raritan bay and ocean area temps

[finchaser]

OK but my friends who fish there nightly said the water temps when they take it was 38 to 40 and void of life. Really makes no never mind to me as I don't fish there not into clams and commando fishing. Looks to me on your chart nights are in the low 40's and daytime highs rise, then again it has to do with water depth and in that area what flows down the rivers on the tide .The water went up to almost 55 degrees today according to them another 10 degree rise. Remember you are on the moon tide at low tide the extremely low waters warm quickly and give a semi false reading which drops like a rock on the flood tide. Should be in the 80's by the weekend. I'm not grouchy just report what I see or hear to try and help people as DS asked me to

[bababooey]

OK but my friends who fish there nightly said the water temps when they take it was 38 to 40 and void of life. Really makes no never mind to me as I don't fish there not into clams and commando fishing.

Finchaser no disrespect meant but I understood you to be a guy who doesn't fish bait. Yet you have friends who fish there nightly. Would they be using clams? From your posts I understood that you didn't associate with anyone who fishes bait, so why the friends who are clam fishers.
It makes no difference to me as I will fish clams bunker or whatever else it takes it put them in the boat, just curious?

[finchaser]

No disrespect taken. No they are plugging,I associate with many people that fish bait some from this sight. I just don't fish with them when they use bait but have been known to plug next to them. Many times this time of year, fish will hit a plug or rubber worked slow over clams because they are chasing herring and other bait that the bass push north as the waters warm. Remember the bass stay with bait schools to survive, they don't chase clams. Plugs also cover more water.

Now to try and cure your curiosity:

Before the new breed of bass fisherman arrived on the scene clams were only fished after strom's in the surf,when they broke up and covered the beaches before the inshore clamming fleet wiped most of them out. Many beaches had to be closed until they could clean up the clams because of the stench, flies and health risks.

The preferred spring bait in the bays and rivers was blood and sand worms which were dirt cheap. Sand worms were like $10.00 a flat (12 dozen). Anglers put 2 and 3 whole worms on at a time on a 4/0 hook . Most people use clams today because they are much cheaper than worms .

The preferred boat method in the spring was drifting a whole worm on a 3' leader with a dipsey sinker just heavy enough to reach and bounce bottom. This was done in the rivers or channels in the bay. Caught quite a few 20 to 30 pound fish that way in the 60's and 70's. Big weakfish in the 10# to 18# range were common a little later on.

Hope this cures your curiosity

By the way live lining bunker ,eels and( herring when we were allowed to)from a boat on a circle hook for easy release is still one of favorite things to do. That's my idea of bait fishing not slinging snot.

[ledhead36]

The preferred spring bait in the bays and rivers was blood and sand worms which were dirt cheap. Sand worms were like $10.00 a flat (12 dozen). Anglers put 2 and 3 whole worms on at a time on a 4/0 hook . Most people use clams today because they are much cheaper than worms .

The preferred boat method in the spring was drifting a whole worm on a 3' leader with a dipsey sinker just heavy enough to reach and bounce bottom. This was done in the rivers or channels in the bay. Caught quite a few 20 to 30 pound fish that way in the 60's and 70's. Big weakfish in the 10# to 18# range were common a little later on.

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Thanks for the memories finchaser. Sand worms $10/flat, weakfish 10-18lbs, sounds like a land far removed from the nj we know now.
The bay temps went up to 54 yesterday, are now around 47. It can only get better from here.

[Monty]

The bay temps went up to 54 yesterday, are now around 47. It can only get better from here.

Is this any where near normal for this time of the year?

[ledhead36]

monty not to my knowledge. The March bay temps are usually in the range of 35-45 according to my logs. The last time things were this warm this quickly was around 2006. This year we didn't have snow in the area, so I would think that has a lot to do with it. Maybe someone else here has some other figures?

[finchaser]

abnormally low tides from moon and wind the temps as per there site are being taken in like 2-3 which warm and cool quickly main thing it's void of life except for spanish speaking folk as it was told to me.