Due to all the weekend boat traffic, striped bass fishing in Raritan Bay is almost always a better bet on Mondays. Yet, the opposite was the case for party boats this time.

Capt. Rob Semkewyc of the Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands said large bass were slamming shad lures Sunday, and his fares had bass up to 30 and 33.5 pounds. Yet, wasn’t like yesterday at all as the bass couldn’t be located until a late bite after the change of tide bailed him out with some keepers and a bunch of shorts. The Fishermen from that port had a similar Sunday catch as a 26-pounder took the pool and there were many releases. Jigs worked bext in the deeper water that day.

Jim Louro ran his Vicky Lynn back from Manasquan to the bay on Sunday along with Jerry Malanga, Brian Woodfield and Alex Fatenko. They marked bass and did well jigging from 6:45 to 7 until they lost the current. Trolling didn’t produce, but some birds came up later and they scored with surfacing bass before fighting a rough sea home.

The weather turned out better than predicted today, as Allen Riley and John Mazzeo from South Plainfield found when they tried the Sandy Hook surf. The northeast wind was light and the surf flat, but there were no hits on fresh bunker or sand fleas.

The forecast for the last day of blackfishing is southwest at 5-10 knots switching to west in the afternoon, There nay be some rain and fog in the morning.

Joe Melillo reports from Castaways Tackle in Point Pleasant that there are school stripers in the canal along with the first cocktail blues. He’s heard of some 5-pound blues in the river.

I’ll be running a fishing tackle garage sale next weekend at my home, 1552 Osprey Ct., in Manasquan Park, N.J. Everything from lures to big game rods and reels will be on display along with some boating supplies and accessories. I’ll provide details during the week.

Virginia anglers are taking the first big hit resulting from the new striped bass assessment showing that the stock is overfished and that overfishing is occurring. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted unanimously last week to cancel the upcoming trophy bass season which allowed Virginia anglers to keep some of the previously protected spawning females before they reproduce and migrate northward from the Chesapeake Bay area. This will result in greater spawning potential for the source of the majority of the coastal migratory population.

The Hudson River stock is much smaller, but appears to be in better shape. Blog follower J. R. Aloise noted that Saturday’s west gale  resulted in a “tough day in Raritan Bay, but we did well with bass between 25 and 30 pounds.” I’ll be driving up from Florida Sunday and will resume the blog Monday evening.

Monday’s  forecast is for northeast winds of 10-15 knots before switching to southeast 5-10 in the afternoon.

Though today’s west gale kept most boaters off the water, that warning comes down by 6 p.m., and drops to 5-10 knots by midnight. Though the morning will be only 5-10 knots from the south, there is an afternoon shift to east winds of 10-15 knots with gusts to 20. There’s a chance of showers in the morning, and they are likely in the afternoon.

Most boats will sail with that forecast, and the west winds should have flattened the ocean. There were stripers on the surface in Raritan Bay in poor weather on Friday. The Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands reported they didn’t hit well, but Capt. Chris Di Stefano of Wall heard from a friend who fished near the Ammo Pier and caught legal-sized stripers trolling, jigging, casting on the surface — and on bait.

Joe Melillo reports from Castaways Tackle in Point Pleasant that stripers have been hitting jigs in Point Pleasant Canal, and blowfish showed up there Wednesday. Blackfish are biting, but the season closes at the end of the month.  Melillo hasn’t heard any word of bluefish so far.

At Seaside Park, Grumpy’s Tackle weighed a 29.5-inch striper at 9.25 pounds for Ralph Esposito, who caught it Friday at IBSP on clam. Some small black drum have been released in the surf, and there was a report of a bluefish hit on bait in the park surf. Grumpy’s will be open to 10 p.m. tonight for the American Anglers Surf Tournament.

A small craft advisory is up for this evening as southeast winds gust to 25 knots, but the clearing west wind Saturday will bring gusts to 35 knots and a gale warning. All of this sets up a fine Sunday with 5-10-knot south winds and what should be a flat sea.

At Atlantic Highlands, the Sea Hunter didn’t have enough fares to sail, and will not run into the gale tomorrow before resuming daily trips on Sunday. The Fishermen did get out into today’s bad weather, and was rewarded with bass on top. The problem was that they were still fussy as only a few were caught on shads and jigs.

At Seaside Park, Grumpy’s Tackle had word of the first bluefish signs. There was one report at the Island Beach State Park surf, and Big Scott had a blue hit a Tsunami popper in the bay. A legal bass was caught Thursday evening in the IBSP surf on clam.  Betty & Nick’s reported an 11-pound surf striper on bunker chunks. There are lots of 12-18-inch stripers in the bay under the big bridge.

Jim Louro of Spring Lake moved his boat back from Raritan Bay to Manasquan yesterday, but didn’t find any bass or blues in the river there. He’s only heard of a few small stripers in the local surf, and noted that Frank Manzi cast in Shark River without success yesterday.

Jim Hutchinson Sr. reports that “Spring like weather seems to be here now, and the water temperature in the bay is showing some real warming. That bodes well for upcoming fishing in southern Ocean County.

Captain Steve Purul of Reel Fantasea Sportfishing has had some anglers out fishing in the lower reaches of Barnegat Bay and reports the striped bass population there is abundant and a blast on light spinning tackle. He says the size ranges from 12 to 26 inches. He predicts that each passing warm day will bring bigger bass along with the arrival of some bluefish.”

Hutchinson further motes that ” I have been hearing of some good blackfish reports all month with poor weather being the only real stumbling block. Unfortunately, the season closes as of May 1. The experts at Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom report Matt S. is out every chance he gets and recently fished on the “Mary M” and found some good fishing. Matt boated a 13-pound blackfish, and the next day he fished on the “Osprey and limited out. With April winding down fishing is heating up. Currently there are great opportunities to get into good fishing before the end of the month when the blackfish season closes on May 1.”

The LBI Spring Surf Fishing Tournament kicks off on Saturday, April 27. The entry fee is $20 for the 8-week event. Hutchinson has already heard of a few keepers caught on the beach and learned of some positive reports of black drum in the bay. He tried with his son, Jim Jr., earlier this week at the mouth of the Mullica with some clams and did nothing — but plans to try some of their favorite haunts in the Tuckerton Bay area.

Hutchinson notes that a few contests are coming up. The Red Men Lodge of Tuckerton is holding their 12th annual white perch event, Saturday, April 27. There will be cash prizes for the largest fish. The entry fee is $50 per 2-man team. For information please contact James at 609-709-6528. All proceeds will be donated to charity. The festivities begin with a captains’ meeting on Friday at 7pm, and there is a fish fry Saturday at the awards ceremony.

On June 1 the Recreational Fishing Alliance and the Little Egg Harbor PBA will be holding their 7th annual Bass River Classic Summer Flounder Tournament. The proceeds from the day will benefit the two organizations. Center for all the activities is Breeze’s Restaurant at the Viking Yachting Center on the Bass River in New Gretna. Registration fee is $95 per boat and includes food at both the captains meeting and the awards ceremony. The captains meeting will be on May 31 with fishing starting the next morning at 5 a.m.

Though there was some improvement today in Raritan Bay for party boats, trolling is still the best bet for big bass there. Outdoor writer Gary Caputi was up there with Capt. Jim Freda on Shore Catch Charters for steady action on Tony Maja Mo-Jos fished from his new Mo-Jo rods. (see photo below)

Capt. Rob Semkewyc said he was encouraged today as bass bit on every stop though almost all were shorts. A couple of keepers were caught on the Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands. They plan to sail tomorrow, but suggest calling first since the forecast of possible rain could scare off some anglers and leave them with too few to sail.

The Fishermen from that port had good readings Wednesday, but a wind against current condition all day that resulted in only a couple of keepers and shorts plus a few bass lost.

At Belmar, the Big Mohawk reported better blackfish action today with some limits and lots of shorts.  They will sail at 7 a.m. The Ocean Explorer noted that Wednesday’s blackfishing was picky though some fares had a couple of keepers.

The marine forecast is for southeast winds at 10-15 knots Friday before increasing to 15-20 with gusts to 25 in the afternoon. Some rain is likely in the morning and showers in the afternoon. Small craft advisories go up from Friday afternoon to late night.

At Seaside Park, Grumpy’s Tackle reported a couple of striper weigh-ins on bunker at IBSP up to 14.5 pounds — but no details. Betty & Nick’s weighed a 23 1/4-pound black drum caught by Dave Chambers.

Raritan Bay striped bass have been a frustration the last few days for Capt. Rob Semkewyc of the Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands. He’s been marking bass, but they won’t hit while at the same time he sees trollers hooking up.

Scott Keadbetter of Haddon Heights found that to be the case yesterday when he ran his Aquasport out of Atlantic Highlands at 10 a.m. and hooked bass to 20 pounds steadily while trolling at Chapel Hill. He did stop on readings and managed to jig two bass.

Allen Riley and John Mazzeo from South Plainfield tried the Sandy Hook surf this morning, and found the water temperature up to 50 degrees — but there wasn’t a touch on their fresh bunker and sandworms. The NNW wind got pretty brisk, but that’s not a problem there.

There was no report from the Ocean Explorer out of Belmar today, but they had good blackfish action Tuesday with some keepers up to 9 pounds plus a legal cod. There were some tog limits.

The northwest wind is only forecast to be at 5 knots in the morning. It switches to south  the afternoon. Friday’s south wind is predicted to be 10-15 knots with showers.

Striped bass fishing in Raritan Bay this month has been so good that anglers are particularly disappointed on those days when they just aren’t turned on. That was the case today on the Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands as Capt. Rob Semkewyc said there were just a few keepers caught during a beautiful day with lots of boat traffic.

Tank Matraxia and Marty Gras from Lyndhurst joined with other anglers on an open charter from Keyport during which four keepers were chunked, though Tank lost his only hook-up. They even tried trolling at the end of the day with only one missed hit.

The Big Mohawk from Belmar reported a pick of blackfish with some limits as clams worked best. They’re chartered tomorrow, but will sail for tog again at 7 a.m. Thursday.

Bob Matthews reported from Fisherman’s Den in Belmar Marina that the warm weather was a pleasure. It even resulted in a better winter flounder bite from the docks, where some fluke are also hitting. Blackfishing in Shark River Inlet is still spotty, and small bass are hitting in the surf. Better-sized stripers are hitting in the rivers and bays.

Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park reported small bass in the back bays along with a couple of keepers released. Small bass are also in the surf. The weather is great, and west winds continue this week with 10-15 knots tomorrow with gusts to 20 before dropping off to 5 knots northwest on Thursday.

Live bait can make a big difference in Raritan Bay as Capt. Joe Massa of My Three Sons from Morgan Marina  found yesterday morning as he put Drew and Don Desmitt of Garfield into nine bass up to 30 pounds in the back of the bay. The bunker were hard to net as they were suspended in deep water. In the photo, Drew nets a bass for his father Don who celebrates his 86th birthday tomorrow.

Striper fishing in Raritan Bay couldn’t have been any better when Matt Calabria took his father Hector out after Easter dinner. They started out doubling up trolling mo-jos, and then did the same chunking with bass to over 30 pounds — before the big girl took hold.

Hector eventually released a huge bass full of roe that was the fish of his life. It was 53 inches long to the fork of the tail with a 33 1/2-inch girth — and weighed 51 pounds on one scale and 50.8 on another. Yet, if the measurements are right it would have been much larger than that by the formula of length times girth squared divided by 800. It  was too big for Hector to hold, so the photo below is of Matt holding the trophy before her release to pass on her big bass genes in the Hudson River next month..

As good as that fishing was yesterday, it should have still been like that today in light winds. However, party boat reports were poor. Capt. Ron Santee of the Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands called it a bummer as he read fish that wouldn’t bite and ended up searching all over the bay and ocean for action. He even waited for the afternoon outgoing tide which didn’t change anything except bring some rain. Capt. Rob Semkewyc of the Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands said the bass were very scattered and hard to catch. His fares caught a few and lost a couple, but it was very disappointing.  Of course, every day is different in fishing — and the forecast is fine with light west winds for days to come.

Rich Swisstack (see photo below) has been into a surf bite of big red drum at Cape Point, Hatteras, N.C., but a century ago those same fish were being caught along the central N.J. Shore where “channel bass” fishing in the Barnegat Inlet area was the best in the country — and those fish were the primary inshore game species for N.J. anglers.

The first two world records for red drum came from N.J. waters, and there were few caught that weighed less than 20 pounds. Though climate change theory indicates that warming has been occurring for decades, there’s been no explanation of why semi-tropical red drum were so abundant in what should have been cooler waters a century ago and why large red drum have long been a rarity north of Virginia.

Striped bass are now the primary inshore game fish, and that fishing should resume tomorrow, after the Easter break, in Raritan Bay.  The marine weather forecast is for just 5-10 knot north winds, while the big swell should drop to 4-7 feet. The Jamaica from Brielle joins the party boat striper fleet tomorrow on a daily basis at 7:30 a.m.

As noted in yesterday’s blog, the marine forecast was for south winds gusting to 30 knots. Party boats were cancelling trips. and no party boat reports were filed by 6 p.m.  Yet, Dave Lilly of Hazlet said it was flat calm all day in Raritan Bay.

He ventured out with a friend in a small boat from Keyport, but there were dark clouds and they stayed in the back of the bay where there was plenty of trolling action with stretch plugs — but all from the same 18-23-inch bass we were catching in the back of the bay in March. The mo-jos that had been producing large bass were undisturbed as they were almost as big as the bass. The only heavier fish was a big surprise — a fluke of about 7 pounds released after hitting a stretch plug. Due to the black clouds they didn’t venture out to the Old Orchard area where the bigger bass were still abundant Friday. Yet, flags hung limply all day as the bad weather never happened. Water temperatures in the back are 57 to 58 degrees, but they drop into the forties closer to the ocean.

Party boats won’t be sailing on Easter Sunday in any case. Small craft warnings are still up through Sunday afternoon, though I can’t figure out why since the forecast Sunday is for south winds at a mere 10 knots. There is a big swell, as they are calling for 5-10-foot swells — which is of no concern in Raritan Bay.

The Mimi VI from Point Pleasant has 7 a.m. open blackfish trips at $75 with a limit of 25 anglers set for April 22-25 plus 29 and 30.  A Special  tog trip on Friday, April 26 is limited to 12 fares,  costs $120, leaves at 6:30, and includes whitelegger crabs for bait. Call 732 370-8019 for reservations.