are you fishing the Barnegat reef site at all..
That area is really not my cup of tea this time of year. I will sometimes make a drop on some of the choice bottom now and then especially after a good blow. Their are fish on it ,its just they are spread out a little to much for the types of trips I run.
I did read report of a charter capt saying he had a 6 lb seabass and a cooler full of big fish from that area but never saw a pic .
If you plan to fish the area for seabass here are a few tips that may help.
1 Carry a very large variety of bait......it should include fresh clam, fresh clam and fresh clam. It also never hurts to have fresh clam onboard.
2 Not much happening on the open bottom unless you like skates and searobins. Stay on the structure. If the fluke are snappin stretch your drift if not stay on the structure.
3 check your drift line and reckon it. run down tide and mark as many piles of balls and tanks as you can locate and set a drift to hit a few of them.
4 If it ain't happening it ain't gonna happen. A slow grind can add up to a real nice box at the end of the day but no bite is a waste of time. Know when to pull the plug and try a different area or spot on the reef or get away from the reef.
This time of year I would say if you have expectations of going there an filling the cooler with big seabass you my be disappointed. If you are looking to get some action close to home and boxing dinner with the chance of some nice quality fish you will be happy. Hope this helped.
