NJ Fishing Reports for the week of 3/9 - 3/16, 2008

[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!

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]

Well folks, the first week of the season turned out to be a little disappointing. Some fish were caught, but these were mostly resident fish that had been wintering in a well-known back bay spot. Temps were up, and they became more active.

Some others have been trying hard to bring in a keeper or 2 from the migratory fish coming up from southern waters. What should have been the perfect storm over the weekend (the first noreaster) looked promising. It was a little too intense to produce much, however. Afterwards, the bays and rivers looked like a big bottle of yoo-hoo. Lots of flotsam,jetsam, debris, from the northern bays all the way to the mouth of the Delaware.

Looks like it will need a few days for things to get back to normal. Water temps were in the high 40's, reaching 50 in some places. The latest front has spiked those temps downward again to the low 40's in some places.

Don't give up, guys. With one or two days of warming temps, those bays and flats will start warming up quickly. There are adult bunker around in select places, north and south. There are also schools of baby peanuts and spearing in some of the shallower areas. All we need are a few days for fishing to pick up.

Remember -- A bad day fishing beats your best day at work, so get out there and fish!

[wish4fish]

Report: fishin sucks lately unless u know that spot out back. I agree with the dude above about not spot burnin, too many people comin there every week. looks like a welfare line sometimes. lol

[fishinmission78]

A friend of mine was fishin the usual productive southern bay area out back few days ago. Saw a guy get a decent bass, 30-32", throwing small leadhead curly tail jig. Not a lot of other action for all the guys out there. Even there, the temp decline after a storm has an affect.

Took a ride scouting out RB spots today. Still looks muddy. I think a few tide changes more should clear it up.

[clamchucker]

I fished inside inside Rb today, using fresh clams, what else! Not even a bump, fished 5-8am, waiting for the warmer water. I did see what looked like pods of bunker and birds circling, but they were too far out. Didn't really see much, and the pods were very small, 3pods maybe each a few feet across. Could have been spearing, too.

[BassBuddah]

clamchuck, there were spearing and bunker in different places in BB. Not just one spot, but a couple different reports. RB is still a little colder, but it's gonna happen soon. I can feel it!

[fishinmission78]

buddah you got a connection to the psychic hotline? If you do, can you get me this week's winning lottery #s?

[BassBuddah]

No connection here. otherwise I wouldn't have to work. Just got a feeling in my bones, that's all. Visiting family down there and hope it happens soon.

[paco33]

fished tonight in the back from sunset to about an hour later. Clams, skunk.

[ledhead36]

I haven't fished yet, waiting for the chocolate milk to clear up. I have been scouting some of my favorite early season spots out back during the low tides. Things have changed out there in a few places. Even took a ride to the ocean the other day during low tide to check it out. There are many changes because of the storms. I like to write this down in the same pad as my fishing log. Really comes in handy if you fish the night tides. So even though a lot of fish aren't being caught, it's still worth it to get out there and scout.

[stripercrazy]

Couldn't take it anymore, today went to the area in the back where people were catching fish. Got one tiny bass 17" on small jig white curly tail. The water seemed colder, or at least some guys there said it was. Didn't see any other fish caught. I was the furthest out of most of the people, not many where I was. Need more action!

[clamchucker]

Fished rb in back this morning fresh clams. not even a bump. Water temps only 44. I think we need at least a few more warm days.

[clamchucker]

Fished different place in RB today, same results. I did get a few light taps. Flounder must be hungry. Water is still mid 40's, cold.

[stormchaser]

The rain coming in on the weekend could change things up.

[fishinmission78]

Took a ride down to IBSP today, just some clams and testing out the new pole. No fish, but there were hundreds of gannets and seagulls dive bombing about 2-300 yards offshore. Maybe it was bunker, definitely wasn't the huge bass swirls. It's set to go off, where are the cows?

[wish4fish]

clammed in backRB today, skunk city. Water's a little cleaner, want some bass!

[clamchucker]

Got tired of the slow action in north Jersey. Went to visit a friend in s jersey yesterday. We took his boat out in DB. Got a few bass early am on rattletraps and black bombers. Biggest was 27 3/4". I wanted to stretch it, but that would have been a bad omen for the rest of the season. Seems like the s waters are more active than up north right now.