Fall surf reports

marcq

marcq

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Joined
Apr 21, 2009
Messages
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I guess I'll be the first to start a topic about the up coming fall run. Well summer is over, its September time to gear up for the surf again. In two weeks time NJ surf will be loaded with mullet and chomping blues and some bass in the mix. This might be a good spot to post reports and what not. I know I'm ready to get a bend in the 8 and 10 wt.

Tight lines Marc
 
Irrelevant to NJ (still on vaca in cape cod), but I was able to get on the board this morning. Last hour of the outgoing on a nearby inlet. Sand eel tied by Fred.

(yeah...awful low-light pic)

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mullet have started to move out of bays already. cooler temps this year has started them early in some areas.
 
My buddy texted me a pic from a few days ago. Out in the back with his casting net. Netted about 30 mullet and they were all huge. Probably 8 inchers. Some big ole cobs for the blues to sink their teath in. He caught 5 sharks with them the biggers was 100+. Ill be heading down in a week.
 
first report for me. big skunk for the night hit north Monmouth county. there was bait in the water. close to shore but, couldn't figure out what it was. to small to be mullet but to big to be silversides and bay anchovies, my guess was some early peanuts. maybe a few fish under them. stuck around them cause they were then in between to jetties maybe a 100 yards apart. threw the whole box at them. used fast slow and floating lines. nada. my guess it just some fluke under them giving them a little action.

all I can say is I am happy to see some bait around. definitely not anywhere the run so keeps my hopes up. found another good spot to hit later in the year.

marc
 
Not sure when I'll get back out, but I've been tying to cover the bases...

Mullet
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Chovies
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Fancy shmancy deceiver
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Also took a stab at a more traditional flatwing style.
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Real nice ties Jay, as always.

I know it's not the surf but i caught 3 small stripers last week in the lower susquehanna region. The water in the lower sus q was still entirely too warm for decent striper action, but i did see some real nice fish on the stringers of the metal slingers at the dam so there must be a few around. This week's temperature drop and full moon should really get things going.
 
Yea I'm hoping to get down Friday night see whats going on. I've been tying up so SF mullet patters and peanuts. Hearing there are a good amount in the bay now.
 
got out this morning it was looking great. great white water high tide right at sunrise and NW winds. start working the beach. nothing bit. then we started working a inlet found some mullet. right after seeing them my buddy hooked into a 5 pound blue. had a bunch of bites. one fish took me into my backing in a matter of seconds then came unbuttoned. didn't actually land one but we had fish breaking in front of us and there is nothing more you can ask for. just one of these days. might try to get out Friday night.
 
Good to hear Marq. I think there's a lot of us who are pretty jazzed about hitting the salt this year (I certainly am - it's been too long).
 
marcq wrote:
got out this morning it was looking great. great white water high tide right at sunrise and NW winds. start working the beach. nothing bit. then we started working a inlet found some mullet. right after seeing them my buddy hooked into a 5 pound blue. had a bunch of bites. one fish took me into my backing in a matter of seconds then came unbuttoned. didn't actually land one but we had fish breaking in front of us and there is nothing more you can ask for. just one of these days. might try to get out Friday night.

Marc not sure if it would worked in this situation but sometimes when they are busting on the bait like that it works better to cast and let the fly dift like a stunned baitfish
 
That's pretty much what we ended up doing to pick up fish. I thought they were albies at first cause they started hitting and five seconds latter they were gone. But I'm almost positive the were blues.
 
We were basically swinging flies. They didn't care to much what you were using. Gonna try to get something tomorrow night. Over all the area it looking great. Found some great soft structure on the beach. I think it gonna be an awesome fall. Hopefully there are no hurricanes that come and ruin it.
 
here a late report was down last week. full moon big tides and clear skies. to say the least it sucked. no fish in the area I ripped my waders and broke my 10. almost positive the guy I brought with me stepped of it. last time he comes. talked to a friend today who was going down tonight, he said the bite has been dying off. still bait around but most of the mullet are gone. went and got a new TFO BVK 10 today getting it next week. hopefully thing start happening soon so we can get some consistent bass fishing in.

marc
 
Just returned from a week in O. C., NJ. Early in the week there were loads of spot in the surf. From early mid-week onward that shifted to small blues (8-12 inchers, occasional 15-16 incher) and if you happened to hit it just right legal size stripers were being caught on poppers in the surf and at Corson's inlet. Few anglers were trying for them and I doubt that the word was out. Best time seemed to be at dawn and for about an hour thereafter for the stripers, but some were even caught at noon time (at almost dead low tide). I spoke to an angler who mentioned a very good evening for sub-legal stripers and up to 8 lb blues at the Longport jetty.
 
keep an eye on Grumpys and nick and bettys reports guys.

for blues, a red n white popper, slider or gurgler cast and left to sit usually kills them, no response, then one twitch and wait....

 
I thought I was the only one who knew about that longport jetty spot. haha. takes some time to figure out but once you figure it out its a killer spot. my top fluke spot in jersey.
 
Longport jetty has been well known for decent stripers. used to plug it at night, 25lber there one night. Havn't gone there in years.

geebee, for blues you want to move the popper/fly fast, they like it better than letting it sit. you can't move a fly or lure fast enough for them.
 
Sandfly, curious how your Hatteras trip went? Heading down to NC next week.
 
geebee, for blues you want to move the popper/fly fast, they like it better than letting it sit. you can't move a fly or lure fast enough for them.

i've found both which is why i suggested the opposite...

A bud at work was out on the Chessie yesterday and couldn't hook anything in the middle of a bait ball assault - i told him to cast the metal, count to 10 to let it sink then strip it so it was below the ball.

it works, he picked up some nice blues. i've also agonizingly extended that to 30 seconds for flies and then picked up bass working under the blues.

fish like an easy meal sometimes i figure. pretty hard to count to 30 though when bait is busting right in front of you though.

i've also picked up nice blues on poppers and sliders fished on a 350gr sinking line swung or dead drifted in fast current.

short hard spaced strips make the fly dip and the pause makes it rise. that can be deadly in point rips or current seams.

blues can be like the spanish inquisition sometimes, you just gotta figure them out, many times its the unexpected that works..

cheers.



 
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