Barnegat Bay Fishing Report - The Hull Truth

Boatless33 · 03-24-2010, 02:25 PM

A few friends and I took our Kayaks out last weekend.

Night 1) We hung around the Rt 37 Bridge throwing and trolling Mambo Minnows and Vision Eels at night. My friend's gf hooked up with a nice bass that pulled her around a bit. Unfortunately it came off before she was able to get it in her kayak. I heard a report from a local tackle shop that one of the employees had a very similar situation occur 2 nights before.

Day 2) Drove to Oyster Creek. I set up a sandworm rig and was altering my other rod with fin-s, mambo minnows, and yo-zuris. I had a nice hit bouncing a white fin-s off the bottom but failed to set the hook as I was messing around with the sand worm rig. We paddled to the mouth and ventured off into the bay. My kayak started taking on water in the front "dry" compartment so I turned around and beached in at the mouth. Not 10 minutes later, my friend got on the cocktail blues. He hooked up on every cast for a little more than an hour using a popper. While I was tossing my fin-s from the beach I was stuck on, a boat pulled up next to me and dropped anchor. I watched as they pulled up a pair of decent sized winter flounder on fresh clam. Unfortunately, this was on Saturday and the season was still not open so they had to throw them back. Upon returning to the truck, we opened the stomach up of the one blue he kept and it was filled with small shrimp. Also heard the White Perch are all over the place in the river. Shrimp is the bait of choice for them. Heard about some bass being caught on sandworm but stick with clam if you're going with bait. Also heard about some shorties coming off the beach in the Seaside area.

tmoutinho · 03-24-2010, 03:46 PM

Thx for the report- sounds promising

nickmo · 03-25-2010, 07:03 AM

Great report! Is this the norm or is it a bit early this year?

Boatless33 · 03-25-2010, 07:42 AM

Yes. Early season bass love Oyster Creek and the Bridge. I've never targeted the Perch before but I have heard the action picks up right about now. In previous years, I never even thought about Blues until early May but then again, this is the first year I've kayak fished the bay and they're all over the place!

According to the tackle shop I frequent, the White Perch in the River are also going for worms. Island Heights is producing Winter Flounder and Striped Bass with clam being the bait of choice. Shorts are still coming off the surf on clam.

For those considering venturing out to the bridge on kayaks at night, if its a slow pick, try anchoring parallel to the bridge at the edge of the light/dark section (between bridge lights). Bass use the light/dark change as cover. They lurk in the dark and shoot out into the light to feed. A slow retrieve on an artificial should produce. Thus far, there's only been 1 keeper weighed in at my tackle shop. They're out there. Just gotta find 'em

stoxbonds · 03-25-2010, 08:14 PM

Great report- thanks! Can't wait to get out there. about 3 weeks until I splash.

Boatless33 · 03-26-2010, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stoxbonds

Great report- thanks! Can't wait to get out there. about 3 weeks until I splash.

No prob. We were supposed to launch on the first of April but my parents just had to decide to go to Florida later in April and my dad doesn't want anything to worry about while he's down there, so I gotta wait another 6-7 weeks

At least I get to look forward to some nice freshwater bass fishing while here at school in Pa and kayak, dock stuff next week. I'll provide another first person update then (and hopefully some pics this time). I've heard, at the right spot, 40 perch a day per angler

Also, just a little off topic safety note/rant to all the people passing under the 37 bridge by boat, PLEASE stay in the channel and go under it where you are supposed to! The night I was fishing the bridge on my kayak with friends, some guy in a Parker shot under the bridge a few hundred yards west of where you are supposed to cross. He came a little too close for comfort for us night kayakers. If you are planning to fish the bridge at night on a powerboat, I have no problem with that, just look out for kayakers. If you're simply passing under the bridge however, go where you are supposed to! We do have lights on, and I know that even so, we are hard to see. There is a reason why we stay away from the channel.

pastaman1234 · 03-30-2010, 04:35 PM

What bridge are you referring to??