Stripers & Anglers Education Series: Understanding Spring/ Fall Bass Migration for NJ/NY

[DarkSkies]

Chesapeake and Delaware Bay Bass....



These fish have finished spawning and are slowly making their way up the NJ Coast from the Cape May area,,,,,there are some nicer fish being caught down that way, but, (logically speaking) you can expect a time lag of a few days for these fish to hit the northern beaches....

Again, this is imprecise and hard to pin down exactly as not all giant schools of bass have traveled together this year as has been the traditional behavior....

What we have had is waves and waves of smaller bodies of fish....and determined anglers will still be able to pick some nice ones here and there......

Look for an increase in activity around the next full moon.... (May full moon)...

As a footnote to that, the bass are moving quicker than I thought (As I said much of this is based on conversations with folks who live in these respective areas and the hypotheses we come up with together)....but in the end it is all conjecture....

Some times we are right on the $$, other times we have to be aware that these are just predictions or armchair analysis, and can be a little off.


I encourage all those reading this, to keep a detailed log.
Not only of your catches but of the predator and bait migration patterns.

In time you will see how valuable that info becomes. I was able to zero in on a fantastic herring bite last week because of following such migrations.






Moving forward, I think it's fair to say that all the bass that would be spawning in the Hudson,. are in there now...
They will continue do their thing for the next 2 weeks at least, then drop down into the Bight, hungry as hell.

There are some nice waves of bass now along the NJ coast. However I feel that fishing will continue to be inconsistent as these fish are arriving in waves. If you are out there at the right time, surf or boat, you may have a fantastic day of fishing...


The bluefish action in the bays is shaping up to be some of the best inshore and surf action we have had in years. I'm very excited about this. Hope other folks are as well.


the bottom line is...bigger fish are moving along the coast now, and also migratiing through the Mud Hole to LI and further north....you can't catch these fish from behind a computer screen......good luck out there, people....

[nitestrikes]

the bottom line is...bigger fish are moving along the coast now, and also migratiing through the Mud Hole to LI and further north....you can't catch these fish from behind a computer screen......good luck out there, people....

Yes they are.
And you definitely can't catch them in front of a computer.

[skinner]

I encourage all those reading this, to keep a detailed log.
Not only of your catches but of the predator and bait migration patterns.

In time you will see how valuable that info becomes. I was able to zero in on a fantastic herring bite last week because of following such migrations.

Very good advice ds.

[porgy75]

What would you guys say about the bluefish in this migration? How do they fit into the puzzle. Do they travel together with the stripers? thanks

[porgy75]

I also had a question about stripers. I am trying to learn so please excuse me if it sounds stupid. I have read about 4 experts online today saying there is a big bunch of bass down in the southern part of nj. I guess that is what the guys in the waiting thread are waiting for? At what point to you know when the stripers are in NJ or somewhere else?

Also a Capt of a Charter boat said that the reason he is not catching now is that stripers haven't spawned yet. Which stripers would those be and how do they fit into the picture. Thanks for any help guys.