NJ Fishing Reports for the week of 10-6 to 10-12-08

[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
AI - Absecon Inlet
CISP - Corson's Inlet State Park
CMC - Cape May County
CMR - Cape May Rips
GEI - Great Egg Inlet
TI - Townsend's Inlet

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

[bunkerjoe4]

NJ WIR 10-6-08

Folks, it has been another decent week for NJ surfcasters, but the majority of bass action is at night.

However, in the last 3 days, there has been some bass action end of day, so keep trying to find signs of bait, people.

Blues have been mixed in with the bass, and there have been some albacore sightings.

I have been informed there have also been some albacore caught from the surf in the last 48 hours. This run is looking more like a lottery than an official run. There does not seem to be any consistency yet.

It's getting colder out there, folks, be sure to bundle up in layers if out there at night.


NY WIR 10-6-08

The bass action along the ocean has started to produce with more consistency, though given all the locations are fishing, the action seems a bit spotty.

The best bet is still Montauk, which has been producing since late August. Daily blitzes are common, though on some days they are better than others. A 52 lber was reportedly beached in the surf Friday night. The fish are definitely moving through, following the baitfish.



Offshore tuna has been spotty. The time and effort required to put a tuna trip together is significant, and the captains are still not at the point where they are reporting a red hot bite, although some very nice catches are being brought back. Hopefully the next week or so brings better news.

You can't catch fish sitting in front of the TV, or reading about them on the internet. Now is a good a time as any to seek out the fall run fish. Good luck!

[voyager35]

Out in RB yesterday, marked some nice bait, but could not get anything to hit our jigs. Decided to troll an umbrella rig, got 3 bass to 29", 2 were short, and 6 nice blues.

For all the bait we saw, seemed like not much fish. Also saw a few albies jump, but we were not successful at jigging them with diamond jigs.

[clamchucker]

Got in on the tail end of a nice moco bite yesterday, blues and basss to 10lbs chasing rainfish and spearing into the sand. Diamond jigs or bucktails were what worked.

[fishinmission78]

Slow at IBSP this afternoon.

[wish4fish]

fished sh last night, hard to get the plug out with the north wind coming at you, but i tried.

[clamchucker]

Early morning bite nomoco, 2 bass to 27" throwing bombers. Lots of bay anchovies in the surf, where are the albies?

[wish4fish]

it's not dead yet in the back, dudes! fised rb last night bottom of outgoing, blues blitzing on peanuts, some bass mixed in to 27", about 3/1 blues to bass. caught about 27 fish, woo hoo! inlets.

[DarkSkies]

Last night, covered all of moco, front and back. Started in the back, bass and blues busting on small bait like cement footballs. We caught the last of it, only a few strikes, fish were a little picky.

Went out front, many areas. The ones that had the great bite during the day were kinda dead, no bait. so we kept moving.

Finally found the motherload of bait in a small cove out front, no one around but us and 10,000 bait fish. There were spearing, peanuts, scad, and a few mullet.

A frikkin all night fish snax deli!

Bigger fish were crashing further out, we casted many times, got a few bumps, and my friend got a fat star gazer, dinner plate size, dragging metal for bass.

We finally decided that except for the bigger fish out of our reach, we were at a star-gazer convention, as they pushed bait all over. Didn't realize how full this place was till I absent-mindedly dragged my plug sideway across the surface for the hell of it. Everywhere it touched, peanuts were jumping. But it was very quiet, water too calm, and we decided to move N. Maybe too much bait.

Next rockpile up, less bait, more predators. Got one small bass 2nd cast on orange mag-darter, then a small bluefish on the other side of the rock.

We decided to go back to the original spot and fish the different tide. We got there a little too late, tide was almost slack. Still managed a few small taps from big blues. At this spot, where we were fishing, the big blues were not ferocious hitters. Talked to one guy throwing a white rubber mullet who had some blues up to 12lbs at his feet, he got bass earlier.

We tried for a little while longer, my friend went home, but I went back out front to a favorite spot. It was a waste, fished it hard, but no bait or fish. Wanted to go back to the original place where we found the bait out front, but couldn't make it there in time.

I am so jealous of all you retired guys, don't have to go to work, can follow the bite. I believe based on what we saw there could be blitzes in 2 different locations moco today. Let's see if I'm right.

[fishinmission78]

this morning at the park, bait just out of reach. Maybe a road trip to moco?

[yardvillejimmy]

Fished last evening NoMoCo. Pick of small bass on bombers.

[wish4fish]

maybe it is dead in the back, lol. got blanked last night on bunker and plugs.

[DarkSkies]

Fished moco last night. First off, did a thorough scouting of all my old haunts in rb. Some were deader than Sadam's past life.

Some that are normally spotty were chock full of bait, peanuts /AND adult bunker, being chased by fluke. No big predators in the daytime.

Met up with a bud, winds in front were strong S, scouted for bluefish in the back after dark, found some gators. Such a blast playing with those big blues on plugs, like a crack addiction.

He left, I went out front after getting a call from the OFFC - OLD Farts Fishing Club :

that they had been into fish from 7-8:30, mostly bass on small bait. These old farts had gotten 10-15 fish each. Good for them, one of them told me he went so many times with the skunk he was ready to sell all his gear on e-bay.

So I hit that spot up around 11:30pm, it was dead.

But - cool watching butterfish blitzing in the dark on the small bait in the surfline. At first I didn't know, thought they might be herring, it was cloudy and raining a little. A guy leaving the beach gave me one he had just snagged to use. Thanks Bill.

Didn't work, but it was the first time I ever livelined a butterfish. Us fishermen will try anything if we think it will get us a fish.

A lot of very interesting people out and about last night, met some cool ones, sure I'll run into you again, it was fun.

[cowherder]

Fished out front at Sandy Hook today, used clams 5-7am, 3bass to 27", they were fat.

[clamchucker]

Moco today, fishing at the same general area where the fish are coming in at sunset. Lots of little bait, bass were picky. Managed 2 small bass on magdarters, and then one close to 28" on a yellow needlefish, further out.

The amount of bait in the wash is incredible, there should be a lot more fish based on all the bait we are seeing.

[fishinmission78]

IBSP dawn patrol today, saw tons of bunker jumping out of reach, they never came in. One skinny bluefish on metal in the pocket. Sand eels in the wash, but nothing on them.

[wish4fish]

plugged the bottom half of sh this afternoon, dead calm, no fish. should have took the long walk.

[DarkSkies]

Late report, went looking for the gator bluefish last night, think I am becoming addicted to the action. Why, one might ask? Isn't catching bluefish like shooting fish in a barrell?

Not these bluefish, they are picky, you have to give them the right presentation, and the biggest fish, 10-15 lbs, tap as lightly as a sea robin. Miss that first tap and you have to cast again.

So it's a challenge, and a thrill once they are hooked, and try to bust your rod. I can't get enough of it. Wondering if there's something wrong with me cause I prefer big bluefish to 24" bass?

Until the albies start a little stronger, I'll setle for bluefish, need the fish that will pull drag.

Last night there was an incredible amount of bait in the water. Schools of bunker were coming in and out dozens at a time, and getting hammered. The biggest fish were busting on small rainfish or anchovies all night, but there were some very slow periods.

I got 2 up to 12# in the beginning using a 12" needle, steel leader. Then it was slow for over an hour, got a little depressed with all the bait around, and no action. There was just too much bait in the water.


After that the OFFC came out to visit. They prefer to be called the MMFC (mambo minnow fishing club), but I like "old fart" better, especially if you have to drive in the truck with them after they eat all the Eyetalian food. :

They wanted to see me catch a big bluefish, but it was dead at that point. Kinda like it that way, keeps most people away when they realize it's not that easy to get those fish.

After they left, some people came out to where I was, we started BSing, I was absentmindedly throwing a black bomber with a green bucktail single rear hook, and got nailed again, fish around 10#, fat from all the bait.

Thank you so much to the drunk dude who was slobbering all over himself and telling me how to fish and catch 40# cow bass. He couldn't take the hint when I almost hooked him a few times casting.

I thought about throwing him into the water, but he was so drunk he would have sunk. He made me glad I don't drink any more. I'm happy to gloss over the part in my life where I used to look like that. Really irritated me, I started to lash into him, then he apologized and offered me all of his worldly possessions.

Gee, thanks so much.

.

The W wind tonight will turn N, may bring some interesting changes.

[dogfish]

. Wondering if there's something wrong with me cause I prefer big bluefish to 24" bass?

Oh I think there's something wrong with you alright, but it don't have anything to do with big bluefish.

[voyager35]

A good day with the albies and bonito yesterday. Found them in one of the channels, SW of Breezy. About 20 mixed bag, small metals, they were a little picky. Had to downsize to 15# flouro.

After that, we fished the outgoing bottom of E River, eels for bass to 18#.