Point Pleasant canal & Manasquan Inlet 5/01

[wink_man]

The bluefish that were around over the weekend and Monday, are now pretty spotty at best, very few being caught in either place. Blackfish are biting on moving water, I watched a friend of mine take 4 in an hour from 15 to 19 1/2 inches on crab, at the north end of the canal yesterday afternoon(just in time to keep a limit of 4 till November).

The south end of the canal by the condos has stripers, mostly shorts, but a few keepers are being taken. Bluefish are in the mix also. Liveling herring, trolling or casting tsunami shad, and ping fin-s are working for the stripers, but that to is also spotty. I saw a guy take a keeper in a small boat yesterday morning at the south end of the canal livelining a herring, and a few guys cleaned up on short stripers at the Lovelandtown Bridge on pink fin-s the other night.
This morning, I had clam down on a bait rod, casting a shad, several other guys doing the same, and 2 boats livelining herring, and not a thing was caught at the south end of the canal by the condos.
Water is still on the cold side, it's going down to 40 at night, which isn't helping warm up the bay and river.
I have not heard of a weakfish caught in the canal yet, and I've been watching and fishing for them, just doesn't seem as they have arrived yet, despite being in Southern Barnegat bay and some in the Sandy Hook Bay area.

Garry

[Sam3]

Great report Garry. 

[IrishAyes]

Good report, great info. 

[ped579]

Thanks for the report Garry.  It has been a long winter and i guess we are all a bit antsy to get into fish any way we can.  I am going out this afternoon to try some flies behind IBSP.  Or maybe wait till dusk and see what happens on small top water plugs.

The reports I'm getting are stripers back there in pre-dawn and at dusk.  I will let you know.  It is so peaceful wading back there.

Happy Catching

Paul

[wink_man]

Thanks for the report Garry.  It has been a long winter and i guess we are all a bit antsy to get into fish any way we can.  I am going out this afternoon to try some flies behind IBSP.  Or maybe wait till dusk and see what happens on small top water plugs.

The reports I'm getting are stripers back there in pre-dawn and at dusk.  I will let you know.  It is so peaceful wading back there.

Happy Catching

Paul

Paul,
     There's also some big tiderunner weakies down there. Spoke to a writer for the Fisherman Magazine Monday evening at the inlet. He told of a guy catching a 16 pound weakie down by the sod banks. The guy kept the fish(freaking moron), and he told this guy how it was spewing out eggs as they were weighing it. Great trophy, and he only killed a couple of thousand weakfish for the future in the process. I personally, never keep a weakie over 6 pounds, the spawners are to valuable a resource, for a unique and scarce fishery most years, but I always did do things a little differently. Besides, the smaller ones are better eating, quality seems to degrade with size in my opinion.

I may go back to the canal this afternoon, after I get done playing Mr. Mom and get the laundry done.

Garry 

[SharkHart]

Good detailed report.

The weakies are in the back  we've had them for over a week, not many though, the water there is deep deep so a little chilly.  the point of dog beach is worth a look see if you got waders, before the boats start up anyway.

I let mine go also but the various contests and prizes make it hard for guys to release.  If you wanna look at this way the 15 probably was gonna die anyway.  i had a 14 last year and its fangs were just tiny bumps from old age.  Stocks on small fish seem good but the damage from 5 years ago is still hurting the big uns.

[ped579]

I am going to try and get out Friday and see what happens.  I have a window of about 5 hours so I just might see what happens if the rain holds up.