The Saltwater Expo is back, and continues through Sunday at the N.J. Convention & Expo Center in Edison. Saturday’s hours are from 10-6, and adult admission is $13.

Capt. Lou Grazioso called in from the Raritan River to report a pick of short stripers on shad lures for Bryne Pieros and Dave Donahue as the he felt the bite was off a bit due to the full moon. It certainly wasn’t due to the water temperature which Lou said was an amazing 57.3 degrees.

It was also a beautiful day along the Shore, and Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar Marina said a winter flounder was caught on a sandworm. Striper action has been both north and south of there so far.

A dense fog advisory is up until 7 a.m. South winds at 10-15 knots increase to 15-20 with gusts to 25 in the afternoon.

One of the great things about fishing is that there are times when it’s impossible to figure out what’s happened under the water.

That was the case yesterday afternoon as I was fishing one of my ponds in Fort Myers, Florida.

My technique involves casting a 5-inch Z Man Die Zel Minnow Z and placing a worm hook in the tip of the head for maximum paddle tail action reeling it across the pond for surface strikes. During my first cast, I noted several twists in the 15-pound mono after having fought a 23 1/2-inch largemouth bass on too light a drag the previous day. Therefore, I stripped out those loops and ran the line though my fingers before starting the retrieve of the lure which had settled to bottom. I immediately felt weight, but no action. Since there’s no other fish in those ponds other than largemouth bass, I was worried about the possibility that a small alligator had picked up the lure. Yet, as I reeled it to shore, I saw a bass tail appear. The worm hook was stuck in the side near the tail. How could that happen when I never struck and simply reeled in the line? The 20 1/2-inch bass seemed to be just as mystified as it only made a little fuss before the release.

Despite the good weather, I haven’t been getting striper reports until Capt. Lou Grazioso called today to let me know he’s been using a small boat t release dozens of bass from 15 inches up to a 30-incher in Raritan Bay area tributaries. All of that action has been on shad lures.

A small craft warning is up, but I don’t know why as morning winds are west at 5-10 knots before going southwest in the afternoon.

After falling victim to the pandemic last year, the Saltwater Expo opens Friday and runs through the weekend at the N,J, Convention and Expo Center at 97 Sunfield Ave., Edison.

Admission is $13 for adults and $3 for kids 5-11. Those under 5 are admitted free.

Thursday’s forecast is for east winds at 5-10 knots before increasing to 10-15 in the afternoon along with rain and patchy fog.

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After

Party boat fishing hasn’t been readily available this winter, but the Golden Eagle from Belmar has announced the start of their season on March 26. Ling and cod will be on the menu before the tautog season opens April 1.

Calm weather continues in the morning with northwest winds at 5-10 knots before switching to southeast in the afternoon.

The N.J. Outdoor Alliance (NJOA) will hold its annual fundraising game dinner at 4 p.m. in Black Forest Inn, Stanhope.

Tickets are $100. Call Arnie Ulrich at 201 201 304-4691.

The Webinar public hearing on ASMFC Amendment 7 to the Striped Bass Management Plan is going on as this is being written.

The forecast for tomorrow is looking good at southwest 5-10 knots — with Wednesday being similar.

Another cold front hit Florida over the weekend and even featured a water spout that came ashore as a tornado and caused some property damage in Ft. Myers. Vinny D’Anton reported water temperatures finally got up high enough for Spanish mackerel to enter Venice Inlet, but the cold front put an end to that.

TheTackle Box in Hazlet sent the following e-mail about the first large striper caught from Raritan Bay shorelines:

The frst

The Tackle Box in Hazlet reports the first nice big keeper striper was caught on a TACKLE BOX wormball yesterday right before dark- by Misael Segovia -it was a nice day and the Bayshore flats water temp went to 48 -49 degrees !

The “wormball” is a combo of a few blood worms and a few sand worms hung off a inline circle hook with a small piece of a rag then folded back up on themselves and wrapped w bait elastic thread and doused in FIN-ESSENCE clam oil! This method allows the ball of worms to be re-used over and over again! 

The forecast is for southwest winds at 10-15 knots on Monday.

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FIRST BIG FISH!

Th

YYet another gale warning for Sunday morning, but this time it’s needed as it’s from the west and will knock down the ocean swell.

The forecast is for west winds at 25-30 knots which will decrease to 15-20 plus gusts to 25 in the afternoon.

The

The gorecast s

There’s certainly been no lack of gale warnings recently, and the latest runs from Saturday morning through Sunday morning. Saturday starts with east winds at 25-30 knots plus gusts to 40 in the afternoon. Rain is forecast in the morning before turning to sleet. Spring is right around the corner — I think.

Jim Hutchinson Jr.. editor of The Fisherman, submitted the following summery today:

On Monday, March 14, 2022, the New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) & Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) will co-host a virtual public hearing starting at 6 p.m. to gather public input on the Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Amendment 7.  The meeting is expected to last two hours.

A 2019 stock assessment concluded that striped bass is overfished and experiencing overfishing.  In 2020, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) implemented an 18% reduction in the fishery to end overfishing and begin rebuilding the striper (these included new slot fish regulations to protect larger spawning class fish, plus the circle hook bait restriction to lower release mortality rates).  A new striped bass stock assessment will be undertaken later this year.

Fishery managers believe we are currently exceeding our fishing mortality target for striped bass, and thus cannot rebuild spawning stock biomass (SSB) until that issue is addressed.  In response, ASMFC initiated Amendment 7 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) which considers several management measures to help rebuild SSB back to mid 1990’s level.

The last time a new plan amendment to the Atlantic Striped Bass FMP was adopted was in 2003 (Amendment 6). Since then, ASMFC said their understanding of the striped bass fishery has changed considerably, and results from the 2018 Benchmark Stock Assessment have led managers to discuss a number of prominent issues facing striped bass management.

https://s0.2mdn.net/5526773/1646671137509/banner.html

Among the potential management options being discussed at the virtual public hearing are time and area closures (a minimum of two weeks during the spring or fall season when New Jersey has the most directed trips) to help reduce the overall fishing mortality (F).  The potential closures being discussed are aimed primarily at reducing the mortality rate on released stripers, thus any potential closure would be aimed at targeting restrictions and not exclusively harvest, meaning there would be no “catch and release” striper fishing either.

Also in the Amendment 7 suite of proposed options are public comment options which address a rebuilding plan for striped bass and use of “conservation equivalency” on a state-by-state level are a series a potential management triggers aimed at growing the SSB level.  A highly complex part of the current Amendment 7 debate, these management triggers are like “trip wires” to determine when regulators are required to take corrective management action.

Some of the “triggers” currently used are based on different combinations of F and SSB, where others are based on levels of striped bass recruitment that being young of the year (YOY) stripers leaving the spawning areas each year.

American Sportfishing Association’s (ASA) guide to Amendment 7 and their official selection of management options.

Official public hearings are now underway along the Atlantic Coast, some in-person and most in virtual form.  

Stakeholders can provide input by attending one of the upcoming public hearings, with New Jersey and Pennsylvania scheduled for Monday, March 14.  Comments are due back to comments@asmfc.org by April 15, 2022.

Register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/6557659292797688075

Friday’s forecast is for south winds at just 5-10 knots.

Following is a release from the HRFA about next month’s striper tournament ;

April 16th through 12pm Sunday May 15th

Click here for online registration!

https://thehrfa.org/machform/embed.php?id=21523

Here are the winners of last year’s derby

HRFA Contact Information

PO Box 421
Cresskill, New Jersey 07626

PO Box 421
Piermont, NY 10968

The forecast for Thursday is for north winds at just 5-10 knots before going to east in the afternoon.

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