by With bait & tackle shops closed as non-essential during the pandemic, anglers have been hard-pressed to find what they need for fishing. A partial solution has been curbside pickup in which a call to a tackle shop allows the owner to fill a credit card order to be left at curbside for pickup without any interaction. Yet, on Facebook today there was a message from Charlie’s Bait Tackle (formerly Ernie Wuesthauf’s shop) in Normandy Beach that they were prohibited from doing that and shut down by the Brick Police.
Jim Hutchinson Jr. of the Fisherman magazine checked with the governor’s office and was assured that curbside pickup is still legal in N.J.
Under an emergency situation it’s not unusual for officials to reach beyond the law, and citizens must be ever alert to protect their civil liberties. Hopefully, this matter will be resolved by tomorrow.
There have been lots of stripers in Raritan Bay, and Mark Roy planned to troll a few during a test run with his Release Me from Raritan Marina in Hazlet yesterday afternoon before the wind took over. However, the two boaters he talked to were shut out both trolling and with live bunkers as the waters were muddy.
Blackfishing is also open at this time, and Nick Honachefsky of Saltwater Underground has been catching them from shore on 2-ounce blackfish jigs tipped with half a green crab.
Small craft warnings are displayed to midnight. Friday morning will be cold again with west winds at 10-15 knots which increase to southwest 15-20 in the afternoon.
Tight Lines 
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