Not that he did too badly himself just few days later. After putting in hard time looking for them the first weeks of the season, Jan Moniot hit for an epic night/early morning this past week.

Bunker chunked and dead-sticked on both sides of the tide was the menu for the night and while the other poles around him were harassed for 6 hours but nothing hooked up…

Jan managed to drive 4 hooks home and come up with all four stripers in the 20-22 lbs range. He went home, well past midnight, tired but with a smile on his face.

Both the surf and the boats are finding a solid group of big fish around the waters. Reports are of big spring weaks from boats, but nothing from the surf. Blues, to 12 lbs, have been caught and will be on the prowl now as will these bigger bass. Bunker, snagged and dropped or chunked, is it. Worms and clams have fallen out of favor with these eaters. That said, you wouldn’t be wrong to float a sandworm looking for weakfish. From the surf, two rods—one wire and one fluoro—will get the job done as that these big bass have proven to be wily and wire shy. Trolling soft baits will cost you more than you’ll get with gorilla blues around. Try top-waters near bunker pods or even faster worked silver, AVA’s or Deadly Dicks, might do it. Personally, I’d stick with live or freshly chunked.

From the lakes and ponds, cold nights and warm days will have the largemouths hitting mid-day. They will take their time to wake up, but when they do…they’ll be hitting on anything shiny and noisy…spinners in white are a good call…worked in and out of the shade. Once the day wears on, drop a Carolina rigged worm into the cover and you might find a moss-back willing to bite. As always, sunnies are a good bet with the kids, but for a true thrill try a little corn for carp. Nothing beats seeing one of this over-sized gold fish come up through the mud.

The promise of an April of all-day-non-stop bass blitzes and a steady stream of gorilla blues is slipping away with each passing tide. That is not to say that there aren’t fish to be had. There is great fishing in and around the island, but if we were hoping to simply toss a line anywhere at anytime and land a trophy…April is a fool’s month, no?

Tricked by a mild winter and a spring bite that started closer to February than April, it looked as if we’d have a Spring Run of epic proportions. What many of us failed to see was a full moon early in the month, water temps that haven’t budged, a weather pattern without many changes, and a body of fish that were simply content. We’re used to our spring fish being starved and hitting hard on bait because they need the nourishment. The problem with that theory is…these fish have been eating well all winter long. Then there’s the weather. Sure, the nights have been dry and comfortable and the days even better. It has been nearly perfect for 3 months and that is the problem. Bass, big bass, thrive in upset weather. They are storm fish, and face it, we haven’t had any real storms.

That said, big fish are being landed. Super-cows, to 50 lbs, have seen the sand if not the boat well. A lot of boats ran the bay on the weekends when it was blowing 10 knts, but getting on and hooking up with fish hasn’t been easy. The pictures of this big ‘uns are out there on the web and have been confirmed, but you wont get those smart anglers to give up their locations with out a fight, a case of micro-brew, or both. What they will say is right place at the right time is, like is is every April, is the key. You have to work for your fish this April…simple as that. There are also blues around. Not many and not in any size, but they’re there. One more week and you’ll need wire if you run bunker…mark it on the calendar.

The good news is that this coming week should make things interesting…at least for the surf fisherman. There’s a nice coastal low setting up for Sunday into Tuesday. A big, nor’easter-esque, blow is coming. If it does play out like the NWS is saying, it should be great bass fishing. Running the boat out on Saturday morning might be an idea. Look for the fish to be working around the points and deep sloughs. Again, for the surfmen…get your sleep, batten down your gear, and get ready for storm fishing. Late nights, big baits, and wind whipping rain in your face is on the horizon…so might be that wall-hanger you’ve been waiting for.

On the freshwater front…PRESSURE. Want-to be Bass Pro’s have been elbowing each other for space at the ponds. These fish are quickly earning PhDs in lures. That is not to say they can’t be had…wacky-rigged worms worked slow will nail ‘em. Sunnies are always a safe bet with Trout Magnets in white saving you from pinning worms.

While I know that this isn’t the same fish as last week, they are certainly getting bigger and more aggressive in their feeding habits. That is not to say there is a pick from the Staten Island surf by any means. The reports are of a slow but decent bite which is typical of late March/April. Any hopes that the mild winter would bring the cows in early are dimming fast. That said it is certainly worth getting off the couch and out on the sand…if not the kayak or boat.

For those working the channels things have been a little slow. Kayaks have found them as have boats, but they seem to spend more time looking than fishing. When they do get ‘em, they aren’t much bigger than those were seeing from the surf.

As for baits, the menu on the night in question was clam and bunker. Bunker won out overall. I did mention last week that there were rumors of blues. A highly credible source, one EliasV, had them to 10 lbs in JBay last week on mackerel. (Which were also running thick in Jbay.) In my book, that’s enough to run wire on bunker hooks. We had hits that felt like blues, but nothing was landed that would prove it. Big white Hogys worked over the bars did little other than work out shoulder muscles, but trolled on an umbrella from a boat or on a jig from a kayak might just do the trick.

For the coming week…Rest up Monday, Tuesday, maybe even Wednesday because if your schedule allows you to…You should be fishing non-stop through the weekend. Historically, this has been the first and best time to see how well your gear stands up to those 20 lbs class fish. This way you’ll be ready when the cows do come home. Just a hunch, but I think Staten Island will see multiple 40′s and even a 50 from the surf this year. With fish at 10-20 now, they’ll only get bigger…If you let them. A little CnR now, might mean a PB-fish later in the year

But he’s a bass!

The non-winter of 2011-2012 had left the bay very warm for the end of March. Both SDHN4 and Keansburg had been averaging well over 50 degrees for the past 3 weeks with only minor changes in temps day to day. That had meant a major striper bite with surf and kayak fisherman on both sides of the bay finding bass to 17lbs, but that might not be the case for the next few days.

In the last few days, there have been huge dips and climbs in the bay temps. This inconsistency along with shifting winds, cold air temps, and an unfavorable tide might be putting the big ‘uns down for a bit.

That said, bunker can be found in various spots around the bay and moving eastward. Where there’s bunker, there’s bass. Or so they say. Whether they’re keyed on the bait is another question. Despite the weather, it is possible that these bass are still on their early spring clam/worm diet plan. Chunked, freshly snagged, bunker failed to get a touch on a night that worms drew solid hook ups from fish to 10lbs. Dive reports from New Jersey have herring all over. It may be time to get out the crippled herring in blue/black and give it a toss. Soft baits were getting hits as late as last Tuesday, but with the conditions…that might not be the case anymore. That said, a plug bag with a pearl Hogy on a 2 oz jig, a crippled herring, and an AVA 007 trailed in red might just be what you need to get it done without getting your hands dirty.

There has also been a persistent rumor of bluefish in and around the North Shore and moving south. No proof has been seen, but there’s little reason to doubt the reports. Who lies about blues? If you find yourself chunking bunker, you might want to run a wire leader, but be advised… Bass from the same school as the one pictured above shunned a rod running worm on wire (don’t ask). Guess you might have to sacrifice a rig or two to find out.

As for freshwater, this cold streak (as it were) might have put the largemouths down, but then again maybe not. Not a lot has been heard from the lakes and ponds this past week. Again, the loss of Wolfes Pond has put pressure on other spots. If freshwater anglers don’t exercise some self control, it may be a very long and skunky spring.

Some of the SIFISHINGREPORTS crew is heading out tonight, so look for live reports on Twitter @SI_Osprey.

On freshwater front, lakes and ponds are starting spring patterns with hit and miss largemouth bites. Time of day, lure color, and presentation speed have to be figured out on each outing as that no one pattern produced consistently.

Each Sunday night, I will be posting a new note on the state of fishing on Staten Island.  Obviously, as the fishing picks up this season there will be more to report.  If you read this site and would like to contribute, I am giving you an email address to send your reports to and I will post them.

Send your reports to: sifishreps@gmail.com

Remember, this is not about spot burning or down-t0-latitude-longitude reports, but it is about developing an understanding of the fishery and what is working for you.

I am also hoping to add new contributors to the site.  If you fish Staten Island and want to share your knowledge, please contact me.

With that, I will be heading out tonight for a little catch-and-release action.  Based on my sources, the residents are awake and should be biting.  The water temps at both SDHN4 and Keansburg have been steady within a degree or two of 50 for about a week now.   That’s a lot better than last year when water temps were diving on this same day.  I looked back at my posts and a year ago to the day had the water temps dipping below the much needed 45 mark.  As of 10 minutes ago, Keansburg was reporting a solid 50 with plenty of light winds and sun left in the day.  If things hold like this, we could see 55 in the bay by the weekend!  That would really mean an early start to things.

Last week’s shake down surf fishing trip on the outgoing in Princes Bay was a skunk, but there was the full moon to contend with and a decent flux in the water temps.

The plastic navy (kayaks) is supposed to be hitting the Jersey side of the bay this afternoon.  I am anxious to hear what they say and I will report back on it as soon as I hear.

So, there you have it…I am back to reporting, hopefully you’ll be back to reading, and here’s to hoping the fish will be back to biting!

Live reports will be posted on Twitter @ SI_Opsrey…follow along if you’d like.

Much to our surprise, Raritan Bay failed to produce a single hit let alone any fish. Not for want of trying mind you. We had 5 lines in the water with 3 seasoned anglers (read: out of our minds) and two novices (read: normal). We had lines in at 7:30 PM and put a toe-tag on it 12:30 PM.

The crew hit the sand a little before low tide in a spot that had been producing sizable blues and small bass for the past 4 weeks with great hopes. While I had my doubts the same class of blues were still hanging around (salinity is down from my last read), I did expect the bass, rats to schoolies, to be present. And yet, nothing.

The Nor’Easter did rewrite the bars a more than a bit, but I doubt that had anything to do with it. Lack of large bait is more the culprit. Word at the bait shop is that bunker pods are way south of SI and it is doubtful they’ll be moving north. That doesn’t bode well for back bay fishing, but all isn’t lost.

Sunday morning saw the bay crystal clear with sand eels schooling very close. Last night, the water dirtied a bit, but very large shoals of small bait could be seen in the moonlight. We witnessed more than one large school right on the surface during the first stages of incoming. Problem was, there was nothing underneath them. It may take a bit for the bigger bass to find their way, but I have confidence that it isn’t over for Staten Island yet.

As for other spots and news…Bunker is in very short supply around the island. Frozen was all that was available yesterday, but word has it that the weekend will see fresh in and around. Sandy Hook did see some larger bass Monday, so boats and EZ-pass-holders could get ‘em if they tried.

On the freshwater scene, it looked like standing-room only at Acme late yesterday afternoon. With the cold shot, the lakes and ponds turned over and may have put the largies on the bite. A major problem will be pressure now that we’ve lost Wolfe’s Pond. Previously overlooked ponds, like Acme, are getting a lot of attention now and that may not make fishing them easy. For my money, I’m boiling some dough, getting a can of corn, and looking for carp. With winter on the way, these WWF-sized goldfish will put a bend in the rod and a smile on your face.

First things first…A report:

Blues, a decent class of fish, have been on the bite for the past three weeks. Last night saw long but skinny blues to 8 lbs hit fresh bunker in the middle of outgoing. This has been the pattern for the last three weeks or so.

The ratty bass that have haunted the back part of the bays in recent weeks have disappeared. I would venture to guess that chomping bluefish jaws are partially responsible. What is somewhat troubling is that the bass that were being caught weren’t breaking the 5 lbs mark let alone 10 or above that should be the norm for this time of year.

The lack of peanut bunker would seem to be the culprit. The fatty little guys would help the bass bulk up and the primary fall forage just seems to be missing.

Here’s to hoping that a large school of northern bass push into the bay in the next week or two. END REPORT

Moving forward, this site will begin posting weekly reports for SI fishing until the bay shuts down completely for winter. At that time, I’ll be switching to a bi-weekly format that will cover trips, tips, and thoughts that extend beyond the SI fishing community.

I am glad to be back and I hope that you will renew your viewing and interest in this site.

New pages, new features, and news coming soon.

Cold wind + Cold water = No Fish

What had been a promising week soured by 4am this morning.  Despite wishful thinking, sacrifices, and other totems…the water temperatures in the bay retreated a bit in the face of a stiff west wind.  As the graph of water temps dipped so did the hope of the bass bite starting in earnest.

For the second week in now, I hit the beach with clams and more hope than confidence.  The ridiculous daylight savings time changes also made it more problematic.  Had sunrise been at 6am, there would have been a whole extra hour of sun to warm the mud.  Alas, that was not the case.

Dawn broke cold and clear over Raritan Bay and lines were in as the first purplish hints spoked out over the horizon.  Three poles deadsticking clams in a known early season spot produced some possible nibbles but no real hits.  For two  hours before low and for forty minutes after, the pungent odor of clams drifted in the currents.  Nothing was interested.  As the wind began to go from breezy to gusty to downright unpleasant, we packed it in.

Still, I remain optimistic.  Reports (words no pictures mind you) from the local tackle purveyor are of “small bass here and there.”  The week ahead looks good on paper with warmer air temps, but there will be a pesky northeasterly flow to contend with the first part of the week that might keep it cool.  As of this report, the bay hasn’t recovered to its previous 47degree mark and has been holding steady at 42-43 all day.  If and when that changes, the first outgoing at sunset will see me out there.  Until then, I’m digging out my freshwater gear.

Word, from an extremely credible source, has the local ponds ramping up now that it is ice-out.  I, for one, might consider some pan fishing or even a bucketmouth trip as balm to soothe my frazzled salt-stained heart.

It is early and a darned sight better than a year ago when a Nor’Easter tore up the bay and set fishing back two to three weeks.

If you consider yourself spiritual in any way, I encourage you to pray to the deity of your choice for one thing this week…A south wind.