Whats to come! this helps the winter blues..
 

That helps take the chill out of the air!

Part two

http://link.brightcove.com/services/...ctid1130894676


and three

http://link.brightcove.com/services/...ctid1133257023

Wow that was awesome! Thanks for sharing that with us.

Heh Billy,
Was Jim's cigar smoke used as a fish attractant?
Good stuff.

I also saw the surf video with you and Steve, cool stuff.

Great footage. Bill, what's the latest on Steve McKenna? How's he doing now?

Steve is hangin in there at the moment, its a slow process.

Bill have they figured out what is happening? Did Steve finally agree to go to a real hospital?

Havent figured it all out yet..

Hey Bill, Great Footage There,, Enjoyed It...

I still can't believe that they wouldn't touch anytype of artificial offering,did you try some top-water comotion like pencils etc., ?

Anyway I would have to agree the reduction of what these Bunker Boats are taking down here in Jersey is paying off coastwide. We have be expierencing a similiar spring rebound seeing some larger fish on a consistent basis and its all bunker-driven....

Thanks Again,,,
Steve

Well it does show the proof doesnt it, Jimmy tossed evey lure imaginable at those fish and nada...never even looked twice..When they want live bait, they want live bait...It is telling...I dont care what plug you have you would go and say there are no fish when in fact it was paved with 100s of bass...Thats why plugs are not at all a detrermining factor as to fish being there or not, you should always have a backup of eels or bait...That video proves it...

The other thing it proves is just how close to the beach we are in broad daylight ! in 6 foot of water! They are there all day and we were almost on the beach...So it also despells the myth that fish are only in the shallows at night...Thats bull...I used to think that also but was proven very wrong....If you go and dont catch its because your not giving them what they want not because they are not there....

That day with an acomplished angler like jim fishing all those plugs...and nothing to show for it with tons of fish around proves that the plug hype is just that all Hype....Nothing beats the real thing!

Also we were not fishing where there were already bunker there so cant use that excuse, we brought the bait to them and they were all over it....

We had over 12 Million pounds of Bunker in the bay this past year....There is no shortage....its awesome!

Oh I have seen this first hand aswell,we have a pretty good night time area that produces good quality fish on a consistent basis year after year from one end of the season to the other.. We narrowed it down to a certain stage in the tide and its also very close to the shore were we wade out and only cast out 20-30yds. I started to experiment the same place during the same tide in the daylight and sure enough they are there,not always on the feed but at times can be just as good if not better...

I like the quote from the Danny Pichney interview By Tim Coleman. Coleman, " It takes more skill to catch a fish with a plug than a bunker? Pichney,"definitely".

Pichney on bunker fishing "It's certainly nothing to learn to do". There are a few exceptions where you have to learn to cut bait but you don't have to be a bass fisherman".

That guy should be made a saint. Plugs forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:faga:

You can be an excellent fisherman and use live bait as well.... no?

I have used live bait for years. In early spring we would raise fish on herring Like #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& said "If U where plugging u might not even think there are any fish there."
I have used that line before myself..Then later on when the bunks first show when the water is still a little cool to the bass's liking only a live will get em.That toss ur bait up in the air we call the diner bell.It does 2 things I believe on the sound of the bait smashing the water acts like another bass swating a random baitfish.2 it stuns the bait slightly.Bunker have a great little built in motor boat.They will out swim a bass many times as they don't wanna go thru all the work to chase em.I can't count all the times the diner bell has worked.Even with herring when they run out of gas..I believe there is a reason for everything..they will hit plugs when temps are right it's like a light switch gets turned on.Add the competition of many fish an plugs will work also..IMO I can catch just as good in fact better/faster with lures.I had 2 outing this season where I landed 750 lbs of bass.I can hear the doubters now.All on lures from the shore.
Not sure about the conditions that day in the film it looked cool.Jackets can be decieving on a boat.Trust me when things line up right plugs will take em..
I wanna also say this is no knock on Capt' Jims Plugging skills.
Just tryin to add some insight..
Thanks for the link I don't get to see them down here in NJ.I enjoyed it.
I even enjoyed the squid guy..

Good points NIB, One way around that exhousting chase on the bass's part is to clip the tail of the bunker, I do this all the time, it slows them down plenty....I also slow troll the bunker and the catch ratio goes way up...Early in the spring we did well early morning with plugs, especially with the squid run we had...but once the Bunker showed that was about it for plugs...anyway all good points

well, thats an opinion but one I disagree with, if the bass doesnt want a plug, no amount of skill in the world is going to make them take it, and there is alot more to fishing bunker than cutting bait...I agree it does not take rocket sceince to live line a bunker...However it takes smarts because a smart fisherman will use it when nothing else works...and as I said, I dont care how skilled you are bass will not take what they dont want...Its called versitility...and utilizing all means.

Ya know Steve, even though Bill hates to admit it, he's a really good plug fisherman too, and I like to think I am too, we just enjoy fishing live bait at this point. You just happen to enjoy fishing plugs. It's good to do what you enjoy...Isn't it?:)

Thanks, Bill!

Good stuff, and excellent insights to the daytime presence of decent sized Bass. The Crazy One talked of the same thing and spoke of chunking during the day in his PI seminar last winter :cool:.

Interestingly, though, your 50#er and your 60#er this year came at night, right? I too, believe that "they won't hit what they don't want, no matter how bad you want them to hit what YOU want them to hit!" Nice to have some of my own thoughts echoed by more than one of our area legends!!! Had a coupla experienced surfanglers tell me to arsenal down, but when I hop the rocks I take eels, chunks, wood, rubber, jigs, and tins. I doan want to be caught without what Morone wants!

Classic stuff seeeing youse two work that pod of bait and boat those beauties :humpty::humpty:!
And yes!! I do believe it is a sweet and telling harbinger of next season's fortunes!

Bill, enjoyed the videos. You make it look much easier than it can be at times..

Who the F%%$@K cares. You want to fisah plugs, fish plugs. You want to live line bunker, live line. You want to throw live eels. throw them. IT"S ALL FISHING!!

it doesn't make you a better fisherman because you throw plugs. Ithrew plugs for 35 years in the surf. BIG DEAL. Now I liveline bunker BIG DEAL!!

It's all fishing. You plug hoes need to grow up.

Nope, The 51 came at 9am under a bright sky and warm day, in about 7 foot of water with Flat calm conditions I could see the bottom !..The 60 did come at night but, when they get that size I dont think there is much a difference if it was night or not...That 50 was already there just cruising around the shoreline. I will admit that one was easy...it happened very fast, I only had about an hour to fish that morning and got on the water late, I only managed two live Bunker...I almost did not make the run because I figured with just two on hand it may not be worth it, Took the 15 minute boat ride anyway, Shut down and instantly hooked one up and put it over the side, almost imediatly that fish took the bunker....5 Minutes later I was heading back for the dock..That was just an unreal set of events that will never reapeat, I will say that Morning was just luck...the difference was Most may not have went, I did and hit the jackpot....Cant catch if your not there and it pays to go even if you have limited time...

Nothing in Striper fishing is more important than putting time in how ever and whenever you can...

I LOVE to plug (I also sling eels when plugs don't work). but I do agree with everything Paul said (except the last sentence...) Fish how YOU like and don't judge others. If it ain't fun... DON'T DO IT!

Thanks, Billy Bunker, for setting me straight about the 51#er and what a BEAUTY she was!!!! Well said about the rest and, once again, GREAT Stuff of you and the Captain doing yer thangs..............on the salt :claps::claps:.

And please keep your opinions coming as they always serve to envigorate the boards and enlighten those who choose to listen. Yer reputation for time invested on NE Striper Coast and yer ability to dumb down the relating of those moons and striper experiences for us up and coming "hungries" is instrumental to the proferring of our sport and is CRUSHING my TROPHY curve, astronomically :btu::btu:!!

It is also nice to hear about the Luck or "feel" side of what we do. As that has lead me to many spots, "told" me to stay that third or fourth cast longer, and put me onto incredible of amounts of feesh that I never would have been into had I not listened.

Besides all that, "......me and my eye aye......FISHUS: fishus jones fishus jones fishus jones FISH-us
Joooe oans..............we got this thaaaa annnnggg...........................:grins:"

just got amped up several notches :drool: :drool: :drool:!!!