Does anyone still think the bass are declining?

[Capt Sal]

Seems like one heck of arun from the bay all the way to Cape May. The bunker are here like old times and limits are common. The looks good as far as i can see. The migratory pattern is inshore where the bait is. When the bait is off shore and outside the three mile line we would not even know it except for the reports from guys targeting bluefin tuna.

[fishunt]

maybe for the boat guys! but us surf guys are having a tuff time!

[Gerry Zagorski]

Yep - All depends who you talk to and where/how they are fishing.... IMHO we are much better off compared to say 20 years ago. Fall and spring runs have been off the charts and once again, catching depends how and where you fish for them.

[bulletbob]

Nature abhors a vacuum.. There are no Weakfish to compete with Stripers and haven't been for years, and Bluefish although abundant for the past several weeks were MIA for most of the summer from July through much of September, except for 12 inchers along the beaches, and there has been a lot of bait inshore. Good working environment for bass for the past several years... Stripers are doing well no doubt about it, but with Flounder, Whiting,inshore Ling all but gone, and short seasons on Sea Bass and Blackfish, the Stripers are getting HAMMERED .. Hundreds of boats chasing them on every week day, and thousands of boats every week end..
I hope the numbers stay high, but man, they are getting pummeled pretty badly, every day and night.... bob

[Duffman]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

I hope the numbers stay high, but man, they are getting pummeled pretty badly, every day and night....

The rod n reel guys will never decimate a population.

[Blackfish Doug]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

Nature abhors a vacuum.. There are no Weakfish to compete with Stripers and haven't been for years, and Bluefish although abundant for the past several weeks were MIA for most of the summer from July through much of September, except for 12 inchers along the beaches, and there has been a lot of bait inshore. Good working environment for bass for the past several years... Stripers are doing well no doubt about it, but with Flounder, Whiting,inshore Ling all but gone, and short seasons on Sea Bass and Blackfish, the Stripers are getting HAMMERED .. Hundreds of boats chasing them on every week day, and thousands of boats every week end..
I hope the numbers stay high, but man, they are getting pummeled pretty badly, every day and night.... bob

I had very good Flounder fishing mind you it's not the numbers that we used to get but I have had the best sized flounders that I have caught in many years. My biggest flounder this year went 3.50 on a certified scale. I don't care that it's a 2 fish limit either my 2 flounder that I average when I target them can easily feed 3 people. Also the flounder are in the bays but all I hear about is the whining about how much the bait costs. But go on a Fluke boat blow a ton of money on lost bucktails & Gulp baits & lost tackle & maybe not even get a keeper & nobody complains. The fish are there you just got to go & fish for them. As far as the Whiting are concerned they just don't come inshore anymore. But 2 years ago I caught them very good in 500' feet of water. Out in New Hampshire they get them very good in those depth's as well. There are just too many predators to survive Whales,Dogfish & bluefish & stripers etc. As far as the Bluefish are concerned they spawn inshore from July to September. But if you need to find them ask any of the Shark fisherman that get pestered with them offshore there are plenty of them out there.

[reason162]

Is the flounder in RB strictly a Spring fishery? or are they around now?

Originally Posted by Blackfish Doug

I had very good Flounder fishing mind you it's not the numbers that we used to get but I have had the best sized flounders that I have caught in many years. My biggest flounder this year went 3.50 on a certified scale. I don't care that it's a 2 fish limit either my 2 flounder that I average when I target them can easily feed 3 people. Also the flounder are in the bays but all I hear about is the whining about how much the bait costs. But go on a Fluke boat blow a ton of money on lost bucktails & Gulp baits & lost tackle & maybe not even get a keeper & nobody complains. The fish are there you just got to go & fish for them. As far as the Whiting are concerned they just don't come inshore anymore. But 2 years ago I caught them very good in 500' feet of water. Out in New Hampshire they get them very good in those depth's as well. There are just too many predators to survive Whales,Dogfish & bluefish & stripers etc. As far as the Bluefish are concerned they spawn inshore from July to September. But if you need to find them ask any of the Shark fisherman that get pestered with them offshore there are plenty of them out there.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by reason162

Is the flounder in RB strictly a Spring fishery? or are they around now?

We used to have spectacular flounder fishing in Raritan Bay in the month of November, but that was a long time ago, and numbers are down.. However, there are still some out there.. Might be worth a try.. i used to catch BIG ones and in big numbers in the flats between Union Beach and Keansburg not far from the pier.. Get some mussel chum, some mussels for bait[they are better than worms!] and a dozen sandworms, and give it a try.. Some other posters say they have been catching them.. bob

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Duffman

The rod n reel guys will never decimate a population.

When the fish are set up in specific areas at specific times, we sure can.. The fluke along the Reach this year were there in spectacular numbers this year,, along with the fluke, the boats were there in spectacular numbers as well, all day every day.. In a few weeks, the fish had been thinned out pretty substantially.. Every year, blackfish are hot early on.. After a few weeks of heavy pounding, there are a lot less fish out there,, Happens every year,,, Does it "decimate" that population??.. Depends on your viewpoint. No it won't doom them to extinction.. No argument.. Does it make it a lot harder to catch some good size fish that season?.. certainly.... bob

[reason162]

Originally Posted by bulletbob

We used to have spectacular flounder fishing in Raritan Bay in the month of November, but that was a long time ago, and numbers are down.. However, there are still some out there.. Might be worth a try.. i used to catch BIG ones and in big numbers in the flats between Union Beach and Keansburg not far from the pier.. Get some mussel chum, some mussels for bait[they are better than worms!] and a dozen sandworms, and give it a try.. Some other posters say they have been catching them.. bob

Might give it a shot, thanks!