Welcome to March. The backwaters are now open so let the games begin. The games equate to the start of the striped bass season in those bodies of water. The ocean, from the beach to 3 miles out, was already open. The back, though, as well as the Delaware Bay, have provided the first signs of action this year. We’ll check out what happened not long after the calendar changed to March and see which captains are finishing up their winter preparations for the year ahead. Oh, and there’s a new fishing boat on the horizon. Let’s get going.
Just after I thought I finished this column up, news arrived about the 2024 and 2025 New Jersey Summer Flounder regulations. Consequently, I went back to work for a little longer. The flounder season will run from May 4 through Sept. 25. The bag limit will be three fish with an 18-inch minimum. This is good for our area since the beginning of May is usually productive in the back waters, and at the end of the season the reefs are usually inhabited by decent-sized fish. Not having to worry about a “slot-sized” fish is nice. If it’s over 18 inches it’s good, and you get to catch three of them. Bring on the season. Now back to the rest of the column.
A number of tackle shops have contests for the first keeper striper of the season, with some shops recognizing up to the first five keepers. Those prizes were gobbled up quickly this year as opening day was full of action and anglers were eager to show off their catches.
Absecon Bay Sportsman Center gave away a total of seven prizes. Two of those were for video catches with one being for a legal keeper being released, while the other was for the first fish over the 31-inch slot that was filmed, then released. Both of those prizes went to Gordon Muller who won with stripers of 29 and 33 inches. The other prizes, five in all, went in the following order with David de La Rosa walking away in first place with a 30.75-inch, 12.40-pound fish. Second place went to Carl Hartman (30.99 inches, 10.45 pounds), while third place went to Vince Trasatti (29 inches, 8.9 pounds). Fourth place went to Gordon Muller (29 inches, 8.85 pounds), while the final prize was claimed by Bob Murray at 28 inches and 7.8 pounds.
Scott’s Bait and Tackle had a contest for the first striper caught at Graveling Point. The winner of this contest was an angler named Derek who caught a striper that was 28 inches and 8 pounds.
Up in the Delaware Bay, at Fortescue, the striper season opened just as quickly as it did elsewhere. The first keeper of the season went to Kenneth LaGrandier whose fish measured 28.5 inches and was caught from the Fortescue Beach. Later, another nice keeper came in also from the local beach. It was caught by Kevin Davis and was 30 inches long.
Many captains are preparing their boats for the 2024 season and a quick look revealed that Capt. Skip on the Stalker skiff looks to be the first to be ready to hit the back water. He has the advantage of having a back bay boat, as well as an ocean boat. Obviously, with those assets, he can offer trips as soon as the season opens. Well, the back is open, the skiff has a new coat of deck paint, and Capt. Skip is ready to target striped bass and any early arriving bluefish that are cruising through our waters.
Also working on their boats are Capt. Chuck from the Sea Star III and dock-neighbor Capt. Mike from the Miss Chris. Capts. Irv and Brandon from the Miss Avalon and Capt. Tom from the Fishin’ Fever are hard at work with their preparations. Tom’s neighbor, Capt. Bob from Full Ahead Sport Fishing is ready for the new season. The Starfish also had some work completed in their cabin and are ready for April, and the spring blackfish season.
Another captain getting ready for 2024 is Capt. Andrew from the Sailor’s Delight and the Sailor’s Delight II. Early April will find him sailing to the local rock piles in search of blackfish. As the season develops, you can expect trips for flounder, crabbing outings, and historical and environmental tours. From June to September, both boats will be operating. Reserve your charter or open boat trips now, since the schedule is filling up.
The Starlight Fleet is also prepping for 2024 and the fishing ahead. These were just some I know of, so check with the captain of your favorite boat, if it wasn’t mentioned, and I’m sure they’ll be hard at work preparing for the season ahead.
The news is out that the Avalon Fishing Fleet will have a new addition. The current Avalon Lady has been sold, but will continue her aquatic career as the newest addition to the Tour Boat Annapolis fleet. But, approaching from down south will be the new Avalon Lady, which will be 50-feet long with a capacity of 49 passengers. An exciting feature for this boat is that it will have a 3-mile ocean certificate. This provides for new and exciting business opportunities such as dolphin-watching trips, and better yet, the opportunity for ocean fishing. That 3-mile ocean range nicely encompasses the distance that boats can fish from the beach when they are targeting the spring and fall striped bass run. Also included could be some inlet trips for flounder and some trips to the local rock piles for blackfish. It sounds like interesting times are ahead.
Slowly, the gears of the season have started to turn. Then, three or four days of rain arrive and things grind to a halt. Anglers will again be heading out to the sod banks, rivers, and areas where the rivers empty into the back bays as soon as the weather allows. Eventually, the stripers will head to the inlets, and then the ocean, but now is the time to fish those areas first mentioned. Also, the captains are busy preparing their vessels for the seasons ahead with the first event on the horizon being the April opening for blackfish season. As Bob Dylan sang, “The times they are a-changin’.” Good luck if you head out, take care, and I’ll see you around.
Submit fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
