Redfish and other species migrating northward?

[cowherder]

Who has caught red drum in jersey? I met a guy the other day who says they get them in Wildwood and Cape May back bays every year. Also the spotted sea trout which are similar to weakfish. Anyone got any tips or ideas to run into these cool looking fish? Bait? or lures? thank you

[clamchucker]

They do come northward particularly the sea trout. We used to get them behind LBI and some areas of Ocean City near the rivers in the spring. Forked River in the spring as well. The redfish seem less prevalent.

[dogfish]

Have never seen such fish up here. Maybe it is too far or cold for them.

[clamchucker]

I read something that said with the slot sizes and stricter regulations they are starting to expand their range.

[robmedina]

with the ever so slight comeback of redfish in our area is there anyone who targets these fish? I know from watching kayak kevins videos that they like crab in the surf but just wondering if anyone here as or will be fishing for them.

[ledhead36]

I had an uncle who lived in south jersey, We wouild target them in the summer, Rob. Would use the sand fleas or the mole crabs whichever you call them. Look for the holes in the suf near the tide line, dig about 1-2' down and pull them ouit. Put them on a hook and hold on because a lot of the species out there likes them. I hope they make a comeback in nj too they are fun to catch.

[robmedina]

thanks ledhead. I actually grabbed a sand flea last week and put it on the hook. nothing grabbed it but that doesn't mean anything. I was probably fishing in the wrong spot anyway!

[buckethead]

Rob I don't know how long you have been doing this, but allow me to offer some advice if I may. The fish do move from one day to the next. The wrong spot today might be the right spot tomorrow. Species of fish behave differently at different times. Fishing the right spot for me involves reading the beach. You can walk along a beach at high tide and not know where the cuts and sloughs are. What I would recommend is to come back at low tide and see where the sandbars and holes are. If you cast your bait out to the side of a hole or cut, the side where the current runs the strongest, you may give yourself an advantage when looking for fish. A lot of fish are opportunistic feeders and will roam in search of food. Others will come into the surf zone in search of a meal. When you walk the beaches at low tide you can lean the surf zone a little better. Learning the surf zone allows you to see the best places where a hungry predator fish might sit to ambush bait that is coming by.

Give it a try the next full or new moon. You can allso do a search here for a thread on reading the water. I think it may answer some of your questions in more detail. Hope this was helpful.

[robmedina]

thanks buckethead. I have a few questions. In the scenario where I used the sand flea I had caught one small striper on clam about an hour earlier. I was fishing the left side of a hole. My buddy was fishing the right side and the center. I caught the fish in the pic in the first 15 minutes. Nothing from either one of us for the rest of the night. However, we did start catching doggies and skates. Do they push the stripers out? Also, if there was a short in there, which I am assuming was a schoolie- shouldn't there have been more? as far as time of day- caught the fish around 7pm on Monday May 20th- don't remember what the tides or winds were- I just started my fishing journal a few days ago realizing the importance of it now. Then a few days ago I went to another hole but it was occupied. It was high tide so I figured since I was there I would through some bait in to the right of the hole on the other side of the small jetty. I had one rod with clam and another with bunker. 15 minutes into fishing again and I hook up with a 34 1/2" striper on the clam. Nothing else for the rest of the night. As it got late fisherman started leaving so I moved into the hole (had to fish the right side of it because a couple was fishing the left side) again nothing. I noticed no one else was catching either and from what I can tell on that stretch my fish was the only one landed (while I was there) again- if I got one in there should I have not been able to get another one?

[fishinmission78]

I noticed no one else was catching either and from what I can tell on that stretch my fish was the only one landed (while I was there) again- if I got one in there should I have not been able to get another one?

I can answer part of that. When you are looking for holes some are deeper or more severe than others. If you found a good one you should find some fish. Think about it - you found one and you said no one else was catching. I would say there must of not been a lot of fish around that day. If there were you would of seen other guys catching. Thats what makes it so hard the more you learn the more you see its really up to the fish and if they show up or not.

[fishinmission78]

Interesting article
Jersey red drum the past and the future
from www.otw.com


On a clear chilly October morning George Sr. was looking south from the window of the Stone Harbor life saving station. He noticed a change in the normally blue water of Hereford inlet , it had changed into a dark indigo . George knew immediately, it was a massive school of Red drum.

The arrival of the Red drum was cause for excitement in the day, as the local commercial fishermen anxiously waited on their arrival. The fishermen from Anglesea and Benny ?s landing in Cape May Court House, would wait for a tip from George, before they would start fishing .

The news would travel quickly by word of mouth. This tradition would continue until the art of pound net commercial fishing coupled with foreign trawlers, depleted New Jersey?s red drum population.

The management practice of the day was fish the population down until it was no longer profitable, then move on to the next fish. Hoping by the time they returned to the fished down stock, the population would rebound and the cycle could continue. However, with the advent of modern technology fish stocks began to be pushed to the point of no return.

Today, we have scientific management via the 2006 Magneson-Stevenson reauthorization act,coupled with state regulations, that strive to maintain sustainable yield fish stocks and populations. I am not sure if the Magneson-Stevenson act is responsible for the resurgence of New Jersey?s Red Drum population. I do know the red drum have found their way back to Hereford inlet. Red drum are not yet turning the inlet a dark indigo like they did on that October morning in 1921. They have though, returned in numbers great enough to cause red drum fever among fishermen .

The waves were small creating a soothing steady cadence as Cj walked into the surf. It was perfect conditions for his proven speckled trout spot. The fish hit then went on a long drag screaming run, before Cj spotted the red drum carrying his favorite speckled trout lure. CJ was in awe with the red drum, he shared his excitement with his fishing crew. From that moment forward CJ and crew went on a hunt for red drum. This crew was able to catch an impressive amount of red drum in many different locations around Cape May County. Mater of fact, they caught more red drum than keeper striped bass last season.

Our red drum population has returned to the point, that they are now worth the time and effort to target them.
http://www.onthewater.com/issues/
Watch upcoming issues of On The Water magazine for detailed articles on fishing for New Jersey red drum.

[captnemo]

I haven't seen too many of them. Not like the big one pictured above, anyway.

[surferman]

I caught a few in Cape May this fall on clams, but nothing of size mostly small puppies. Captain Al Ristori had some interesting comments about red drum on New jersey.com
http://www.nj.com/shore/blogs/fishin...r_mobile_index