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Better weather for weekend

As this is being written, its pouring outside my window as the cold, windy spring continues, but at least that’s better than the hail we had earlier today in Wall. Fortunately, it looks a lot better for the weekend.

Actually, this morning turned out to be perfect for trolling in Raritan Bay. Dave Lilly said he got out with friends after the early rain at Keyport, and returned before the afternoon rain. It was flat calm all morning, but they didn’t see 10 boats all day. Yet, it was necessary to run all over the bay to find stripers as the concentration in the shallow waters at the back was gone — along with the bunkers.

It was the deeper waters on the New York side which eventually produced as Lilly marked bunkers on the bottom in 28 feet and switched from the light Tony Maja mo-jos he had been using in shallow waters to large Maja green spoons. They only released eight or nine stripers, but all were large bass up to about 40 inches.  The water temperature on the incoming tide was steady at 51 degrees.

The marine forecast is for northwest winds at 10 to 15 knots in the morning, with seas down to 4 to 6 feet. Sunday is even better with southwest winds about 10 knots and 2-4-foot seas.

Pictured below is a big bass caught on Capt. Jim Freda’s Shore Catch in the bay this week.

Striper - Freda

 

 

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Good news for bluefin tuna anglers

NOAA Fisheries has provided good news for boaters seeking school bluefin tuna this year. Starting May 2, those holding HMS Angling category permits will be able to retain two school bluefins of 27 to less than 47 inches plus one large school or small medium from 47 to less than 73 inches.

Those with a Charter permit will be allowed three of the schoolies plus one of the large — and headboats in that category are allowed six small plus two large.

As before, anglers can release others and are encouraged to tag them. All retained must be reported to the HMS Permit Shop within 24 hours or called in to 888 872-8862 from 8-4:30 on weekdays.

Today’s gale with southeast winds gusting to 35 knots plus 7-10-foot seas and rain will decline a bit by morning to southeast at 15-20 knots with gusts to 35 creating 8-13-foot seas  before switching to southwest at night. That improves Saturday’s outlook to northwest at 10-15 knots dropping the seas to 4-7 feet.

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N.J. state parks open Saturday

New Jersey governor Phil Murphy reversed his closure of state and county parks this afternoon. State parks will open Saturday morning, and he’s leaving it up to county officials to make a decision on their parks.

As before, there will be no rest rooms or offices open, but there will also be a limit on parking to 50% of capacity. Social distancing will be required, and grouping is prohibited. Masks are recommended.

This means that Island Beach State Park will once again be available to anglers in time for a bluefish run that usually starts around Mother’s Day. Of course, the sad state of the bluefish stock provides a big question mark as to that early appearance.

A small craft warning is up this evening for southeast winds gusting to 30 knots. Rain is possible after midnight. A gale warning follows for Thursday, with southeast winds of 20-25 knots plus gusts to 35, a chance of rain — and 6-10-foot seas.

I’ll have some good news tomorrow for tuna anglers as NOAA Fisheries is increasing bag limits for school bluefins.

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For-hire boats remain on hold

Though there have been discussions about opening up the economy as the pandemic curve flattens, the owners of party and charter boats in N. Y. and N. J. remain confused about when or if they will be allowed to take customers this year.

The bills keep coming for dockage, but income remains at zero. It isn’t like that everywhere. Charter boats have been operating in Florida, and Capt. Monty Hawkins is planning to start running limited trips in May with his Morning Star from Ocean City, Maryland. Hawkins will carry only nine customers, which is just 22,5% of his capacity in order to ensure the proper distancing. The cost for those sea bass trips will be $155  on Saturdays and $135 from Sunday to Friday.  Reservations are required by calling 410 520-2076. The sea bass season there opens with a 12-inch minimum and 15 fish bag limit.

Charter boats are operating in R.I., but don’t rush up there. Mike Laptew, the famed underwater photographer, checked with the governor’s office and found that they may only carry R.I., customers.

Even non-residents who own boats in R.I. have to check with their marina and quarantine before working on their craft. The state’s waters are open, but out-of-state boaters can’t overnight at the marinas.

Jack Kauffman confirmed last night’s blog about Saturday’s crowd of boats in Raritan Bay turning off the bite. He noted that there were no markers in the bay, and though he marked lots of fish for three hours they all had lockjaw.

Mark Roy got out into the bay today with his Release Me from Raritan Marina in Hazlet. His crew trolled stripers of 28 1/2 and 35 inches on mo-jos and released two smaller ones. They couldn’t find any bunkers for bait in Great Kills Harbor  before going to the back of the bay where there were bunkers flipping but no hits up to the time this blog was written.

The weather is turning on us again. The wind turns southeast in the morning at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20 before increasing to 20-25 knots in the afternoon with gusts to 30 knots.

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Boat traffic slowed Raritan Bay striper bite

Capt. Vinny Vetere reports from Staten Island that Saturday’s striper trolling in Raritan Bay wasn’t as good as expected due to the huge fleet that gathered there in nice weather.

The skipper of Katfish from Great Kills still has his charter boat out of the water due to New York’s ban on charter fishing, but had his two mates out on a smaller boat, and they trolled up some stripers later in the day on Vetere’s pink and white Hojos. Included was the release of a fat female loaded with roe which taped out at 49.5 inches with a 34-inch girth.

Vinny 49.5 inch bass

After a mild winter, we’ve had an historically cool spring. That should change later in the week, but at least the wind shifts to the northwest at just 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20 in the morning. The calming northwest direction will bring seas down to 3 to 5 feet, and diminish further in the afternoon.

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Small craft warnings up through Monday afternoon

The cold, raw spring continues as small craft warnings are posted through tomorrow afternoon.

Northeast winds of 15-20 knots tonight drop a bit to north at 10-15 plus gusts to 20 in the morning along with likely showers.

Scott Leadbeater of Haddon Heights got his Aquasport center console into the water yesterday morning for its 24th year at Atlantic Highlands , and took advantage of the calm morning to fish for stripers among about 100 boats in Raritan Bay from Romer Shoal to Union Beach. Only one short was caught among lots of marks tight to the bottom before he moved to Chapel Hill where the marks were higher. Three stripers from 15 to 18 pounds were then caught in 30 minutes.

Tommy Cox has been enjoying kayak fishing in Lemon Bay on Florida’s lower west coast before heading back to New Jersey. Casting to the mangroves has produced a variety of species up to large redfish and snook.

The lack of pressure on Florida’s east coast has resulted in much better fishing. My nephew, Todd Correll got a report of one boat that caught 40 sailfish in a day off Key West, which is something I’ve never heard of there before.

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Lilly trolls an “exotic” — a bluefish

Dave Lilly called this morning with news that he ad trolled an “exotic” — at least by last year’s standard in Raritan Bay — a bluefish.

Lilly went east from Keyport and saw nothing but a lot of boats on a calm morning.  Therefore, he went to the back of the bay where he’s been doing well by trolling 3-ounce Tony Maja mo-jos and caught the blue of about 8 pounds before starting a pick of bass in the 30-34-inch class that got better before he came in later in the morning. Dave said the radio was pretty quiet. He did see bunkers flipping in the back of the bay.

Capt. Chris Di Stefano said a friend trolled mo-jos in the bay to catch 30-inch  bass. He also had a report of cod at Sandy Hook Reef, including a 20-pounder. Another boater had lots of both short and keeper blackfish at Sea Girt Reef. In addition there were 18-22-inch winter flounder and the first showing of big sea bass that are out of season.

Unfortunately, those areas may not be fishable Sunday as small craft warnings are up. East winds of 20 to 25 knots are predicted along with gusts to 30, plus showers.

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Huge tog for Paul Haertel

While most anglers are fishing for stripers or waiting for blues,  the tautog season is also open. Paul Haertel, Blackfish Committee chairman of the JCAA, proved his expertise in that fishery yesterday by boating a 15.85-pounder.  That tog of a lifetime will be mounted.

Paul Haertel tog

After this morning’s rain, there are northeast winds blowing that will diminish by midnight and blow at only 5-10 knots in the morning before going southeast in the afternoon. However, instead of a clearing west wind, it will be back to the east at 15-20 knots on Sunday.

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Striper bite continues in Raritan Bay

Dave Lilly of Hazlet trolled up stripers in Raritan Bay again today, though it wasn’t as easy as it had been.

Lilly decided to head east from Keyport and never had a hit all the way to Romer Shoal before running to the back of the bay where about a dozen bass in the 34-35-inch class were trolled in 16-foot depths on Tony Maja 3-ounce mo-jos.  He only saw one bass caught to the east among a good fleet taking advantage of a calm morning — though some snow flakes were falling in the cold air when he started out. However, he did hear a radio report of a 7-pound fluke being trolled.  The water temperature was up a couple of degrees to 48 in the back, though there were no surface signs of bunkers or birds in the bay.

As noted in yesterday’s blog, Capt. Stan Zagleski passed away from cancer at 76. His son Stan sent this shot of his father with one of his top big fluke customers, Ashley, on Elaine B. II from Bahrs in Highlands. Stan, Jr. will be running the boat as soon as party boat fishing is permitted.

 

Stan Zagleski

Capt. Art Hilliard was also lost to the for-hire fleet recently. He had run the large-group charter boat Eagle from Atlantic Highlands. R.I.P. Art.

Art Hilliard

Capt. Bob Garafano from Belmar also reported the recent loss of former party boat owner Marty Tave. Capt. Chris Di Stefano noted that he bought the Renegade from Tave and briefly ran it as a party boat.

Chis had some inshore cod news as a friend told him that 19 legal cod were boated at Sandy Hook Reef last weekend along with ling and blackfish. There was also a cod report from Sea Girt Reef.

Bob Correll of Bay Head has been hooking and jumping small tarpon from the back of a house he’s been living in at Islamorada in the Florida Keys, but finally got one that hung on for a photo a couple of nights ago.

Bob's tarpon

Rain is forecast after midnight, and the morning prediction is northeast winds at 15-20 knots with gusts to 25.

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R.I.P. Capt. Stan Zagleski

The N.J. party boat fleet is being hit hard this month, though not entirely by the pandemic. I got word today that Capt. Stan Zagleski Sr., of Elaine B. II from Bahrs in Highlands has passed away.

The information I have at present is that Stan broke his hip, but in the hospital they found him “full of cancer” — and he never got out.

Stan specialized in catching doormat fluke, even though he didn’t normally drift the rocky bottoms. I’m sure that Stan ,Jr. will carry on the tradition when party boat fishing resumes.

Though west winds are gusting to 30 knots this evening, they are predicted to drop to 5-10 in the morning before shifting to southeast in the afternoon.