Fish status in NJ

[FLETCHOSAURUS]

I herd some rumors on the N.Atlantic threads that schools of stripers are comming up alrteady...I was wondering whats the status with striper and taug right now in the NJ shore? I jus got a place in brink and am ready to get my fish on :cowboy:

[njfisherman11]

My uncle captains tug boats and he was coming out of the Delaware bay and saw acres of bunkers with the occasional striper rolling. Should be an early season, last year i got my first 4 bass in the surf on April 19th. This year i'm trying to get one before April 1st.

[njdiver]

NOAA to Close New Jersey Tautog Fishery April 1

NOAA Fisheries Service found that the State of New Jersey has failed to implement measures necessary to fulfill its responsibilities under the tautog interstate fishery management plan and which are crucial for conservation of the salt water fish. As a result, NOAA will close New Jersey’s commercial and recreational fishery for tautog on April 1.

Tautog is a popular recreational species whose stock is overfished. Landings data indicate that New Jersey's harvest is significant compared with that of other states, and that its recreational landings more than tripled in 2006. Accordingly, its failure to implement management measures will undermine the interstate conservation plan for the species.

Under the rebuilding plan, each of the Northeastern states are required to reduce tautog fishing effort by about 26 percent over 2003 to 2005 average levels. On February 7, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission determined that New Jersey had not taken such measures as required by the fishery management plan.

Under the Atlantic Coastal Act, NOAA's Fisheries Service was obliged to conduct a review and make a decision within 30 days as to whether it concurred with the Commission’s findings, and whether the mandated measures are necessary for the conservation of the tautog resource

April 1 was selected for the closure date because it provides significant conservation benefits while allowing enough time to ensure that anglers, commercial fishermen and dealers are aware of the effective closure date.

The most recent landings data from 2006 find New Jersey recreational anglers landed about 700,000 pounds of tautog, and commercial fishermen about 70,000 pounds. In 2006, Northeast fishermen landed about 4.3 million pounds of tautog, most of which was taken by recreational anglers.

Tautog is managed within the framework of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The Commission, comprising representatives from the Atlantic coastal states, develops fishery conservation and management strategies for certain coastal species and coordinates state efforts to achieve those objectives.

Related Links:

Tautog Status & Management - http://www.asmfc.org/tautog.htm

Tautog Biology - http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/publications/tm/tm118/tm118index.htm

ASMFC Notification Letter - http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/press_release/2008/Signed%20AA%20Ltr%20to%20ASMFC.NJ%20Out%20of%20Com pliance%20Determination.March11-2008.pdf

NJ Notification Letter - http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/press_release/2008/Signed%20AA%20Ltr%20to%20NJ.Out%20of%20Compliance% 20Determination.March11-2008.pdf

Federal Register Notice - http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/press_release/2008/Tautog%20FR%20Notice%20of%20Determination.FR%20For mat.March11-2008.pdf (http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/press_release/2008/Tautog%20FR%20Notice%20of%20Determination.FR%20For mat.March11-2008.pdf)

[njfisherman11]

Man that really blows...hope the triggers and flounder show up good cause that's all i'll have off the jetties this summer. How long is the closure for?

[FLETCHOSAURUS]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I hope this tau shituation doesnt stick..I can't be;ive it could be that bad
I'm dwn for going out April 1st let me know if anyone wants to come along...
It's nce to hear that stripers are on there way I'm so excited...any other reports?

[jriggs]

well.......now isn't that just peachy!



cool part is that when they open it back up there's going to be some big ol' fat TOGs floating around waiting for my speargun :D

[jriggs]

I'm dwn for going out April 1st let me know if anyone wants to come along...


it will start on April 1st......so you're going to want to hit the water over easter weekend and then finish up on the 31st.

[33fish33]

Does that mean only the NOAA can hand out fines, not NJ wildlife officers. Cause Ive never seen a NOAA officer.

[jriggs]

basically what happend is that NJ didn't live up to thier plan....and the NOAA shut them down and said you can't fish anymore till you get a plan in place that will bring numbers down by 26%. (from what i've been told)

this means that NJ has to create a new management plan and NOAA has to approve it....once they do they'll open back up. you'll probably end up seeing minimum lengths go up...maybe to 16" from the old 14" and the 8 fish allowed during certain parts of the year will most likely be lowered.

once the plan is approved the fishing can start up again....one of my good buddies who explained all this to me said he wouldn't be suprised if there was a new plan written before the end of the month.

keep your fingers crossed.

[jmik90]

basically what happend is that NJ didn't live up to thier plan....and the NOAA shut them down and said you can't fish anymore till you get a plan in place that will bring numbers down by 26%. (from what i've been told)

this means that NJ has to create a new management plan and NOAA has to approve it....once they do they'll open back up. you'll probably end up seeing minimum lengths go up...maybe to 16" from the old 14" and the 8 fish allowed during certain parts of the year will most likely be lowered.

once the plan is approved the fishing can start up again....one of my good buddies who explained all this to me said he wouldn't be suprised if there was a new plan written before the end of the month.

keep your fingers crossed.i really hope so,or my summer is ruined:(

[spanishfly]

:mad: THAT IS MY LUCK ..... :thumps: NEW 50 WONG HYBRID
AND NO ............. >)))))))*> ..........

[TriggerNJ]

100% what Jriggs said. He hit the nail on the head.

[njfisherman11]

sucks theres no such thing as spear and release! we may not be totally doomed, it will only be closed until NJ comes up with a plan to get in compliance. May be a few months or the whole year. Lets see what happens

[Jersey Jim]

i really hope so,or my summer is ruined:(


This summer ruined???? One fish a day last summer wasn't that great as it was! I couldn't have imagined it would get worse. :mad:

[pirate_diver]

Well that BLOWS!:mad: By the time I get up to NJ in August for my vacation the stripers will be in short supply in the south (at least basing that off last year).................

basically what happend is that NJ didn't live up to thier plan....and the NOAA shut them down and said you can't fish anymore till you get a plan in place that will bring numbers down by 26%. (from what i've been told)

this means that NJ has to create a new management plan and NOAA has to approve it....once they do they'll open back up. you'll probably end up seeing minimum lengths go up...maybe to 16" from the old 14" and the 8 fish allowed during certain parts of the year will most likely be lowered.

once the plan is approved the fishing can start up again....one of my good buddies who explained all this to me said he wouldn't be suprised if there was a new plan written before the end of the month.

keep your fingers crossed.

I sure hope something is done soon. If not, who's up for a short ferry ride to DE???

[FLETCHOSAURUS]

Why were striper's in short supply? I thought they start to migrate south mid Oct.....I know in mass fishing is great up until late sept.
I wonder what I'll see come the 1st....I am praying to see some sign of striper's

[pirate_diver]

Why were striper's in short supply? I thought they start to migrate south mid Oct.....I know in mass fishing is great up until late sept.
I wonder what I'll see come the 1st....I am praying to see some sign of striper's

Well near the jetties all I saw where shorts...Of course I got my gun late in the summer before my move to the keys and only got out a few times with it. But it seemed like the water was too warm for them. In the fall the bigger fish (from what I'm told by the cptn of the boat I worked on) are all out a bit further. He says that beyond 3 miles (the closed off federal waters) you can walk on them they get so thick on the shoals. we shall see. Redgardless though, I WANT MY DAMN TOG!!! One a day in the summer is not a lot to ask for. I don't go out everyday.................................but complaining about why they are dropping in numbers is in another thread.

[kill em all]

I never witnessed a short in mudsuckers in the past 5 years. Last year resident bass were in there places all over the NJ shore everytime I went out March thru Nov. Between that period there were migritory masses on the rocks June - August. Leave the tog alone there are so many other species to target. Just challenge yourself to nail a nice tasty Sea Bass.

[pirate_diver]

I want the chance at some bass for sure. But the occasional tog would be nice too. I'd love for another cobia to swim by me again too...this time only bigger and legal to shoot.

[kill em all]

I love tog but they are too easy to hunt. They are the only fish Id rather catch rod and reel than shoot them. If Im hunting for some food its more fun to me to just watch the tog mingle and pick a couple of nice sea bass in the mix.

[joselisa]

Hey, there is always beer !! I guess I will be running to Rhode Island more often this year. Maybe others are interested? There is great fishing/camping there.

[JJ131]

Going To RI That Sounds Fun Camping Out I Thought About Tralering The RIB Up There Does It Cost Alot To Camp I Wonder And Were To Put The Boat??? HMMM ...If The Logistics Are Good And Not A Nightmare And Doesnt Cost An Arm And A Leg That Would Sound Awsome What Else Are You Going To Do With A 17ft Sealteam Rib ...LOL Sure As Hell Not Fish Off Of It..

[pirate_diver]

Albie, no matter what the regs, I'm pumped to hit the water in August with you guys. Good times for sure.

P.S. hunting tog is just like hunting hogs down here...too easy

[FLETCHOSAURUS]

I'm going out today to see if there is anything in the water. Has anybody seen anything in the water since?

[jriggs]

water was super dirty in cape may from all the rain last week. brown and soupy. once that washes out it could get nice.

[FLETCHOSAURUS]

Yup, That water was nasty..maybe 3 foot visibility..all I saw were these bait fish in the water which I couldn't identify. It was like a dead planet

[TriggerNJ]

After the 23rd whenever the water clears and I have off I'm gonna give it a shot and see if I can find some flounder.

[tm999xxx]

what thickness suits are you guys wearing??

[jriggs]

i'll have a 5mm for early season.....then a 3mm for early summer....and then board shorts by August :D

[TriggerNJ]

So I jumped in for my first dive of the year on Monday looking for flounder and it was a minor disaster. I was underweighted, my mask wouldn’t stop fogging like crazy, and then finally the mask strap broke. The viz wasn’t great but it was good enough. During the few minutes of diving I did get I saw exactly zero flounder.


Wore a 6mil surf suit and was good once my face went numb.

[FLETCHOSAURUS]

Anybody make contact?

[tm999xxx]

I may go out next week some time. I ve been getting the itch pretty bad..

[33fish33]

Planning on next weekend if no rain!

[FLETCHOSAURUS]

Well there catching them in RI apparently. So, that means your chances dwn here are that much better.

[TriggerNJ]

I'm going out to give it another shot as soon as the water clears. The HL flounder fishing just started improving.

[33fish33]

Im waiting for a thread that says: First!

[JJ131]

BINGO...Thats What I Was Thinkin Of Doing DE...With me Having the RIB And Talkin To A Guy Who Has An AVON Rib Too He Lives In OC MD If Its No Good In NJ I Am Thinkin DE Or MD its 4hrs Either Way For me..:cowboy:

[FLETCHOSAURUS]

BUMP
Any news of recent fish shot?
NE thread are doing well

[33fish33]

went out to cape may jetty yesterday. Viz was terrible (3-4ft) and there was a dredger in the inlet :( Anyway, did see 2 short tog. Water temp was about 52 and I was fine in a 5 mm suit.

[TriggerNJ]

Yeah we need some decent viz to start things off. Looks like it won't happen this coming week either though. Besides one day the viz has been horrible these last few weeks.

Is there a spot to launch a kayak into the Cape May inlet? What are the inlet rules on diving? I'd like to give it shot. I've looked at the inlet before and it looks really good but I never got a chance to dive it. I'm going to have some time this summer so I'm thinking of trying to dive a lot of the places I don't get to do.

[33fish33]

I've seen people launch kayaks from the near the small bridge right after the dollar bridge as you head from cape may to diamond beach. Although I, and everyone else, spear on either side of the north jetty, your not allowed to dive in the inlet (I think all inlets are technically off limits to divers though not sure). With a Kayak you can also make it over to the south jetty (I have never), which is supposedly great. Hope this helps, maybe Ill see you out there.

[TriggerNJ]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to give it try once the water warms up. I'll shoot you a pm when I'm thinking of doing it. If your around your more than welcome to jump in the front of the kayak for a ride to the south side.

[pirate_diver]

are you guys referring to the inlet by the ferry terminal? I've never seen the vis look like it might even be worth trying to spear there. Has anyone tried to spear around the concrete ship? That's another place where the vis always looks bad, but seems like it would hold fish. I can't wait to start seeing reports for striper. It's going to kill me to have to wait until late summer before I can make it back up to NJ again though.

[TriggerNJ]

I don't really know the area but I think the ferry your talking about is on what they call the Cape May Canal. The inlet I was thinking about is the one that has the Coast Guard Station on the south side and Diamond Beach is to the north. I've been down there a few times without my spear gear just hanging out with the girlfriend and those inlet jetties look really good. The one time I actually got close enough to check the viz it was crystal clear. It was torture looking at it with no gear around and knowing I could come back a bunch of times and never catch the viz anywhere near that good. I looked at the concrete ship too and I don't know if I would do that. It wasn't clear there even though it was amazing at the inlet and the current there was out of control. It looked sketchy. No viz, holes in the ship, and if I remember right what looked like rebarb was poking out of it. Maybe for a few minutes during slack it would be alright but I don't like the idea of holes, rebarb, and low viz in a current like that. I'd be afraid of getting pinned on the ship then sliding into a hole or something sharp.

[pirate_diver]

I don't really know the area but I think the ferry your talking about is on what they call the Cape May Canal. The inlet I was thinking about is the one that has the Coast Guard Station on the south side and Diamond Beach is to the north. I've been down there a few times without my spear gear just hanging out with the girlfriend and those inlet jetties look really good. The one time I actually got close enough to check the viz it was crystal clear. It was torture looking at it with no gear around and knowing I could come back a bunch of times and never catch the viz anywhere near that good. I looked at the concrete ship too and I don't know if I would do that. It wasn't clear there even though it was amazing at the inlet and the current there was out of control. It looked sketchy. No viz, holes in the ship, and if I remember right what looked like rebarb was poking out of it. Maybe for a few minutes during slack it would be alright but I don't like the idea of holes, rebarb, and low viz in a current like that. I'd be afraid of getting pinned on the ship then sliding into a hole or something sharp.

Yea the USCG base inlet is Cold Spring Inlet. And the vis there sucks ;):rolleyes: No yea it's good, and as far as I know it's not illegal to dive inside the inlet. Just make sure your dive flag is HUGE and you don't dive on weekends...it's a ZOO in that inlet. triggers, sheeps, spades, blues, stripes, togs, flatties, and i've even seen a cobia swim by. It also drops off deep near the tip of the south jetty because of the way the current flows past it.

[TriggerNJ]

Yea the USCG base inlet is Cold Spring Inlet. And the vis there sucks No yea it's good, and as far as I know it's not illegal to dive inside the inlet. Just make sure your dive flag is HUGE and you don't dive on weekends...it's a ZOO in that inlet. triggers, sheeps, spades, blues, stripes, togs, flatties, and i've even seen a cobia swim by. It also drops off deep near the tip of the south jetty because of the way the current flows past it.


Thanks, yeah I was thinking weekdays. Inlets up here are insane on weekends too..... I'm getting antsy thinking about diving somewhere new to me. I'd love to get a chance to shoot some sheepshead or spades. I know south jersey sees a lot more of them than we do here.

A friend of mine had a tiny cobia following him around during a jetty dive last august. It was the coolest thing I've seen in a while. My friend swims over to me and says check out this fish following me its not a pilot or a rudder I think it's a tiny cobia? Sure enough it was a little cobia. Followed him the whole dive until we got out.

I know guys in south jersey get pretty good sized cobia once in a while on H&L. Chances are low but I'd love to run into a good one.

[pirate_diver]

Thanks, yeah I was thinking weekdays. Inlets up here are insane on weekends too..... I'm getting antsy thinking about diving somewhere new to me. I'd love to get a chance to shoot some sheepshead or spades. I know south jersey sees a lot more of them than we do here.

A friend of mine had a tiny cobia following him around during a jetty dive last august. It was the coolest thing I've seen in a while. My friend swims over to me and says check out this fish following me its not a pilot or a rudder I think it's a tiny cobia? Sure enough it was a little cobia. Followed him the whole dive until we got out.

I know guys in south jersey get pretty good sized cobia once in a while on H&L. Chances are low but I'd love to run into a good one.

When I get up to NJ in August feel free to come down, I intend on going out just about everyday since it's my vacation. As for cobia, if you are desperate for one, just go to west palm in winter and spear a few off of the bull sharks;)

[TriggerNJ]

When I get up to NJ in August feel free to come down, I intend on going out just about everyday since it's my vacation. As for cobia, if you are desperate for one, just go to west palm in winter and spear a few off of the bull sharks

Thanks, sounds good. I'll definitely be taking you up on your offer.

No thanks on shooting cobia off the bull sharks. I looked at a video posted recently in the Florida forum of guys shooting cobias off the bulls. Looked crazy! Looked like almost a dozen big bulls were coming in from every direction. I don't think I have the nerve for that stuff. Those cobia are all yours!:D