From the suds...

[ped579]

Pretty shots...

Right now there is a lull off the beach.  But get ready as it won't be long before the season gets interesting.

[Pfishingruven]

Anybody planning on getting out there or has anyone been out there today!  The surf is rough and the wind is just kicking out of the NE.  I heard reports of lots of bass and blues, but with Gale Warnings and waves to 8feet this afternoon, I don't know if it is worth even trying to fish.  I can't throw much over 3oz...at best.  Just curious to see if anyone has any first hand reports.

Tried to get out last night in the more optimal conditions and when I went to unload, my headlamp was no where to be found(insert 5 headbangers here!) and none of the B&T had anything to replace it...so I returned back home.  Couldn't find the thing here either(insert 6 headbangers here!)

 

[Pfishingruven]

Well, I gave in and headed out.  That was a big mistake.  I should have gone with my 1st thoughts of...stay home or hit the bay or freshwater with winds out of the NNE at 22mph with gusts up to 35mph!  ...But the catching reports were good and I gave in to temptation.  I headed to S SSP near 23rd and 24th Roads.  Was fishing by 1800 hrs on the incoming.  Surf was rough, waves 4-6 feet with some bigger rogue waves, strong undertow and water is really churned up and sandy again.  High tide eroded a 4-6 foot ledge of sand at the high tide line.  It's a bummer to get up and down in neoprene waders.  Handful of people fishing.  Not a day to walk and cast either, especially walking north into the wind!  It is not unfishable, but it is certainly a 10nbait dead sticking day/night.  I only stayed for about an hour after I was "assaulted" by someones fish finder rig and fishing line.

There are 127 miles of beach in the State of NJ.  How come, the last 3 weekends I have gone out, someone has to fish no more than 10 feet away from me??  It isn't like I am catching fish !  A group of people came onto the beach about an hour after I started fishing, stood up at the high tide line on the sand ledge and casted from there...no more than 10 feet from me and were surprised when the 22mph winds took there setup and hit me and wrapped me in their line.  They had waders on too.  I thought waders were for when you wade, not stand 50 feet from the water and chuck??  People need to use common sense.  I don't think the best caster in the world with 10oz could cast out in an absolute straight line tonight.  You need to give people room.  My 3oz lures were coming up about 20-25 feet south of where I was standing...which means you need to be AT LEAST that far away from anyone else!!

I was nice about and didn't lose my cool, but I almost cut the line !!  I was getting ready to call it quits anyway, so I happily gave them my spot, which they obviously wanted!!

Good luck if you head out.  Bundle up and be ready for some GUSTY winds!!

 

[Bucktail]

Pman,
I saw those people getting off the beach after you.  Looks like they had a couple of stripers each.  The biggest one looked about 45 lbs.! 

J/K 

[ped579]

Yeah,conditions were rough but the techniques if used right work in this tupw of weather.

Don't expect to hold bottom even with a cast iron bath tub.  This type of weather calls for maybe a 3 to 4 oz sinker attached to maybe an 18 or 24 inch leadered hook with clams or bunker.  Allow it to drift and walk the beach along with the drift.

This does a couple of things it gets you away from the annoying beach stuffers and it most importantly allows your bait to be moving more naturally down the beach as it would in real life.

The flow probably is from north to the south so park your car and be ready to walk the beach a little.

They were slamming bass ans blues on clams yesterday but you had to be mobile to get them.

Good try though sand for getting out as well.  I have been tied up with other things and have not been able to get out for a few days.  I will be trying to get out on Monday though.

Happy Catching

Paul

[hm5419]

hi everybody, i usually dont post, i like being a lurker but after reading all the good info here and not catching anything at bay head for 3 weeks i decided to follows pauls(ped579) advice and fish ortley, 3rd ave to be exact and got one at 30 ", thank you everybody for the great info on this site, i was using an  ava with white tail by the way, thanks again ,larry
 p.s.  not sure how to post pic yet, never mind figured it out

[Bucktail]

Nice going on the keeper Larry!

Thanks for posting.  Looking forward to more from you!

[surfrocket]

nice fish,larry. thats what this site is all about.

[hm5419]

just in case anyone was wondering , he is still swimming, released alive, it was close but didnt have my tape with me   

[Hotrod]

Cool Larry.  Thanks for posting that up
No more lurking

[IrishAyes]

WTG Larry, all kinds of good info here. 

[Pfishingruven]

Welcome and nice catch!!  You are a better fisherman than me for venturing out there today !

 

[ped579]

Good going Larry, I am glad you hooked up on such a nice fish.  I will be out there on Monday as I have a slight break in my painting schedule.

I hope the big cow to that one is lurking around.  Were there any clam shells on the beach, as I was thinking on drowning clams for a while and let them drift.

Happy Catching

Paul

[Pfishingruven]

Paul there were clams EVERYWHERE in S SSP by Top O the Mast.  The clams were whole and still alive, whole and dead, whole and picked clean by the birds and tons of broken shelled with the clam still inside.  IMO, certainly a good day for clams!

Good Luck!!

 

[dikdanger]

Larry... welcome.


Pfishen...  next time cut their lines... and wish them a good day smiling...

[Bobby Wilds]

that sounds like it would  have led to words being exchanged.  especially being that you ended up getting wrapped up in the line. 

i am not gonna lie, i do shoot looks at other surf fisherman when i feel they are moving in too close.  there is plenty of beach and no need to get on top of me.  i just wish they would understand.

[Pfishingruven]

I did say something to them...I actually walked their setup back up to them!  They apologized.  They had no idea what they were doing.  I explained to them they need to keep their distance and even more in conditions like we were in.  I also explained to them that they needed to come down off the ledge, but to be careful as the tide came in b/c that ledge would turn into their death trap!  I figured they would move, but no luck.  That is where they were told to fish so...  I think they were vacationers just trying to have some fun.  I like to educate or help whenever I can and I certainly didn't want to see them get hurt at all!

I guess that is what I get for fishing in front of the Island Beach Motor Lodge !  I think I am going north again towards Normandy and Brick Beaches, as the south end has not produced anything, but a headache the last few times!!

 

[ped579]

I would of done the same thing.  As farther north today well lets say you are probably better off tying new rigs for this falls run.

2 1/2 hours before high tide today the water was already up to the bottom of the stairs in Ortley 3rd Ave lot.  Not good for fishing by any means.  Huge waves but the birds were working way off the beach for the first time in a long time.  They were working from Lavellette to just north of the fishing pier.

Hardly anyone out and those that did venture out came back exhausted from the rough water.

I would say by Wednesday we should have fishable water once more.  The park was closed earlier especially at Gillikins and then the rest of the park followed suit.

I can't wait for a little calmer waters and a good supply of clams should do the trick.

Right now if you are looking to fish the low tide my suggestion would be light sinker and plenty of clams allowed to drift out the rips.  Find a good one and cast as far as possible and leave your reel in free spool allowing the current to take your bait out and hold on...WAM

Happy Catching

Paul

[Pfishingruven]

Thanks for the report Paul!  Amazing what some wind and a low pressure system offshore can create!!  I think I will stick to the Bay, Inlet, Canal or freshwater for the next few days if I venture out.  Plenty of other options to fish.

 

[ped579]

Good idea...