Welcome to Spring saltwater fishing in NJ!

The big news of the week is the new striped bass regulation signed into law by our fine Governor, Christine T. Whitman for New Jersey State salt waters. That is, any back bay areas, rivers and along the ocean front out to three miles off of the beach. The new regulation went into effect May 17, 2000. Please be sure of your measurements and know the new limits; we have been politely advised that Fish and Game officers will be out enforcing the new regulations for the Striped Bass. The possession limit is two fish per day with the following size restrictions: 1 fish 24” or greater, but less than 28”(referred to as a slot fish) and 1 fish 28” or greater. If you are involved in the trophy striped bass program, you may continue to keep your one bonus striper greater then 28”. If you would like to be part of the bonus striped bass program, you may pick up an application at the store or grab it off of the web page at http://www.scottsbt.com/fishing/striper1.htm. Some very impressive stripers have been weighed in this week. Four cows were 36 plus pounds and quite a few were in the 16 to 20 pound bracket. According to the anglers, all of the stripers were caught on live bait, primarily herring and some eels. We did have two nice stripers weighed in that were caught by fluke anglers fishing squid and minnow combo on a top and bottom rig, but we won’t mention that. :) Rumor has it that the spots to fish are the East end of Grassy Channel closer to Little Egg Inlet, and the fast running water in the area of the 120 marker buoy.

Anglers are having a banner spring catching weakfish. The fish are still being caught in nice numbers, and the size range of the weighing at our store this week has been four to eight pounds. Anglers are using Fin-S fish lures on jigheads, as well as bloodworms and sandworms on floating jigheads. We added a couple of new colors in the Fin-S this past week, with more new colors , as well as 4” Hydrotail grubs, coming soon. Good areas to fish continue to be in Grassy Channel, around the 139 marker buoy area, and within the Little Sheepshead Creek.

As for singing the Blues.....they are around, but you have to be alert to find them. Turn of the tide from high to outgoing when the bait fish are on the move is the time to strike. Watch for flocks of birds working over those bait fish. Chunks of mackerel on bluefish rigs are the choice if you want to anchor up, and a bit of chum can’t hurt. Tubes, clarkspoons and other metals are the way to go if you want to troll for blues.

Attempting to fish for fluke in the Great Bay is complicated by the usual Spring abundance of a fine brown grass on the bottom. Anglers have learned methods of avoiding the grass by fishing above it. Light tackle, light line, and light lures like an 1/8 ounce shad dart or bucktail fished with just the right amount of line out allows the lures to drift a little distance above the bottom. An easier method, no matter how silly it may seem, is to use large plastic bobbers or floats. If your fishing in six feet of water, set the plastic bobber at five and a half feet above your shad dart lure. When drifting along, this float method will support your lure a few inches above the dreaded grassy slime as well as increase the visibility of your bait. Don’t forget, as the tide rises or falls, you will have to adjust the distance on the float above your rig.