NJ fishing reports july - august 2018

Didn't see a July thread so I thought I would put one up. DS are you OK? PM me if you need help with anything. would be glad to help.:HappyWave:

Took a break for the july 4th holiday. Started fishing again. Things have been ok, nothing spectacular, but better than they were. Have been getting a few small bass up to 27". My usual morning walks on the beach. What has been working for me is a 1/2 to 1 oz jig tipped with a white grub. The stripers seem to be mostly focused on mole crabs and small bait right on the beach lip. The usual activity is from sunrise to about an hour after and then it seems to shut off. These are feisty fat fish, albeit small. A friend of mine is doing well by raking and fishing mole crabs. He is also starting to rake some calicos with the new moon. Although the surf is a little rough, it seems to have energized the stripers. Again, nothing spectacular. Still better than nothing. Good luck guys and gals.

Yes Dark has been strangely absent hope you are okay buddy! Decided to go out to moco last night after the tourists left. Walked the beach for awhile, casting and watching. There was a lot of little bait in the surf line and the ever-present sand crabs. Picked up two short chunky stripers, and a short fluke with a bucktail and teaser combination. Fluke hit the teaser. All released for another day

Got into a few flat ones yesterday in nomoco. All shorts. I fished from 7-9pm on the incoming tide. About an hour before sunset you could see some dolphins out there cruising. don't know what they were eating, still nice to see. Also everyone is talking about cownose rays. So glad I did not hook one. Guy down the beach from me got one and was fighting it for about 15 minutes. A lot of them around.

Boat report. Fished for fluke yesterday. Started way in the back of the rb on the flood. Not much action, few postage stamp fluke. Tried the channels, etc. Not a lot going on. Did catch a feisty cow nose and a few doggies, plenty of sea robins as well. Threw a sea robin strip on the bottom half of the fluke rig and managed 2 keepers off of Earle. 19" and 20". Also got to see a whale feeding on bunker. That was nice.

Been finding some runt stripers in the back in OC at night. The caution to this is I don't go when there is no wind. the mosquitoes are brutal, as big as volkswagens. They are hitting fin s and soft plastics, small runts, biggest only 26 inchers.

Big as volkswagons, lol. For sure. You cant fish back there with a west wind. West for the pests!:scared:

Hit the moco shoreline tonight. Surf windy and dirty, skunkville.

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Originally Posted by fishinmission78

Big as volkswagons, lol. For sure. You cant fish back there with a west wind. West for the pests!:scared:

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NO WAY would I fish back there at night in the summer with those skeeters. Sandy hook is bad enough. You have some big balls, man!

Went out in the rain tonight. Surf side, tide was just starting to go out. Picked up a few small striper babies to 21". They hit at the beach lip. Bucktail dressed with otter tail. Lots of little bait in the surf. Also a few little nibbles. Maybe small fluke or kingfish.

no mo co 6-7am today. Water decent, some white water. Did not see monty out there though.:HappyWave: bagged 2 runts in a space of 10 mins, otherwise just some short fluke

Summer doldrums for me. Got out yesterday afternoon between the rain. Water surprisingly clear. Managed a few short fluke, and a heck of a 5 sec drag pulling run with what I assume was a cow nose ray. So thankful it got off. Gulp chartreuse.