New Jersey fishing reports for March 2009

[bunkerjoe4]

Important when registering on our site -- use an active email address so you can activate your account to be able to post.



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]

Folks, the 2009 NJ striped bass season officially starts tomorrow. For the most part, the early season bass pursuit is a bait fishery. We are in for some windy and cold weather for the next few days. Hypothermia can set in quickly for those who are not prepared for the drastic temperature changes. The first fish caught will be in the 2 to 3 year age class, most all under 28". Please handle these fish with care. Using circle hooks is not only the responsible thing to do, it is the right thing. This is another reminder that we will re-start our plug give-away contest, where once a month I will give away a custom plug in a random drawing for those who have posted in the fishing reports. Remember that posting a report, even if you did not catch anything, is a good way to contribute to our community and help your fellow fishermen. Some folks live far from the water, and they use these reports to gauge whether or not to make the long expensive drive to go fishing. I thank you again for your input and lively banter.

You are all a good group of folks. I am so impressed we made it through our first year without the shouting and whining we sometimes see elsewhere. Kudos to all the anglers, veterans, and the ones who are just learning, for helping to grow this site into a reasonable place to come and learn about striped bass and other fishing.

Please be careful out there, folks. Good luck!

[LennyD]

Good Luck to everyone for 2009 season!!!
See you guys out there!

LennyD

[wish4fish]

3 hours yesterday morning, high tide through the outgoing. clams in the back by a crick. one tap. it was prolly a tiny fish by the way that tap felt, nothing reeled in.

[paco33]

I had a clam pole out there too yesterday, nada. A few people were out where I was, but I didn't see one person catch anything.

[wish4fish]

went clamming for 2 hours after work today. way back rb. the water was still cold and I thought it would be warmer. nothing, I think we need a day or 2 or more sun, someone should catch a fish somewhere in the back by sunday.

[paco33]

Hey guys, any news of keeper bass being caught ANYWHERE in Jersey right now? thanks

[clamchucker]

I heard some reports down south Jersey, but nothing actually confirmed by anyone I trust. There are small fish now, and they are feeding. Reports of larger ones will start to trickle in.

[wish4fish]

Hey guys, any news of keeper bass being caught ANYWHERE in Jersey right now? thanks

there was at least one someone caught this week. heard it was radioactive, lol.

[DarkSkies]

^ Doesn't stop people from catchin em though. That place was very cold this winter, guess the water temps are back up again.

[storminsteve]

I know some people who got some down south near the inside coast of NJ, Delaware bay area. Small fish on clams. I went out this morning rb and soaked a few clams, nothing.

[porgy75]

There was at least one someone caught this week. Heard it was radioactive, lol.

Because of what they eat?

[LennyD]

Sat. evening O.Creek , nada.

[zev]

is the warm water flowing?

[wish4fish]

possibly, dude. there was a transformer on a barge for awhile, water is warming up again. nothing consistent, except for the glowing water.


"because of what they eat? "
no because of where they eat.

[DarkSkies]

Only had a short while to fish tonight, so I hit a new place close by. Mudflats, near some deeper water. Didn't have time for clams, or to go where I really wanted to set up. When I started the wind was E/NE, would have been a perfect recipe for bait fishin.

I see the water in both bays is in the 40's overall, where I was it felt like somewhere in the 50's. Threw a chicken scratch bomber for a bit, it felt good to be out there. The fish weren't there yet, they should be soon.

[buckethead]

Hey Joe are you still offering the plug giveaways once a month for those who post reports? I hope to win one of those "sweet babies" this year.

[bunkerjoe4]

Yes Buckethead -- you qualify to win a plug whether you caught a fish or not. Post a report if you went fishing, and you're in.

[cowherder]

Fished RB today after work. Clams, zip. It was nice and warm out there.

[DarkSkies]

Started out to go fishing yesterday. The first things on the plate were finding new tapeworm spots, and the adult bunker. I mucked around in a lot of places doing that, bloodworms are now a buck apiece, they don't last too long. Covered a lot of ground scouting. After I figured that stuff out, time was fleeting and not much time left to fish. It's good to see the bunker are around, seems a bit earlier than last year.

The last pace I ended up at they only caught some small bass on bloodworms. Wed and Thur fish were caught to 38" on bloodworms, someone nailed a keeper on clams in a shallower place.

Fish are hitting bait, but still sluggish, light hitters. The difference in temps between the wide open water and the shallower flats is anywhere from 5-12 degrees. A lot of guys are playing the waiting game and getting nothing, but they're tryin. The day bite seems better than the night for now. At least it's worth it to be out there, it was for me.