NJ fishing reports

We had some bass on Friday in huge bunker schools in Sea Girt and Bay Head. Bass were very early then dogfish made it impossible. They were also trolled straight out of Manasquan at the 3 mile line. Guys with small shad body umbrella rigs did really well on smaller fish (dozens). The guys pulling wire line and spoons got fewer but bigger fish.

I'm schedule for a haul out on Saturday. NW wind coming Thursday so there might be one more trip in me.
 
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SkunkBoat said:
We had some bass on Friday in huge bunker schools in Sea Girt and Bay Head. Bass were very early then dogfish made it impossible. They were also trolled straight out of Manasquan at the 3 mile line. Guys with small shad body umbrella rigs did really well on smaller fish (dozens). The guys pulling wire line and spoons got fewer but bigger fish.

I'm schedule for a haul out on Saturday. NW wind coming Thursday so there might be one more trip in me.
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I am scheduled to come out the Saturday after Thanksgiving most likely. Thinking that this coming Monday might be a good day to head out and give it one final go.
 
The weather is looking good for this Saturday also. Some wind in the morning but improving as the day goes on.
 
We did an afternoon trip Thursday in flat seas. Found short bass everywhere on the surface. The screen was lit up but dropping jigs only caught dogfish.
We were using light gear and small jigs (up high in the water)and one guy was using a popper. He caught fewer but they were smacking it with reckless abandon.
Lost count of how many caught.
These were the same fish we've been catching on the dock at night all year, so that's done for the year.
We got one surprise 20 something pounder in the mix so there are big ones out there.

Ran home in flat water at 43 mph. Pulling the boat Saturday.

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surprised they are not fatter... nice length!
 
Had a good trip on a friends boat in North Carolina. 10 yellowfin in five hour fishing trip all between 30 to 60 pounds. Waiting for the giant bluefin to get there.
 

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OK, kicking off NJ Fishing Report 2020 early with new Suzuki motors. :D
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Got a basket of green crabs and went Togging (Tautog aka Blackfish).

Tried Axel Carlson Reef and Sea Girt Reef -no luck
went in to "the red church" in Long Branch and had two 15 minute flurries in an otherwise painfully slow day
We had about 10 shorts and I had the lucky rod with 3 keepers just over the 15" mark.
We got one lone 23" cod on a green crab about a mile off the beach...you never know where they'll show up...


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this is a lame post with no pix but...
timeline;
planned to fish for seabass on Friday-opening day...then forecast changed to 3 to 5 - SW at 20knts

Limit is 10 per man @ 12.5 inches . We expected to limit early.

So we bagged Friday, went Wednesday afternoon because forecast was good but we couldn't keep seabass--- forecast was wrong, wind blew, fishing sucked bagged it after an hour....

Decided Sunday was The Day...Forecast was 2 ft or less, wind East 10 to 15kts (I already suspected that was not going to be 2 ft or less)

got out at sunrise. 2 to 3ft, wind E at 10knts. Pointed 090 toward Shark River reef 15 miles

Passing by Sea Girt reef at 5 miles I said " think we should try here first?" my expert crew said "go long, don't waste time"

Anchored on the Algol wreck at 15 miles. Bite almost non-existant. We caught 5 keeper seabass, 1 keeper cod, 1 throwback cod, 1 keeper pollack, 5 ling(red hake), and 5 silver eels(one as big as my leg, I swear...)

During this crappy fishing the wind kicked up to tight white caps... claw anchor dragged and we lost it in the wreck and we tried drifting other spots but then used our last grapple to catch the same wreck...then we lost that one too...

We ran in to Sea Girt reef and did nothing drifting.

Got back to dock and the word was "slow..but limit catches at the Sea Girt reef"


We Suck Fishing Team strikes again....



Oh, they are cathcing giant BFT off Rockaway reef at first light.
 
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Just found this thread and enjoyed reading the reports. I keep my boat in either OC MD or VA Beach but run out of the NJ Highlands on my brothers Regulator so I'm very familiar with this area and one day I may be able to add a report. Shrewsbury Rocks is about as far south as we'll go and we've made a few trips as far as the AP and Chicken with limited success but for the amount of time and effort the offshore hasn't really paid off for us up there.
 
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What a pleasant surprise to see someone else on this discussion. Tomorrow we will be heading out for the Blue fin tunas. Last week we tried for Black sea bass in both Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reef and trolled for Stripers as far up for us as Deal. Then the wind from the south picked up and we headed back home. Not too productive a trip but a very nice day out.
 
Finally got tuna blood on the deck this year.
One keeper and some footballs.
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Keeper was between Triple wrecks and Toms canyon on the way in.
Toms was loaded with little 5 pound footballs.
Got skunked at our "never fails" tilefish spot except for a 50 poud shark up from 450 feet.
 
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Got out yesterday. Left at 2:20 am ran to Triple Wrecks under a bright moon. Put lines out before 5 am, trolled east found whales. Got a 45" yellowfin on a purple daisy chain with ballyhoo. Enjoyed a whale show but no more bites. decided we were happy with one and left to find something to the east. water got colder, nothing east. so we ran to our Toms Canyon tilefish spot and limited out on bluelines. My brother got a monster 33" blueline. Wandered around on the way in, didn't find anything til we got back to the first whale spot(75 miles SE of Manasquan inlet). some guys still there still picking occasional YFT. We just pointed west and trolled to the Parker and then ran home.
Tilewave was out there in his 265 too and he got a nice yft in the morning.

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no fishing for a while due to tropical storm .
I was wondering what ever happened to the original poster Brown Eyed Girl?
I'm keeping it going and I hope more Jersey guys post here too.
I like that it keeps going because I can look back at dates and see when various species heat up or cool down and where I was catching them
 
Did I read correctly that you departed at 2:20AM? When did you get out of bed? Did you even go to sleep?

I'm lucky to get underway by 7:30AM when I do a run to the Keys from my home port.

This is inconceivable to me...Don't fish bite in the afternoon?
 
magicalbill said:
Did I read correctly that you departed at 2:20AM? When did you get out of bed? Did you even go to sleep?

I'm lucky to get underway by 7:30AM when I do a run to the Keys from my home port.

This is inconceivable to me...Don't fish bite in the afternoon?
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My wife tells me the same thing but for me it’s more about the wind conditions and boat traffic. I get my boat ready at 5am, get Dunkin’ Donuts and then wake my daughter and wife up at 545 To go fishing. I like to find a spot in the Bay before others.

If I could, I would start earlier but can’t see waking my 6yr old up any earlier. She is a champ though, goes to bed when I do and gets up every time without a complaint.
 
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