NJ Fishing Reports for September 2012 www.StripersAndAnglers.com

[DarkSkies]

Nice, Monty...at least ya got some fish,.....



They are not there all the time...
but 10 days ago there weren't any numbers of these fish at all...and now there are...
albeit not every day and every location.....it takes hard work to find them at times...

Good job to all who are getting out there...can't catch them from the couch.....

These words were ringing in my head last night. I made a night trip to the water. My primary target was the bigger bluefish, but I had to wait for the part of the tide where they would feed.
So I hit the surf trying to coax a few bass to come hit my plugs...

I found it tough...2 hours into it I only had a dropped fish.
People talk about the water still being warm. I agree that is true...but my logs show small schoolies have been pretty abundant by the 2nd week of September, every year. True, you have to wait till October for the bigger fish, but these schoolies have been action you can count on.

I want to qualify my statement I made earlier. Even though more numbers of bass have shown up as opposed to 10 days ago, there are many previously productive areas that are not holding fish. With all the bait around, they should be holding more fish, than they are. As a result when anyone reports catching more than 10 bass there is a resulting internet stampede.
(at least on the weekends)

Fishing places other than those, is hard work, and for me it's still a slow pick.

Now that I clarified that...and have tried to convey to the folks out there...not to feel so bad if you ain't catching....
I can tell you it's a great time of year to be fishing..

As Monty, eltosoro, and others said, it's real pleasant to be out there because in many areas you are the only fool fishing at night.....the feeling of solitude is tremendous for me....and powerfully soothing...


Bass -
It was my 5th stop of the night, only one fish raised and missed to show for it.

To be honest I was pretty frustrated. Every place I stopped at should have held at least one fish this time of year.

Finally found some bass, 2 bass that would have been legal if you're a "tail pincher"
I don't count those as legal bass in my stats, but they were still fun to catch.

Both on the MagDarter.

I found the surf to be rough deep in the night. A mid period swell had developed, with a set of (5) 6-foot waves coming about once every 2 minutes....
See the thread here "groundswells and other terms" if you want to learn more about it....
IMO folks should study these swells and the environment they're fishing at night...it's real easy to get caught off guard when you're pre-occupied with catching....







End of trip- Singing the Blues....
I cut the ocean side trip short and left way before sunrise. I managed to make it to the back bay in good time..and had about 45 minutes of feeding action with some larger bluefish. 7 blues to 8# on swimmers. They were feeding at different levels this time and a little less picky as some mullet, which had been absent the previous 2 trips, showed up. Because of that, the bluefish took a variety of topwater swimmers, but all small, 4" and less. And they were still a little picky about hitting the plugs, still a challenge to catch.

The bass were fun, but for me the bluefish were the highlight...I look forward to them every year, and was pretty disappointed last year. Barring bad weather or heavy storms, these bigger blues could be around until all the mullet finally move out. Good times.

[DarkSkies]

Chas, glad you got those blues. I see you finally found some mullet.

When I scouted some water on the way home the previous trip, I found none, and was a little disappointed.

The thing that is driving most of the better fishing right now is larger schools of mullet. Although this may seem obvious to some, I say that to indicate that there is a good chance that if you can't find mullet in any larger numbers you may not be able to find fish. The rainfish and spearing are important as well, but in my experience the fish become a little more picky with only these 2 types of small forage... I'm always happier when there are more varieties in the forage mix because it gives you a better chance of catching them on artificials.

15 bluefish, though, that's a nice morning's catch, nice job.




Monty, don't quite know how you manage those Marathons. Your last trip was 1-10:30....9 1/2 freaking hours! Even if you take out a 1/2 hour break, allow for some bathroom breaks, and some time for snacks and water, you're still fishing 8 hours at a clip...
When I'm out there and can't find fish in 3 hours or so it gets depressing..yet you still push on....
Often all we need is that one fish to get re-energized...but you....hours at a time without one fish...in pursuit of the needle in the haystack fish...I salute ya.





Etosoro....thanks for the kind words....I met ya last year, and truth be told I really wasn't feeling sociable when I first saw ya come around...but one night, when it was 27 degrees out,,,,and the fishing was pretty slow (yep we actually had some slow nights during the Winter bite.... )...we both probably wanted to leave....because it was so cold....

I remember you left first, because I was so stubborn in trying I wanted it to be that way....
But not before you gave it an extra half-hour, casting with me like a madman, as we were trying to get some numbers in a bite that never really developed that night...yet we were determined anyway....

I think at one point during that extra half hour I made the mental note in my head that I would try to help you.....
I remember yelling at you one night..you told me there weren't any fish at that one stop....and I told ya to change your retrieve and ya hooked up instantly.......so I do tend to yell at folks and bark commands...because I really want to see those who try, and are not willing to give up...get some fish..,..


I mention that example above not to embarass you, because your skill set and determination are what catch you the fish...not me...I am glad if my words, and barking, helped in any way....

The point I'm trying to make, is that I realize I help people less out there now...the guy you help today who promises to keep his mouth shut,,,,isn't really keeping his end of the bargain if tomorrow he shows up with 3 friends, and the day after that they show up with 4 more friends....and as soon as I realized you weren't like that....and willing to work hard to learn....I knew it was ok.......










**There's a thread here...."How hard are you willing to work..to Learn" that is about guys like Monty, you, and some others that I am glad to be able to help, just as many others have passed down bits and pieces of valuable knowledge to me.....
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ight=hard+work

So congrats on those fish....and prove to yourself one night...take some other chances at other places in that area....and you will realize how valuable a resource one or two places will be...on those nights when you can't seem to catch a fish anywhere else....

Glad to have met ya., thanks for your discrete reports....
And best of luck this season.....

[hookset]

The point I'm trying to make, is that I realize I help people less out there now...the guy you help today who promises to keep his mouth shut,,,,isn't really keeping his end of the bargain if tomorrow he shows up with 3 friends, and the day after that they show up with 4 more friends....and as soon as I realized you weren't like that....and willing to work hard to learn....I knew it was ok.......










**There's a thread here...."How hard are you willing to work..to Learn" that is about guys like Monty, you, and some others that I am glad to be able to help, just as many others have passed down bits and pieces of valuable knowledge to me.....
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ight=hard+work

...

Gospel. Loose lips sink ships. dark, I read your report and felt like I was on an adventure. Or a long train ride, lol.

[fishinmission78]

Nice reports guys. I have been catching smaller bluefish at Island Beach on mullet. Mornings. Today got a 30" bass but other than that it has been mostly bluefish and trash fish.

[finchaser]

Chas, glad you got those blues. I see you finally found some mullet.

.






Monty, don't quite know how you manage those Marathons. Your last trip was 1-10:30....9 1/2 freaking hours! Even if you take out a 1/2 hour break, allow for some bathroom breaks, and some time for snacks and water, you're still fishing 8 hours at a clip...
When I'm out there and can't find fish in 3 hours or so it gets depressing..yet you still push on....
Often all we need is that one fish to get re-energized...but you....hours at a time without one fish...in pursuit of the needle in the haystack fish...I salute ya.

Hopefully he doesn't grow up to be you marathon man

[DarkSkies]

Well, Chas, you're still the bluefish king for the week, but I'm gaining on ya!

Managed 14 bluefish to 10# last night in the back bay flats.
The action was exhilarating. If you're an action junkie like me you can probably understand that.
Some can't understand the desire to specifically target bluefish...

That's OK too...most folks know I have some screws loose to begin with... I did have a blast trying to hook these fish as they were very picky.

The thing that changed last night was the flats were filled with mullet, so many that the bluefish were extremely picky...many many hits, very tough to hook on artificials at night...If you were fishing fresh mullet you could have probably caught enough till your arms couldn't take it any more.

They bumped the plug and let go as soon as they realized it wasn't natural.... turned away. There is such a thing as too much bait present, and last night was one such night. The good thing was the fishing window was expanded as they fed on the mullet through most of the ebb.
So instead of hitting the ocean for bass afterward, I stayed put and had a blast.

A site member wanded into the water where I was. I was a little grumpy thinking I might have to be pleasant and a charming conversationalist for a change. I don't look forward to conversations when I'm out there, the solitude is the thing for me,,,,and when the fishing is good, that's important too, You never know when it will stop, like a game of musical chairs.




Nonetheless, we both had a good time as we were frustrated together. We missed many more than hooked. But that level of activity, can be a fun thing tool
Fish again hit small swimmers.
This time they hit top water because of the mullet.
It seemed the 6" and larger plugs were toxic to them. Just for fun I went through a lot of plug profiles. Very little activity on anything 6" or over. The action sweet spot still continues to be around 4" for the plugs I'm throwing at them. Bombers have been the best producer. Lots o fun, good running into ya.

[DarkSkies]

Hopefully he doesn't grow up to be you marathon man

As always thanks for the kind words ya Grouchy Basstid.

[eltosoro]

Nice work last night DS ... sounds like a blast. I couldn't connect last night other than a possible bump or two. It was a quick trip but I stuck it out an extra 30 minutes just thinking about DS hollering at me to "change the profile", "get it lower in the water column", "slooooooooow it down dude!" Still a nice big swell out there making nice whitewater but I'm guessing the bait wasn't as thick as it had been. Still a gorgeous night out there!

[DarkSkies]

It was a quick trip but I stuck it out an extra 30 minutes just thinking about DS hollering at me to "change the profile", "get it lower in the water column", "slooooooooow it down dude!"

I think in some states that hollering can actually be qualified as mental abuse.

I know I'm harsh with people sometimes....but that's the way I learned a lot of things....getting yelled at...there weren't too many things patiently explained to me when I was growing up....

I thank you for the kind words, but as I said previously, it's your persistence that will get you those fish...
and that's something that some folks have, and some don't...you seem to have good amounts of that quality, eltosoro....your parents must have instilled that in you when you were growing up....good for them.,...and you....

[DarkSkies]

Back to the fishing....it's been my experience where the mullet are thickest the bass focus on them...if you are at a place that was on fire the night before, and there are no mullet, not even a few....it's gonna be tough to even get that one bump.
That can be very frustrating.

I think it's also appropriate to say here that I'm noticing a lot less fish around. It used to be very easy for me to find bass at night. Now I know more than I used to, and am still killing myself at night to find a bass or 2....

I don't buy what some people say about the water still being warm. Although the migration has not really started, even in the "fish highway" areas the catches from the surf are down this year.

Montauk never really had a good spring surf run this year. The fall run last year wasn't that great by historical standards.

The Mass Canal, another indicator of overall health of the fishery, produced fantastically this Spring for some guys I know who fish there. The chief complaint some of them are telling me is the inconsistency, even during the "hottest" bites.

Some friends just got back from fishing there. Although bass to 35# were caught 2 weeks ago and there were a few days of good fishing, my friends did poorly up there....and these are guys who are not new, some of them live for fishing....

Tomorrow may be different, guys may start bailing 30# fish both at Montauk and the Ditch....
but most of the guys who go, and fish the right tides at night, are catching schoolies and teen bass...

To me, that doesn't indicate a healthy fishery overall...
And it's also supported by the fact that some of us still have to work very hard for a few bass at night, unless we have pods of bait in front of us...










It didn't use to be that way....
A lot of folks seem to have forgotten that 6 years ago the fishing was much better.
8-10 years ago the fishing seemed twice as easy as it does now....

You can atttibute some of this to temperature, forage concentrations, and seasonal variations...as some do.,..
but I'm seeing less bass overall., and am working harder to catch a few than I ever did....

Food for thought....people..even though I probably turn folks off when I write paragraphs like this...I feel these things need to be said...so we don't lose sight of how good it used to be just a few short years ago....

More reading on this, in this thread here.....
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...***+assessment

[rip316]

Fished 2 monmouth county jetties Tuesday evening. First jetty had loads of bait with decent size bluefish on them. Threw small swimmers, metal, needlefish and poppers. Had a couple boils but that was it. Very difficult fishing as the wind was really stiff out of the South.
2nd jetty was void of life when I was there but I did here of a guy saying he got a really nice 15lb bluefish out of the pocket. Probably would have caught if the wind wasn't as strong as it was. Water was also stained.

[finchaser]

This AM released 14 bluefish 5 to 7 pounds all on bucktails with chartreuse twister tail

[rip316]

This AM released 14 bluefish 5 to 7 pounds all on bucktails with chartreuse twister tail

I hate you. Hahahahha. Just kidding Pops.

[finchaser]

thanks appreciate it^^^^^^^

[DarkSkies]

I hate you. Hahahahha. Just kidding Pops.

I know you're just busting the Grouch's ballz, but the truth is he's a fishing machine....he can outcatch most guys fishing from land...and his friends who have boats all want him on board for the tourneys they fish...

The subtle things he does, from many decades of experience, are just little things, but they pay off....

So when ya read he got 14 fish, or 22 fish, or 25 fish,,,there's a little acronym called YMMV....Your Mileage May Vary...









********
The Old Grouchy Basstid,,, and the (Less) Old Grouchy Basstid...

Fished with the OGB last night looking for some bigger bluefish.
The mullet we were looking for were few and far between, as a result there was no sustained bite.

We each managed a handful of larger blues to 9#..... and a short bass, the only bass of the night....
Of course, he outfished me. ...as it should be......Always an education watching the Grouchy Basstid, and hearing the stories, tons of stories.

We fished small plugs, mullet and spearing profiles. It was humbling to see even the Mighty Finchaser had quite a few missed fish as these bigger blues do not seem to be as aggressive hitting plugs at night when the primary forage is small bait.

He also got chopped a few times fishing rubber, but no hookups.
As I mentioned, these bigger blues are very picky and fishing for them at night with artificials, for me, is more challenging than fishing for bass right now.

If you were fishing mullet you could probably fill a wheelbarrow with these bluefish, but not with artificials....

The fish fed for about an hour, and that was it...
Always a pleasure to have the opportunity to fish with one of NJ's best old school surf pros....


After he went home I went to the ocean to try to find a bass or 2..
Wrong stage of the tide, bottom of a full moon tide...I wan't optimistic. Even less optimistic as I couldn't mark any bait at the places I stopped at...as I said, wrong tide stage....

Still, I have to be out there during the full moon.
No mater how much experience you gain, there is always more to learn.

Full moon scouting at night.....It gives me a chance to see what has changed and poke and prod looking for different kinds of forage.

Made 4 separate stops, fished all levels of the water column,,,,not a touch for me.

[finchaser]

Ran into DS last night caught around 8 blues to 9 or 10# and a lone bass all released, all on plugs, oops forgot to match the profile. Was a fun night just as long as I kept DS down wind of me.


Fished this AM released 2 bass and 6 blues to 5# all on bucktails which had a bad hair day and are bald.

[porgy75]

Ran into DS last night caught around 8 blues to 9 or 10# and a lone bass all released, all on plugs, oops forgot to match the profile. Was a fun night just as long as I kept DS down wind of me.


Fished this AM released 2 bass and 6 blues to 5# all on bucktails which had a bad hair day and are bald.

If they had a bad hair day am assuming they hit the buctails real hard? That is amazing that they are such savages in the daytime and so picky at night. nice catches guys!

[storminsteve]

Haha great going fellas. I gave nomoco some time before work this morning. Surf looks pretty good and fishable. Fished from 4-6am on the incoming tide. Only one blue on a small ava.

[buckethead]

Caught the skunk this am in Mo Co.

[chas527]

fished the hook this morning .7 blues 2 small fluke 8sea robins.all on mullet.