The Hudson River striped bass spawning stock appears to be in great shape. and everyone is getting their shots at them. All reports from private and charter boats have been positive even if some started off slowly.

It just seems to be a matter of keeping all options open. In most cases the bass will hit shads and flutter spoons, but at times they only want live bunkers. Topwater lures are often effective, but don’t count on them especially with a lot of boat traffic on weekends. No report so far has mentioned catching stripers in the ocean, but they should be out there by now.

Surfcasting has been picking up steadily. Betty & Nick’s in Seaside Park reports clams have been the best bait lately, but Joe Less used sand fleas to catch this 33-incher yesterday afternoon.

Though some drizzle and fog is forecast in the morning, the early wind prediction is for light southeast before increasing to 15-20 with gusts to 25 knots in the afternoon.

Northern N.J. surfcasters will be sorry to hear that Ernie Giglio passed away on April 12. Giglio’s Bait & Tackle was a Sea Bright magnet for many of the best anglers in the area, including Skip Smith of Smithy’s Lures who now lives in Florida. According to the little bit of info I’ve received so far, Ernie ran the shop from 1996 to 2004, and then worked there to 2017.

Blackfishing remains a good bet, even though shorts dominate most of the time. At Belmar, the Ocean Explorer reported Bob the Butcher managed a limit Thursday while releasing two dozen tog. The Big Mohawk had a 7-pound pool winner. Cod are a possibility every day.

At Brielle, the Jamaica will be striper fishing at 7:30 a.m. This morning’s action was good on shads and crocs, and the bass were often on the surface.

Leave a comment