New Jersey Inshore Fun 2014

[Ken+]

I wasn't able to visit San Diego for some hot tuna and yellowtail action during this El Nino. This is as close as I can get to that action without paying for a charter to chase tuna on the Atlantic coast. Perhaps the El Nino also affected the fishing off New Jersey. Water has been warm and the August bonito fishing had been phenomenal (relatively speaking...but not on my day of fishing). I hope the hot trend continues and the Little Tunny fishing will turn on in September.

Full story here:

http://muskiebaitadventures.blogspot.ca ... day-1.html

http://muskiebaitadventures.blogspot.ca ... day-2.html

http://muskiebaitadventures.blogspot.ca ... day-3.html

I caught 7 new species on the trip, bringing my total to #410!

Brook Silverside (Labidesthes sicculus) - Species #404



Striped Searobin (Prionotus evolans) - Species #405



Atlantic Bonito (Sarda sarda) - Species #406





Banded Rudderfish (Seriola zonata) - Species #407



Northern Searobin (Prionotus carolinus) - Species #408



Altantic Chub Mackerel (Scomber colias) - Species #409



Northern Kingcroaker (Menticirrhus saxatilis) - Species #410

[Poseidon10/31]

I grew up fishing the Manasquan inlet jetty. Striped bass run in the spring/early summer and then again in the fall. You kinda fell in between. Tautog are wintertime species and very difficult fishing. The saying was, "you gotta set the hook before you feel the bite".

Did you eat the Atlantic Bonito, and if so what was your opinion? I really liked it, light pink meat and my girlfriend thought it was better than the blackfin tuna I brought home that day.

Tunnies fight hard, but you didn't miss much as far as table fare there.

I'm surprised you didn't catch any fluke (summer flounder) or black seabass. Those were our goto summertime species. Thanks for sharing.

[Ken+]

I grew up fishing the Manasquan inlet jetty. Striped bass run in the spring/early summer and then again in the fall. You kinda fell in between. Tautog are wintertime species and very difficult fishing. The saying was, "you gotta set the hook before you feel the bite".

Did you eat the Atlantic Bonito, and if so what was your opinion? I really liked it, light pink meat and my girlfriend thought it was better than the blackfin tuna I brought home that day.

Tunnies fight hard, but you didn't miss much as far as table fare there.

I'm surprised you didn't catch any fluke (summer flounder) or black seabass. Those were our goto summertime species. Thanks for sharing.

I wanted to eat the Bonito, but we didn't have enough room in the cooler to keep it in top shape, so we ended up using it as shark bait. Unfortunately, water was too poor for shark fishing...so not even the sharks ate it.

My friends did catch some summer flounder and black seabass...mostly short fish. I was more concentrated on catching other species since I've caught plenty of fluke and seabass in the past.

Thanks for the tip on Manasquan Inlet. I guess we just picked the wrong season to fish for the targets.

We should have went to Cape May for togs. Last time we were there at the end of July, there were lots of togs...but my friend didn't want to drive that far. Oh well...

[kblue]

A good report.
I fished 1995 ~ 2000 in NJ/NY shore from Belma to Montauk. It is about peak time for fluke.

Tautag is very hard to catch as Poesidon said specially from the boat. I think a little too early for the season. One miserable fishing trip I remember is Boat left 6 AM sharp around below 20F freezing my whole body (not just @ss). My finger totally numb. Hard to put cut-wet crab on the hook. You had to use finger to feel the bite. They got hot water going through rail pipe. Guide got icy from sea water. Drinking scotch... fishing was good and had to put the fish to cooler to get warm otherwise, it frozen like a rock...

[Kingofthesea]

kblue that's what black fishing in Jersey is all about. It's always best December-January in fact I believe the limit is raised considerably on December 15th from two-eight. Great fighting fish and if you bleed them immediately the meat is white as snow. Definitely one of the best eating fish in the sea. I would fish them three days a week probably eight months a year but only from a boat to reach the sweet wrecks. I miss those fish.

[Kingofthesea]

Kept my boat in the Belmar marina for 11 years.

[kblue]

Richard

Wow, you had a boat in Belmar 12 years... I used to go out on a party boat for 18 hours trip, 6 hour going out, 6 hour fishing, and 6 hour coming home to catch sea bass. I filled up the cooler... I just can't even remember the name of boat...
I was in Jersey shore last year. One of my friend showed me pictures of Union beach after Sandy, where I used to kill stripers. They are all raising their houses by 8 ft. When I saw on news Belmar was damaged really bad by Sandy, I thought about that party boat...Good thing you move down here.

[Kingofthesea]

Yup. Belmar was clobbered but the marina was OK. I was in Jersey last month for the first time since Sandy and aim pleased to say Belmar has been rebuilt completely. Actually, the boardwalk etc. is better than it was before the storm.

[Ken+]

Thanks guys.

I know about the winter Tog fishing in New Jersey. A friend invited me a few times, but I'm always a bit busy in December/January. It doesn't help that I would rather be somewhere warm...like Florida...for the holidays!

My friends were fishing for the Togs off the jetty. Last trip to NJ, we saw people caught lots of shorts and a few legals off Cape May jetties...so we thought Manasquan would fish the same...but we were wrong. It could be the weather patterns, or it could be the difference in water temps...but something was just off. A spear fisherman reported seeing many smaller Togs but none wanted to bite (or maybe they simply kept stealing the crabs).