Dylcook91

Nice fish!!! What did you get them on?

Yeah I don't fish jigs much either, just seems a lot of fishermen have luck with them in cold weather so I figured I'd follow suit. The water I fish is set up perfect for jig fishing, as there are a bunch of submerged trees...so far, not working so well hahaha. Let me know how you make out with them.

I've been saying the same about the fall bite...I never saw it. The last time I got one was the day after Sandy hit, It was a small dink on a big spinnerbait. I start with a spinner then fish slow with a jig and trailer, but overall the water seems dead.

I would say high 4 to mid 5 lber the fish looks long but doesn't seem too have much of a belly on her in the photo. The mouth doesn't really look like that of an 8+lber, look up some bigger fish and you'll see what I'm talking about. However that is a very nice fish, and just cause it might not be as big as you would hope doesn't take away from it. I wish I hook up with a fish like that these days haha

I was the offender a few weeks ago...or so the other fisherman thought hahaha. I was fishing for stripers as they come back down the coast for winter. But the spot is very unlikely, it is about 7 miles inland from the ocean and another 3 miles down a stream connected to the inlet. It is in the middle of the woods and the stream itself is only about 30ft wide. There is only one 20ft strech that you can fish from as there is a space in the trees. The water is PACKED with monster(20-25lbers) stripers and no one even knows it. I could put my hand in and just grab one. So there I am looking totally out of place with saltwater gear and big heavy poppers. I was the only one there when a guy walks up in full fly fisherman gear(vest, waders). I wave to him but get no love back so I figure he didn't see me. I continue to fish for about 15 minutes and then decide it was time to leave, so I walk over to him and say "how's it going"...before I could warn him of the stripers, and tell him he was gonna have a hard time landing trout before they became food, he looks at me with hate and walks away without saying a word because I ruined his fishing hahaha. Of course my luck being that I couldn't get a huge striper to smash the popper when he was standing there. Though it was happening every cast before he walked up...so if you ask me he ruined my fishing hahahaha I have seen guys reeling in trout when a huge striper comes outta no where and eats it. I try explaining to them that the stripers are in there and all I get is.."no your wrong, its to far inland. "It must of been a huge smallmouth"-which don't even exist in these waters. The spot itself is where they stock the stream every year with thousands of trout. The stripers figured this out and just wait for easy pickings....its a frenzy.

Yeah I'm in Manasquan, and I still don't have power back yet. Lots of houses damaged near me, mostly from falling trees. I have yet to go down to the beach because you cant get near it without ID proving you live there. But from what I heard its mostly gone. Its hard getting around cause you have to really conserve gas unless your lucky to find an open gas station, which then has 2+mile lines(Not joking). Most of the ponds I fish are near rivers, and the water came up so high they were eaten up by saltwater. I did manage to fish one pond and caught a small dink on a spinnerbait, so I hope they live to fight another day.

Went out today for about 3 hours, but I picked up a bag of 5" Senkos before hand. T-rigged them weightless and just let them do there thing, AND I finally caught a few bass though they were only dinks. Tried a few other lures, but only the Senkos produced. Now I can sleep a little better tonight with high hopes of better fish in the future.

Sorry I cant help with info about those, but it reminds me of earlier this summer I found an old box of lures I used to use hidden in my basement. They had been there for at least 10 years. Among the lures I found an old beaten up bag of Storm 3" crawdads(blk/blue). The next day I went fishing and thought what the hell, rigged one up and on my first cast caught a 3lb 10oz largemouth in a small pond. I thought it was pretty funny.

I give every lure I fish at least 30 minutes before I call it quiets and switch to another. I went again today and tired using only one as suggested. I went with a spinner bait, as its what I was using when I last caught a bass. Fished for about 2 1/2 hours, all through out the water column, slow roll, fast, stop and go, and even as a jig hahaha. I bet you all can guess my results. Not gonna stop till something gives, and thankfully I have off work tomorrow so I'll be out there all day

I'm not too far north of you. I fish everyday just about, but haven't been getting any fish in the last two weeks. I try all types of lures and its all the same results. Fall is considered one of the best times of year for largemouth, I hoping the water is going though a transition and the fishing will pick up again soon. I fish alot of dark water so I throw dark colors mostly, and try to match the color of the lures to the color of their natural food source around me(bluegill, frogs).

Well, skunked again Went out fishing today after work, tried everything from my usual habits to dead sticking. I started off with a Zoom fluke around lilly pads, in both shallow and deep water. I cast it out, let it sink really long and slow with a twitch every now and then...nothing. Then switched to a single colorado blade spinner, threw that into and around cover then in open water varying speed and depth...nothing. Then jerkbaits...nothing. Rigged up a weightless t-rig, let it sink and sit for 60 seconds(stop watch lol) move it and then wait again, once out of the zone(which is non-existent at this point) reel in and repeat. Still I got nothing. Its to the point I'm not even looking to catch fish, I just want to feel a bite so I can be reminded they do exist. I'm gonna pick up some jigs and trailers then try again tomorrow, but I feel as if I know how that's gonna go hahaha

Thanks guys, tons of great info! I haven't slowed my fishing down yet as I am incapable hahaha. Right now I am throwing mostly spinnerbaits, swimbaits, jerkbaits(hard and soft), topwaters(buzzbaits, spooks). But they have all seemed to stop producing fish, so I figured I gotta change something. I would love to try crankbaits but the water I fish has lots of vegetation that make it impossible. Maybe the waters I'm fishing are still going through transition and putting the fish off. I guess all I can do is to try and slow it down. I'm definitely gonna give dead-sticking with T-rigged worms a shot cause I'm at a loss. I just picked up some jigs/trailers so I guess I'll also work them in structure and see how that goes. As for pickerel, I did fish some Zoom flukes today and the pickerel were exploding on them, thankful they somehow managed not to get hooked.

With the weather going down hill, and many folks having to change their fishing habits to adjust for fall fishing, I have been seeing many post that say to fish SLOW. Now for some reason I just cant seem to fish slow, its like I cant keep my hands off the reel haha. letting a worm, jig, or swimbait sit for a minute to me feels like an eternity. But comparing my catch statistics now from that of summer, I have had a big decline at producing fish(none in two weeks). It got me thinking, what does everyone here individually consider slow? And how long is too long on any giving cast? What is your go to bait to fish slow, around cover and which for open water? Any other tips or tricks that may help, I'd love to hear. I better try to get the hang of this, cause if I'm not doing to well in fall, then I might as well sleep all winter hahaha

Just thought I would check to see how everyone else has been doing locally? Cause I have been getting skunked so bad its unbelievable. The last time I got a bass was just over two weeks ago and it was a 2.5lber on a spinnerbait. I have been fishing almost everyday since then for at least 1.5hrs a day with not even a bite. Its not just one location either, cause I have about five different decent size ponds to choose from nearby and Manasquan reservoir. I try every lure I can think of, I work my way from topwaters to bottom dwellers and its the same across the board. I see post about fall fishing really picking up, but its having the exact opposite effect on me. Im really starting to question my ability in this game hahaha

I feel your pain, I'm down 2 rods since spring. First one broke after hooking up with what would have been the biggest bass of my life if I would have landed it. Was reaching down to lip the fish, just when she gave one last burst, snapping the rod at the halfway point and breaking the line at the same time. Second I was working a jig when it stuck on an underwater object, pulled "lightly" on the rod and snap(in the middle again). Luckily they where cheaper rods, regardless a few curses echoed for miles hahaha

Its been my experience that power of observation doesn't always hold up hahaha. Just last week I was fishing when I noticed hundreds if not thousands of 3" to 5" eels swimming in/out and around a big drain that runs into the water. The water was about 4' deep, and cloudy so I can't confirm that bass were there, but I thought it would make sense being that it was easy pickings haha. I sat there throwing everything I could think of, not a single bite the entire time.

"Its to hot out, they must be turned off by the heat" or "Its to cold out, they must be turned off by the cold" hahaha

I have been fishing ALOT this season and a little over a month ago I got my PB that I know of since having a scale. That one was 3lbs, 10oz, however just last week I caught my new record, the scale read 4.03lbs. I got it in pouring rain on a Strike King buzzbait(black and red). Other then that, there was one other 3lber, a handful of 2lbs, and more dinks there I would like to remember hahaha Heres a very bad pic of the 4lber, (blurry from shaking in cold rain)

I don't know whats in the waters your fishing, but where I fish there are pickerel. Those nasty little fish take my lures all the time(spinners, top waters) The second they hit it they snap the line like they were never even there. Are there any fish with teeth where your fishing?

The tails may not be as different as you think. In the first photo it may just not be fanned out as much as it can be, and/or has sustained damage though out its life time. But bass, just like humans dont have to grow symmetrical to one another and can show different traits. But thats just my thinking I could be wrong haha

Just let me know where this swamp is located, I'll setup a tent there tonight. I'll let you all know what the results are when I land the new state record. hahahaha

Wow man thanks for all the info. Now I know what ponds your talking about, the funny thing is I drive past them everyday. There is one at the NJNG and at the buisness across on the otherside of 34. I always figured they were just there for show/drainage and didnt hold any fish hahaha. I'm definatly gonna give these spots a shot as Ive been getting very bored with the places I currently go. I know what you mean about the snakes aswell, the pond I got to now also has a ton of them. Its very heavy weeds you have to walk though to get to it and you dont know the snake is there until it takes off just before you step on it. I have had a few snakes ( that I thought were moccasins also) come after me as I tried to get away from it. Im also gonna try the other spots you mention, cause they sound real good to me. I'll definitely let you know how I make out after I hit them up. Yeah I'll roll with "plan", but really for me it was like luck coming together hahahaha

Thanks guys, I was fishing in some water out in the middle of the woods a few miles from my house, it doesnt even have a name. I cant believe that fish was even in there, as a few months back it was almost completley drained. I try to fish as many waters around here as possible, however the only water that I know of around Wawa on 34 is a pond in Shark river park, that I have yet to see any fish at. Is that where you went? Ive been to the Manasquan Res. a few times but its not that great for shore fishing and the few times I have rented a boat I didnt get anything. As for Spring Lake I never even bothered, cause I figured that water wouldn't be able to harvest larger bass being so accessible to the public. You say a guy pulled a 6lber out though? I might just head there now then. hahaha -Dylan

I know the location of a few crankbaits in a tree near me hahaha

Ive been havin the same problem, been getting small fish on plastics fished slow. Got a good one today using a 4" crawfish across the top of lilly pads. Other then that the deepest pockets the pond has to offer and other shaded areas.