NJ Fishing Reports for the week of 4-28 to 5-4-2008

Please post fishing reports here.......as little or as much detail as you want to give.

Please note: NO SPOT BURNING! Posts burning spots will be Edited or DELETED!
Some veteran fishermen have put in years developing and learning about certain spots.Some of these spots can only handle a few guys at a time. We are losing enough access as it is, due to the unfortunate behavior of a few selfish people. No sense in making it worse.

For some areas, it would be wiser to say:
OutFront (Ocean) OR -- OutBack (Bay) -- if you feel too many people will figure out what you are talking about. "Spot burning" also could involve mentioning something specific only to that area. If you do this, your post may be edited, or deleted. Remember that thousands of people could potentially read these posts. You don't want to be fishing next to ALL of them at the same time!

IF you are fishing an area that is NOT residential, being vague is less critical. For example, it's acceptable to say (Any)Park, or (Any)Bay, or mention a specific state park that has loads of parking and can handle the crowds.


If you are unclear on this concept, ask yourself:


If I name this place on the internet, will it be too crowded for me to enjoy tomorrow when people hear I got 30 fish here today?


If the answer is "Yes", then you should probably not be so specific.


We post these reports so our community will have a sense of what is working, what is not. We want to show people how to catch fish, rather than where.Even if you struck out or got skunked, it would be helpful to hear that as well.

If you have any additional details you would like to share - weather conditions, tide (incoming, outgoing, ebb, flood) water temps, bait present, or other mention of techniques or plugs used - feel free, as long as you are not overly specific about location.

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
CMR - Cape May Rips


RB - Raritan Bay
BB - Barnegat Bay
CB - Chesapeake Bay
CBBT - Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
DB - Delaware Bay

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The week in Review 4-28-08

This has been a great week for the surf and boat fishermen.
Bluefish have turned on with a vengeance!

It's common to catch 4-8lb skinny "racer" blues this time of year, but the ones people are tangling with now are in the range of 6-13lbs. These are big, nasty, and full of slaughtered baitfish. It's almost as if these bluefish have been fed a plutonium diet, they are so abundant and aggressive. Must have been a good year class.

Bigger bass were caught, with some fish in the 25 to 30 lb range being caught but not reported. However, the bluefish invasion has shifted the bass bite to the deeper areas of the bays for the boaters, or certain shore areas during low light hours, where bluefish are less active.

Bass will continue to be more challenging to catch as long as the bluefish dominate.

The week ahead again brings some snotty conditions for the next few days. If you have a chance to go fishing, remember that some of the biggest fish are caught in the worst conditions. Find a place that has currrent or a stream/river outflow nearby, and you may find some decent fish. Dress warmly, bring extra clothes, and be careful with the nasty weather.

There are also some surprisingly large weakfish being caught, but not reported. Folks, these huge weakfish are breeders, and need to breed to propagate the species. If you are lucky enough to catch a weakfish over 8 lbs, you have every right to keep it.

However, please consider catch, photo, and release, so it can make baby weakfish. :idea:


New York week in Review 4-28-08

Bigger bass are still being caught in the Hudson by those using bunker, herring, and eels. The water is still cool enough to hold them, but that may change shortly after the spawn as they make their way downriver.

The flounder bite has been tough, very hard to put together limit catches this year for some.

The back bays have warmed up and are hosting hordes of bunker schools. Things are finally coming to life, though a bit slower in the northern reaches of LI.

The bluefish reported in NJ are also providing tackle busting action for NY anglers as well.

Folks, these big bluefish may only be around for another week or so. Once the water warms significantly, the larger ones will move further offshore.

This is the best time to get one, right now. If you've been waiting for the right time to take the kids fishing, now is the time! :)

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Fished IBSP jetty for an hour before work today, sunrise bite, one very small bass on bucktail right before sunrise, two 4-6lb bluefish on metal after it got light out. Conditions were a little nasty, wind blowing. There were no signs of bait, I got them blind casting.

dude, you shoulda hit the pm bite! I was at IBSP right before dark, mad bite on bucktails, blues 2-5 pounds.

Fished SH yesterday late afternoon. Decent pick of small blues on poppers and megabaits.

Fished way in the back rb yesterday afternoon, incoming tide. There was no sign of fish present, some other guys baitfishing, catching fish here and there. I started throwing poppers and topwater around 2pm, had action for 3 solid hours, bluefish 5-10lbs, no bass. Today I found out some buddies were one beach south of me, didn't do as well. Flat, warm water, with crustaceans. Hope that wasn't too specific. Stock up on steel leaders, you will need them.

IBSP this am, water a little dirty, metals and poppers, skunk. Missed sunrise bite, fished later than usual, that's what I get.http://www.stripersandanglers.com/im...cons/icon9.gif

Good pick of 4 to 8 lb bluefish NoMoCo. Most fish caught on poppers.:bigeyes:

Fished NO MonCO. didn't do as good as Yardville Jimmy but had a fair pick on poppers and metals

thur nite, mad bluefish bite out back, penccil poppers.
sat during day, very windy, 2 bluefish bunker chunks.

IBSP early am, few cocktails on ledheads, changed to bucktails once I hit blues, then more blues, about 5, lost at least 5 more. Bite was over as quick as it started. where are all the bass?

Fished the RB yesterday, the conditions should have been perfect for a good bite, but it was just windy and weeds on your line, no fish.

Went up north to find some bass, SH dusk bite, blues, blues topwater and metal, no bass.

rb back tonight, 5 bluefish on metal .