If it is not one hurricane, it’s another!
I know this is a report for the state of New Jersey, but I am starting to look for palm trees around here! I suppose it is a good thing that we are all getting a couple of weeks off to get all of our work done and rest up for the beginning of striper season, but Mother Nature, c’mon. Cut it out already!
There was some nice biking weather over Labor Day but the water conditions were so bad between river run-offs and debris floating around that most did not even give it a go. Hurricane Katia will stay well offshore as it passes this Friday afternoon, but things will still be stirred up some for the weekend. Tropical Storm Maria is still pretty far away (maybe 10 days out) but preliminary ensemble models show her paying us a visit in one form or another.
Laurie up at Dow’s is not having fun with the river running at crazy flood levels, whole towns floating by, and many of her guys not giving it a shot. There have been a few catch reports for guys fishing herring on the drop-off. Once the water cools off and calms down a little, fall jigging will begin, so there is plenty of fun right around the corner.
Ernie at Giglio’s in Sea Bright is reminding his regulars that the clock has almost wound down on the black sea bass regular season. The lid slams shut this Sunday. It looks like this weekend might be do-able with the seas starting to lay down late Friday night. Sea bass bag limits are 25 per man, so there is still a shot to fill the freezer with enough fillets to make it until it re-opens on November 1st. Giglio’s also has vacuum-packed clams available if you want to sling a few off the beach when the surf calms down a little. You know there are some hungry stripers out there, and a strong-scented bait is the answer in Yoo-hoo colored water.
Dave at The Reel Seat in Brielle shared some decent catch reports from the deep in the Hudson this past weekend. The Jenny Lee had 8 nice yellowfin on his Rainbow Runner spreader bars and released a 750-pound blue marlin. Low Bid was out in the Hudson as well and put a 276-pound Big Eye on the deck. You have to believe that the battlewagons will be heading out again as soon as the window opens.
Chris over at Harry’s Army Navy in Robbinsville is in stocking mode for the fall run adding Greenpoint lures to the wall and filling up the Red Gill rack. Action has been spotty on the beach, but it should lay down enough to hit the surf this weekend.
Greg and the FishHeads crew at Fisherman’s Headquaters wanted to remind everyone that until further notice, the Southern tip of LBI (Holgate) is currently closed due to Hurricane Irene damage. You can keep tabs on repair progress by hitting their website at Fishermansheadquarters.com . It could re-open any time now. Better news is that the state has re-opened most of the shellfish beds. The storm also pushed most of the fluke out of the bay into the ocean, but the Captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Assn. are looking forward to dialing them in this weekend. There were some weakies and stripers picked in the bay by a couple hardcores that ventured out, and there should be plenty of snappers and blowfish to keep the kids busy when it clears up a little.
Team Tackle Direct in Somers Point has not made it to their favorite offshore grounds since the storm but they have been beating the sodbanks and bridges pretty hard. Schoolie stripers are still hitting small poppers in the back if you can find decent water and the snapper blues are chewing as well.
Pre-storm action was pretty good in the Fluke department at Capt. Andy’s in Margate. Several 9-pound-plus catches were logged in the book by locals Cory Solomon, George King and Mary Ann Kelly. Tony at the shop reports plenty of snappers in the back for a quick fix for the kids. Fish were caught on GULP, minnows and squid.. all available in the store.
Rusty at Off tthe Hook in Cape May is hearing about more croakers and sea bass than big fluke or offshore. The edge bite seems to be out of range, near the Washington Canyon, but it looks like a big fleet will head down towards the Baltimore if things do cooperate for Saturday and Sunday.
Surf fishermen in South Jersey are getting ready for one of the biggest tournaments of the year. The Atlantic County Surf Fishing Derby begins September 19th with all of the beaches of Absecon Island and Brigantine opening up to registered participants. Each municipality has its own Beach Buggy permit and regulations so getting your paperwork together is very important. You can get full information from Tournament Headquarters, Captain Andy’s Fishing Center & Marina in Margate 609-822-0916. Tournament benefits the PBA’s of the participating municipalities.
Best Bet for this weekend is a tough call. I am going to be loaded to run long if the seas lay down with a back-up plan of hitting the reefs for sea bass if the window does not open early enough.
Stay Tuna-ed!