Gale force winds threaten weekend striped bass fishing
Gale force winds were forecast to blow in Thursday night. If that holds, expect the water to be churned up quite a bit heading into the weekend.
That could keep the small crafts off the bays, where the spring striper fishery is starting to bud, though Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said it could use some consistent weather. As it is, he said the Raritan Bay has not been able to get up over 50 degrees and stay there.
Most of the boats and shore-based fishermen are focused in the back bay, near Keyport, Keansburg and further back. The Keansburg Pier has been drawing more fishermen. The bite remains mostly on bait with sand or bloodworms — when they're in — and cut bunker. Sciortino saw fish up to 28 pounds landed.
Mike Pinto at Giglio's Tackle in Sea Bright said Shrewsbury River fishermen are catching bass tossing swim shads and bucktails, playing the tides right. The fishing has been hot and cold, with windows of activity and then it quiets down.
More: As rain moves out, striped bass fishermen look to test Raritan Bay
He hasn't heard of anything out front in the surf. Typically, about mid-April the bass starting appearing in the surf, though rumors are beginning to come up the coast. Grumpy's Tackle in Seaside Park had some chatter about the first bluefish, though nothing concrete. The humpback whales are coming back around, unfortunately one of them washed up on Long Beach Island Thursday morning. The cause of its death was not known as of this deadline. Marine Mammal Stranding Center staff were on site to exam the roughly 20 to 30 foot long carcass.
On the other coast, the shad are running on the Delaware River. Nick Honachefsky, host of Saltwater Underground, used Tim Keebler's Fin Seeker River Guide Service and said the run is in full swing. Steve Meserve at Lewis Fishery in Lambertville has not been able to get his nets in the water, yet. He said all the rain has the river running two-feet higher than he can comfortably fish. He had to go all the way back to 2007 to find the last time he started this late on the river.
Wednesday was a pretty good day on the ocean for the boats that were wreck fishing. Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer said there was lots of life on the bottom as far as the blackfish and ling went. Alan Shinn on the Miss Belmar Princess had a few cod landed.
More: What's biting: get the latest fishing reports here
The Shark River Surf Anglers Kid's Trout Contest at Spring Lake was another big success. The weather held up and the lake was packed with kids. Twelve-year-old Justin Carey was the grand prize winner with a 5.5-pound tiger trout. He narrowly bumped out a rainbow trout by one ounce.
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 striper fishing threatened by gale force winds
