Need Info On Raritan Bay

[TrentonMakes]

Headed out of WWoodbridge this afternoon and would like to know the conditions ofthe bay.

They're callingfor rain, possibly heavy at times, but my mainconcern is I'm going out in a 16ft bass boat.

Yes I know, but its all I got and I wanna fluke and have the day off. Worse case I can stay in the back and fart around with snapper blues orsomethin, but really lookin to get up around the mouth ofthe bay by the hook.

Thanks in advance for any info!

[Treebeard]

The forcast calls for East wind 15-20..Worst direction for making the bay snotty.. Combine that with an outgoing tide after noon, and you got the makings of a miserable washing machine this afternoon.. I personally would'nt be out there in a bassboat.. Maybe consider launching up in the Navesink or Shrewsbury and fishing the river.. You may even get enough protection from the E wind to fish out along the inside of the hook.. But I would stick to the river today in that boat.. Good luck and be careful..

[rob]

If you stay up near the amboys and don't try the reach, you may do ok.

mid day high outgoing you could try the morgan creek channel.

[TrentonMakes]

Guess I should clarify, I am geographicaly challenged :D

I heard of them places but no idea where they are.

The sun is starting to break here, andstill headed out, leaving at noon.

Hopefully it won't be too bad, if anything i can learn the area a bit for next time. I've been out thereseveral times on a buddys boat,but this is the 1st time on my own. Need to get my bearings, and pick out some landmarks.


Tell you what,

If you see a couple guys in a maroon lowes, bass boat out by the bay, give a hollar. That'll be my crazy ass out there.

Gonna push that lil boat as far out as I can today, and hopefully get a few fish. In the least I will leran the water and some ofthe area as well.


Thanks again for theinfo guys!

[rob]

From where are you launching?

Let me clarify: you need to be fishing the channels. once the bay heated up, for the most part you will find the fish in, or on the edges, of the various
channels throughout the bay.

You need a chart, or GPS w/same. or you can go to various known channels and work drifts across or parallel to (of course *not* staying in
the channel unless *ready* to move)

and there are some "in close" channels that will produce. Morgan creek is one such. Belford another for example.

[TrentonMakes]

Woodbridge, believe its the raritan river.

[TrentonMakes]

My buddy has a chart, that should help!

Exactly what I was thinking of doing if we can't get out front.

[rob]

ok, then you'll run down river to the bay, and should fish the various nearby channels.

As stated, I don't think you'll want to go too far out with the conditions in that boat.

Enjoy, post a report!

[TrentonMakes]

Gonna go as far as i can:D

will do on the report, that is if we survive the day....lmao

ahhhhhhhhhhhh

should be fine, sun is shining, starting to warmup, gonna be a beautiful day.

thanx again

[Seaclusion]

You are a braver man then I am. I wouldn't be caught outside the bay in a bass boat. I had an 18' fiberglass bass boat before and know what it was and wasn't capable of. I wouldn't be out there unless they said 1' or less because you never know how wrong they will be. You can always stay in the back or more protected areas but the fishing may not be as good.

[Treebeard]

Mike ..Rain is the least of your worries.. a quick look at the conditions at Ambrose tower shows an East wind blowing a steady 18kts.. gusting to 21..East...right into the mouth of the bay..tide going out..which means it will stand that bay up on it's ear.. Lowe bassboat= VERY low freeboard..If i was hoping to enjoy myself, I would not be out there in my 28' WA.. (safe, but surely unpleasant).. May god protect you in the Reach if you ever make it there in that boat today.. Please be careful and wear a life vest if you insist on trying the bay..

[Randy @BayMarine]

well a current... up-date from Sandy Hook bay ,,:eek:, FOG :eek: Hope he has radar & a good GPS on that baby!

[TrentonMakes]

Its nice to see ya'll worried about me:o

I'm sure glad i didn't read all that before i left, LOL

Was pretty foggy, but not very bad, could see 500 yards or so.

My intent was to fish the mouth of the bay,"out front", but I never made it there. It was pretty choppy when we first got there, I'd say 3-4ft swells, lotta whitecaps.

Took it slow, and fished just above the bridge and scooted to the right behind a few sailboats, behind a train bridge,"the bridge actually swiveled to let bigger boats pass, rather than lift up like a drawbridge", thought that was pretty cool.

Picked up a few fluke back there, with 2 keepers, rest were shorts. Marked alot of bait all over! Also had a few shorts right infront of the sailboats also.

About 4 pm the wind died, and the bay calmed down a bunch, thought about heading out to the mouth,but the conditions when i 1st got there, and the threatening clouds, and the constant rumble of thunder, I decided against that. Not that crazy!

Wasn't able to roam around as much as I'd hope too and learn the area but i did learn a lil. Boat actually did pretty well considering the conditions.

Will definitely do it again, hopefully this weekend, weather permitting I WILL get to that mouth one day in that boat.

[BigJoe777]

Was out yesterday in the reach,calm in the morning,then lookout,the wind picked up and i got out just in time.Big swells coming into my 18CC.Wasted all that gas going to the reach to pick up shorts,got back to the sailboat area in keyport to pick up 3 nice keeper fluke at 20 inch.

[TrentonMakes]

ok, where is the "reach",?

It was pretty nasty,from noon till about 4-5 pm, and then it calm down a bunch, at least in the raritan river area.

still feel it beat a day at work, plus it was a warm wind blowin, notlike its october guys!

[Treebeard]

ok, where is the "reach",?

It was pretty nasty,from noon till about 4-5 pm, and then it calm down a bunch, at least in the raritan river area.

still feel it beat a day at work, plus it was a warm wind blowin, notlike its october guys!

Glad you had a nice day and came home safe.. Grats on grabbin a couple keepers! The Reach is the Channel that runs East-West from the back of the bay to about the Navy Pier

[fishindick]

I fish in the Raritan all the time in my 17' Ranger Fisherman. I'ts like a walleye boat rather than a straight up bass boat but it's glass and heavyer than your boat. Anyhow, I stay home if I hear there's a consistant wind over 15kts for sure. Even 10 get's a little tiring.
I launch out of Keyport and I fish around the hook regularly. the worst of it is usually the boat traffic. I only go out there during the week. Too many boats on the weekend for us little guys.
One thing you will find is that you can use the trolling motor to keep moving with the drift regardless of the wind, so even in a wind against tide situation you can power drift quietly and catch fluke all day long.
It's also a great rig for chasing schools of blues around the bay when they're beating up on the bunker, which is somewhat absent this year.
If you go out this weekend, I don't suggest the hook area. The weather has been turbulent, there will be two hundred boats buzzing around and you'll only catch shorts and robins.
Try working the channels around the triangle area, you'll see a big lighthouse there, it's the western end of the bay. It's called the triangle because there are channels that form a triangle, but they're not all equally big or deep, so follow the geography.
Of course you could always pull up with the nearest fleet.

If you're launching out of the Woodbridge public ramp, it's in the Kill and that area borders Staten Island. NY has a 20' limit on fluke I think and I've heard of people getting approached there by NY authorities and boarded to check their catch. I only heard this 3rd hand though. I wouldn't be there with a 19" fluke personally.

Good Luck, maybe I'll see you out there soon enough, but not tomorrow.

[TrentonMakes]

Well hows that work?

In the deleware river, they go by what state you launched from, or what bank your fishing on. If I remember correctly, only when you go into a channel or creek, or break themouth of them are you to follow that states laws.

Not sure if the bay is the same, but if I'mfishing the middle of the bay that borders NY and NJ, I should follow NJ law, as I am a resident, and I am launching from the NJ side.


I'll keep an eye out for ya, would be nice to see ya out there sometime.

Im in a maroon Lowes boat, has an electric winch on the bow. Should be easy to spot,I'd be the guy out somewhere I prolly shouldn't be......LOL

[B-Unit]

You should really get a map of the bay because the NY ,NJ line is pretty screwy on the water. If you fish the reach you need to be out at almost buoy 12 to be in jersey.and i believe the arthur kill is considered NY. As for where you launch i dont think it really matters its where your fishing and once you have 18" fish you cant fish in ny waters. Watch for fish and game when your cleaning up at launch they are usually on foot in parking lot.

[Fishin' Finn]

Remember to be legal where you fish, as well as where you have to go. If you fish in NJ and get a 19" fluke, which is a keeper, but you cross over the NY line to go up the Arthur Kill, you are violating the law and are subject to a fine.

As a result, if the NY rules are more stringent, I might fish NY first before I fish NJ, so that I am legal where I catch the fish, and where I have to be to get back to port, in NJ.

[Fishin' Finn]

You should really get a map of the bay because the NY ,NJ line is pretty screwy on the water. If you fish the reach you need to be out at almost buoy 12 to be in jersey.and i believe the arthur kill is considered NY. As for where you launch i dont think it really matters its where your fishing and once you have 18" fish you cant fish in ny waters. Watch for fish and game when your cleaning up at launch they are usually on foot in parking lot.

Several years back, I did not have a chart on paper or GPS to show the state border between NY and NJ. I happened to be at the boat show at the Jacob Javits Center in NYC, and I pressed the NY Conservation Officer as to the state line. After several months, I received a response relating to treaties, etc. going back to the 1800's, which I cannot find right now, but I made notes, as follows as to the line from Romer Shoal to the Great Beds Light:

Romer Stone Beacon: 40 degrees, 30 minutes, 46.85 seconds N
74 degrees, 00 minutes, 50.05 seconds W
to:

Permanent Monument: 40 degrees, 28 minutes, 33.47 seconds N
74 degrees, 13 minutes, 32.01 seconds W
to:

Great Beds Light: 40 degrees, 29 minutes, 11.98 seconds N
74 degrees, 15 minutes, 12.26 seconds W

I don't recall how it goes from Great Beds Light up the Arthur Kill. East of Romer Shoal the line continues through Buoy 7 Ambrose Channel to the east side of Ambrose Channel, and parallels the channel out to sea.

I will post the info when I find it.