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Caught 15 fluke today. Not one keeper. The fishing in the bay has died. I don't care what anyone has posted. It's way off. 90% shorts. Perfect conditions but lack of 18" fish. Ten men drifting miles today caught one on the line keeper. It's been this percentage for a couple of weeks now. Normal mid summer conditions. Hopefully things will improve by the first of September.

Yup,
Agreed right on time
I kayak the bay and by August I start driving south
And go back to surf/party boats

Many shorts

I disagree (mainly with your choice of words).

You admittedly caught fish, albeit all shorts-so just because you didn't catch any keepers that trip, there are still fish to be caught - fishing hasn't died.

FYI, I have a good friend who has caught 9 keepers in the past 2 days fishing in the back of the bay.

Fished yesterday in just outside of Ambrose with a buddy from about 7:00AM to Noon. We caught about 35 shorts and I managed 3 keepers 19 to 24". Lots of 14-16" fluke with very few over 17".
Conditions deteriorated so we quit early.

On many of our trips prior to yesterday, 80% of the shorts were just under 18" and THICK.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skolmann (Post 456544)

This makes sense to me.. Years ago there was always a spread of fish throughout the bay in all sizes from small to large right through july.. Then in nid August of course they all started to move out.. these days, the intense pressure on keeper sized fluke in the Sandy hook area and all the surrounding channels is something I have trouble wrapping my brain around.. its a wonder anything at all survives... Further back in the bay, especially on the flats the fluke don't get subjected to thousands of anglers like they do in the channels around the hook.. So now after 3 months of thousands of boats sweeping the bottom clean of anything 18 inches or better, is it any wonder that most of the bigger fish are gone?... I see very few boats fishing off Union Beach ,Keyport, Cliffwood etc, but once you get east of belford.. wow... Most of us don't want the legwork of "finding our own", and we key on the same known areas that hold fish.. Human nature... bob

The bay is Huge! Most people fish the same areas. Boats follow boats! I would say 90% of the bay is never fished. The Fluke are there and there are some keepers mixed in also. Seek as you will find!

We did ok inside yesterday... to 25" (3 guys)

Catching 15 fluke I would not call the bay "dead." Maybe overfished.
But for the size limits the 15 caught would have been gone too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cuz (Post 456516)

Either You are not fishing in the rite areas or your methods are off if those are your results. Has nothing to do with the amount of fish or size of them. Your negativity probably has something to do with your results as well.

And as for the "overfishing" sure there is pressure but these fish do not eat constantly . Tides, wind and bait/jig presentation dictate catches... So tired of hearing how poor the fishing is when it's not..
Just one mans opinion...

I have to agree with Cuz. The fishing in Raritan Bay is no where near what it was a month ago. That's not to say there's no fish or you can't find small pockets but the huge body of mostly keeper fluke that was in the back at the beginning of the summer is no longer there. If the fishing in the back is still that good why would every party and charter boat from Keyport, Morgan, etc. be running out to Ambrose and the ocean??

Most over 17" are going to be females and they are spawned out so they are moving out of the bay into the ocean. It happens the last week July, first of August.

3 dynamics going on here... 1. yes the bigger fish move off to the inshore lumps around now. 2. yes there is an unbelievable amount of fishing pressure in the channels of Raritan bay and the bigger fish get caught 3. just because you didnt catch doesn't make them an endangered species.. change tactics, fish new areas. try fishing only 6" + live snappers if u don't want to catch shorts. you conceivably miss a lot of fish reeling up and releasing shorts all day