Has winter finally made an exit?
There’s cause for optimism. For the first weekend in a while, there’s sunshine in the forecast and fish are being caught.
I actually landed one myself, pulling what may have been the world’s smallest striped bass from the Ocean Grove surf on Wednesday. The foot-long fish hit a 4-inch Tsunami shad in the late afternoon at low tide.
And while the weather hasn’t been great there’s been just enough sun to revive the summer flounder fishing.
Phil Sciortino Sr. at the Tackle Box in Hazlet reported that he’s heard of bass being caught in the Raritan Bay but no one has been in to weigh a fish. With the lousy weather over the weekend, not a lot of people went fishing, he said.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the winter flounder fishing improved dramatically in the past week and the guys have been at the floating dock and concrete pier at the marina picking away at flatties.
I stopped by the floating dock on Wednesday and there were close to dozen anglers trying their luck and a few had their limit of two fish. Jim Schiller of Ocean Gate was among the fishermen and I watched as he landed one that just made the limit. He opted to release it and give it a chance to grow.
He said small stripers were hitting the worms intended for the winter flounder earlier in the week.
Matthews added that he’s still getting reports of small bass in the surf hitting shads and the bass bite has been on fire down at Oyster Creek. The only problem, said Matthews, is that the biggest fish has been just about 25 inches.
The Den is about a week or so away from moving into its new quarters at the Belmar Marina.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar said he’s been working on the boat and booking striper trips. He expects to be in the water by April 15 just in time for the start of livelining season.
Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer out of Belmar continues to sail for cod, pollock, ling, and come Saturday, he can add blackfish to the list. The April-long season starts then and limit is four fish at 15 inches.
Eric Bunz at the Reel Seat in Brielle also reported an improvement in the winter flounder fishing at the Mantoloking Bridge and the bay end of the Point Pleasant Canal.
He, too, had reports of small bass in the surf, but added that the guys fishing worms were having better luck than those tossing shads. He believes clams would work as well, but he just hadn’t heard of anyone using them.
Bunz was heading up to Raritan Bay on Wednesday evening to try his luck for bass from a boat and he was going to fish with clams.
Greg Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle reported on the improved winter flounder bite at the southern end of the Point Pleasant Canal as well, with the boats guys getting the best of the action. A few fish were also being caught from shore.
He also said the Toms River was giving up small stripers and white perch near Island Heights to those fishing worms.
Finally, he said, the Jamaica II sailed last weekend out of Bogan’s Basin and managed to put some cod and pollock in the coolers. Bogan said the action wasn’t great but there were fish to be had.
On the freshwater side, things are getting back on track, but slowly. Cold, miserable weather has kept folks away from the ponds, lakes and reservoirs.
Jim at Behre Bait and Tackle in Lebanon said largemouth bass anglers are getting some fish on hard baits and shiners fishing with slip bobbers. They’re catching crappie as well. Most of the fish, he said, are in the coves at Round Valley and Spruce Run reservoirs.
Brown and rainbow trout are also being caught at Round Valley on shiners and Power Bait. There are some rainbows and lake trout at Merrill Creek Reservoir as well. The fishing is far from great, but Jim said things should pick right up in the next week or so.
Jeff at Fins and Furs Bait Shop in Newfoundland said things have been slow with the weather either too wet or too cold to bring anglers out of their homes. He’s keeping busy issuing licenses and spooling line.
Ken at Tackle and Field in Wanaque said the cold weather and water has kept things quiet at his shop. But with the opening of trout season on April 8, activity is bound to pick up.
There is some news on the summer flounder front in that New Jersey has filed a formal appeal with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission requesting that the Commission reconsider its decision to drastically cut the state’s 2017 fluke quota.
If the reduction stands, it’s going to be a tough summer. At 18 inches, anglers were hard-pressed to catch a keeper for the table last year. With the proposed size limit at 19 inches for 2017, it’s going to be even more difficult.
The tougher regs will most certainly hurt participation and party and charter boats, tackle shops, restaurants and a number of other businesses will all suffer as a result.
The other issue is that three fish at 19 inches is just poor fishery management. Since females grow larger than males, most of the bigger fish removed from the population will those whose contributions to future generations will be sorely missed.
There was no mention in the announcement when a decision will be made so we will just have to wait and see.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
It’s time to try for stripers in the surf on clams, worms and shads. Although the fish aren’t big, they are around and working up an appetite as the water warms. The Shark River is producing winter flounder and small stripers on worms and the flounder can also be found at the bay end of the Point Pleasant Canal. Blackfish season opens on Saturday so tog anglers can once again indulge their passion.
For some family fun, take the kids and head to Spring Lake on Saturday morning, April 1, and help the Shark River Surf Anglers stock the lake with trout for the annual Trout Contest for Kids taking place the following Saturday, April 8.
The club puts in about 600 trout a week ahead of time to get them acclimated. A number of them exceed 10 pounds.
Volunteers gather by the Mercer Avenue Memorial at 9:30 a.m. For more information on the stocking and contest, visit the Shark River Surf Anglers website at sharkriversurfanglers.com or visit the Facebook page at SRSA Kids Trout Contest.