Tight Lines

It’s much too early. but striped bass fishing is already well underway in Raritan Bay plus the back bays and rivers along the Jersey Shore. The vast majority are shorts, but keeper-size bass have been included — and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of a big bass being hooked during what looks like a perfect winter day tomorrow.

Raritan Bay waters have been in the mid-forties. which is good for bait fishing with clams or seaworms — as well as small lures. Back bay light tackle anglers are using bloodworms, paddletails, small swimmers, jigs and soft plastics.

The Saturday forecast couldn’t be much better as west winds at just 5 knots are predicted before afternoon when it switches to south. If you can handle two-foot seas, that’s the day to fish as things start changing Saturday night — and Sunday starts with southwest winds at 20-25 knots plus gusts to 30 — and showers,

The Atlantic City Boat Show runs through Sunday at the Convention Center.

There has been no retention of Goliath grouper allowed in Florida or federal waters since 1990, but Florida has decided to open a very limited season next year.

It appears that only 200 in the 2-3-foot range will be involved in a permit system. Originally known as jewfish, these shallow water giants held their own in the past even with no regulations at all before spear fishermen discovered their spawning areas where they were sitting ducks for power heads. Since the closing they’ve made a great comeback and are now considered to be a pest by many anglers as it’s become difficult to get any decent-sized grouper or snapper up from a wreck before a Goliath takes it first.

Though there’s a small craft warning up through tonight, the upcoming forecast is very good. Friday’s prediction is for northwest at 5-10 knots before turning southwest in the afternoon.

The Ocean Explorer from Belmar plans to sail for cod on Saturday.

The Atlantic City Boat Show is underway at the Convention Center through the weekend. Adult admission is $17, but kids under 15 are admitted free when accompanied by a paid adult. Free seminars are included.

The forecast is for northwest winds at 15-20 knots plus gusts to 25 — but calm seas are predicted for the weekend.

Striped bass fishing got started again today as the N.J. internal waters reopened. I didn’t get any specific reports, but Jim Hutchinson, Jr., editor of The Fisherman, said he heard that school bass were being caught in the South Jersey back bays.

The forecast is for northwest winds at10-15 knots plus gusts to 30 before dropping to 5-10 in the afternoon.

MFC Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Board to Meet March 24
to Consider Final Action on 2022 Recreational Measures for Summer Flounder and Black Sea Bass

Arlington, VA – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Management Board will meet via webinar on March 24^th from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM. The purpose of the meeting is to review regional proposals for summer flounder and black sea bass recreational measures for the 2022 fishing year. The draft agenda and meeting materials will be posted to the Meeting Archives webpage by March 10^th.

To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8045885664746620685 (Webinar ID228-241-235). If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at +1 (213) 929-4212. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN as well as how to navigate the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing +1 (213) 929-4212, access code 462-622-410.

The webinar will allow registrants to listen to the Board’s deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur.  The Board will provide the public the opportunity to bring matters of concern to the Board’s attention at the start of the meeting. The Board Chair will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the Chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the Board Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action)

·       Comments received by 5 PM on Wednesday, March 9 will be included in the briefing materials.

·       Comments received by 5 PM on Wednesday, March 16 will be included in the supplemental materials.

Comments should be submitted to comments@asmfc.org.

For more information, please contact Dustin Colson Leaning, FMP Coordinator, at dleaning@asmfc.org.  

Tuesday’s forecast is for south winds at 10-15 knots before increasing to 15-20 knots in the afternoon.

Bunkers have been showing up in Raritan Bay as early as March the last few years, but Dave Lilly reported a sighting in the back of the bay today.

Dave was helping a friend do a test run when they spotted two pods of bunkers where water temperatures were an unusually warm 43 degrees. Striped bass may become active in the bay even before those N.J. internal waters reopen to fishing for them. Dave said it was such a mild and calm day that it felt like fishing time.

Small craft warnings are up through Monday morning. The forecast is for northwest winds at 15-20 knots before dropping to 10-15 in the afternoon.

Small craft warnings are up through late Sunday afternoon, but the west direction should calm seas.

Sunday starts with west winds at15-20 knots plus gusts to 30.

Though small craft warnings are up through the afternoon, there’s a positive change on Saturday to northwest winds at 10-15 knots with gusts to 20 which should knock down the swell.

Though it appears NY/NJ Bight will be south of the snow, there will be rain and wind to deal with.

Small craft warnings are up with rain in the morning as east winds of 15-20 knots gust to 25 before turning west by late afternoon.

Vinny D-Anton has been finding better spotted sea trout action in the Sarasota area lately, but a few larger ones also hit his MirrOlures.

Though small craft warnings are up tonight. The morning forecast is better with north winds at 10-15 knots plus gusts to 20. By afternoon it switches to 5-10 knots northeast — which doesn’t bode well.