NJ fishing reports

[Blaugrana]

Thanks for sharing...How many poles do you go out with? You really caught a pretty good range of species.

I finally made it out on Sunday and thought I planned well based on the forecasts minus the wind. However, it was choppier than I expected. Surprised how “calm” your pics look.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Thanks for sharing...How many poles do you go out with? You really caught a pretty good range of species.

I finally made it out on Sunday and thought I planned well based on the forecasts minus the wind. However, it was choppier than I expected. Surprised how “calm” your pics look.

NEVER TOO MANY! Always be prepared. Period.

Look at the tilt of the head boat behind me. He was rolling in a trough.
It wasn't "calm", just the angle going away...Photos never capture the sea state well. It was an honest wind blown 3 to 5 swell. About as rough as you would want to fish in a 26 footer (especially at 70 miles). Luckily it was behind us on the way in so we were dry at 27 mph

I think we got the long runs out of our blood unless we get a 3 day- 2ft or less forecast. We really want a swordfish on deck.

Seabass at the 20 mile reef site should be good and Striper fishing along the beach is about to get going strong. Bluefin tuna will be inside of 10 miles but really hard to catch. Its the fall finale ...get out there!

 

[SkunkBoat]

Many THANKS! to Capt Bob Bogan on the Gambler out of Point Pleasant Beach, NJ for this awesome shot of us landing a yellowfin on a spinning rod.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Fall Bass run is ON!!
We got out for the evening bite on reports from our dock buddies of stripers to 50 pounds.
Bite was off Long Branch, busting under birds. All action was on small jigs on the surface. Dropping caught dogfish.

I was using a Deadly Dick.

 

[leeccoll]

Deadly Dick you say??

Glad you are able to get out!!

#jealous

 

[trapper]

Do not have those beauties up my way. Are they like Ling Cod in texture and taste? Or something quite different? How do you prepare them for the table?

 

[SkunkBoat]

Do not have those beauties up my way. Are they like Ling Cod in texture and taste? Or something quite different? How do you prepare them for the table?

hehehe We don't have Ling Cod!
Striped bass is firm and white (but not pure white), not oily, not fishy (if you remove the red lateral junk).
Firmer than Atlantic Cod, not as white, not as flaky. A thousand times better than Pollack.

I like it as deep fried nuggets. It makes great battered fish & chips. It holds up in chowder and in red sauce.
We did not keep any of these though...I have a freezer full of tuna

 

[Keeldad]

Hey Skunk. Very Nice. Waiting for them to get a bit further South. What color and size Deadly Dick were you using?

 

[SkunkBoat]

Hey Skunk. Very Nice. Waiting for them to get a bit further South. What color and size Deadly Dick were you using?

4" silver with a large single hook. The work really well for casting and retreiving along surface and you can leave them back and troll to the next pile of birds.

 

[trapper]

Skunk thanks for the report on Stripers, The closest I got to a Striper was owning one of the boats an 1851 for few years.

 

[Keeldad]

Thanks for the info Skunk. This weekend doesn’t look too good with the remnants of the storm but we’ll see (That’s why we own Gradys). Hopefully they’ll stay inside 3 miles this year when they get to my area. Last year the bulk of them were just outside over the line.

 

[Blaugrana]

Tried live lining an eel today in the bay to see how it goes before taking my nephews on the boat and we head out front later this week.

However, hooking one through the lip was painful on flat waters. Any advice on how to do it? I tried bare handed and with a glove but it kept squirting away. I used to catch big ones back in the day that would just wrap around your arm and it was easy to unhook.

Also, any advice on live lining them? Just let them swim or put a weight to drop them a bit ?

 

[SkunkBoat]

Tried live lining an eel today in the bay to see how it goes before taking my nephews on the boat and we head out front later this week.

However, hooking one through the lip was painful on flat waters. Any advice on how to do it? I tried bare handed and with a glove but it kept squirting away. I used to catch big ones back in the day that would just wrap around your arm and it was easy to unhook.

Also, any advice on live lining them? Just let them swim or put a weight to drop them a bit ?

I rarely use live eels anymore but I did back in the tin boat day...

Don't keep them in water. Ice them! Use a bucket with holes so the water (and slime) drains out. They will not die out of water. They will be almost motionless until they warm up hooked and in the water.
Small non-offset circle hook (required by law now, by the way). Weight depends on depth, current, wind drift. I always used a small drail weight...maybe 1 oz...when fishing the RR bridge or Inlet. If the water is not moving you are wasting your time.

I always had more success with live Spot than with eels.

BTW - I make all my leaders just long enough so you can store your rod with the hook on the reel seat and the swivel short of the top eye.

 

[Blaugrana]

Thanks!

I’ll give that a try later this week. Someone asked the same question on Facebook and got the exact same response that you gave me.

Great advice on the leader length. I blindly made my hi-lo rigs without knowing that and had hooks sailing behind in the early summer when underway. Ended up shortening to do exactly what you said.

 

[Iceman2010]

Plan is to striper fish on Friday

 

[Blaugrana]

Same here...This weekend is my last before I pull it to start working on my laundry list of items.

Friday is looking good, fingers crossed!

 

[Iceman2010]

What area you fishing? I will be heading out of Barnegat inlet , I will pull boat week of Thanksgiving

 

[Blaugrana]

Heading out of Barnegat Inlet as well (keep my boat in Bayville). Thinking of just heading north a bit, but staying in that area. Plan is to hit the inlet right around 7AM in hopes that the traffic is on the lighter side.

Moving forward, I definitely will be waiting until the end of the month, but too much to do this offseason as this was my first year with the boat.

 

[Keeldad]

Planning on heading out tomorrow as well. I’m out of the GE Inlet and will head north. Not as far as Barnegat, probably stay off Brigantine. I don’t think they’re that far south yet but I plan on finding out. I’ll keep my boat in the water until well into December if the fish are still around.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Bite is still hot from Manasquan north. I might get out for an hour this evening.

Supposed to do a canyon overnighter Friday on a 30something' Topaz. If that doesn't pan out I'll take the 265.
Plan is to hit seabass at the Resor on the way out and then try Triple wrecks area for YFT and then overnight in the Hudson (maybe the Toms instead)