NJ Fishing Reports for August 2012..www.StripersAndAnglers.com

[speedy]

Well my report is shorter and makes yours look like a Grand Success....
Started off 2 hours before leaving for the trip with one of my cats trying to jump over my shoulder and missing, no big deal, 2 scratches down the side of my face, bleeding stopped on 15 minutes.
Started fishing bay side at 1:30 AM, fished for 30 minutes, saw lightning, headed back to the Honda, moved to the ocean, no lightning Fished a few areas, worked way down the beach around a mile, was walking around end of a jetty and the sand caves in a foot or 2 , then 2 seconds later caves in further, I reach out onto rocks, slam reel on rocks, stop free fall. Climb out, fish more, work way back to Honda, no action (bleeding of ankle has stopped). Decide to go bayside and scout out an area that I have never fished. Walking the shoreline to the area, there was a soccer game going on water side (its 8:30 AM), a guy is running right at me, I lower my shoulder and when he hits me he crumbles to the ground, gets up and apologizes (no blood ). I get to my spot wade pretty far out, no action but am happy just to be fishing.. I decide to try a different path to get to shore, all is well almost there and the next thing I know I go from a nice sand bottom to sinking in mud, climb out of the mud, retrace original path and get to land. Am finished fishing at 10:30. Bloody skunk for me. But live to fish another day
I have been in sand that has been very soft, like quick sand. This hole I fell in was completely covered, very dangerous.
Well that's fishing,,,,,,,

ouch !!!!! tell them monty do it right the first time

[finchaser]

Today 6 to 7 AM released 6 blues 5 to 10 pounds all on jig head and rubbbbbbbbbbbbbbba

[jigfreak]

Well my report is shorter and makes yours look like a Grand Success....
Started off 2 hours before leaving for the trip with one of my cats trying to jump over my shoulder and missing, no big deal, 2 scratches down the side of my face, bleeding stopped on 15 minutes.
Started fishing bay side at 1:30 AM, fished for 30 minutes, saw lightning, headed back to the Honda, moved to the ocean, no lightning Fished a few areas, worked way down the beach around a mile, was walking around end of a jetty and the sand caves in a foot or 2 , then 2 seconds later caves in further, I reach out onto rocks, slam reel on rocks, stop free fall. Climb out, fish more, work way back to Honda, no action (bleeding of ankle has stopped). Decide to go bayside and scout out an area that I have never fished. Walking the shoreline to the area, there was a soccer game going on water side (its 8:30 AM), a guy is running right at me, I lower my shoulder and when he hits me he crumbles to the ground, gets up and apologizes (no blood ). I get to my spot wade pretty far out, no action but am happy just to be fishing.. I decide to try a different path to get to shore, all is well almost there and the next thing I know I go from a nice sand bottom to sinking in mud, climb out of the mud, retrace original path and get to land. Am finished fishing at 10:30. Bloody skunk for me. But live to fish another day
I have been in sand that has been very soft, like quick sand. This hole I fell in was completely covered, very dangerous.
Well that's fishing,,,,,,,

gotta be in it to win it. Give em hell cowboy. Cool bloody leg, nice, red, bloody. Awesome shot.

[jigfreak]

Fished somoco a few places for a few hours it was awesome out there. The west wind kicked the surf down and it was like being on your own ocean. No one out there. 5 bass to 8#, SP.

[Monty]

Cool bloody leg, nice, red, bloody. Awesome shot.

Using an Olympus Tough TG 820 Camera, I'm really liking its pics

Fished somoco a few places for a few hours it was awesome out there. The west wind kicked the surf down and it was like being on your own ocean. No one out there. 5 bass to 8#, SP.

Great report!!

[finchaser]

Today 6 to 7:30 AM 2 bass and 6 blues all on white bucktail all released

[DarkSkies]

Fished somoco a few places for a few hours it was awesome out there. The west wind kicked the surf down and it was like being on your own ocean. No one out there. 5 bass to 8#, SP.

Jigfreak, it's amazing to still be catching legal sized bass in August. And the sad thing is not many are williing to put the effort in. The vast majority of guys have given up bass fishing till the "run" starts.

When will that be?
Will we be getting postcards telling us when to get out there?

Finchaser was yelling at some of the old timers the other day, some of the legends, who all deserve respect, but who feel bass fishing right now isn't worth it...
Meanwhile Fin and some of us are having the time of our lives....no waiting, no crowds, very little trash, no mugging, no cell phones on the beach, the theater of the sky and all its glory in front of you every night....what more could any surf fisherman ask for?

Yep the fish are hard to coax, but they have snapped out of their sluggishness, as you said.
They are aggressively smashing artificials, even the small schoolies....
And to me, that's a blast.


******
In the meantime, the participation is so low that last Friday night I was out fishin. I procrastinated getting out there because I really was hoping anyone out there would be gone by the time I got out....
Turns out there was no need to worrry...
Didn't see a soul all night....on a Friday night....
At times like that, it feels like your own private beach. ...

Yup, the bass have been somewhat hard to catch in August.....but they are there...if you know your water....and the environment out there.
It's ultimately peaceful and relaxing....the best therapy in the world, all for the price of a few dollars in gas....

[DarkSkies]

Outstanding effort, folks, to everyone who is getting out and trying....

Fished the whole tide last night.
Wanted to make it a short trip, didn't quite work out that way....

After 2 hours into the trip, I had no action at all on plugs.
Some of you guys had done well earlier. I figured I could score some bass on plugs on the 2nd shift.,...wrong....

2 hours of no action throwing plugs.... and I changed the game plan.
Started throwing bucktails. There's a reason for that, explained in the turd ferguson thread.
A few minutes into it, at location #4, the bucktail gets smashed and the fish makes a run for England...
Hit so hard I thought it was a bluefish.




Took another hour of bucktailing (at still another location) to get the 2nd fish, about 1/2" bigger than the 1st. I had planned to keep one if I got a legal bass. This one had red lesions (Myco) so it was released in a flash.

15 minutes before I was going to leave, started throwing the Daiwa again, trying to get some top water action.
This time it was the SM...and I did drop 1 fish as I frantically cast over and over like a machine.


Total for the night, 2 bass landed, one legal, both released.
Even though these are only schoolies, they have gotten more aggressive since the storms and drop in water temps.
Lots of fun and fight.

[chas527]

fished the hook this morning 4 small blue fish 8 sea robbins on peanut bunker.

[finchaser]

This AM 6 to 7:30 released 16 blues to 8# all on bucktails

[cowherder]

Wow you guys are still slamming the fish, kudos! chas527, 8 sea robins is still a nice catch. Heard you can fry the tail or something. Also heard they are up at the hook in swarms this year.

[fishinmission78]

Fished the lst 2 hours of the incoming at island beach this morning. Lots of short fluke around. Lots of small bait in the surf, water was clear as an aquarium. Got one keeper 18 1/2" and 6 shorts, gulp with gulp teaser.

[fishinmission78]

Chas you can sautee those sea robin tails in olive oil garlic and oregano, not that bad if you get some big ones. I have not been getting a lot of sea robins down here. Not that I want them, but its weird how you have some fish at one beach and others at another. We have more kingfish and spot here this year than I have seen in almost 10 years. Finchaser congrats on the big blues we have cocktails in the surf here, all you want on dead peanut bunker or mullet.

[chas527]

fished the hook this morning 8 3lbs blue fish ,on peanut bunker.but the flys were biting to.

[storminsteve]

Nice to hear of more bluefish action. Congrats on the keeper fluke too FnM. I fished SH before work today for an hour but only got 2 shorts. Lots of bait in the surf as you said though. Looks like things are getting ready to explode.

[hookedonbass]

Finchaser congrats on the big blues

8 lb bluefish in August? Zip a de doo dah! Kudos.

[finchaser]

today 6 to 7:30 released 14 blues and 1 bass all on white bucktail and chartreuse tail. I was also mugged by DS, who fished down wind of me