NJ Fishing Reports for November 2015 - www. StripersAndAnglers.com

[Monty]

Wow those 40 and 30 pounders were in jersey? Don't mean to doubt your catches but if true it seems like you have been crushing it with the filet ming yong and the rest of us are eating hamburgers from white castle. Congrats!

Never doubt JB.
You nailed it, he has been on the filet ming yong big time.
Congrats JB!!

[fishrich]

Two of us plugged the dropping tide and some of the incoming tide in OC. Water looked pretty good, but we came up empty. Only saw one short caught on bait. Checked a couple spots on the way home and saw no signs of life.

[baitstealer]

Same for me too. Fished moco last night. Nice surf with some waves and breaks, water seemed not that bad. El skunko! Where are the stripers that are supposed to be all along the shore according to the reports?

[hookedonbass]

Two of us plugged the dropping tide and some of the incoming tide in OC. Water looked pretty good, but we came up empty. Only saw one short caught on bait. Checked a couple spots on the way home and saw no signs of life.

I read the reports on betty and nicks. Went down after work yesterday hoping to get in on some of it. Walked on to a street above the park and walked up and down fishing the cuts. Must of covered 3 miles total from 5:30-9pm. Part of that time was the outgoing tide which he keeps saying they are crushing them on. Casted bucktails, poppers, shads, and sps. Not one fish for me. Either I must be the worlds suckiest fisherman or it's all about the bunker blitzes and the reports are just a little exaggerated. Will try again this weekend. Hope you guys have better luck than me.

[hookedonbass]

Been fishing the surf all alone (just a friend or two) and having a lot of fun recently.

The count for the past 6 days is 1 over 40lbs, 4 over 30lbs, and way too many to count in the 20# class and of course those pesky 10-20lbs fish.

Been chunking around the bunker schools. Some nights plugs work other nights you don't get a sniff despite seeing them take bunker on the surface. Pencil popper has been my hot plug (yes, I pencil popped at night).

Yesterday decided to change it up and go looking for the angry 20# bluefish everyone is talking about. After about a dozen stops (all failures) getting ready to go home when I see birds working peanut bunker. Turned into 3-4 hours of mayhem and chasing schoolie stripers up and down the _____ (insert your choice...breachway, river, pond, beach, pier...lol). At first we were the only guys in the area, by the end of the day half of NJ was there.

All I saw caught were shorts....I managed to pull one fat fish @ 43" in the high 30# class range.

Either you are the best fisherman out there or the luckiest. All these catches involve bunker blitzes? I fished right at the beginning of island beach last night for 3 1/2 hours and nothing. I'm thinking you have to be there when the bunker are blitzing or heavily stacked. Not looking to attack you just seeing that it is like rolling the dice and kind of bummed that I walked so much yesterday and caught nothing. Trying to figure it out a little better.

Kudos to you on your success man. You seem real dialed in. That is some great catching there.

[7deadlyplugs]

Been getting blanked in LI the last 2 outings so I figured a trip to jersey would be a good change. I was visiting family and fished Ocean County NJ last night. Bucktails and shads. A little windy which I thought would be good. Total zip for me as well.

[jigfreak]

or it's all about the bunker blitzes and the reports are just a little exaggerated. Will try again this weekend. Hope you guys have better luck than me.

A little of both. A B&T can't get guys out there unless they are bailing fish all over the place. You have to exaggerate. Then you will finally have 300 guys fishing and 20 will catch. You are working on a 5-10% success rate.

[fishinmission78]

All that bait in the water is like a chum line, and it does bring fish in. I have seen it happen.

[fishinmission78]

Been getting blanked in LI the last 2 outings so I figured a trip to jersey would be a good change. I was visiting family and fished Ocean County NJ last night. Bucktails and shads. A little windy which I thought would be good. Total zip for me as well.

Its back to a meat game. Try a bunker head next time.

[basshunter]

Maybe as you said, it is a meat game with the bunker around. Maybe the sandeels are here as well so that might change it up a bit. I just spend a frustrating few hours in OC. Started sunrise and fished 2 plus hours. Nothing for me or the other guys around. The surf is definitely fishable and pretty clean. just before I left a few others and I watched a line of birds crashing into the water. This went on for a good mile along the surf. They were all about 150 yards out. Just a little out of casting range. I don't know what they were diving on maybe rainfish or sandeels. Would love for it to be sandeels thats for sure.

[surferman]

Fished CM this morning. Beautiful sun in the sky. Beautiful beach. That is all.

[buckethead]

Sorry no reports for a while. I have been fishing but not much to report. This morning was more of the same. As mentioned the surf has cleaned up a lot in some places. Little dirty in others but by this afternoon with the hard NW it will be good all over. It's very fishable out there. Very nice water. Just not much in the way of fish. The last big body of bunker that I read about off island beach and lbi may have taken most of the big stripers with it. Hoping for a few stragglers. May give it another try this afternoon.

jbarbose nice going on the catches.

[SharkHart]

Thursday night skunk for me. Front and back in o co. Places that used to be 80 perc on certains tides in nov have plumeted to zero. Its eating me up people are saying great fall, there is virtually no fish under 32". No shorts. Just bunker fish. Which makes a WOW online and is clouding the overall picture

[VSdreams]

Agreed. I fished moco from 5 to 8AM today. Thought for sure I would get something in the dark. Nothing. Then at first light I started working a pencil popper. Nothing. Where are all those giant blues they were talking about online. Then once it got light out worked a bucktail, poppers, vision eel, and shads. Nothing. Moved a few places and tried to change things. Nothing. Talked to a few guys out there and they said the same. Nothing.

The only rays of brightness was some shared their "friends" had been catching some stripers at X beach last week, or the week before, or 2 days ago. If X beach was so good why isn't everyone fishing there? Seems to me that most of the fishing this fall is finding blitzes. If you don't have all day to do that you are **it out of luck.
That being said I will try again soon. Hey its the Fall Run what else are we going to do rake leaves?

[fishinmission78]

Thursday night skunk for me. Front and back in o co. Places that used to be 80 perc on certains tides in nov have plumeted to zero. Its eating me up people are saying great fall, there is virtually no fish under 32". No shorts. Just bunker fish. Which makes a WOW online and is clouding the overall picture

This statement is spot on 100%.
I have places on the sedges at night that were a guaranteed lock for a few stripers or weakfish. They are dead. Been striking out. Then you go on facebook and see new guy after new guy talking about epic fishing and they are having the best fall run ever.

Look at the ages of these guys and in most cases they're in their 30s or under. They been fishing for 5 years or less. They just don't know. Throw in one 30lb bass that they catch and it's their greatest season ever. Yeah, when you been fishing 5 years or less with post-Sandy fishing included in one of those years it's obvious that's why they say that. Not hating on anyone. Merely wanted to point out that if you are fishing from the surf, and not a boat or chasing bunker somewhere, and you think it's epic for the fall 2015 you are a definite newbie.

[buckethead]

Good points there fnm and sharkhart. I am not that internet savvy but have nephews and nieces that are all over social media. Between facebook and those new things twitter and the vines, I don't know how they manage it and find time to study. That seems to be heavily populated by groups in the 17-25 year old range. The point you make about them not having the depth of fishing experience is a good one. People have offered me congratulations on a 10lb fish. Don't see where a fish that small is worth congratulating someone.

Fishing results for me are a fraction of what they used to be. Don't know how someone who has experience would not see that.

[clamchucker]

Could be different times, different perceptions. They cannot miss the great fishing that they never experienced. I think that's one of the reasons why it's hard to get some folks involved in fighting for these access and fishing issues. A lot of them don't have the memories that we do.

[plugcrazy]

"When life gives you lemons learn how to make lemonade" Appreciate hearing some of the old time fishing memories here. Have nowhere near as much stories as some of you. Do try to get out when I can and have trouble balancing away time and family time. Glad to hear any reports at all guys, it gives me hope! Thanks
My report, fished monmouth county last night. Darkness of new moon, very promising - wait for it- got the skunk!
Look forward to the reports here when I don't catch. Tight lines gentlemen.

[J Barbosa]

Either you are the best fisherman out there or the luckiest. All these catches involve bunker blitzes? I fished right at the beginning of island beach last night for 3 1/2 hours and nothing. I'm thinking you have to be there when the bunker are blitzing or heavily stacked. Not looking to attack you just seeing that it is like rolling the dice and kind of bummed that I walked so much yesterday and caught nothing. Trying to figure it out a little better.

Kudos to you on your success man. You seem real dialed in. That is some great catching there.

Some nights have been bunker blitzes, other nights just chunking around the bunker, other nights pencil popping/plugging around the bunker.

I am definitely in the "luckiest" category this week. I am trying hard to break my PB and have come within a few pounds several times this week.

Thursday night skunk for me. Front and back in o co. Places that used to be 80 perc on certains tides in nov have plumeted to zero. Its eating me up people are saying great fall, there is virtually no fish under 32". No shorts. Just bunker fish. Which makes a WOW online and is clouding the overall picture

Should have been with me on Wednesday. I fished a different spot looking for bluefish and instead ran into hundreds of schoolie sized bass chasing down schools of peanut bunker.

[J Barbosa]

Chunked bunker again last night...1am to 7am

Landed 8 keeper sized bass with the biggest being about 22#s....average was somewhere around 15#s all from land again.

I haven't been out on the boat in what feels like forever! This wind never stops blowing this time of year.