NJ Fishing Reports for November 2013...www.StripersAndAnglers.com

[fishjay]

The OFFC went to NOMOCO yesterday. After trying many spots we settled on on spot with no people around. after trying for an hour or so some bait and birds appeared in front of us.
One of us hooked up and out of the sand came about 20 of our closes friends. They really wanted to say hello badly and almost didn't allow my friend to land his fish . This fiasco lasted about 15 minutes and my freinds did catch about a half dozen small bass. Finally it was over and almost dark and our freinds faded back in to the sand where they came from.

We then could go back to fishing unmolested which was what we were hoping for. By this time it was dark and we started to throw bomber plugs and low and behold we got lucky and had a good pick of bass to 18# for about an hour. It felt really good to get rid of the skunk that had been riding with us for a long time.

[porgy75]

The OFFC went to NOMOCO yesterday. After trying many spots we settled on on spot with no people around. after trying for an hour or so some bait and birds appeared in front of us.
One of us hooked up and out of the sand came about 20 of our closes friends. They really wanted to say hello badly and almost didn't allow my friend to land his fish . This fiasco lasted about 15 minutes and my freinds did catch about a half dozen small bass. Finally it was over and almost dark and our freinds faded back in to the sand where they came from.

We then could go back to fishing unmolested which was what we were hoping for. By this time it was dark and we started to throw bomber plugs and low and behold we got lucky and had a good pick of bass to 18# for about an hour. It felt really good to get rid of the skunk that had been riding with us for a long time.

Wow great report 18 pounds I would be happy right now catching one bass at 8lbs! ds talks about you on here all the time and says you wont give up. Great job on the catching. Since you were mugged its even sweeter that you caught and they didn't. Hope to meet you on the beach one day. Thanks for the report. Maybe there is still some hope.
fished 2 days and nights this weekend. Fri I went to island beach. did a lot of walking and casting. Nothing but a few shad on a bomber. Today I fished sandy hook south to belmar.It was like no one was home in the surf. I saw tons of people fishing and no one hooking up. Fished from 4-12 tonight. Fished lures, rubber shads, tryed a bucktail, and also some vision eels. How could things be so bad that I couldn't even get a bump? You are right there are not even some small fish around. If this keeps up I might not get a keeper. I just want to get one nice striper and then ill be happy.

[robmedina]

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes! I did manage to get the tailgate open and get my stuff out.

Short Version- I got skunked again!


Long Version- I hit the surf sunday morning at 4am worked my way down into IBSP. It was crowded. My buddy Mike and I managed to find a spot further down which after a few minutes became our only little stretch. Casting practice up until about 7:30 when the action started picking up. There were boats out about 1/8 mile and we could see them hooking up and landing bass. Mike kept saying- we should go back to his house and get his kayaks. anyway- a school of shad starts busting sand eels in front of us. I try hooking up with one of them to at least bend the rod. Nada.

Mike snaps his needle off ( he has lost the same SS needle about 3 times this fall due to snap offs) so he ties on a yellow school bus jointed bomber. he threw that for awhile and then hooks up but looses it. then 20 minutes later hooks up again and lands a 13.5lb bass. As he was dealing with his bass on the beach- there was a pod of bass right in front of me hitting the sand eels. I threw a bone SP minnow (as that what I had tied on) then switched to a tsunami sand eel. not a touch! so frustrating.

I did not see anyone else with fish, as we got many looks on the long walk back to the truck. Mike weighed it in at Betty and Nicks- there were at that time 10 weigh ins.

[surfstix1963]

All rats on the beach in NY w/ very few keepers.Nice fish SH.And at the rate things are going you had a good day Fin.

[Blazin420]

Fished ALOT of hours this weekend with very poor results!! Fished IBSP with a group of guys..I stayed down sat night at the motor lodge and fished the N end of the island walked and walked and walked from 8pm till 12am not a thing!! Water was calm and it was clean..So get up in the am meet the guys about 530 on the beach by 6 and by 630 birds and bass rolling in front of me i thought FINALLY gonna get some fish..Well i managed to hook up when they were close hooked up with a good fish but my drag wasnt set right(from not catching a bass in 5 trips)So i dropped him next cast i find a short about 26-27in on a SP..had 5-6 guys land some nice keeper size fish by me..After that they were gone only lasted about 15mins maybe enuff time to get 5 good casts in and POOF gone!!The boats were all over about 150yrds off the beach..For the next 1hr or so fish were swirling here and there in the wash just couldnt hook up..This happened in a few spots on the island at first light but that seemed to be the bulk of the action!! A few of the guys in the group got some decent fish but nothing spectacular..So we BS'd on the beach for a while but the action was gone ...it was a morning of mostly casting practice!..I went for some breakfast..and decided to hit a few towns N of IBSP..Water was right conditions were right but i still skunked out! While out there i was thinking of falls past in this spot, and like you guys mentioned above, i used to go here and catch short after short on a day like today the fish would be in the 24-27in and there were alot of them then..This year i have not see ANY small fish AT ALL!! The large majority of fish have all been 28 or better..Not a good sign at all its getting me a bit worried about the next few years doesnt look good! No small fish and all the big gurls are getting taking....So my weekend was kind of a bust 1 short and a dropped fish for well over 12hrs of fishingIm the worst!!! Hahaha....

Oh the highlight of the day was while me and 3-4 other guys were BSing on the beach we see this lady struggling with her rod,it looked like she was snagged pulling and backing up on the beach we all thought "she is snagged or has a big ole skate"..Her cast before this could not have gone more than 20ft into the wash..So next thing you no she gets it in wouldnt ya no it was 20lb BASS!!! I was amazed she didnt snap the line..But here is the kicker......She was DEAD STICKING A PINK FIN S on a fishfinder rig!!!! I wouldnt have belived it but saw it with my own eyes and we even went up and asked her what she was using!! Unreal!! That was a first for me to see!!! She weighed it in at B&N the video is on his site!! Proves i **** even more lol!!

[DarkSkies]

s. I threw a bone SP minnow (as that what I had tied on) then switched to a tsunami sand eel. not a touch! so frustrating.

Rob, IMO in the past it has been a pretty sure thing fishing the sand eel bite as long as you give them the right presentation. I think one variable that some may not realize is that even though the bass are gorging on the eels. they are also chasing rainfish in the very near surf zone at first light. I'm not saying this is exactly happening where you fished, but often we are not aware of the abundant schools of rainfish at this time. I had to point them out to a fisherman today because he didn't think they were there....They were, just not many fish feeding on them. Rainfish are more abundant than they have been in the last few years (for the Fall)....

I feel (JMO) that it makes presentation difficult when they are really keyed in on the smaller rainfish/bay anchovies....and on Sat felt your same frustration.

Fished ALOT of hours this weekend with very poor results!!
.....For the next 1hr or so fish were swirling here and there in the wash just couldnt hook up..

This happened in a few spots on the island at first light but that seemed to be the bulk of the action!!

.....While out there i was thinking of falls past in this spot, and like you guys mentioned above, i used to go here and catch short after short on a day like today the fish would be in the 24-27in and there were alot of them then..This year i have not see ANY small fish AT ALL!! The large majority of fish have all been 28 or better..Not a good sign at all its getting me a bit worried about the next few years doesnt look good!

No small fish and all the big gurls are getting taking....!!

I had the same thing happen to me on Sat....Blazin, we both know how to catch fish..but for me it's even more embarassing when the fish are there and I'm trying frantically to dial in to that type of bite, for that particular day. I felt like a failure on Sat as I knew time before sunrise was limited...and I searched for the one thing they would hit.....feeling very lucky to manage 2 short bass before the bite ended just as quick as it started...
It was a very humbling experience......

Some friends who fish for them every day said
a. one day last week, there were a lot of fish...and they wouldn't touch artificials or flies in that specific area
b. and yet, the next day, they were hitting pencil poppers and big pike spoons....





Nice reports from the rest of ya's as well....
MikeO and Blazin, those were great stories you shared......it's the bizarre and unusual that sometimes keep us coming back...

[DarkSkies]

**************
Last night was a severe barometric drop of 0.6...a very significant drop (more on that in another thread)
I knew I had to be out there....fished in the rain and darkness,...getting cold and slightly wet despite my rain gear as the bulding S winds drove the rain sideways......

7 hour trip...
There was a limited 15 minute feeding window at first light....bass again feeding at my feet...only one other angler and I out there.....him being a fly fisherman and having a competent understanding of presentation and profile...neither of us could catch a bass...or even tempt a missed hit....

In the blink of an eye it was over......



** Some of ya's have made some very valid points about the sizes and quantity of bass we are seeing, more on that in another thread...

[hookset]

Great stories blazin and mike. Fished somoco from 5-8am. ds I'm jealous. I didn't even have a 15 minute window. there was nothing going on at all. Total deadness. Water a little dirty from the storm or the dredgers.