31” bluefish

[NJ219bands]

Made a new double teaser and Ava rig this afternoon, then went fishing 🎣 in Manasquan Inlet this evening on a hot, cloudy day with a strong west wind and incoming tide. 3 foreigners were in my spot so I tried a new spot. Cast my new rig for more than two and a half hours and only had one hit. Caught, tagged and released a 31” bluefish on the plain hook Ava A-17 just before I quit. A foreigner who doesn’t understand English, recaptured my bluefish soon after I released it. He took it to his car. I don’t think that he is going to report catching a tagged fish. I caught, tagged and released bluefish (44) on my last 11 trips to the inlet. While I was leaving the inlet, a fish 🐟 survey guy interviewed me. There was a forest fire 🔥 in Jackson on my way home. I probably won’t return to the inlet until Monday. It is no longer fun fishing there. Spear fishermen shot striped bass, trigger fish 🐟 and sheepshead. There were two thunderstorms at the inlet this evening.

[Skolmann]

Why is it no longer fun fishing there ? Because of spearfisherman, foreigners or someone was in “your spot” (& by spot I mean one specific rock among the thousands on the jetty) ?

I fish Manasquan Inlet dozens of times over the course of the spring, summer & fall-from both sides. Have caught multiple species from the far east end of both jetties, to the far west end by the Fisherman’s Monument on the Point side and the west end of the railing on the Manasquan side (even going further west to off Dog Beach) and all points in between.

Yes there are certain spots/areas during different stages of the tide that I prefer when targeting different species but if that ‘spot’ is already occupied, I just go to an unoccupied area and not surprisingly I still catch some fish.