More progress this week with the hotly anticipated arrival of more striped bass. The spring fishing is really starting to strengthen both locally and the early season out of town spots.
The back waters of Long Beach Island offer striped bass action both day and night. The day time is a primarily bait (clam or worm) thing; however at night the fish are hammering artificials. On the late night shift Thursday evening store staffer Kelly and shop ambassador Swag got on it. They were both into fish using Kettle Creek Paddletail Softbaits. Also in on the night action, Professor Fish Head (Dave W.). He had some late night striped bass bites too. While most of the bass roaming the bay are small there are some better ones in the mix. Keeper size fish were caught.
A recent daytime bait report was sent in, “Kevin Shearer got into some fun striped bass fishing with live bloodworms on the mid-island bayside.”
The out of town early season spots are kicking into gear and bound to light up. Store staffer Dan D. was out on the water Thursday fishing the Raritan Bay. He reported a great trip with lots of catch and release fun.
The ocean is slowly warming up. We don’t have an exact temperature but after a surf session on Wednesday I would guess it is about 45-46 degrees. Things will break open soon. For me the magic number to start hunting is 48 degrees.
For a solid week now reports of heavy bird activity continue daily however, no catch reports locally from the surf or boats in ocean. We do know of a few that went on the search but only found bait and birds. It’s only time. There’s no way all of these birds and all this bait and no fish. It’s impossible. I’m 100% positive we have fish swimming by us (might not be on the beach) heading up to the Raritan Bay on their way up the Hudson. I don’t have the time yet but soon Fish Head Charters will be on the hunt.
Grundens Ankle Boot – New Product Alert
Awesome new from products from Grundens arrived this week. We have the new Grundens Ankle Boot and Slip On Shoe in stock now. Stop by or buy online.
Fishing The Delaware River
Anglers on the Delaware River are enjoy both striped bass and shad fishing. Jeff Warford was recently out on the River and did a number on big shad. The striped bass fishing further down is good. Anglers are catching on bloodworms and plugs.
Winter Flounder Reports
Winter flounder reports have been few and far between due to very little participation. With the awesome weather yesterday, one recent report did some in from the northern Barnegat Bay region. Kevin Lorenz said, “They were hungry in the afternoon. My buddy buddy George Miller and I got our two man limit.
White Perch Fishing
Perch fishing is improving which traditionally is very good in April. Expect fishing to be good the next couple of weeks. Speaking of perch… The Red Men Lodge’s 12th Annual Spring Perch Derby is on Saturday, April 27. This charity event festivities begin Friday at 7pm with the Captains’ Meeting at Red Men Lodge #61 in Tuckerton – 145 West Main St. Tuckerton, NJ 08087. The fish fry and awards ceremony is on Saturday. Entry fee is $50 for a 2man team. More Info call James at 609-709-6528.