Right on, maybe those are the guys who never got attention in school or at home. Why else would you want to bring a lot of strangers in where you are fishing? Thanks Turd! :HappyWave:
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^ You're welcome.
Last night's S wind dirtied up the water a bit in the ocean. Think about that if you're fishin plugs at night, what colors are good to overcome this obstacle? http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...cons/icon3.gif
Some reporters, outdoor writers, and fishing guides have been at the beach within the last 24 hours. It's only a matter of time before Al gets wind of it and puts the story up.
I give it 48 more hours before the whole NJ population of salt water anglers decides to take a drive and sample the acclaimed fishin. :lynchmob: :viking:
Enjoy the solitude while you can. Remember the chaos we had last year in November when a website posted hourly updates of who was catching what, where, and with GPS coordinates. ;) :don't know why:
^^^ You nailed that prediction ds, 3 minutes after you posted that he posted on his daily blog. You must be psychic.:d
I hate that just when surf action gets good, it has to be promoted and publicized. And you can never tell Al anything that he won't blab to the public. He doesn't know the meaning of the word secret.
^ What can I say, Jigfreak? ;)
The man has to write for a living, and part of that is talking about locations where they're catching fish. That's one of the things that keeps me from selling my writing skills for magazine or news fishing articles. :beatin:
That's part of what they want you to deliver, and I'm not sure I could do that.
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Surf update 10-29
If using rubber, is the jig too light or too heavy? Dragging on the bottom is as bad as being on the top. Many sandeels spend their lives about 6" from the bottom. Think about that as you make your presentation.
If those are around are catching and you're not, what are they doing differently? Often it's a slight variation in retrieve between yours and their retrieve. Figure it out, and you'll hook up.
Today a friend presented me with this dilemma. In going over what he was using, we figured out his leader was too heavy. Unless you're fishing rocks or specifically targeting bigger fish at night, a lighter leader is fine for daytime fishing and smaller presentations and fish. Try it and see the difference. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...cons/icon3.gif
Metal, not just for Motorhead fans...
Metal seems to be gaining an edge in the daytime over rubber now, but don't overlook throwing metal at night, as has been mentioned here by others.
Last but not least.....
Be willing to experiment with your presentation if you're not catchin.
This morning the usual presentations weren't doing it for me, I then got 3 fish in a row on a yellow dressed bucktail.
I feel when all the stats become known, the Tue and Wed of this week may come to be referred to as the "you should have been there!!" nights for the 2010 NJ surfcasting season. ;)
It's all downhill from here on after. :(
Tremendous fishin right now, and tremendous disappointments as well. Many guys are putting in their time and getting :skunk:. The only consistent pattern I've seen so far is that fish are around when bait is heavy. However, just because bait is heavy doesn't necessarily guarantee you'll catch, OR that fish will be in that location. Figuring the time, tide, and stage of tide might be helpful during a normal fall surf season, but this season so far has proven to be anything but normal.
Those who spend a lot of time fishin will get more fish, or more quality fish. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...cons/icon3.gif
An hour or 2 fishing here or there, unfortunately for the way the good bite has been, will not cut it. You not only have to position yourself where the fish are likely to show up, but be adept enough to recognize what the best presentation for that night is, based on weather and tide patterns. Good luck people. I hope the action continues. :fishing:
For those guys throwing metal,
green and white seem to be hot tube colors for the last 2 days. :thumbsup:
Fast retrieve.
Tackle shop owners and some people are blaming the full moon for the current lack of numbers of fish in the NJ surf. Don't believe the hype.
The complete total biomass of striped bass for the E Coast now centers on a body of fish between Montauk and the Delaware Bay, with a few exceptions. The fish haven't shown up in numbers in the Chessy yet, only some dribs and drabs.
That means the entire striped bass E Coast population is now concentrated between Montauk and the Delaware Bay. A straight-line nautical distance of about 100 miles, give or take a few. Anyone who has the exact distance feel free to post it up. :cool:
The biomass is shrinking.
This has been gov't documented and I'll post more in another thread when I get the chance.
I'm posting this here because when you read the tackle shop reports and the justifications why there are less fish, please be aware that...
"It's the full moon"
"We need some whitewater"
"We need some more sand eels in the surf"
These excuses are merely masks for the real issues. Learn to read between the lines. Don't just believe what I say. Educate yourselves. There are many members here more seasoned than I who have been saying the same thing for years.
I wonder if people will start listening now...or if it will take another mediocre surf season to grab peoples' attention? http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...cons/icon3.png
Herring are here, in the surf and in the inlets, and just out of reach at times.
Remember that... when you throw Avas and can't get a hit. Match the herring profile and you should hook up, wider metal, slim poppers, and herring profile swimmers.
Tiny schoolies are also here.
We're nearing the end of the season. Not much time left, catch em up.
Dark. I was wondering how these statements compare with each other, as I read them as being contradictory. On one hand, it seemed like you said it was a good surf season. In the post underneath that, you say the biomass is shrinking. I can tell you there is a tremendous amount of bait and bass and bluefish within 3 miles of the surf.
How is it possible to have 2 totally different perspectives with both of them being accurate?
Lostatsea, apologies for the late response to this. I wanted to do it when I had a chance to sit down and go into some detail.
First of all, We need more people to ask questions like that.
Part of my response can be seen here, in the "Where are the striped bass" thread
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...4400#post44400
or in Finchaser's "Decline of bass" thread
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ecline-of-bass
The explanation lies in the so-called M&M theory on page 7 or 8 of the first referenced thread.
Yes, this was a good year for some surfcasters.
There was a night during the week of Oct 13 when some bass to 46# were landed on a north jersey beach, all on artificials, over 100 keepers total for that one beach. That's an unusual catch for surfcasting at night with artificials in NJ. So that's why I mentioned it. The guys who were there that night will remember it forever.
And, there have been so many big fish landed on bunker in an Ocean County surf area during the last half of Oct and half of Nov that I imagine this year will be a year for the record books with those catches.
Yet, those aren't the only 2 areas in NJ that should hold fish.
By and large, the surf bite has been sporadic, short-lived, and concentrated around only a few key areas this year. A reasonable explanation could be that there are less fish on the edges, according to the M&M theory.
On a boat, you can always find fish in the middle of any concentration.
Realistically, the surf fishermen are the first to tell if there are less fish because they fish on the "edges".
I hope this explained it somewhat. Review those threads I linked in here. Then, if you, still have questions, feel free, ask away. Thank you for asking an interesting question. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ons/icon14.png
As Finchaser and others have said, the afternoon bite is shaping up as the time to be out there. The surf temps are dropping. Any sunny day will give them a slight bump, and spur a finite afternoon bite. At times that bite will only be an hour before dark, but it's better than nothing. :fishing:
^^Yup.:)
^^ Stripermania, here's some light reading for ya! :HappyWave:
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...e+are+the+bass
There are a lot of opinions on the correct answers to your question. Each answer can be disputed. Many of our theories are based on scientific numbers that are at best, guesstimates.
Some say the fish are all offshore, making them less available for the surf guys.
Others cite anecdotal experience that their surf catches have been steadily declining, and the biomass is shrinking.
I met such an old timer on the beach yesterday. He's not an internet guy, he only cares about fishing, and his immediate circle of friends and experiences. He told me this is the worst 2 years for surf fishing, on the whole, for him since the moratorium in 1982. That says a lot to me. :learn:
Let me know if you have any more questions after reading the thread above. We have several more threads here like that. Just do a search on "striped bass biomass" or "striped bass decline", etc, here. Feel free to PM me any time, or post any further questions.
Talk to any of the old timers who fish every day, and you'll begin to get a clearer picture.
Some thoughts about using artificials at night right now.....from the NJ fishing reports thread
"there are juvenile bass feeding in a few places where small bait has appeared, but this is often just out of reach. Some kayakyers I know have been doing well. Again, it's still hit or miss. And the guys I know slinging bait have complained it's slowed down in the last 2 nights. The water temp has dropped, but the overall trend pattern is still rising.
Like FnM said, it makes sense to put the time in now while a lot of people aren't crowding ya.
The end of a sunny or warmer day, right before dark, would be the best chances of someone catching on artificials at the early spring places. But that all depends on the tide. Last night best tides were later at night."
More bass are coming, into the bays where we all fish. :fishing: The inconsistency is frustrating, but certain segments of the waters have awoken. There are some quality fish around now. If I didn't have to work, I would be out there every chance I could in the next week.
Be aware, this doesn't mean bass are all over the place. But they are concentrated, in certain areas throughout N and S Jersey. As soon as the temps get more uniform, this may no longer be the case as these bass move elsewhere in search for food. Just some "food for thought", people. :cool:
The window is open.....
FYI Good conditions throughout the night and into the false dawn. HT at around 4:30AM tomorrow. Once the sun starts shining again, this window could close....
Every once in a while a blind squirrel finds a nut. Thanks Mr. Ferguson. :idea:
You're quite welcome... if squirrels were all blind I would be leading them all with bells on the googan bucket. :laugh: ;)
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Bluefish update......
I'm gonna make a prediction that people will start picking up racer bluefish in the BB and RB areas sometime this week or by the beginning of next.
They've already been caught in the ocean, though only for a few minuites.
What will probably happen is bait guys in Nomoco oceanside will report them first, or we'll get some reports of inlet bluefish along the NJ Coast.
As soon as the chocolate milk settles down, people should be getting them on small poppers in the usual back bay spots. This would be a great opportunity to take the kids fishing, folks. They easily tire of shore fishing and waiting hours for a striped bass to hit. The bluefish grab their attention better than most fish, and are perfect fish to bring children of many ages fishing for.
I'll set up some more details in another thread, but really want to see more kids out there bluefishing this year. Dads who sincerely want to take their kids out, and are not just selfishly looking for spots, feel free to PM me any time. I'll do the best I can to get you and the kids into some bluefish. :fishing:
Some big drum have come into the bays. Hold your rods and don't stray too far, lest you be the one to come here and cry your tale of woe about the "monster" that got away.... :eek:
Drum really start to get aggressive during a full moon. Waiting for my first one this year.
Got some nice bass pics sent to me last night via phone.
We're coming off the full moon, these next few days are prime fishin times for the dark side. The first few nights of a waning gibbous moon can bring incredible fishing action. Mark that down in your notebooks, guys and gals. ;)
Tides are still strong, waters are higher than normal, giving you a longer than normal window in certain areas.
Remember that the bunker move from night to night, usually moving out with the tides. The bunker you see today may not be the same that were there yesterday, as they have moved on in many instances. What guys are seeing is new bunker that comes in to feed for the night, and then moves on.
As for finding them, they tend to swim into the wind.
If we have a hard E, ask yourself where they could be if swimming into the E will give them shelter somewhere?
Same for a W or hard NW, ask yourself where they could be tucked in, in a situation like that. Try to challenge yourself with these types of questions, and you'll improve your skill set. :learn:
yeahbaby there r bass under the big bunker schools and some blue dogs too dark stop being a loner and answer your phone and stop by one nite!:HappyWave:
Wsih4fish, will do, your crew has been putting in their time, wtg. :HappyWave:
From today:
Fishin report, fished the bay 4-7:30am today, a few bass to 31", and 2 bluefish, light bucktails and small swimmers. The fish I got were in the middle to the bottom of the water column.
When fish are in an excited state over baitfish or bunker as the water temps rise, "Slow and low" presentation isn't always necessary. But when the water is still a little cold and they're not hitting top water, think of where they may be. They could be right there and you don't know it because you ain't presenting to them right. You can't go wrong with a light bucktail or rubber with lead for early spring. :learn:
If those presentations don't yield anything, it's time to move on to the next spot.
Mr Turd, I would like to add to that, if I might.:HappyWave: I haven't been out that much this season because of family responsibilities but continue to enjoy the reports and banter here.
I got 2 fish on clams today, but the strikes were not aggressive. So I would add when you are bait fishing, hold the rod or stay very close to it. You will miss the fish if you are not doing this.
Thanks for the input Cowherder. Anyone can jump in this thread at any time, that's what makes it interesting, so feel free, folks. Special attention given to the most inflammatory or goog-tastic questions. :laugh: ;)
The latest tidbit---
Slow and low is the way to go....
This may seem 2nd nature to some for this time of year.
The water is cold and despite the sudden rise in bay temps, the fish are still sluggish.
**********
I tried to help a new guy last week. He had $1000 worth of gear :scared: a St Croix top of the line rod, premium tackle bag, filled with all the brand-name expensive $30 plugs,,,,yet he was casting a 12" pencil popper in a deep water area.
I asked him if he wanted some feedback on what he was doing, he said yes.
So I tried......
The right presentation for that area is bucktails, rubber.
Fish are on the bottom, I tried to explain to him....
I went on to explain a little about deep-water presentation, and asked him if he wanted to sharpen his casting skills by going after a few bluefish... :viking:
"Bluefish????" He asked me in disdain, a look of shock filling his goog-tastic aura....;)
"Well, if thats all thats there, thanks but no thanks...." :upck:
Ain't nothing wrong with learning to sharpen your skill set by targeting and releasing a couple 100 bluefish. :huh: Then, when you finally catch a big bass you won't drop it due to googan error. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...cons/icon9.png
Maybe the way I think, learning at the school of hard knocks and opportunities taken, doesn't exist for a lot of people anymore....That's ok, that's the way I learned, and damn glad to have done it that way. :thumbsup:
I learned the same way, darkskies, trial and error. No internet, no cell phone chain, no facebook buddy lists, just good old fashioned sweat and walking and walking until you learned the cuts and troths. I don't feel bad saying this, a guy like that doesn't deserve to catch a fish. Buying high end stuff doesn't make you a fisherman, putting in your time and learning to read the waterr does. Today I got some bass. I have been out for the last 2 weeks, no fish so I didnt report. At least I was out there trying, and I didn't need $1000 worth of gear to do it.
Great advice DS.:thumbsup: You are spot on about that for this time of year. The fish this morning were on the bottom. Reeling metal quickly high in the water column got no results for some guys next to me. After they saw me catch a few, I advised them to start dragging the bottom, and they hooked up. When the water is cold, they don't behave like the nutty bluefish we are used to seeing. Also, I sharpened my fishing skills like you did the old fashioned way, through hard work, trial and error.
I hear ya BassBuddah! When we started fishing there was no internet or seminars.
Just pounding beach after beach, getting skunked, and refining your technique as you learned little bits and pieces of the puzzle. When you have to work for something, I think you appreciate it more. :learn:
Rainfish are here.....
Now would be a good time to use the smallest swimmers you have in the back bay when rainfish are around, make sure ya upgrade the hooks. ;)
Also if you have teasers that match that profile, fish them.
With not many sources of forage in the back bays other than bunker, it's been slim pickins for a lot of the predators, and a lot of the bass and bluefish have migrated on to SI, Jbay, and LI. Hopefully as the rainfish become more concentrated it will encourage the bass and blues to stick around for awhile...:fishing:
Concentrate on the ocean bite....now is a good time to get out there, figure out where the fish are passing by, and try to put yourself near the pathway they have been taking. The spawns are mostly done and the fish are on the move in their northern migration. A 43# bass was caught in OcCo yesterday on a pencil in rough surf. Even though the surf was big, the water, which had been full of weeds, was clean for periods of time.
Late last week, a 70lb drum was landed on the Misty Morn out of Morgan as they fished Raritan Bay for bass. A friend sent me the pic, I'll post it soon.
A 47# bass was caught on Sun morning in the MoCo surf on a clam. The pics of that fish don't do it justice, it was a real slob. The belly was relatively empty, one fluke, and some small fish.The fish was spawned out. If that fish had been caught when she was feeding on bunker, she would have been a legitimate 50. Congrats to M, who fishes all the time, and was in the right place at the right time to nail that cow! (And didn't need to brag about it on the internet) :clapping::clapping: :thumbsup:
I've been getting some pics of some nice bass people sent in to me. I've been a little busy and haven't had time to post. I'll post the ones I have permission to, when I get a chance.
Know that some quality fish are out there. There are less and less of these big fish around. I'll go into details backing that up in another thread.
If you do get one of these big fish, please ask yourself if your life will really be that much better if you parade it around to all the internet sites and tackle shops. Will it make you that much of a better person? If it's your personal best or a 50, then it's your choice to keep it, and I completely understand the need to do that. :clapping:
But if it's a 30 or 40, please remember that as mentioned, there are less and less of these fish each year. We can't just make more of them, like Doritos. A 30-40# striped bass can take 20 years to get to that size. Please respect this resource as much as possible so we have them for future generations. :fishing: Thanks for reading, folks. :HappyWave:
Fishing in the fog and weedy water....In retrospect, fishing clams or bunker in the ocean, if you could find a place that had some cleaner water, was the move to make last night. The fish are still there, migrating north. Bait on the bottom is the most consistent way for the surf guys to reach them with dirtier water when there is little around in terms of forage fish.
Biggest fish of the surf season were nailed tonight. At least (4) at 50 or close, many many more....
With an E wind, and outgoing tide, completely against what should have been the pattern. The bite died cold, then all of a sudden it was on again. Congrats to the guys who were there. The OFFC even got into em. About time, cause I heard they were all giving up fishin and buying golf clubs.... :laugh: :HappyWave:
WTG, and congrats. :clapping::clapping: :thumbsup:
Folks, right now if you get a fish with a pencil popper chances are it will be lot bigger than a 26" bass you can easily control.
With that in mind, if you go out there on the rocks, you could eventually bring in something large. It's only fair that you plan the landing out ahead of time, to get the fish back quickly (if you are releasing it) or to get the fish gaffed and up out of the way of everyone else ( if you are keeping it).
Most guys out there, they wouldn't need to read this. But there are some eager new people who need to learn, somehow.
Suggestions -
Please don't learn by letting your fish cross lines with someone else.
Have a rod that is strong enough to control your fish.
Guide the fish toward you and away from others using the drag and aggressive reeling technique, being mindful never to give the fish an inch of slack even for a second.
Before you hook up with that fish, have a game plan where you decide how you will land it, and how you will efficiently protect yourself from the ocean and any big/rogue waves in a set that could knock you on your aZZ. :scared:
Envision yourself landing that fish, and make sure it's protected eough that you won't slip or fall in if the fish still has some fight in it.
Gaffing:
Maybe I'm old school, but I believe every serious fisherman should land his own fish. Most of the time I fish alone so I'm used to it.
I grab on to the lower lip, grab it in a vice-like grip, and don't let go no matter what happens. You need to grab that lip with confidence and control your fish while you either bring it up top or release it.
Never grab a bass around the gill plates if you're releasing it. That can kill the fish after release.
Hope this helps, people.
This post was inspired by seeing a few dead fish floatiing.
I felt some folks could use the advice. :learn:
Fish are around in the ocean at night. Here's the catch, they're away from the bunker blitzes, and you will have to work for them. :eek: :laugh:
Sometimes it takes 3 hours of concentrated casting before the first fish hits.
Last night was a little better, I hooked or missed a fish about once every half hour. :fishing:
Fish the dropping tide in the ocean, slow and low is the way to go. Remember that the ocean temps went down substantially in the last few days, and fish are lethargic sometimes at night unless they're chasing bunker.
Classic cold-water presentation pattern should work here.
Small, medium-level swimmers, about 1-3' down.
Now if the bunker would just leave
If a striped bass ***** in the water, can one hear it?
Can you see it? Would anyone be listening?