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HRFA Striper Derby still on

The Hudson River Fisherman’s Association Catch, Tag and Release Derby is still on as scheduled from April 17 to May 15.

That all-release contest is limited to the Hudson River and associated waterways — but excludes Raritan Bay and ocean waters. For details, call Joe Albanese at 908 456-2968 or e-mail to joealbanese2@gmail.com.

The HRFA has postponed its Hooked on the Hudson event scheduled later in the month to next year.

Ric Gross of Point Pleasant is getting offshore in Florida some days. A couple of days ago he had a trolling bite of small blackfin tuna on a charter before anchoring  on patch bottom off Boca Raton produced  catch-and-release action with red groupers before bull sharks moved in. He fought one for 1 1/2 hours before the shark tired of the game and broke off. The grouper season reopens at the end of the month.

Small craft warnings are up through Sunday afternoon, though that appears to be only for 4-6-foot seas as the wind forecast for the morning is a mere 5-10 knots south.

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Raritan Bay stripers turn on to chunks

The solid run of striped bass continues in Raritan Bay, but when Joe Massa went out Wednesday on his My Three Sons from Morgan Marina he found that their preferences had changed.

Whereas the bass had gorged on live bunkers last week, they were very fussy when he tried them this time. A friend told him that he had tried chunking with success, so Massa anchored up on readings and ,  sure enough, was soon hooking up. In addition, the bass were all 20-to-30-pounders.

The N.J. Bureau of Fish and Wildlife continues to urge anglers to fish for trout which they’ve been stocking for some time so they can disperse throughout the waters. during the catch and release period when the minimum six-foot distancing is easy to maintain.. Yet, they’re also suggesting that anglers avoid the April 11 opening day as that annual trout mania may involve the crowding which is unacceptable during the pandemic.

As previously noted, the state parks and Wildlife Management Areas remain open and without fees so the public can enjoy safe recreation for their physical and mental health during this stressful period.

Northwest winds are blowing up to 30 knots this afternoon along with some light showers, but move to the northeast at 15-20 knots Saturday morning before dropping to 10-15 in the afternoon. Sunday is looking good so far with a forecast of south winds at a mere 5-10 knots.

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The big one that got away — again!

While I’m not fishing at this time, I can still enjoy the adventures of others. — and my nephew, Todd Correll of Ft. Lauderdale, had a great story to tell this week.

Todd was trolling with his boat 14 miles offshore of his second home in the Keys at Islamorada, and got into small blackfin and yellowfin tuna feeding under working birds when a 50-pound class rod was bent over by something much bigger that hit a cedar plug trolled far astern behind a teaser.

After four hours battling with tackle that was inadequate for the situation, he seemed to be making some progress before  the heavy leader suddenly broke. Worst of all,  the fish could never be identified — though it was likely a giant bluefin or a very large yellowfin.

If it was any consolation, I told Todd that he got off easy. Decades ago I was trolling off Salinas, Ecuador for striped marlin and sailfish with 30-pound tackle  when I saw a swordfish engulf my bonito — a blind strike that’s almost unheard of by that species. After three hours of stand-up battle, I sat down in a fighting chair. The swordfish only jumped once, and I really had no realistic idea of how big it was since I’d never seen one before.  However, I did know that the IGFA world record on 30-pound was vacant — and it would surely be a world record if the line tested out at 30-pounds or less.

The crew wanted that fish as much as I did — and the fight went on. When it started getting dark, the captain had a hard time following the line until it got pitch dark and “fire” in the water on a moonless night made it easy to track. Before daylight, another boat was coming out with more fuel so we could continue the fight when, suddenly, my heavy leader broke or was cut by something to end a 12 1/2-hour battle.

At least I got to see my “big one that got away” and at that point only prayed that it survived  the fight it deserved to win.

There was lots of wind today, and there will be more tomorrow which starts at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 30 before dropping to east at just 5-10 knots in the afternoon.

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Fishing during the pandemic

The Empire State’s marine striped bass season runs from April 15 to Dec. 15 with one bass of 28-35 inches.

The wind is shifting to northwest, with a forecast of 15-20 knots plus gusts to 30 in the morning — and 4-6-foot seas.

 

 

 

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Correction to NJ trout

Today’s blog was misleading as the regulations are the same but DEP Commissioner Catherine McCabe was referring to catch-and-release trout fishing, being open in designated areas rather than the complete opener on April 11.

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N.J. trout season to open on time

The pandemic has affected everything else, but the N.J. trout season will open as scheduled tomorrow. Catherine McCabe, the D.E.P. Commissioner, confirmed that during Gov. Phil Murphy’s press conference today.

She noted that state parks and Wildlife Management Areas remain open and without charges, though offices and rest rooms are closed. Despite the general order to stay at home, recreation while observing social distancing is encouraged. Indeed, McCabe touted the benefits of fishing, and Murphy said a 6-foot rod is good for measuring the distancing requirement. He also noted that this was good news for all but the trout!

There are small craft warnings up to tomorrow afternoon as the northeast wind continues at 15-20 knots before dropping to 10-15 in the afternoon.

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NE winds return

Northeast winds are back with us tomorrow — along with rain.

The morning forecast is for northeast at 15-20 knots, before dropping to east at 10-15 in the afternoon.

There isn’t much fishing being done at present due to worries about the pandemic, but Nick Honachefsky of Saltwater Underground reports that he fished Saturday with Kenny and Andy Dubman as they caught 25 stripers by casting shad lures in Raritan Bay. Nick has also been catching school bass from 22 to 27 inches by casting bloodworms from Bay Shore beaches.

Capt. Vinny Vetere got started with his Katfish from Great Kills on a warm day last week by taking the one person he knew that surely presented no virus threat – his wife. She broke the ice for hopefully better days ahead. Vinny's wife

The Hudson River Fisherman’s Association has a striped bass release tournament starting at 7 a.m. April 17 and running to 12 p.m. May 15. It will be contested strictly in the Hudson River and adjacent waters such as the East River — but not in Raritan Bay and ocean waters. There are both catch, photo and release — and catch, photo, tag and release divisions.  For info call Joe Albanese at 908 456-2968.

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Small craft warnings up again

East winds are gusting to 25 knots tonight, but it looks better by Sunday afternoon.

The morning forecast is for east at 15-20 knots before dropping to 10-15 in the afternoon. There will likely be some rain, drizzle and fog during the day.

While large stripers are the attraction in Raritan Bay, there’s been a showing of small bass for shore fishermen further south. Jerry Lasko and Maren Toleno fished an Ocean County beach this morning, and caught a few on paddeltails — though they were only 12 to 14 inches.

Though you can’t prove it by me, there are some small bass in Point Pleasant Canal. I saw an angler release one this morning, and he said he also caught another. I cast a Tsunami shad for about an hour during a moderate outgoing tide without a bump.

Below is the 18-inch blackfish released in the canal this week by Bill Hoblitzell after it hit a worm intended for flounder.

Bill's tog

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Stripers best bet for weekend

Striped bass in Raritan Bay are the best bet at present, if you can find a way to get at them. Relatively few anglers have boats in the water so far, and getting launched may be a problem as marinas aren’t considered to be an essential business. To top it off, there are no party boats sailing in the bay, and some charter skippers aren’t sailing until the legality of doing so is settled.

Joe Massa went out himself with his My Three Sons from Morgan Marina today and had steady action casting a large shad. He then netted some bunkers and found that the bass responded to them as well. The stripers were mostly 15-20-pounders, but he also released a 40-incher.

Fisherman’s Den in Belmar Marina can supply bait, and reported a pick of flounder from the docks.  One angler told them that he had done well with stripers at Union Beach. A few small stripers have been taken on lures in the local surf.

At Seaside Park, Betty & Nick’s  is open for food take-outs, and the rest of the store is accessible for bait and tackle purchases. John Bushell continues to report a strong smell of bluefish blowing in from the surf, though it’s very early for blues.

Grumpy’s Tackle is closed, but the mail order business continues for those using Pay Pal.

Bill Hoblitzell has been raking worms and fishing for flounder, but only catching shorts lately. Yet, he did get a surprise in Point Pleasant Canal when a very early 18-inch blackfish put up a spirited battle on light tackle before the release.

Lots of N.J. anglers are still in Florida. Ric Gross of Point Pleasant said he had a fine offshore trip Wednesday with a boat  out of Hillsboro Inlet which trolled lots of blackfin tuna plus little tunny.

Tommy Cox bought a kayak, and has been doing very well in Lemon Bay on the west coast with seatrout, redfish and snook –including a 30-incher yesterday.

Vinny D’Anton is still wading in the Sarasota area, and finding good action as the waters have warmed to 80 degrees. Snook have been hitting the Zara Spook, though it’s been hard to get hooks in them. Seatrout and ladyfish have also been abundant.

Bob Corell of Bay Head and his wife Mary Agnes hosted his brother Todd and wife Karen on his Sea Vee out of Marathon yesterday as they finally got a calm day which produced a good catch of dolphin and blackfin tuna trolling out at the Hump.

Capt. Sal Cursi, who ran the Cathy Sea from Seawaren for many years,  took advantage of the good weather a couple of days ago to get out in his small boat at Palm Bay for a limit of mangrove snappers while releasing a few puppy black drum.

 

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Stripers hot in Raritan Bay

Dave Lilly reported striper fishing as hot as it was last week in Raritan Bay, but with bigger fish. The bass were in shallow waters at the back of the bay when he came out of Keyport, and it was the Tony Maja 5-ounce mo-jos that did the job trolling. His friends kept a couple and released others steadily before returning early in the morning.  They only came across one short, and released bass up to about the 38 inches that is supposed to go into effect as the maximum on April 1 if the governor signs that provision. Right now we’re still fishing on the old regulations.

Dave said that 30 to 40 boats were taking advantage of the perfect weather and what Tony Arcabscio used to call “stupid fishing” when he was chunking out of Great Kills over a decade ago and fishing was so easy that even beginners could drop an anchor anywhere and chunk tripers.  Kayackers were doing as well as power boaters in the exceptionally clear waters, though Dave saw no signs of fish. There wasn’t much to mark in shallow waters, and he never saw a bunker or a bird dive.

The N.J. D.E.P. issued a press release today encouraging outdoor activities except in groups. Commissioner Catherine McCabe emphasized that the state parks and Wildlife Management Areas are open and not charging fees. The rest rooms are closed, as are the offices. Anyone needing any sort of license must go online.  Social distancing is required. Be sure to stay at least six feet away from anyone else.

West winds of 10-15 knots are forecast for tonight with gusts to 20 and rain after midnight. Friday starts with west winds of 5-10 knots and rain before switching to north in the afternoon.