New Jersey Fishing Report – March 3, 2016

Winter is on the way out.

The striped bass season in inland waters opened on Tuesday and it’s off to an auspicious start. It didn’t take long for seasoned angler Matt Calabria of Hazlet to catch a keeper.

He was fishing the flats in Raritan Bay on Tuesday and hooked a 28½-inch bass using clams and worms. Calabria also landed four other short fish. He reported his catch at The Tackle Box in Hazlet.

He then took his fish on a road trip down to Absecon Bay Sportsman and won the gift certificate for the first keeper of the season.

Just 15 minutes later, Trevor Daniels came through the shop doors with a bass close to 24 pounds that he caught in the Mullica River. He, too, was rewarded with a gift certificate for the first fish over 20 pounds.

At Scotts Bait and Tackle at Mystic Island, they’re still waiting for the first keeper from Graveling Point. That fish will be worth a $100 gift certificate from the store. Chris at the shop said there are small bass being caught in the Mullica and Bass rivers and at the Oyster Creek Power Plant as well. There are also perch in Nacote Creek and the other nearby tributaries.

The shop has plenty of bloodworms, grass shrimp and minnows and is also holding a shopping spree contest on April 2. Participants have a shot at gift certificates worth $500, $300 and $200.

Hal at Betty and Nick’s in Seaside Park said there were a couple of guys giving it a try on the beach for stripers over the weekend, but he did not receive any reports of fish caught. Those guys, said Hal, would probably have kept word of any fish to themselves.

Blackfish season came to a close with a bang last weekend with a couple of tremendous tog taken on the boats out of Belmar.

The biggest one belonged to Howard DiCicco, who landed a 22-pound, 13-ounce monster caught on the last day of the season aboard Capt. Chris Hueth’s Big Mohawk. Capt. Hueth said the boat will be sailing for blackfish once again when the season opens on April 1.

The Ocean Explorer also ended the season on a high note with a 15-pound, 12-ounce blackfish caught on Saturday’s trip. Nothing came close on Sunday, so the big tog was worth close to $4,000 in the special pool.

Now that the tog season is over, Capt. Bobby Quinn said he’ll be sailing for cod every day the weather allows.

While they didn’t pull any giants aboard, Capt. Matt Sosnowski on the Norma K III said it was a nice weekend to be on the water. The picked at fish both Saturday and Sunday, with the latter offering more action.

Pat Farley of Point Pleasant had the pool winner on Saturday with an 11-pound tog and an 8 pounder took the money on Sunday. High hook was three fish.

The Norma K III is heading to the boat yard this week to get ready for spring. Capt. Sosnowski said they will be togging again in April and he’s contemplating some cod trips in March.

The Big Jamaica out of Brielle has been cod fishing on the offshore wrecks whenever the weather allows and reported the fishing last weekend was a slow pick. Capt. Howard Bogan reported there were some cod, pollock and ling but the fishing wasn’t too exciting.

Capt. Joe Bogan on the Jamaica II also reported fishing on the slow side with a few cod and pollock. The water temperature on the bottom, he said, is about 40 degrees and he’s hoping for some warmer water that should improve the bite.

Much closer to shore, Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said anglers were trying for winter flounder in the Shark River when the season opened on Tuesday.

There weren’t any reports of fish caught, but Matthews said the water never got that cold this winter and some sunny days should get the flatties feeding. The shop has a worms and clams for those wanting to give it a try.

Matthews also said they’ve been busy getting ready of the opening of Fisherman’s Den North at the Atlantic Highlands Marina, scheduled for March 15. In addition to a full line of bait and tackle, the shop will also be offering rental boats, which will be available later in the spring.

As for our other favorite flat fish, the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Commission was expected to set the 2016 fluke regulations at meeting scheduled for today, March 3.

Barring any last-minute developments, the 2016 fluke season will begin on May 21 and end on Sept. 25 with a five-fish limit at 18 inches. The only exceptions will be in Delaware Bay with a four-fish limit at 17 inches and at Island Beach State Park, which allows two fish at 16 inches to be kept.

Black sea bass regulations are to be set at the same meeting. Once again it’s a fractured and confusing season with an opening segment from May 23 to June 19 with a bag limit of 10 fish at 12½ inches.

The season reopens from July 1 to Aug. 31 with two fish limit at 12½ inches. The final part runs from Oct. 22 to Dec. 31 with a 15-fish bag limit at 13 inches.

Best bets for the weekend

Striper fishing in Raritan Bay is worth a shot with clams and worms as the fish are there. They also biting in the Mullica and Bass rivers on worms and grass shrimp. Winter flounder can be found in the rivers and bays as well on worms and bits of clam. There’s a two-fish limit at 12 inches.

The forecast does not appear to be all that inviting for those contemplating sailing offshore for cod, ling and pollock. Check the websites for boats sailing out of Brielle and Point Pleasant Beach to see if they’ll be heading out.

For those looking to stay indoors, the 21st Annual Berkleley Striper Club Fisherman’s Flea Market is this Sunday, March 6, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Toms River Intermediate School North in Toms River.