Surf fishing picks up pace as early run of striped bass continues
The surf fishing has picked up more steam, most likely due to last week's very warm air temperatures which flirted with the 90-degree mark.
The bulk of the striped bass seem to be on Ocean County's beaches and Sandy Hook, as far as the surf goes. Judging by the number of fish weighed at the local tackle shops or entered into the surf contests, there have been plenty of fish in the 28 to 38 inch range. There have been reports of fish in excess of 40 inches but for the most part the big cows haven't made much of splash, yet.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy's Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park, said the fish have mostly been after the clams. The best action, in their locale, was from the Seasides through Island Beach State Park, though a few bass were landed on Lavallette's beaches. The pace starting picking up last Monday and then Friday and Saturday it got very good and a ton of people, including many first timers, hit the beach, he said.
Jingle's Bait & Tackle weighed in several fish last week that were caught in Beach Haven, where the shop is located and Surf City. All those weigh ins were bass that were caught on clams. The shop marked the surf temp at 54 degrees on Sunday.
More: More fish enter the fray as warm temps settle in at Jersey Shore
Mike Pinto at Giglio's Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there are bass in the Sandy Hook surf. He said anglers are having more success at that locale with plugs. He observed two humpback whales on Saturday that were within a couple hundred yards of the beach that were most likely following bunker.
In Raritan Bay, it sounded like the bass bite has been better in the afternoon the last few days. The boat captains did a lot of driving around in dense fog during the morning hours with limited results. In the afternoon the fish turned on. It could because the bunker popped up, or the fog lifting a bit and the sun warming the bay up. After a bummer of a morning on Saturday, Capt. Hal Hagaman on the Sea Tiger II went back out for the afternoon trip and found the bass biting 20 minutes from his slip at Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor. He had a boat limit within an hour and then they were throwing back fish for the rest of the trip.
More: What's biting: get the latest fishing reports here
The boats that went for blackfish had to fish a few drops to put a catch together, They too had the pea soup fog in the morning to deal with. Capt. Jerry Postorino on the Fish Monger II charter boat had a member of his party land a 15-pound tog on Saturday's trip. On Sunday, he fished around quite a bit and at the end of the day had 20 keepers in the ice box to show for their efforts.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ surf fishing picks up with striped bass run
