Saltwater & Jetty Report:

1/8/2012
9:20AM
First off, reports now have to wait until I am at the store because the home computer is on the fritz and I just don't have time to play with it. Water temp is 45.1 and it is Jan. 8, this is just nuts. This is good for people who want to fish because there are more stripers around because of it. LBI had a couple of stripers caught from the north end on metals. Have not heard much from any place else on LBI. Did hear, not many are fishing. IBSP up to the Pt. Pleasant area had a pick of stripers on thin metals, teasers, swimming plugs, and plastics that look like a sand eel. Not really any hot spots now you just have to put a little time in. Most of these fish are in the 8 to 14lb class but a few were just short of 20lbs.

Some party boats have switched gears and are now fishing mackerel, cod, ling, and pollock. Had word that there are mackerel around and some boats will be heading to the Mud Hole for them.

1/7/2012
UPDATE 12:20PM
Ok the first reports have come in for today as people come off the beach for lunch or have their limit of stripers. Did I say limits? yup I sure did. Stripers are being caught from Lavallette down into IBSP. Swimming plugs are working as well as AVAs and either Vision sand eels or surf eels. Most of these fish are in the 8 to 12lb size but some have gone uo to just shy of 20lbs. Go for a ride and catch some Jan. stripers.

9:30AM
Water temp is 45.5 this morning. Air temps are much better as well. Looks like a nice day to spend it one the beach fishing. Still a bunch of dinner sized stripers being caught from Pt. Pleasant down into IBSP. There are tons of sand eels around in the surf. The herring are too far off to worry about unless you have a boat. So with that said grab that rod and take some salted clams if you want to dead stick or take the plugging rod and put on a teaser with some type of skinny metal (AVA, Deadly Dick, T-Hex, etc...), a plastic that looks like a sand eel, or you could even try some type of swimming plug. I am sure we will be hearing from some people today and if we do we will update the reports.

Well I hate to bring some bad news at the start of a new year but the regs are out for blackfish (tog) and they are not good. A lot of people and party boat capts. are upset about them. It is going to make a hard business even harder. So here is what the regs are. The new regs have increased the size of legal blackfish to 15 inches. The seasons and bag limits are as follows: four(4) fish from Jan. 1 to Feb 28, four(4) fish from April 1 to April 30, one(1) fish from July 27 to Aug. 31, one(1) fish from Oct. 18 to Nov. 15, four(4) fish from Nov. 16 to Dec. 31. It is hard to see but the season is CLOSED for all of March, May 1 - July 26, and Sept. 1 - Oct. 17. Not a pretty sight.

1/6/2012
7:00AM
Water temp is 43.5. Air temps are in the low 30's this morning but should warm to the 50 as the day goes on. Maybe this will bring some people to fish. Lately there has been very few if any fishing. Do I blame them? nope as air temps have been in the 20's and with the wind feels even lower. So with the lack of people fishing of course reports are hard to come by. I heard that some stripers were caught from the Pt. Pleasant area but details are pretty sketchy so not really sure what went on. I am sure with the weather being better and air temps a whole lot better I would et there will be more fishing the next few days. Don't forget you have to renew your Saltwater Registry to fish now. To renew see the link above, it is very easy and it is FREE so just do it.


Bay Report:

1/7/2012
No one fishing the bays because the striper season is closed. I have had some questions about that. The Atlantic Ocean doesn't have a closed season but all other waters do. Striper season in those waters will re-open March 1.


Fresh Water Report:

BUY NJ FISHING LICENSE ONLINE CLICK HERE

1/8/2012
Some out fish yesterday. Few reports of pickerel being caught but not from where. Was told some places have a good layer of skim ice. Looks like we are not going to get the good ice like we had last year. Don't get me wrong we still have a bit to go before temps get up there but hey, it is in the 50's in Jan. in NJ? I guess it is true what they say "In NJ if you don't like the weather wait 10 mins, it will change."

1/7/2012
Nice day yesterday and some were out fishing. Had reports that a lot of places already have skim ice on them but a few bass and pickerel were caught. Now is the time to be fishing live bait or fishing artificials very very slow. If you think you are fishing it slow, fish it slower.



Fisherman Fred's
2222 State Highway 33
Hamilton, NJ 08690
Phone: 609-570-8035
Fax: 609-570-8036
http://www.fishermanfreds.com