NJ Fishing Reports for the week of 7-21 to 7-27-08

[bunkerjoe4]

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

[bunkerjoe4]

NJ WIR 7-21-08

Well folks we are now settling into the "summer doldrums" pattern.

Fish are around, but the prize that many are looking for, striped bass, has become more difficult to locate and catch a decent one. The seasoned fishermen are still hooking up, but even they have nights in a row without success. Those catching fish right now are truly dedicated, and use their years of experience and flexibility to figure out what works best for that night. This changes depending on time of tide, bait present, and stage of the moon.

Coming off the full moon, fishing should improve this week. The fluke are getting bigger, but people are still upset at all the throwbacks to get through to a legal keeper. Bluefish have not started to attack lures and bait in the surf, and this is a little later than last year, but boaters are pulling them in from 1-5 miles offshore. They should make their presence know to surfcasters within the next week or so, and maybe sooner to night fishermen.

Weakfish are more abundant in the back bays, and cow nosed rays and sharks are becoming more prevalent. Please be very careful if you hook a big ray, folks. Most can be handled and released without freaking out, but some can cause damage, and terrible infections if you get spiked by one. Proceed cautiously.

Offshore, there is a good tuna bite developing, with tuna up to the 250lb class reported by those who can afford the fuel for the long canyon trips. Most tuna caught are smaller than this.

Some smaller bluefin have been taken on the inshore lumps, and these areas should be considered before making the far offshore canyon treks.

The one thing I want to mention in this week's reports is that there are literally thousands of sea robins being caught every day by anglers who really are not happy about it. Combined with the less desirable skates and dogfish, people consider all of these fish trash, and quite often discard them right on the shore line or jetty area. Although they may be a nuisance, they are part of the food chain.

I know dogfish are supposed to be endangered. I disagree with this premise, but it's the law that we are not allowed to keep or discard them. Again, even though many may not agree, I recommend we all follow the laws and regulations. The time to change something like that is when the next assessment hearings come up. Register your protests then.

In the meantime, please consider the enjoyment of others if you really feel you need to kill these fish and just leave them lying around. It's just not respectful, or sportsmanlike. Beyond that, you can actually eat these fish if they are big enough (of course not the dogfish). If anyone can try to post some recipes for sea robins and skates, I would appreciate it.

For the kids, snapper bluefish are getting bigger in the back bays. In a week or 2, you will be able to take your younger children fishing for snappers, a great summertime introductory experience. For those who like good fights for the kids on light tackle, porgies are now available in some back bay areas, and croakers and kingfish are available in some southern surf areas for those using small pieces of clam or fishbites.


NY WIR 7-21-08

The back bays are still producing bass during low light periods. There are now roving schools of bluefish moving around and slashing the developing snappers and peanut bunker.

There are also some very nice sized jumbo porgies to be found in certain back bay areas.

Out front, the inlet areas have again been the best producers, and areas near Montauk and further north giving folks the best chance for a bigger bass, with a record caught a few days ago in Rhode Island.

Although fluking is frustrating, more keepers are being caught, particularly in the LI sound area.

Finally, the distant hurricanes are producing a significant swell out there, and some strong rip currents. Several drownings have recently happened because of this. Please be ever-watchful if you or your children are out there. Don't just leave it up to the lifeguards.

It only takes a few seconds for something to change from "serious" to "tragedy". Please be extra careful out there this week, folks. It always saddens me when I read these drowning and accident reports.

[clamchucker]

Was out fluking yesterday, 52 fluke between the 2 of us, one keeper 20". Out in the front. Joe, I hear you on the sea robin rant. They litter the beaches wherever you find fishermen. We always take them and use the bellies for fluke bait. They are quite tough and will hold up to fish after fish until they get too sandy or muddy.

[fishinmission78]

Fished oc last night, the ibsp run is looking like the mohavi desert, time to hit new areas. Was by pp inlet, fishing white finesse and teasers. No bass, but shad gave up some good action, some jumping into the air. Got a few on a yellow teaser.

[clamchucker]

Little rough and foggy today, no way we were taking the boat out. Spent a little time at an inlet with gulp new penny shrimp on a jig head. 3 red birds, 2 short fluke in an hour. Very foggy out there.

[fishinmission78]

Fished near a ferris wheel oc, 3-6am. Used a teaser rig, got some shad on the teaser, with storm shad. Then switched over to the gulp new penny, got 3 short fluke. Bite and hits slowed as the sun came out.

[clamchucker]

The wife and I visited a friend down at the southern end of LBI today. We took our grandchildren out for some croaker action. Little pieces of bloods and clam gave up some decent action early in the morning. The fish were in close, almost in the wash, good fin.

[wish4fish]

Some rocks in somoco. Early fishing, 3 bass up to 25" on white storm shad, most hits on left side of jetties or deeper pockets. Nice to see some resident bass hanging around.

[LennyD]

hey guys! im back from Europe, ready to do some awesome fishing!

[fishinmission78]

Ibsp early am, blackfish are hungry. Green crabs and sand fleas, that is all.

[clamchucker]

OC on the end of the outgoing in the morning, bunker storm shad with white teaser. Shad and herring, and 2 short fluke, on the teaser, nothing on the storm shad.

[fishinmission78]

hey guys! im back from Europe, ready to do some awesome fishing!

Hey Lenny, do any fishing in Europe? Any pics?

[clamchucker]

Slow day for fluke today from the beach, one keeper, 9 shorts, gulp new penny.