had some questions that he would have struggled to answer.
Again, no disrespect meant, and he certainly has impressive credentials. :thumbsup:

Without getting into a full-page answer, what the scientists are claiming, has consistently been around 3 years behind what most fishermen are seeing and reporting.

The ASMFC claim that striped bass are not overfished, is technically accurate, but somewhat misleading for the following reasons:
1. Striped bass biomass, the SSB part of it (Spawing striped bass is a smaller component of the entire biomass), is within 1 million lbs of the point where they are mandated to declare overfishing.
2. This is accurate and provable by reviewing ASMFC stats.
3. They have been counting on the strength of the 2010 and 2011 YOY class to carry the whole fishery. It's becoming more apparent each year, that this is not possible. Hence the claim of mortality reduction as being the new agenda.

4. One of the reasons given for the future reduction in size limits is to "reduce mortality". I don't know how to say this any less diplomatically, other than that is misleading as hell.
5. Would the ASMFC be cutting the bag limit in half, just to reduce mortality?
(If you fish a lot and see the reality out there, you would know this is said for political reasons)

6. The ASMFC has been aware of a decline for the last 5 years, and has discussed it each time, putting it off. Much of this "putting off till tomorrow" in the decision making process has come from political pressure, charter and party boat factions pressuring politicians behind the scenes that they will suffer if such a drastic reduction is taken.
And make no mistake about it, a reduction to one fish is a drastic reduction...they could have changed size limits, etc...and other options if they were solely concerned about mortality.......








** To understand this better, you have to read between the lines, and have enough sophistication to understand that sometimes these decisions are more driven by politics, than science......
Most folks would not realize the pressuring and lobbying that goes on behind the scenes, even before these meetings take place....
Even a state like PA, (as Finchaser has pointed out many times)...has a big say in the outcome of these meetings. People assuming it's all about the coastal states, are inaccurate in their assumptions.

**In sum, it's the fishermen who fish regularly, who notice the changes in the population, long before the scientists do. Anyone who would dispute that really doesn't fish that much, or doesn't have a clear understanding of the political process that sometimes drives these meetings.

As always, differences of opinion are welcome here, but please back up your statements with some data or your own personal logs if you are going to say the striped bass are not overfished. Thanks. :HappyWave:

[ledhead36]

Rich I agree with you 100%. I don't have the words to say it like you do but the striper population is in trouble. Every year me and the guys catch between 2-500 stripers before they move out for the summer. I know you can back me up on this, some might think I'm bragging. Most of these fish are the holdover fish that winter in the arthur kill. We did not see those fish this year or last year. If you ask me where they went, I think they are all dead. They have been there every year in the sprng without fail. Last 2 years only dribs and drabs.
2 nights ago I fished and got all dinks, last night we got fish to 15pounds. There is no rhyme or reason because there are less fish. Plain and simple. Fishing report, got em last night under the bunker schools to 15 lbs. Back bay. Fresh bunker strips were the ticket.

[madcaster]

Fished RB outgoing managed 2 bass with bunker chunks ...one 13 lbs didn't have time to measure it ...wasted to much time walking it to the beach ...just weight it and released it ...had to spend so time to revive it ...swam off ....took surf stick out with me and it work as design ....second fish I unhooked in the water and took a pic then released ...no stress to the bass 18205

and no stress for me ....I grab the line and then place the rod in the surf stick ...this now give me both hands to work with .....easy unhook ...camera is right there ...fish was out of the water less than 3 min

I haven't water proof my scale yet ..so It stayed on the beach ....but it has a spot on the surf stick

[hookset]

The nw wind was a little nasty and cold tonight so I went to the back in moco. Picked up 4 bass to 31" on bucktail and pork. Released

[baitstealer]

Nice going hookset and madcaster. I hope to be able to fish bucktails with confidence by the end of the year. From what I read here they are good for when the water is colder. I guess its all about technique, though, have to keep trying till I get it right. I fished raritan bay last night from 7-10. Got some bunker from keyport and fished clams and bunker. I got 3 stripers to 23 inches on clams. They were a lot of fun. Next time maybe a keeper for me. Good luck out there guys.

[jigfreak]

way to go on the catching fellas. dark I agree 100% too. What happend to all the 40 and 50 lb bass? Dead

[Blazin420]

Nice catching guys!!! I had a real solid night of catchin myself!!! Fished 4-1130pm.... I was kept busyhttp://www.stripersurf.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif with the shorts on the incoming and my bud was high hook with 4 nice keepers he had 2 durning the incoming 29.5 and a 28in but the 2 biggest went 34in and 35in on clams once the tide switched... the fish got bigger on the outgoing...I finally managed a real nice fish that went 35.5in on a freshly snagged bunker chunk dropped another that was easy 30in+..had 2 other misses that hit like a mack truck!! Total for the night was 13!! Had 8 that were micros 15-18in..4 that were 24-27 and the keeper!! Great fishing with great company what more could you ask forhttp://www.stripersurf.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[cowherder]

Awesome catching guys congrats! madcaster looks like you were pretty far out with your surfstick invention must have been cool not to walk back to shore to unhook the fish.

[hookset]

Thanks, it seems the fish are a little thicker now. Bunker all over.

[J Barbosa]

Nice catching everyone :HappyWave:

Madcaster, I love where you store your bunker chunks :laugh:

[storminsteve]

Nice catching everyone :HappyWave:

Madcaster, I love where you store your bunker chunks :laugh:


x2 nice going guys. Madcaster are you in a competition with dark? Bunker in the wader pocket? I heard he has the smelliest waders around but with that bunker in there you might take the lead. That must really smell after a night of fishing? Or do you have another pair of breathables. Nice fish mad and blaze btw!:thumbsup:

[madcaster]

I put them in a plastic bag normally..but these new wades where leaking like crazy ...so I just threw them in the pouch ...I returned them the next day ....yes they did smell like fish....

[cowherder]

...so I just threw them in the pouch ...I returned them the next day ....yes they did smell like fish....

You returned waders after you had bunker in them all night and they were stinking like fish?:upck: Man you have got some balls! I like it! When you returned them did this happen?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhmNKrun7Y0

[porgy75]

haha that is so funny lol lol! madcaster did you really fill waders with bloody bunker and bring them back? Nice reports guys thanks

[wish4fish]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^dude that chik is hot I don't care if she pukes blood I wud eat the peanuts out of her ****. fished da bay last nite an got 5 bass to 33" kept one. chunked bunkaaaaaaaaa

[madcaster]

there was no bunker in the waders when I returned them .......hell the foot was till wet after I pour all the water out ...they where just going to throw them out ...it was sport authorities ...they stop carrying fishing gear ...I got two pairs for 40 each ...75% off normal price was $159

[DarkSkies]

x2 nice going guys. Madcaster are you in a competition with dark? Bunker in the wader pocket? I heard he has the smelliest waders around but with that bunker in there you might take the lead.

Et tu, Brutus? http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/images/icons/icon9.png This is what I get for letting finchaser spread the rumors.....
:moon: :laugh: :clapping: :HappyWave:

[storminsteve]

Come on dark your smelly wader exploits are legendary. The stories go back for years so they must be true.:) :HappyWave:Embrace the smelly wader legend!!!!!
Fished last night. Got one keeper bass 34" in the bay. 3 other ones close to keeper size. All in the 2 hours of outgoing tide. The 34" was the first of the year for me so I released it for good karma. Got them on bunker that were swimming around and I snagged and cut up.

[hookset]

madcaster great report and stinky waders cred. blazin nice catching. dark what can I say if the legend (or smelly waders) fit, wear it.:HappyWave:fished the back in moco last night. managed two bass to 13lbs released. Buck and pork. Fish hit hard.

[jigfreak]

Nice catching guys. cowherder that was one nasty video some of you guys need help. Long time ago we use to carry fresh bait in bags in contractors aprons when wading. Good for eels too but you have to keep them in the bags they're squirmy little devils. Not so good when sharks are around though.

[madcaster]

RB is loaded with ......fisherman ...on a Monday night every spot I went to was packed ...I was out exploring ....found a open spot at a crowed beach ...High tide ...water flat ....didn't have bait ...found a clam and casted it out ...I managed one 16" bass ..only fish caught on this beach ....moved to new spot ...to see a crowed of guys watch a guy reel in a nice bass ...they all left after that ????...they of course left all the clams on the ground ...so I fished them ...no luck ...snagged a bunker on the way in ...kept it to freezes...guys down the shore must of hauled one in....with all the celebrating going on .....
no waiters tonight ....I laugh when I see a guy wade out into the water and cast with waders on ....when I'm casting 20 yards farther than them and I'm on the beach (hence screen name ).....

[surferman]

RB is loaded with ......fisherman ....I laugh when I see a guy wade out into the water and cast with waders on ....when I'm casting 20 yards farther than them and I'm on the beach (hence screen name ).....

mad caster I am really liking your adventures out there. Bunker in your waders and all!
maaaaaaaaaad caster (set to the tune of some cool music) :thumbsup: thanks for the reports I have been not doing too well catching lately and didn't feel like reporting my skunks. It seems the bass might be spawning or they have moved on from where I was fishing in the Big D. Will try another spot after the rains calm down. Keep those reports coming fellas I'm psyched reading them!

[chas527]

fished the navy pier last night. 3 bass in 2 hours a 17 1/2 lbs the other 2 ,14 and 14 1/2lbs. every body on the pier caught fish all on bunker.

[storminsteve]

mad caster I am really liking your adventures out there. Bunker in your waders and all!
maaaaaaaaaad caster (set to the tune of some cool music) :thumbsup: thanks for the reports I have been not doing too well catching lately and didn't feel like reporting my skunks.

Don't feel bad surfer we all have to strike out sometime. madcaster I'm inspired to make up another song. This one will be about you dude. Hope you don't mind but surferman gave me the idea.:HappyWave:
chas that's great news thanks for posting. Now if I only knew someone with army connnections I would be out there too!

[plugcrazy]

Nice going chaz!

[madcaster]

18220lets start with this ...bunker chunks in a baggie ....in my new waders that don't leak ...fished RB .. ..that looked like the ocean.... incoming tide....windy ...white caps ....water was brown ...and cold .....light rain ......fished bunker ....not even a bite ...threw some plugs ....zip o .....the crowds where gone ....but still people fishing ...will try next week after the storm clears out ....

[Blazin420]

Another good night of fishing on Monday.. caught a few with 1 @31in on the first cast a few micros and then I top my fish from Sunday a real nice 37in 19.5lb piggy(another guy came down and wiegh it for me) ...All on clams..bunka came by snagged a few but only 2 pick ups on chunks both times they spit it out on the hook sethttp://www.stripersurf.com/images/smilies/eusa_doh.gif ...Pic of the 37in.... I got my "kool-aid" smile on in that 1 hahaha...Fished in good company again which always make it alot more enjoyable...Ill be back on them when this crap weather gets out of hear hope they dont move to far from were ive been catching...Either way ill find'em:d

[baitstealer]

Awesome fish blazin! Tha smile says it all congrats.

[cowherder]

blazin nice report thanks for sharing