Those seeking a readily available gift for their favorite angler can do no wrong by buying him AFTCO shorts.

I have virtually lived in those shorts for decades. and they’ve proven to be almost indestructible..

While still living in N.J., I started surfcastng with them in the spr[ng — and was reluctant tp switch to waders once it got very cold in the fall. In Florida the only question is what color to wear each day.

AFTCO also has a wide selection of shirts, especially Guy Harvey models, and even some rainwear.

This year’s Long Beach Island Surfcasting Tournament has come to an end. There were 429 anglers registered with 65 striped bass, 9 bluefish, 29 kingfish, and 70 tautog weighed in. For the Surf Master Award category there were 35 non slot size bass catch and release pictures entered.

The Master angler award went to John Ipri for a released 48-inch striper. This contest is primarily fished by anglers casting bunker around the clock. It used to produce lots of big blues, but the winner this year was just a 6.38-pounder.

 

Vinny D’Anton reports the Monmouth County surf is in good shape. and stripers are being picked — though they are now the small bass typically caught in the December surf. They are feeding on sand eels, and lures such as the Tsunami Sand Eel and Ava diamond jigs are working.

Saturday;s forecast is good with west winds a just 10 knots before shifting to northeast in the afternoon.

The GooClinton Lessarlden Eagle from Belmar reported “

It was EXCELLENT right away on the first stop and continued to be excellent fishing throughout the day. There were plenty of fish up on top at times working on bait. All anglers onboard limited out with their KEEPER BASS and SLOT FISH. We had numerous OVERS that were safely returned. “

Chuck Many started off his Chesapeake winter season as he and Joe Eller fished with Capt.C;inton Lessard to release pre-spawning bass from 38 to 52 pounds. Lessard has a few winter openings. Call Sho-Nuf Sportfishing at 757-710-0098

The Bobby Matthews memorial service is on Saturday, Dec. 16th at 3 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Jersey Shore, 75 S. Pomona Road, Egg Harbor City. Exit 44 off the parkway.

There will be a chance for friends to share their thoughts and favorite stories. Most of his many trophies will be on display. His relatives are also looking to find new homes for his many fishing-related books.

Light refreshments and casual dress.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported another good day of striper jigging though anglers had to work through many shorts in order to limit.

A small craft warning is up through tonight. The morning forecast is for northwest winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20.

Bluefin tuna are still a possibility, such as this one on Reel Freedom.

All reactions:

26Paul Haertel, Allen Riley and 24 others

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Dennis Peterson

Wow! That’s awesome!

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There was some question about whether stripers would still be abundant in NY/NJ Bight after Saturday’s storm, but that question was answered by the Golden Eagle out of Belmar as follows “

STRIPED BASS FISHING IS STILL HOT!! We had an early boat limit again today and released quite a few. Fish were all caught on diamond jigs and crippled herrings.  

The weather is looking great right through Saturday and there are plenty of fish around.

Come on down and get in on the action. Enjoy an exciting day of fishing in the ocean.“

Chuck Many is on a brief trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina for some light tackle action in salt ponds with redfish and the black drum illustrated.

A small craft advisory is up through late tonight. The forecast is for northwest winds tomorrow at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20.

The Jamaica from Brielle has openings on their Tuesday 10 p.m. departure for the far offshore jumbo sea bass wrecks. The last trip, on Friday, produced limits of sea bass up to 5 pounds plus a few porgies and bluefish. A 10-pound pollock took the pool. There are similar openings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Call 732 528-5014 for reservations.

The Big Mohawk from Belmar is chartered tomorrow.

A small craft advisory is up through Wednesday evening. The forecast is for northwest winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 25.

Sunday’s storm is just a memory now, and the following northwester should make for fishable conditions tomorrow with a clearing surf and calmer seas. The forecast is for west winds at 10-15 knots before going southwest at 15-20 in the afternoon.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar will resume sailing for stripers at their normal 7:30 sailing time.

John Tideman got together over the weekend with the Berkeley Striper Club when, despite poor conditions, they were able to place 15 acoustic tags in surf stripers.

After today’s storm warning, the gale warning through Monday afternoon is a blessing as it’s from the northwest and will knock down the swell. The 25-35-knot winds plus gusts to 45 will also help clear the discolored surf and likely make it fishable by Tuesday.

Early winter has been generally kind to NY/NJ Bight anglers, but that won’t be the case tomorrow as a storm watch is up from the afternoon to late night. South winds at 15-20 knots with gusts to 30 will start the day along with rain.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported good striper fishing today even though it wasn’t up to recent standards. They will not be sailing Sunday due to the weather.

Vinny D;Anton said the Monmouth County surf has been quiet lately. He heard of only one bass being caught this morning though whales were putting on a show crashing into bunker schools further out.

Capt. Chris DiStefano said anglers were lined up on both sides of Manasquan Inlet when large stripers made an appearance.this morning.. Dog Beach became a focal point of the action in mild weather.

Chris also noted that trollers have been hooking giant tuna inshore at such areas as Manasquan Rocks and Manasquan Ridge,

The Go;den Eagle from Belmar reported

“IT WAS ANOTHER EXCELLENT DAY OF STRIPER FISHING with fish on right away in the morning. There was plenty of bird life with BASS on top working on bait. We had nice long drifts with HOT ACTION ALL AROUND THE BOAT and it was non-stop at times. The boat was limited out on SLOT FISH and KEEPERS with throwbacks safely returned. We also had some JUMBO BLUES up to 17 lbs. in the mix.“

Saturday’s forecast is great with south winds at just 5-10 knots, but a storm watch is up for Sunday.

The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported

STRIPER FISHING CONTINUES TO BE PHENOMENAL! There was a nice big area of fish with “boats spread out and the birds were working on the BASS on top. The readings were stacked up mid-water to the bottom. There was non-stop action at times and plain and tailed jigs worked excellent today.“

Vinny D’Anton got word of surf action with good-sized school stripers pushing peanut bunkers onto Ocean County beaches during the morning. He noted that the surf was calm and remains warm for December.

Mike Monte stuck with the Monmouth County surf, and released two bass right around the prime first light period. One was a fat 29-incher, and they both hit a Tsunami sand Eel. He said IBSP anglers ended up by him as the park. which had been hot yesterday. was quiet this morning.

The forecast is for north winds at a mere 5 knots before going southeast in the afternoon. Saturday also looks good, but a south storm is expected Sunday.

Dr. Pat Donnelly celebrates each Dcc. 2 with a family memorial fishing trip in honor of his father — and this year’s was the usual success. New Jersey anglers owe much to Pat as that Brielle dentist has given up a great deal of time in serving on the Marine Fisheries Council and fighting for angler’s rights.

Fisherman magazine subscribers competing in the annual Dream Boat contest have started to fill in the black sea bass category with a 4-pound minimum now that trips to the far offshore wrecks are available on the Jamaica from Brielle and Golden Eagle out of Belmar. The leader as of the December issue was 4.90 pounds, and only four of the top places were filled. That’s likely changed by now, but there are other species taken on those trips which can also fit in.

A few big weakfish are often caught on those trips, and that category is presently only topped by an 8.66-pounder. Jumbo porgies are common, but the 3.14-pound leader may be hard to beat. Big bluefish are common many days, though the minimum for them is 15 pounds — with the leader at 16.2 pounds.

Blackfish aren’t likely to be out there, but inshore entries are finally flooding in. Bobby Cifarelli’s 16.26-pound entry is far in front so far.

There were no surf reports in yesterday’s blog, but Mike Monte called shortly after that to report he was shocked to find no stripers caught yesterday morning at the Ocean County beach which had been loaded with bass feeding on sand eels, The reports he got from Monmouth County were no better except for one angler who hit a patch of bass at Sea Girt. Mike feels that we are in the usual winter situation with waves of bass that feed up and move on to the south before later being replaced by another school moving down the coast.

Monte fished southern Monmouth this morning, and caught a bass at first light when another angler also got one. However, that was it.

The Golden Eagle reported “EXCELLENT STRIPER FISHING CONTINUED TODAY! There was a nice big area of STRIPERS to work on with plenty of bird life along with BASS stacked up to 20 feet thick. We had nice long drifts with action around the boat. Anglers limited out on SLOT FISH and KEEPER BASS and there were also some JUMBO BLUES that came over the rail. Plain and tailed jigs along with shads all worked great. “

A small craft advisory went up at 1 p.m. and extends to late night. The forecast is for west winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20,

Chuck Many celebrated his birthday in the only way appropriate — by releasing big stripers!