There's no doubt I'm a bit late to the party this year. History holds that my boat is often one of the first in the marina and, almost always, the last boat to be hauled out. Jingle Bell Rock has played from the speakers mounted in my center console. But this year, my fishing season has yet to begin. I have a tentative appointment with my boat hauler in Barnegat to drop her in the water Monday, but that's after a spring where some busy work weeks here at Patch and marathon rounds of graduate school studying have pushed fishing to the back burner. Luckily, with formal graduation ceremonies at …

A string of rainy and windy days have curtailed participation in the summer flounder fishery, which opened to recreational anglers a week ago. But those foul-weather fishermen who have wet a line in the last week have mostly targeted striped bass. According to a majority of recent fishing reports from local shops, most anglers who hooked striped bass recently have done so by snagging and dropping live bunker within a mile or two of the shore. Surf fishing was on and off, and even boat fishing required a bit of luck to locate a pod of bunker that was also holding bass. Some anglers found …

Summer flounder season begins Saturday, and with the first minimum size limit below 18 inches in several years, anglers are gearing up for a lengthy season of fun fishing from Sandy Hook to Cape May. Fluke season needs no introduction. It's prime-time. It's a relatively easy fishery in which to participate - both bay and ocean anglers have wide access - and there are as many fun ways to catch these tasty flat fish as there are recipes to cook them for dinner. We'll begin with a rundown of the best spots (north to south) for early-season fluke, and end with a few quick reports: Manasquan River…

Time to throw on some shorts and a t-shirt to catch some winter flounder. Anglers took to Barnegat Bay early Friday morning to kick off the annual, early-season hunt for the tasty cousin of the summer flounder. Usually, opening day of winter flounder season is an exercise in endurance. It's a chance to shrug off winter-induced cabin fever and deal with chilly temperatures if it means getting on the water and bringing a fillet home for dinner. It's different this year. With temperatures in the mid 70s, it feels more like the start of summer flounder season in May. A few hours into the season …

It's hard to determine whether the spring striped bass run is beginning early, or the fall striped bass run never ended. With sand eels having been spotted in the suds at Island Beach State Park through February, it's hard to believe that we're transitioning into a new period of striped bass fishing when the last one seemingly never came to a full close. With temperatures spiking near the 70 degree range this week (and more warm weather predicted for next week) it's no surprise that anglers will be hitting the beach in the hopes of hooking their first bass of 2012. Valerie Zak, owner of …

Good fishing was reported on the party boats this week, especially the Big Jamaica out of Brielle. The boat had a great outing Wednesday when the weather was spectacular for winter fishing, and the crew is out again during the day Friday. Its next trip will be 4 a.m. Sunday. On Wednesday's trip, a good catch of ling was reported with "a few cod mixed in," according to a report from the boat. The pool winner was Elizabeth resident Olguer Heras' 8-pound cod, while high hook was 51 ling boated by Gary Hines of New Rochelle, N.Y. For information on the boat's upcoming trips, visit its website. On…

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) will hold its winter meetings the first week in February. And that can mean only one thing: we're getting closer to learning what our 2012 fluke regulations might look like here in the Garden State. While thanks to some controversial decision making on the part of federal officials, we have to take a quota hit this year, our actual allowable harvest will increase because anglers in our state did not hit their quota last season. When the ASMFC meets, it will consider a slew of potential regulatory options proposed by the New Jersey …

Local captains reported better action over the past week this week, as the winter cod and ling fisheries began to heat up. High winds kept the party boat Gambler at the dock earlier this week, but the last time lines were dropped, fishing (more specifically, catching) was good. "On Monday, we had a good catch of ling and a few cod," Capt. Bob said on the boat's website. "Bill Bryne of Toms River caught about two dozen ling, an 8 pound purple hake and a 6 pound cod. Weather permitting, we'll be fishing everyday." There were some good numbers reported on board the Jamaica II party boat out of …

For a striped bass season that got off to such a late start, a luck first-day catch secured the top spot in the annual Long Beach Island Fishing Classic this year. Gary Naylor's 41.56-pound striped bass, landed in Barnegat Light on Oct. 8 – the first day of the tournament – ended up being the winning fish this year. Naylor, a Mount Holly resident, caught this fish on bunker at 8 a.m. that morning. Congratulations to Gary, wherever you may be! As for the striper bite, it's been off-and-on, but there are still plenty of fish around – and when the bite has been "on," it's really been "on." …

Truth be told, it's been a relatively slow striped bass run so far this fall. This time of year, everyone I talk to seems to bring up fishing, and while last year at this time everyone was bragging about their monster bass they had caught, this year it's more like a Q&A session of, "Well, did YOU catch anything yet? Nothing here." I spoke with two good anglers over the past couple of days: first, Capt. Dave DeGennaro of Barnegat, who runs the Hi Flier out of that town, and Brick resident Vic Fanelli, who's usually hitting the suds this time of year in between attending school board and town …

As surf fishing at the Shore goes, there is no place where it is as celebrated each season as on Long Beach Island. For many anglers, tomorrow is Memorial Day: the kickoff of a season at the beach. But forget swimming, it's surf fishing season. The island's annual Surf Fishing Classic, a months-long tournament that will last through Dec. 4, will kick off bright and early. On the island, anglers come in droves weekend after weekend, hoping to hook the striped bass that will land them a valuable cash prize. The entire tournament is sponsored by the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, as …

It's looking to be a rainy end to the 2011 summer flounder season, but most captains reported decent action this past week, with the season rounding out to have produced a few more keepers than last year. Still, the high, 18-inch minimum size limit made things tough for back bay anglers this year. A few days ago, I went for what (judging by the forecast for this weekend) will probably be my final fluke trip of the season. My dad and I fished the bay, near the Barnegat Light Coast Guard station, and Dad scored his first keeper of the season early on in the trip. Though the day was a bit cloudy…

It's been a good fluke season. Those of you who read the column frequently know that, first and foremost, I'm a Barnegat Bay guy. Don't get me wrong, I love the ocean as well, but to me there's nothing like heading out on the bay for a solid day of fishing – and exploring – the channels, sand bars and obscure corners of Jersey's most prized waterway. There's still one week left in fluke season, and reports are surprisingly positive. Last week, I mentioned in this space that Hurricane Irene seemed to have "scared" the fish back to the protected waters, and it seems as if the rough surf we've …

It was all about the Barnegat Light Reef this past week, I've been told. As the fluke make their way from the back bays to the ocean, the fishing has been on fire at the reefs and wrecks, with the Barnegat Light Reef, perfectly designed for drift fishing, getting the most attention. There's also been a good amount of attention paid to the channels just inside Barnegat Inlet, including a surprising one - the gas docks near the Coast Guard station. A friend at my marina spilled the beans this week, saying he caught plenty of keepers there and the local boat rental joints have been telling …

How do fluke know these things? It's August, and just as the tourist season is entering its home stretch (for better or worse, depending on who you ask), so is the back bay fluke fishery. After hanging on longer than usual, it seems that the best fluke action has moved to the ocean this week, rounding out the ages-old pattern of the life cycle of the summer flounder. But that doesn't mean back bay action has come to an end. There are plenty of fluke left in Barnegat Bay, but instead of fishing back by the BI and BB buoys, move closer to the inlet to score your catch. The northern banks of …

I love writing about fishing, but I don't claim to be an expert. However, many of our local tackle shop owners are experts, and if you want to be in the know, these are the guys to speak with. This week, I stopped in for a chat with Gary (Grizz) of Grizz's Bait and Tackle in Forked River, who told me that fluke action in the bay was yielding keepers, but with the hot bass bite few anglers were out there hitting the flatties. There is some limited action in the ocean, he said, but the bay is the place to be, specifically between the BI and BB buoys. Both of those areas have been yielding more …

A fluke in a state law could prevent the fishing season bearing that same name from opening on time next weekend, one group warned this week. According to an alert from the New Jersey chapter for the Recreational Fishing Alliance, the state Department of Environmental Protection has not taken the step of certifying the dates set by the Marine Fisheries Council for this summer flounder (also known as fluke) season. What is normally a bureaucratic rubber-stamp could turn into a debacle of massive proportions if the legal opening date for the state's biggest fishery isn't the legal opening date …

I know some of you have probably been thinking in recent weeks, “geez, this is the most depressing fishing column I’ve ever read!” Well, get ready to have your point proven again. We’re about to lose 40 percent of our recreational sea bass quota. Don’t shoot me, hook me or gaff me – I’m just the messenger. A March 28 ruling from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has established new state shares for black sea bass that will see the overall recreational quota reduced. “The 2010 regulations resulted in a preliminary estimated harvest of 2.98 million pounds, approximately 1.15 …

Spring begins this week, though most of you will be more interested in winter flounder.Winter flounder season kicks off on  Wednesday, March 23.Now, let’s face it – the regulations are just awful on this species. We lost the fall season for winter flounder several years ago, and now we’ve been reduced to a bag limit of just two fish per person. The size limit remains at 12 inches. If you have a small boat you can launch quickly, it’s worth it to head out, but it’s tough to imagine spending so much money on fuel (and readying and launching your boat for the season) just two catch two fish each…

If anyone out there is Facebook friends with Frank Ruczynski, you know the man is a trooper. I recall a few months ago reading his status updates about fishing for striped bass in 20 degree weather from here, there and everywhere across the state. I’ve yet to meet Frank personally, but he comes to mind when one thinks of an angler who puts in his time. Obviously, Frank made it out March 1, the start of striped bass season in the back bays and rivers. He was one of the few who managed to hook a bass, though we assume he threw it back – after all, when the hook is bigger than the fish it snags…