Friday is Surf Day at Saltwater Expo

Crazy Alberto Knie reminds that surfcasters will be well served by getting to the noon opening Friday of the Saltwater Expo in the N.J. Convention Center at Edison. “BIG News! Friday March 14 is Surf Friday. Seminars with some of the best followed by a Q&A Panel at 6:30 moderated by Jim Hutchinson with @thefishermanmag where one lucky attendee will walk away with a surfcasting package with over $3000 including @vanstaalofficial reel, @centuryrodsusa rod, @tactical_anglers terminal tackle kit, @jbraidusa @daiwausa 3300 yard spool of 40 pound test braid and more. Plus specialty custom plug makers selling on hand plus over 50 surfcasting exhibitors in the show. Seminars and entry included in the regular price of admission.
BIG News! Friday March 14 is Surf Friday. Seminars with some of the best followed by a Q&A Panel at 6:30 moderated by Jim Hutchinson with @thefishermanmag where one lucky attendee will walk away with a surfcasting package with over $3000 including @vanstaalofficial reel, @centuryrodsusa rod, @tactical_anglers terminal tackle kit, @jbraidusa @daiwausa 3300 yard spool of 40 pound test braid and more. Plus specialty custom plug makers selling on hand plus over 50 surfcasting exhibitors in the show. Seminars and entry included in the regular price of admission.
BIG News! Friday March 14 is Surf Friday. Seminars with some of the best followed by a Q&A Panel at 6:30 moderated by Jim Hutchinson with @thefishermanmag where one lucky attendee will walk away with a surfcasting package with over $3000 including @vanstaalofficial reel, @centuryrodsusa rod, @tactical_anglers terminal tackle kit, @jbraidusa @daiwausa 3300 yard spool of 40 pound test braid and more. Plus specialty custom plug makers selling on hand plus over 50 surfcasting exhibitors in the show. Seminars and entry included in the regular price of admission.
BIG News! Friday March 14 is Surf Friday. Seminars with some of the best followed by a Q&A Panel at 6:30 moderated by Jim Hutchinson with @thefishermanmag where one lucky attendee will walk away with a surfcasting package with over $3000 including @vanstaalofficial reel, @centuryrodsusa rod, @tactical_anglers terminal tackle kit, @jbraidusa @daiwausa 3300 yard spool of 40 pound test braid and more. Plus specialty custom plug makers selling on hand plus over 50 surfcasting exhibitors in the show. Seminars and entry included in the regular price of admission.”

A small craft advisory is up in NY/NJ Bight through late tonight. The forecast for Friday is for northeast winds at 5-10 knots with swells up to 6 feet.

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Capt. Monty Hawkins made an exploratory trip offshore on Monday with his Morning Star from Ocean City, Md., but didn’t find any cod. He had hoped that very cold waters to the north would drive cod south as was the case in Feb. 2011 when he was able to advertise codfishing. There were a few short tautog and a couple of decent ones plus a few sea bass.

Crazy Alberto seminars at Saltwater Expo

Crazy Alberto Knie will be one of the features at the Saltwater Expo in the N.J. Convention Center in Edison from noon Friday through Sunday.

Alberto has a seminar each day of the show with an emphasis on catching a personal best bass, with Surf Friday’s presentation also featuring Fisherman editor Jim Hutchinson. Alberto will also be on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 2.

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A small craft advisory is up in NY/NJ Bight through Thursday afternoon.

East winds at 10-15 knots are predicted tomorrow plus gusts to 20 and seas to 5 feet.

Some inshore bottom life

Ocean water temperatures dropped quite low this year, with the result that inshore fishing results were impacted. However, the Ocean Explorer from Belmar had some better news Monday. The high hook that day had a dozen ling plus a keeper cod. Nothing great, but a good sign.

The forecast in NY/NJ Bight is for north winds at 10-15 knots before dropping to east at 5-10 in the afternoon.

Saltwater Expo coming up

The best sportsman’s Show of the year is coming up from noon Friday to Sunday. The Saltwater Expo draws all the major tackle companies and many other exhibits of interest to saltwater anglers plus seminars by top anglers and skippers. The site is the N.J. Convention Center in Edison, where parking is free.

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The forecast in NY/NJ Bight is for south winds at 5-10 knots with gusts to 20 in the afternoon.

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Vinny D’Anton reports spotted sea trout fishing continues to be hot in the Longboat Key area of southwest Florida. Most are of legal size and up to 4 pounds. This is wade fishing with a variety of lures including MirrOlures and the DOA Shrimp.

Last minute party boat trip

Capt. Monty Hawkins is taking advantage of a good weather forecast with his Morning Star from Ocean City, Md. just to see what’s out there as follows: “Offering a cod(?)tog(?)trip. Really it’s just an “I gotta go fishing” trip. Have fresh clam. Have crabs. Have an incredibly calm forecast tomorrow with air temps in the mid-40s.. Last time winter was this cold (2011) I was offering cod trips every chance I had- catching too–even occasional 10 fish limits. Are they there now? Derned if I know. I need to go to sea a day anyway so let’s go find out.

Fishing for most anything that might bite a hook then – Monday, 3/10/25 – depart 7:30 return 3 (regulars know I’ll gladly leave a half hour early if all are aboard) Trip sells out at, IDK, 4? Not really! But I sure don’t expect many with one day’s notice. Call it sold out at 12 (a number that is not going to happen.) Fare is $125.00…

The forecast for NYNJ Bight is for west winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20 before going southwest at just 5-10 in the afternoon.

Stripers turning on in Raritan Bay

The water temperature jumped up in Raritan Bay this week. and stripers responded. Phil Sciortino reports from the Tackle Box in Hazlet that both shore and kayak anglers are not only catching schoolies, but even some “overs” already. The best action has been in the back of the bay and up the Raritan River. Metal lip swimmers have been effective on the bigger fish, and you can’t go wrong with bloodworms.

A small craft advisory is up in NY/NJ Bight through Sunday afternoon. The forecast for Sunday is for west winds at 15 knots plus gusts to 30.

Bluefin tuna remain abundant in N.C.

Capt. Mark De Blasio of the N.J.-based Water Proof reported on March 5 as follows:”We saw a few beautiful days on the water in the OBX .. great fishing continues with 14 Bluefins caught or released over 2 days of fishing .. kept a recreational fish each day and released the rest ranging from 60” to 100” class”

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Windy weather continues in N.J. with a gale warning up in NY/NJ Bight until 6 p.m. The forecast for Saturday is for west winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 30.

Stripers may be ready to turn on early

The weather hasn’t been cooperating lately in NY/NJ Bight. but the Ocean Explorer from Belmar reported seeing some stripers blasting into bunkers offshore as that boat was on its way out for cod. That was despite a water temperature of only 37 degrees.

Another gale warning is up at 6 p.m. through Friday afternoon. Friday’s forecast is for west winds at 25 to 30 knots.

Harry Aiken remembered

When it came to using surf tackle for distance and accuracy at the many competitions over half a century ago, even the pros from Long Island and Cape Cod often couldn’t stand up to Harry Aiken who lived in Georgetown, Delaware — an area hardly noted for great surfcasting.

Harry was a Top Gun in the Garcia Casting Accuracy contests which I helped conduct while working for Garcia at that time. However. Harry’s proudest moment came as he cast a ball over the center field fence in Yankee Stadium!

We fished together in Delaware many times over the years, but blindness made life much more difficult as he fought off one thing after another to make it to 90. His son, Scott, said his death over the weekend was simply attributed to old age rather than anything in particular.

Scott said he will be buried with his old Garcia casting rod so he’ll be ready to regain his form in Heavenly surf.

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It’s not looking good for anglers in NY/NJ Bight the next couple of days as snow works its way Harry north. A gale warning goes up Wednesday morning though late night.

Salt Water Sportsman reports a new all-tackle blackfin tuna world record has been certified by the IGFA. Robert Kowalski caught the 50-pound,1ounce blackfin in June from Miss Britt out of Miami.

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Though one of the smallest members of its family, the blackfin is a fine fighting fish on suitable tackle — and very good eating. While fairly common offshore of Florida reefs. they don’t often migrate much further north. I only remember once coming across them while trolling canyon waters off New Jersey.

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The Ocean Explorer from Belmar didn’t find any of the hoped-for cod on Saturday, though some ling were boated on every drop.

A small craft advisory in NY/NJ Bight comes down at 6 p.m. The forecast is for northwest winds at 10-15 knots by morning before dropping to 5-10 in the afternoon.