Toms River, Bayshore could draw crowd for striped bass season opener
The striped bass season re-opens today in the bays and rivers and there probably will be a bit of a rush of fishermen to the Toms River, which in the last few years has been one of the fisheries to get going first.
There, and the Bayshore back to the Raritan River seem to draw the most anglers, up this way at least.
Dennis Palmatier at Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River has already heard from many kayakers who have plans to launch tomorrow and give it a go. The winter has been mild and he said the river is full of bass from the mouth back to the Rt. 9 bridge, though he expects fishermen will focus on the stretch of river from Huddy Park up through Island Heights.
Anglers have been on the river for most of the winter trying to catch white perch but that run was very slow this season. Still, that’s given him some intel on the bass as they get caught and released by the perch gang. On Wednesday, one of the perch fishermen released a 33inch bass with a full belly.
He has his fridges stocked with bloodworms as that is what the bass seemed to prefer in the early stages of the
season before the water warms up.
As far as the conditions go, the air temps should reach the mid-40s with sunshine, a good combination to get the bass up. The wind, which picked up Wednesday, should die down. NOAA’s coastal forecast has it blowing 5 to 10 knots out of the southwest, which should be manageable for kayakers.
The next 10 days or so look very mild with daytime temps in the 50s for the foreseeable future, though the sun might disappear behind clouds for a long stretch of days starting Monday.
Winter flounder season also opens Friday. Long gone are the days when every tin boat on the northern Barnegat Bay would be anchored up on the Mantoloking Bridge, but there are sure to be a few caught by bass fishermen as March moves along.
Striped bass regulations remain at 1 fish between 28 to 31 inches. New this year is the rack rule. Anglers who fillet bass at sea have to maintain the carcass in case of
conservation officers inspect the catch. Winter flounder remain at 2 fish at 12 inches or more.
‘The Original Plug Show’
The Asbury Park Fishing Club’s annual fishing show, or as the club also calls it, “the original plug show,” returns Sunday at the Berkeley Hotel at the Asbury Park oceanfront. This show draws some of the best plug builders around who often sell out very early so it’s always a good idea to get there early, before the show starts to get toward of the front of the line at the door.
Of course there will be other vendors, 115 in total, selling fishing rods, tackle, apparel, and booking charters. The show runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $5; kids 12 and under are free with an adult.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel @gannettnj.com.