made it through my first time but have some questions.

[maldonw]

hey guys well took a ride down to point pleasant today by the long wall it was pretty full out there. didnt catch a thing but had a great time.i do have some questions seems that fluke was what most guys were catching today so i got some lures and bait from alex's bait shop (by the way they were very helpfull in getting what i needed to get started) my question is when i cast in should i let the it sink to the bottom or start reeling in as soon as it hits water? also i have heard the fishing is better during certain tides .how does that work ? and finally for those who have fished there is the current usually that strong in the inlet? i would cast out to my far right towards the ocean and within 1 minute the line would be way out to the left  . thanks for the help.

[fishon42]

 Maldonw,

 When the currest is moving left to right, cast out FARRRR left. When it is moving righ to left, cast out FARRRR right. I like slack tide, thats my favorite time to fish the wall. Fluke fishing, is bottom fishing. Your bait has to be on the bottom. Let it sink 3 or 4 seconds after it hits the water before you start retrieving it. Reel it in slow, or give it slow pulls, then give it a reel to get the slack. Use a single killie on your hook. That seems to do the trick at the Inlet, well for me at least. 3 OZ weight usually holds bottom even during the tide changing times. I use 2 or 3 oz. And yes the current usually is always ripping except of course between the tides during slack tide. I do pretty good there for fluke, but with the season coming to an end in 2 weeks, and salmon season coming up for me, I think im gonna call it quits, maybe squeeze a day out next weekend. Good luck out there, im sure others will give you some answers also 

[dikdanger]

its all about putten in your dues on the surf or on the water...      Good luck and keep on fishen...   


and when the fluke season is over... Get yourself a good setup and go for them stripers...  GOOD EATS...

[maldonw]

ok thanks for the info. now you said fluke will be out of season in 2 weeks and that should set up for stripers correct? can i fish that of the inlet as well? and i assume the lures and how to fish them is different as well? again many thanks for the help

[fishon42]

totally different set up, probably different pole too, and perhaps reel.. i dont know if you can catch them in the inlet, ur better off going on the beach at night or early early morning like 4 o clock and throwin poppers or sittin with clams or bunker... im not that big on striper fishin.. but others here are 

[IrishAyes]

This may be a long read, but it will be well worth it. Garry fishes the canal quite often and has very good pointer for fishing the canal. Not too far from the inlet.

http://njsaltwaterfisherman.com/forums/index.php?topic=7135.0

[Pfishingruven]

First of all welcome aboard!

The Inlet is a pretty tricky place to fish.  Definitely takes a few trips to get adjusted to just the way the currents, seaweed, boat traffic etc run.  Almost 100% of the time, there is some type of current, even at slack tide.  At other times it is very bad!!  When Inlet is packed, especially by iinexperienced anglers, buckle down, because you have to be on your toes...or you'll get hooked, snagged, tangled, etc...It is also very rocky on the bottom and there is a lot to get snagged in.

Now, for the good news...it is a great spot to fish!  Not extremely productive, however, it is the link between parts of the Barnegat Bay, the Canal and the Manasquan River to the Atlantic Ocean.  So, the fish HAVE to travel through there at some point or another...and they do!  If the wall in not productive, you can always try the rock jetty.  On both the Point Pleasant side and the Mansquan side you can fish the Ocean from the Jetty as well.  Just be careful, the rocks can be so slippery!  Also on the Squan side, lots of surfers in the daylight hours!  Although you might want to hook them, it would not be fun.  Manasquan/Belmar area is one of the best surfing areas in NJ!!

For fluke fishing, your best bet is going to be at least a 1oz or 2oz(maybe more) bucktail jig tipped with Gulp 4" Swimming Mullet in either Pink, White or Chartreuse.  You could also try the Gulp Shrimp in New Penny color.  A bucktail teaser is also an option with the Gulp on it as well.  The Gulp shrimp are working very well on the teaser, if you decide to fish that way.

You also have bluefish in there which can be taken on topwater poppers or metal lures.  Weakfish are a possibility as well, best bait is a bubblegum/pink 4" Fin-S or Zoom Fluke on a jig head.  Stripers like the topwater lures, metal lures, Fin-S in a black or the longer Sluggos or Eel and any of the Rapala swimming lures.  I have even used some lipless crankbaits back several years ago at the Inlet with some success.  Bait is also an option as well.

I scaled down my Inlet setup at the advice of several people on the list.  For strictly Canal fishing, I am using a 7ft MH Power Fast Action 1/2oz-2oz 12-25lb Rod(might not be exact..in the general area though.  Specs are not on the rod) with a spinning reel with 20lb Power Pro.  Works great!  Wouldn't change it at all....except maybe going a little lighter.  I haven't been up on the rocks lately, but you should be able to go with a similar setup out in the Ocean as well, unless you go with heavier lures or need heavier weights to hold bottom...then you might need a pole rated for higher!

Good luck and enjoy.  Feel free to ask any questions.  You will get honet, truthful answers here!  All of the other info is right on as well.  Just adding my $0.02!!

 

[maldonw]

First of all welcome aboard!

The Inlet is a pretty tricky place to fish.  Definitely takes a few trips to get adjusted to just the way the currents, seaweed, boat traffic etc run.  Almost 100% of the time, there is some type of current, even at slack tide.  At other times it is very bad!!  When Inlet is packed, especially by iinexperienced anglers, buckle down, because you have to be on your toes...or you'll get hooked, snagged, tangled, etc...It is also very rocky on the bottom and there is a lot to get snagged in.

Now, for the good news...it is a great spot to fish!  Not extremely productive, however, it is the link between parts of the Barnegat Bay, the Canal and the Manasquan River to the Atlantic Ocean.  So, the fish HAVE to travel through there at some point or another...and they do!  If the wall in not productive, you can always try the rock jetty.  On both the Point Pleasant side and the Mansquan side you can fish the Ocean from the Jetty as well.  Just be careful, the rocks can be so slippery!  Also on the Squan side, lots of surfers in the daylight hours!  Although you might want to hook them, it would not be fun.  Manasquan/Belmar area is one of the best surfing areas in NJ!!

For fluke fishing, your best bet is going to be at least a 1oz or 2oz(maybe more) bucktail jig tipped with Gulp 4" Swimming Mullet in either Pink, White or Chartreuse.  You could also try the Gulp Shrimp in New Penny color.  A bucktail teaser is also an option with the Gulp on it as well.  The Gulp shrimp are working very well on the teaser, if you decide to fish that way.

You also have bluefish in there which can be taken on topwater poppers or metal lures.  Weakfish are a possibility as well, best bait is a bubblegum/pink 4" Fin-S or Zoom Fluke on a jig head.  Stripers like the topwater lures, metal lures, Fin-S in a black or the longer Sluggos or Eel and any of the Rapala swimming lures.  I have even used some lipless crankbaits back several years ago at the Inlet with some success.  Bait is also an option as well.

I scaled down my Inlet setup at the advice of several people on the list.  For strictly Canal fishing, I am using a 7ft MH Power Fast Action 1/2oz-2oz 12-25lb Rod(might not be exact..in the general area though.  Specs are not on the rod) with a spinning reel with 20lb Power Pro.  Works great!  Wouldn't change it at all....except maybe going a little lighter.  I haven't been up on the rocks lately, but you should be able to go with a similar setup out in the Ocean as well, unless you go with heavier lures or need heavier weights to hold bottom...then you might need a pole rated for higher!

Good luck and enjoy.  Feel free to ask any questions.  You will get honet, truthful answers here!  All of the other info is right on as well.  Just adding my $0.02!!

 

thanks for the info im going to check out a different rod and reel for the stripers hopefully it wont be to costly since im buying for me and my nephew any rod reel recommendations are welcome

[pktaske]

There's lots of cheap salt water combos (rods/reels) you can pick at Wal Mart and the such that will serve you well as you learn.

[Pfishingruven]

There's lots of cheap salt water combos (rods/reels) you can pick at Wal Mart and the such that will serve you well as you learn.

I agree...I forgot to mention that.  None of my setups are extremely expensive.  My canal pole is a combo of hammy downs and cheap finds.  I think it cost me $35.  You can usually find decent combos at Walmart, Dick's, Sports Authority or even some local B&T...especially at the end of the season!

Good Luck!