As local anglers try their collective hands at spring fishing after a tough winter all around, the striped bass seem to be cooperating as water temperatures slowly rise. Starting in the northern reaches of this column's publication area, the crew of the Big Mohawk out of Belmar finished their blackfish season this week and decided to dabble in the bass fishery on Tuesday. The result: everyone on board got their limit of stripers. "I know that is what so many of you have been waiting to hear," Capt. Chris wrote on the boat's website. The boat, which sails 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, had a …

Barnegat Bay seems, well, okay. And yes, I have the video to your right to prove it. Dire predictions of floating debris, extreme shoaling and death traps lurking behind every channel marker didn't seem to pan out on my first boat ride of the 2013 season, which took place last weekend between Manahawkin and Long Beach Island. As we reported here on Patch, a few weeks ago, a group of folks from the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey hopped on board their vessels and took a ride through the bay to prove the waterway was safe following Superstorm Sandy. Things went well for them, as it did …

New Jersey's 2013 recreational summer flounder fishery will open May 18 and run through Sept. 16, the state Marine Fisheries Council decided Thursday. The council chose one option out of several presented, which all complied with management quotas determined by federal fisheries agencies. The size limit will remain at 17.5 inches, the same as in 2012, and anglers will be able to keep five fish per day. The council had the option of extending the season for a longer period into the fall, though anglers would have had to contend with an 18 inch minimum size limit. Overall, New Jersey's …

Striped bass season begins in the back bays and rivers March 1, and Patch caught up with Dennis Palmatier of Murphy's Hook House Bait and Tackle in Toms River for some tips. The regulations for striped bass remains two fish per angler, per day, with a minimum size limit of 28 inches. Striped bass season in the back bays and rivers runs from March 1 through Dec. 31. In the ocean, the season is open year-round. Anglers fishing Oyster Creek should keep in mind that fishing the west side of the Route 9 bridge over the creek requires a freshwater fishing license. Fishing the east side of the …

Despite having growing up in Ocean County and, ironically, living on a street that is an official Beach Buggy ocean access block, I never owned a four wheel drive vehicle until last winter. Taking cues from my father, I was always a small, sporty car kinda guy. But being the owner of a boat that needs to be trailed on occasion, an angler (and local news editor) who needs to keep tons of equipment in his vehicle, plus a resident of a very flood-prone area, an SUV was on tap to replace my Volkswagen last winter – after 155,000 reliable and fun miles on her, rest her soul! The answer, for me, …

Anglers began catching fish as soon as the weather improved the second half of this past week, with the first weigh-ins of the Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic coming in. According to tournament results in Friday morning, the fish to beat so far is an 18.88-pounder weighed in by Chris Moore of North Beach Haven. The fish was caught on bunker at Holgate. A clam chomped on the second-place fish thus far, an 18.69-pounder weighed in by Courtland Foos of Wilmington, Del. that was caught in Beach Haven. Fish have been weighed in island-wide, including Surf City, Barnegat Light and other …

For me, there is nothing better than fishing on a nice, hot sunny summer day in Barnegat Bay. But for many anglers, fishing season doesn't begin until the weather turns chillier, beach buggies can drive free on the sand, and the stripers are at their hungriest. Now, with the forecast high for Sunday reaching only 55 degrees, it looks like fall – and in turn, striper season – is just about here. In New Jersey, there is perhaps no place more obssessed with fall striped bass fishing than Long Beach Island. The island-wide LBI Surf Fishing Classic whips anglers into a frenzy every year, promising…

Anyone who has attended a meeting of the state Marine Fisheries Council has probably heard one word utterred again and again, often with a sense of frustration and, occasionally, desperation. That word is "anecdotal." And today, the final day of the 2012 fluke season, it means something. To federal regulators, of course, "anecdotal" evidence means nothing. Even if you know you just had the best - or worst - fishing season in years, if some whacky phone survey said otherwise, all of your personal observations mean zilch. Fortunately, we're not at a meeting of federal fishing regulators. And …

The upcoming weekend will be some New Jersey anglers' last chance to catch summer flounder on a day off. The season closes Sept. 28, a week from today. Reports this week showed fluke action wasn't too bad up and down the coast, with decent catches reported in the easternmost sections of the Manasquan River and occasional nice fish being caught at Barnegat Inlet as well. According to a report from The Dock Outfitters in Seaside Heights, fluke were being beached in that town by surf anglers who were using various baits. Even for the ocean, Berkley Gulp baits were mostly preferred by anglers. A …

Lately, I've been writing frequently in my Friday column about my many trips with my dad fishing near Barnegat Inlet. This week is no different, as we headed out to one of our favorite late-summer areas. But the decision was made to stretch our drifts a bit longer and see what would bite. The decision paid off. By venturing a little closer to some very-familiar–yet-rarely-navigated areas in and around High Bar Harbor and Barnegat Light, we found some interesting holes, deep cuts and grassy areas that were teeming with life. The day produced a mix of a jumbo fluke (that's me holding one in the…

It's been a week of heavy rain, occasionally high winds, rough surf – and there's still a hurricane churning out there. For ocean-going anglers, it may be a week to reconsider a trip to the reefs and see what's biting in the back bays. The party and charter boat fleet Shore-wide was tied to the docks all week, and fishing reports were slow as molasses in January to come in. There were some anglers who snuck out into the back bay to try their luck during breaks of sunshine, but those who got out mainly reported muddy water and not much in the way of catching going on. If you're fishing the bay…

Ocean water temperatures have remained consistent in the high 70s all week, meaning anglers who fish the local waters may find themselves hooking into some fish species more associated with areas south of the Jersey Shore. The warm water temperatures have most certainly accounted for a rise in grey triggerfish catches this week, as the fish – often relegated to the bays of the southernmost portions of the Shore this time of year – have been chomping on baits at both Manasquan and Barnegat inlets. Anglers have caught the delicious warm-water fish species while fishing the jetty rocks at both …

The thing with flounder fishing is that you're always learning something new. The basics are the same: rig with enough lead to hold bottom, hook your bait, catch a drift, then send 'er down and wait for a tug on the other end of the line. But the little things – of which you sometimes have no control – can determine whether you'll end your outing with a cooler full of fish or a trip to the local seafood market to pick up something for dinner. This week was interesting in many ways. We had extremely strong south winds on several days, a southwest wind another day, and "mixed up" water in many …

Fluke season is chugging along, but anglers targeting bluefish have come up with some great catches in recent days. "The blues were right out in front of [Manasquan] inlet, just 7 miles away, and high hooks had limits of the smaller blues," said Capt. Howard Bogan of the Big Jamaica out of Brielle, referring to his July 4 trip. On his website, Capt. Howard wrote that his July 5 trip also yielded a nice catch of blues about eight miles off the beach, and the action was steady all day long. "Everyone caught their limit and released many more today," he wrote. High hook the boat was a 5-pound …

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…