The wait is over – almost.
The table is set for spring fishing. Big schools of bunker have invaded rivers and bays and now all we have to do is wait for the fish to show.
Actually, there are some bass around, but not in the numbers anglers would like. The action is a bit spotty, but it’s still early and things are bound to pick up in the next couple of weeks.
Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet reported the short striper action continues in Union Beach and Cliffwood Beach and other spots along the bayshore. All of the fish are being caught on worms and clams and there were a few keepers mixed in.
Give it another week or 10 days, he said, and the bite should be in full swing.
There were even some bluefish reported. Joe at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said a couple of blues up to 8 pounds were taken near Port Monmouth. Big blues choked the bay last spring and proved to be something of an annoyance for anglers targeting stripers.
The bunker invaded the Navesink River as well and Eddie over at the Oceanic Marina had his first rental boat out on Wednesday. The customer was out for winter flounder but all he got were a few nibbles with no fish coming to the boat.
Ernie Giglio at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the bunker are thick in the Shrewsbury River and he’s had reports of bass and blues being caught. Guys are trying for winter flounder there as well, but no weigh ins so far.
On a side note, a proposal to create a national marine sanctuary comprised of 12,500 acres in Sandy Hook Bay and the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers and their tributaries met with stiff opposition at a meeting held in Red Bank on Wednesday evening.
Rik van Hemmen, of the Navesink Marine Heritage Association, made his case for The Sandy Hook Bay National Marine Sanctuary to an overflow crowd of concerned recreational and commercial fishermen at the Red Bank Public Library.
While Mr. Van Hemmen’s idea to protect the unique environment is laudable, the gathering did not welcome the possibility of another layer of government regulations heaped upon them and vehemently rejected the plan.
The resounding sentiment was that there are already enough rules in place and fishermen face too many constrictions as it stands now.
The proposal is in its very early stages and there will be years of debate before anything comes to fruition.
Folks have been trying very hard for winter flounder in the Shark River but Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den at the Belmar Marina said the bite just hasn’t materialized.
There have only been a handful caught from the pier there. He weighed a 2-pound flattie for a spear fisherman who reported there weren’t a whole of lot fish to be seen while he searched the river.
Matthews said the new Fisherman’s Den North in the Atlantic Highlands Marina should be open for business in about another week.
The Ocean Explorer has been sailing most days out of Belmar and finding cod, ling and pollock. There have been some ling as well.
Capt. Joe Bogan on the Jamaica II out of Brielle reported much improved wreck fishing last weekend with cod, ling and pollock
The winter flounder bite is evidently much better a little further south. Ray at Jersey Hooker Outfitters in Brick said he had a customer last Sunday who had their limit – granted it’s just two fish – in about 15 minutes near the Mantoloking Bridge. It was catch-and-release fishing from then on.
Ray also reported a load of herring coming into the Point Pleasant Canal.
The short stripers are biting on the bay side in Seaside Park, but the surf at Island Beach State Park has yet to produce a bass, said John Bushell at Betty and Nick’s Bait and Tackle.
The beach guys have been trying, he said, with clams and worms, but so far no one has come back to the shop with a fish.
There are some winter flounder being taken in the Toms River. Dennis Palmatier at Murphy’s Hook House reported a couple of weigh-ins, the largest being 2.4 pounds. He also reported small bass in the river, hitting worms and small swimming plugs.
The action picked up at Graveling Point on Wednesday with a load of short bass being caught. Scott’s Bait and Tackle at Mystic Island reported that the fish must have just come in from the ocean. There weren’t any keepers, but the bite was solid.
The shop did award its $100 gift certificate for the first keeper of the year caught at Graveling Point to young Dylan O’Connell for a 29-inch fish he caught on Friday, March 12.
The herring run is the best in years in the Mullica River, said Dave at Absecon Bay Sportsman. The bass, there, however, are hitting mostly bloodworms and the action has been pretty good on shorts. He’s betting he larger fish can’t be far behind.
There have also been some nice catches of white perch in the area.
The white perch have been a little more elusive in Ocean City. Justin Schenker at Fin-atics said they have been hard to locate in the rivers and creeks. The usual hots spots will hold fish one day, and then they’ll be gone the next. A little more consistency would be nice, he said.
Short bass, though, are keeping anglers interested.
The small bass are biting for Atlantic City anglers as well. Noel at One Stop Bait and Tackle said the worms and clams are taking stripers at the T-Jetty and Vermont Avenue Jetty.
The water, he said, is about 40 feet deep in front of those jetties and some anglers are catching ling on clams and mullet.
Best bets for the weekend.
Bass on the Raritan Bay beaches holds the most promise. The bite has been happening in fits and starts, but the fish are being caught and the pace is quickening. Flats where the water has had a chance to warm up offer a good chance for fish.
Similar conditions in Barnegat Bay also offer a shot at bass. The winter flounder bite will also improve as the water warms.
last week there were so many bunker in the water you couldn’t help but get tangled up,I had stopped fishing after an hour and 14 + bunker .Even with all that bait in the Raritan Bay there were no other fish around bothering them.