Can't Catch, Need Help in NJ 2025
arou1990 reply :
Hey All,
I have been lurking on this forum for a few months now and finally decided to post and ask for help. I have been fishing since I was a kid (I'm 27 now) and recently got into freshwater fishing seriously (specifically for bass) a few months ago.
To give some background I live at the beach in Monmouth County NJ and fish mostly local ponds and lakes. Sunset Lake, Deal Lake, Takanasee Lake, Turkey Swamp, Manasquan Reservoir, Spring Lake, Forge Pond and Marlu Lake to name a few spots. I don't have a boat so it is always shore fishing. One of my first times out I landed a 3lb bass at the bridge on Sunset lake using a 3.5" keitech swimbait with a red jighead. Ever since then I have not been able to catch another good size fish. I have tried different color senkos, crank baits, spinner baits, more keitechs, topwater frogs, and even rooster tails out of desperation. The only thing I have managed to catch any other Bass with are some little chartreuse swimbait minnows but they are always like 5-6 inch little guys.
I read through the "Guaranteed to Catch" Thread and others offering tips on how to fish certain baits. I also searched for threads about NJ fishing to try and follow some of their tips specifically for this area but nothing seems to be working. I know this is how it works sometimes but boy is it deflating to go out day after day and not catch. Typically I go out in the morning before work (6-9) and then out again after work until sunset. Part of the reason it is so frustrating is because I am fishing spots where I see fish hitting topwater but they never seem to want what I have.
Anyways I apologize for the rant. I am hoping some people can offer any help. Thanks.
-Alex
YoTone reply :
i fish around that area and yeah, its been no easy task for me to consistently catch bass.
try tossing a buzz bait at night.
arou1990 reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 2:43 AM, YoTone said:i fish around that area and yeah, its been no easy task for me to consistently catch bass.
try tossing a buzz bait at night.
Thanks for the suggestion. Although I wish we were all catching more it is definitely reassuring that I am not the only one having a tough time. Are there any specific sizes or colors you would recommend for buzzbait at night?
Darren. reply :
Welcome aboard!
Sounds like a challenging area to fish!
I fish mostly soft plastics and use the Ned rig, drop
shot, wacky rig, texas rig.
One thing a lot of us have found is that when things
are frustrating on the water, we tend to go faster with
whatever we're fishing. Not sure how you do things,
but if you think you are going slow enough, slow down
some more.
arou1990 reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 3:33 AM, Darren. said:Welcome aboard!
Sounds like a challenging area to fish!
I fish mostly soft plastics and use the Ned rig, drop
shot, wacky rig, texas rig.
One thing a lot of us have found is that when things
are frustrating on the water, we tend to go faster with
whatever we're fishing. Not sure how you do things,
but if you think you are going slow enough, slow down
some more.
Thank you for the welcome and reply! I try to be conscious of my pace and certainly think I can do better with slowing down because you are right, when the going is tough I do speed up. Following the directions in the "Guaranteed to Catch" thread has certainly helped my patience level but there is always room for improvement. When it comes to using spinnerbaits and buzzbaits I try to find the line between getting them to spin and going too fast so i'm sure there is room for improvement there.
YoTone reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 3:32 AM, arou1990 said:Thanks for the suggestion. Although I wish we were all catching more it is definitely reassuring that I am not the only one having a tough time. Are there any specific sizes or colors you would recommend for buzzbait at night?
well the ones ive been using at night has been a 3/8th oz sized black buzz baits from ebay. the sellers store hunter creek.
you can buy and have it shipped to your door for under $5 bucks. hard to beat that deal in my opinion.
ive also had success with a black colorado spinner bait. the ones at walmart work just as good as the pricier ones. and if you get snagged and break off its only a dollar.
Sword of the Lord reply :
Take a 1/2 oz realistic Rat-L-Trap and a 110 Whopper Plopper. You'll get smacked.
Don't just straight retrieve the trap. Pause, pop, retrieve fast the slow, pop, pause. You get the idea.
YaknBassn reply :
Are you sure you're taking enough time to find the correct presentation? I know it's difficult when you have a limited time to fish. Sometimes I find myself swapping baits too often and never really taking the time to really present a single lure in every way.
Slow it down and relax. P
arou1990 reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 4:51 AM, YoTone said:well the ones ive been using at night has been a 3/8th oz sized black buzz baits from ebay. the sellers store hunter creek.
you can buy and have it shipped to your door for under $5 bucks. hard to beat that deal in my opinion.
ive also had success with a black colorado spinner bait. the ones at walmart work just as good as the pricier ones. and if you get snagged and break off its only a dollar.
Awesome I’ll definitely give that a shot. I typically buy from Walmart occasionally I’ll head to Dicks for a bigger selection. I’m gonna order those from eBay and see what I can do.
On 10/10/2017 at 4:55 AM, Sword of the Lord said:Take a 1/2 oz realistic Rat-L-Trap and a 110 Whopper Plopper. You'll get smacked.
Don't just straight retrieve the trap. Pause, pop, retrieve fast the slow, pop, pause. You get the idea.
I will certainly give those a whirl and see what I can do. I haven’t done any research on them are there any specific colors you suggest or are they all one color?
On 10/10/2017 at 6:33 AM, YaknBassn said:Are you sure you're taking enough time to find the correct presentation? I know it's difficult when you have a limited time to fish. Sometimes I find myself swapping baits too often and never really taking the time to really present a single lure in every way.
Slow it down and relax. P
That’s a great question. A suggestion I got from a friend of mine said to walk around the lake or pond trying the same bait and if I get around without a bite then switch to something else. I’m trying to be more patient with everything to find the right presentation. I’ve done some reading and watched videos about different presentations and retrieval techniques but given that I’m new to bass fishing sometimes I wonder if I’m just plain doing something wrong.
geo g reply :
The fish you see busting the surface may not be bass at all. In Florida waters you often see fish busting the surface that are mudfish, gar, or catfish that are gulping air in waters that are often low in oxygen. Some freshwater fish have this ability, but not bass. If O2 levels are low, bass will move out of the area quickly.
I also agree with Darren that when things get tough, slow way down with your plastics, and then slow down even more.
fishdevil1 reply :
Its a tough time to bank fish and consistently catch big fish. Your best bet is Spring time during the spawn. I would go with top water. Bites been tough down here in South Jersey.
ClackerBuzz reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 12:16 AM, arou1990 said:I don't have a boat so it is always shore fishing.
This is a big part of your problem. North Jersey is an amazing multi-species area to fish. Forget the next 4 technique specific combos w/ endless lures and get off shore with a $300 kayak. Bass Fishing Jersey has videos of ridiculous action at Manasquan and others all around ur area. I might give my left pinky to have that as my home reservoir
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPVjYCxv50u2Vja6kYTwQsA
arou1990 reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 10:50 AM, ClackerBuzz said:This is a big part of your problem. North Jersey is an amazing multi-species area to fish. Forget the next 4 technique specific combos w/ endless lures and get off shore with a $300 kayak. Bass Fishing Jersey has videos of ridiculous action at Manasquan and others all around ur area. I might give my left pinky to have that as my home reservoir
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPVjYCxv50u2Vja6kYTwQsA
If it were as simple as going out and buying a kayak I would have done it already. Storage and transportation are my real issues with doing it.
IndianaFinesse reply :
I would suggest less focus on lures (and none on color), and more on location. Finding catchable, active bass is the hardest and most important part of successful fishing. Read up on seasonal patterns, pick a couple of versatile technique (one topwater, one suspended, and one bottom) and learn them well. A lure is simply a tool used to properly control depth and speed, that is what you should be thinking about when choosing lures.
YoTone reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 10:16 PM, arou1990 said:If it were as simple as going out and buying a kayak I would have done it already. Storage and transportation are my real issues with doing it.
you can dock and leave a jon boat in some locations.
I used an inflatable kayak for a number of years with decent results.
arou1990 reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 10:52 PM, YoTone said:you can dock and leave a jon boat in some locations.
I used an inflatable kayak for a number of years with decent results.
Funny you say that, I had been considering buying an inflatable raft (newbie I know) for sometime not realizing they made inflatable kayaks. Great call!
YoTone reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 10:54 PM, arou1990 said:Funny you say that, I had been considering buying an inflatable raft (newbie I know) for sometime not realizing they made inflatable kayaks. Great call!
hobie has an inflatable kayak with the mirage drive but its pretty pricey.
you can get a decent paddle inflatable for a quarter of the price and will get you on the water. just make sure you have a proper heavy anchor. the wind can really slap you around in any kayak but in an inflatable you will get into some trouble.
scaleface reply :
Are there any conservation lakes with jon boat rentals in your area? I take advantage of those a lot and have for decades. All you need is a battery and elec motor , cheap depth finder and you can fish the same way as the pros . I just went to one yesterday and caught a limit of 15 inch plus keepers .
arou1990 reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 11:11 PM, scaleface said:Are there any conservation lakes with jon boat rentals in your area? I take advantage of those a lot and have for decades. All you need is a battery and elec motor , cheap depth finder and you can fish the same way as the pros . I just went to one yesterday and caught a limit of 15 inch plus keepers .
I have rented a kayak at the manasquan reservoir before and it helped as I caught more than I do shore fishing. They also rent boats with elec motors but I won't have my boating safety certificate for another month and I need that to rent something with a motor.
boostr reply :
Bank fishing in Jersey is a mission. The lakes and ponds up here are pressured all the time. I have most my luck using jigs(my go to lure), frogs(hollow/ soft plastic), Ned rig, and some type of punching rig. You need to hit the isolated cover (lily pads, grass mats, lay downs), and yes I've done this from the bank. Hit the beaver lodges, there's always fish around them, and there's plenty of them in new jersey.
arou1990 reply :
Thank you everyone for the tips! I just wanted to update you all with my progress recently. I took your advice in focusing more on location than lures and whatnot and have had a few successful days. Today brought in a couple nice 2-4 pounders. Not huge I know but I’m making progress.
I have a question about good rods and baitcasters...I have been using a 6 foot ugly stick rod and spinning reel combo I picked up a dicks. Do y’all have any suggestions for a nice upgrade and preferences between baitcasters and spinning reels?
burrows reply :
Abu Garcia pro max spinning combo at dicks for 70$ or the pro max baitcaster combo 99$ both good set ups for bass fishing.
Good baitcaster for starters would recommend shimano casitas.
collards reply :
When healthy, I fish west central jersey. keitech, rapala minnow, firetiger spinners and blue gill swimbaits catch for me. If I can't go often, I cheat and shinners catch about every cast.
68camaro reply :
On 10/10/2017 at 10:54 PM, arou1990 said:Funny you say that, I had been considering buying an inflatable raft (newbie I know) for sometime not realizing they made inflatable kayaks. Great call!
Years ago I fish out of inflatable on part of Chattahoochie river in GA, it was stored in trunk or fully inflated on top of Taurus:) Loved it. Check out sea eagle inflatables.
Bobby Uhrig reply :
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A-Jay reply :
On 10/24/2017 at 2:39 AM, Bobby Uhrig said:Uncle B Bobby B Fishing trips Now only 5 dollars-
Does that come with a free spinnerbait Uncle Bobby ?
A-Jay
Bobby Uhrig reply :
Gather round little childrens- Uncle B Bobby B's and Chez Whitey promotions - will help you catch more fish in NJ - Special deal -only $5.00 - Make it quick -we are moving locations-- Instant message me Arou
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