It didn’t take long.
Striped bass season opened on Monday and initial reports were pretty good with keepers caught in Raritan Bay and the rivers down south. There were plenty of shorts caught and released as well.
Reports also circulated of a few winter flounder caught by the Mantoloking Bridge and in Belmar.
Granted, the bite is far from hot, but we’re off to a good start. Warmer, sunny days are in the forecast and that will only help the cause.
The Tackle Box in Hazlet posted this photo of Tommy Karindrakas of Long Branch with his opening day striper caught in Raritan Bay.
By all accounts, tog fishing remains a bit of a slog.
There are days when the weather and blackfish cooperate and anglers who put in the time and effort are rewarded. Unfortunately, there haven’t been a whole lot of those days.
The majority of the blackfishing is a pick and there isn’t much else to fish for right now. Offshore cod, ling and porgy trips have been hampered by bad weather and finicky fish.
Freshwater anglers are finding some bass and crappie in local ponds and lakes but even that has slowed down. There is a promise of ice in the next week that has hardwater folks excited.