[The Reckoning]

Just returned from my last striper trip to south Jersey for the year, and caught the skunk. Fished each day since Wednesday and didn't get anything but a skate.

Fished behind WW, SH and Avalon, chunking clams......nothing. Fished off the Ferris wheel with bucktails.......nothing. Fished the sodbanks with poppers, bombers, flies, clams, bucktails.......nothing.

Water was very dirty in the main channels with tons of lettuce. Currents were wicked on Saturday, making the chunking a little difficult. All in all the most depressing end of season in memory.

Pulled both boats this weekend, so if I can steal a day in the next few weeks I'll be four-wheeling to the beach, or out on the sodbanks.

 

[egghead]

Time has been limited for me but I am not having a good fall.

I know the water was dirty but....
I fished off the ferris wheel on Friday and Saturday. Trolled in 25 feet of water over and over again. Tons of bait balls. One slot bass and a few blues.

I'm not hearing reports of people catching them in the forbidden land. Inlets have been OK at best and my sodbank trips have been a wash.

I'm really hoping the main body of fish is still well to the north.

 

[TWIN D'S]

do ya' really think the main run is still to the north? Plenty of migrants to 45lbs are showing at the CBBT to the south. It always seemed to me our large were caught by Thanksgiving? Any thoughts?

 

[hipkvw]

It aint over...not by a long shot. UNLESS the bait moves out.

 

[TWIN D'S]

Originally posted by hipkvw:
It aint over...not by a long shot. UNLESS the bait moves out.

I know it ain't over Keith, we've never quit, even when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. But do you believe the best fishing is in front of us or behind us??

 

[eelball]

a december to remember, is coming.

 

[egghead]

Phil,
I cannot even begin to explain the shot of big fish that shows up in the De every fall that seems to putter out around Tday. I know a Capt in LI who swears he can put you on all the 50# fish you want if you want to fish illegally. He claims to know a trench that runs roughly from Freeport to the DE that works.

Where all the 24-24" schoolies? Granted, my time has been limited the past few years but where are the massive schools that use to come down or the consistent decent size that used to be found on the sodbanks but seem to be missing the past two years?

I don't like ancedotal info and I am severly limiting my opinions to based on where I fish but....where are they? I hear still ujp north and I hope so.

 

[TWIN D'S]

Interesting. I hear ya' about the anecdotal info thing, just a snapshot of each location. The DE Bay has plenty of slots, and is/was loaded with the tweeners. It seemed we had a relative shortage of the 35-39 inch fish compared to previous years.

will be interesting to see what happens from here on out. Though, I gotta' say, I'll just be reading about it as I'm basically done.

 

[nospot2fsh]

I also have had bad fall fishing for stripers. I am going out Monday for the last time in TI. Hope I dont get grass like the last few trips. Once you get grass there, you might as well go home. Only caught 3 keeper stripers this year. This is as bad as my flounder season was. Hopeing for a better 2005. Time to send in my striper forms.

 

[hipkvw]

Originally posted by eelball:
a december to remember, is coming.

For US....Yes...the Bay guys...I dont think so...unless it stays mild.

 

[The Reckoning]

The water temp in the back actually rose by 3 degrees over the past 2 weeks. It was 49 degrees on the incoming tide near Hereford 2 weeks ago. Since last Wednesday it has been 51. Good temps, just poor fishing.

 

[Tip of the day]

I am still optimistic that out front, it really has not yet began to turn on. Although, I wish it had, because I would have been catching in the warmth. The fish usually show up in numbers out front when the rips begin to fade and also when the back bay chill is on. You'll be able to tell because the Cape May boats will opt to make the 15 mile run to fish off the beach. I have tried a few times out front and to no avail. It seems like they are either in the back, the inlets, or in very illegal waters. With strong reports of fish still up north, here's hoping they show up in force within 2 weeks.

 

[Capt Buck]

Originally posted by eelball:
a december to remember, is coming.

Yup, my thoughts exactly. Many blues and bigger bass being caught up north yet. Absent a big coastal storm,it could be like the December of a few years ago with the week long blue and bass blitzes in The Wildwoods.

[ 11-29-2004, 09:16 AM: Message edited by: Capt Buck ]

 

[hurler]

Many a bluefish and striper being caught up north. Water was 51.4 off Ship Bottom on Saturday. Season is a good two weeks late from last year. Hopefully they come down the beach before boats are pulled.

 

[NIGHTSTRIKES]

Good Point Hurler about the season being a good
two weeks late this year. By my accounts since
the Spring the entire season has been running
2-4 weeks behind the normal schedule..Whether
that was if your were targeting March/April Stripers,
April/May Weakfish and the Fall Run etc....
I blame it on the Weather here on the NE Coast,
especially the last two Hard Cold Winters we
have expericence here....

It's still promising to Hook up with some good
action over the next 4 weeks...You Just Have
To Put Your Time In... Water Temperatures are
right where they should be at this time,all
along the NJ Coast Yesterday Readings were in
the Low 50's..The Bait is Still Here,, In
Fact I Checked Out A Pretty Big Central NJ Bay
Over The Weekend and Peanut Bunker is Still
Just Hanging Out Back There. Bait Is Streaming Down The
Coast Out Front Rignt Now,, Any Difference in The
Wind and Weather Will Determine If They Stay
Out or Come In Close to the Beaches...

Days To Watch Over The Next Week or So
For The Land Based Fishermen -------

This Thur.12/2 & Fri.12/3 -- West Winds.......
Next Mon.12/6,Tue.12/7 & Wed.12/8 -- East Winds..

 

[nospot2fsh]

Fished again today at TI. Caught the incoming tide and part of outgoing. Got SKUNKED. No bites. Outgoing tide brought the grass. Left at 11 AM, came home and winterized the boat.

 

[Dr. Bass]

I caught stripers up to and including first week in January this year( last season). December is the best month IMHO.

Doesn't The Long Island Greek catch all the biggies in LI during December??

I hope there are plenty of cows left for my sake.

TI had plenty of bass this past weekend, a lot of slots.

Problem was the wind and no mid-day high tides. Water was dirty, a lot of weed.

All my fish were caught at night 8-midnight and early morning to daybreak. Daytime was a big skunkola. Surf conditions have been horrible froem what I have been told and experienced

 

[Dr. Bass]

Originally posted by TWIN D'S:
do ya' really think the main run is still to the north? Plenty of migrants to 45lbs are showing at the CBBT to the south. It always seemed to me our large were caught by Thanksgiving? Any thoughts?

I think it is RIGHT NOW to the next 2 weeks

 

[chunking]

Season has a long way to go yet if the weather doesn't take a total dump on us. I see more fish caught in the back now than I did a month ago.

Last Saturday I got to the dock at 5:30 and the water was flat. It looked like it was raining with the countless shiners that were on the surface. Yesterday morning two stripers were crashing bait right up against the dock.

On Sunday KrazyK was out back with clam bellies and had a dozen stripers and lost a few more. Another guy had his best day ever with 17 stripers up to 37 inches on Saturday. Yesterday a customer came down from Philly about 10am. Called at noon with 5 and had another on during his call to me.

When it stops we will take our rental boats out but that probably won't happen until the season closes on 12/31.

Grass has and always will be a problem in the back. Take some time and study the current and you can find the good spots. On Sunday KrazyK was fishing a narrow waterway about 150 feet wide just outside a deep feeder creek. This was like fishing at the end of a funnel. One striper and a ton of weeds. Pulled the anchor and moved across from the feeder creek. Current was much slower there and the weeds were almost eliminated. Had a constant bite after the move.

I hear there are still tons of fish up north. There are still tons of fish right in our own back yards. December is going to be a month to remember.

Heading out about 8am today. will let you know what happens.

 

[Dr. Bass]

Go get'em

Can you bring back a water temp