Manasquan Inlet Report - November 14, 2007

[Capt. Ed]

Hi All,

Last report from the boat this year ... pretty sad day.

Filled the tank with "new fuel" and a ton of additives (CRC Fuel Stabilizer; Yamaha Ring Free; and of course E-Zorb). Whenever all those additives go in, I run the boat for an hour and then top off again.

Broke the Manasquan Inlet at 12:00 PM (noon). NOAA weather was kind of right. The wind was blowing hard, 15 mph + from the S to SE and later shifter to the SW, and the waves were 2-3 ft. all chopped up and building. The farther you got from shore, the worst the conditions got. I ran close to the beach down to the Seaside Piers. Stopped on the northern end of Bayhead for a shot at a few Blues. Fish in the 5 lb. range taken on AVA47s with green tube jigged off the bottom. Continued south and hit schoolie stripers on "The Pipe." That area produced a lot this year. Stripers jigged on AVA47s with green tails. Continued south to the Ferris Wheel and decided to turn back.

There was tons of bait in the water. Few birds working. Most fish on the bottom. No fish busting the surface.

So,

1. This looks a lot like last year. Water still in the upper 50s (58) and lots of bait around.

2. Snotty conditions made it tough to find fish on the surface.

3. There were marks in shallow water close to the shore as well as in 60 ft. of water on the Axel Carleson Reef.

4. Saw a charter Captain taking stripers in the EEZ. Either get a better map or stop that practice. That is just WRONG!

5. Water was clean but a bit green in the ocean. Water had all sorts of debris in Barnegat Bay near the Mantoloking Bridge. Beware!

6. Lots of folks fishing the end of the flood thru the start of the ebb in the Pt. Pleasant Canal. Tons of short fish being caught. Clams on high/low rigs seemed to be the bait of choice.

7. If you fish the canal, there is really no need to cast far out. Most of the fish are on the edges.

8. Saw many people pulling umbrella rigs way too fast. Also, you need to use drails or wire to get that thing down when the fish are not on the top.

9. Wanted to try to jig some Sea Bass but it was way too fast a drift and I didn't feel like anchoring.

10. For those that think that you cannot install a raw water pump with PVC connections on the transom of your boat, you are WRONG! It held up great with only a little slime mark that was rubbed off with a rag.

11. Have fun folks! Looks like great times ahead.

12. See you all on the beach ... Ortley just a few feet south of the refreshment stand.

Good luck,

Capt. Ed

[Reel Time]

 as always capt ed, great informative post,, thanx

[IrishAyes]

Nice report Capt Ed.  I hope you get em on the beach.   
It's always a sad day when the boat gets pulled for the winter.   

[Hotrod]

Nice1.

Great info Capt. Ed

[Luna Sea 5]

great info

[ped579]

Hi Capt Ed,

You are correct about the snack bar but I have been having luck in front of both steps as well.  Today was a great day out there.  People were catchoing a ton of fish mostly on plugs and metal.  Thode using clams had a hard time of it go figure.

Happy Catching

Paul

BTW, I will be in Baltimore this weekend maybe I can hook up with you next week on the beach.  It looks like the fun has begun.

[Capt. Ed]

Hi Paul,

When you get back, let's get together down there!

Crab Cakes?

Ed

[ped579]

Crab cakes at least once.

We will be going back down again for Thanksgiving as well.  Usually for that we get a whole bushel as an appetizer.  I can't believe how expensive it has become to fuel that habit.  But crabs and beer are a staple down there.

It would be good to link up with you early in the week we will be leaving early on Thursday.

Paul

[ped579]

3rd ave. parking lot is good for me...

[Reel Class]

Ed, you mentioned you stopped at the AC Reef.  Roughly ~2.5 miles off or so is the mean range from shore, while 60' depths typically occur on the W side of the reef.

You then mentioned you saw a charter captain taking bass in the EEZ?  Did you get the name of the boat?  Did you physically see the boat pulling bass into the boat 3+ miles from shore?

I find it interesting mostly b/c the bite in the vicinity of that reef, mostly on the W side was good.  4 days ago the 3 mile boundary was well inside the fleets range, and no boats went any further than 2.5 miles out.  Maybe w/ the S wind the fish moved off further?  Who knows.

FWIW, If I witness someone who "ventures" past 3 miles, private, party or charter no matter, its typically a good practice to make an effort to remind your fellow boater of their position and what they shouldn't be doing.

BTW the bass bite to the north has been improving again, more bait and fish are moving down from the north.

Oh, and did you see the CO's working the fence in the canal, checking for short blackfish? 





 

[Pops Soul]

Enjoyed the Report as always Capt' Ed, Thanks for keeping us informed

[Capt. Ed]

Hi Capt. Allen,

Good to hear from you.

1. I did not see any COs in the canal area either time I went through the canal (11:30AM ish and 2:30PM ish).

2. If people are concerned that the Blackfish are not in the canal, don't worry. They are there. As a matter of fact, it is thought that there are many resident Blackfish there.

3. I have the boat name and saw them pulling Stripers. They were jigging them. That bullet item was a reminder to everyone to watch their position. I don't want to start a problem ... I don't have the time or the power to fix things like that.

4. There are tons of fish (including Stripers) in the EEZ. The past few years have seen the larger bodies of fish pass by us out there on their southward migration.

5. My family has donated reef sites to the Axel Carleson Reef. I am extremely familiar with that area, including non-published structure. As I said, I did not fish the Axel Carleson Reef yesterday. It was part of my circle back because I wanted to try to jig sea bass (but could not) and the ride back was much easier coming from that direction.

6. I caught a few Stripers near "The Pipe." I had great luck there all Summer. Some people from this site (whether they knew it or not) pulled nice Stripers from that area when I took them out.

7. Thanks for the update concerning Stripers north of the inlet. That will be helpful to many people. My boats are now out of the water and it is time for surf fishing. I fish from Bayhead south to IBSP.

Continued success with your Season!

Ed

[Reel Class]

Thanks for the reply Ed.   

The pipe is no longer a well-kept secret for chunking fish in the spring; used to be though  bngh

Good luck on the beach.  My neighbor and a few buddies who fish 4-5 times a day have been at times doing well wading out past the bar catching a few fish, depending on the tide.  This next NW and the back end of it might provide a lil blitz type thing