Another week down, but not much has changed.
It’s now 10 days into the striped bass season, with only 20 days left until the opening of the spring blackfish season. I went with that angle since the winter season for blackfish ended at the end of
February and is only off-limits for a month. Let’s think positively and look to the opening of the next season.
The proverbial window that anglers always mention during stretches of inclement weather finally opened near the end of February. That window was closed tighter than a drum. Thanks to Capt. Al and his son, Jimmy, from Bayhound Charters Light Tackle Sportfishing, along with their charter of Chris and Matt, for opening it, even if it was only for a couple of days.
The Friday trip saw Chris land 2021’s first double-digit blackfish. Unfortunately, no weight was listed, but a safe guess would put it in the 12-pound range.
Matt Brough also landed a reputable fish. This trip served as a great therapeutic release for everyone involved, including me, even though I wasn’t on the water, as it gave me fishing news to report.
The Bayhound was busy again two days later, with Chris recording another nice catch as February and blackfish season ended. Let’s hope this quick little up-tick in blackfish action is a strong indicator of what’s coming in April. Having to wait another month to find out is tough.
Chris stopped into Sea Isle Bait and Tackle after his trip. They will be open with bloodworms for stripers and perch if you want to grab some bait. Call ahead, at 609-263-6540, to see if they are open and have the bait you want. Bait, particularly bloodworms, can be tricky to get this time of year due to inadequate weather because people who harvest them can’t get out. Getting them down here can present problems, too.
Absecon Bay Sportsman Center has a winner, Myles Bosley, of the contest for the first keeper striped bass of the new season, which opened March 1. He was a double winner, too, as he won the “Fish-A.C.” segment. Members of the Fish AC...Atlantic City, Atlantic County organization are eligible for this award and must land a keeper. Myles, who was fishing with his dad, Bo, had the winning fish, measuring 30.5 inches and weighing 12.5 pounds.
Myles and his dad were fishing from a bank along a local river, which shows that anglers don’t have to be in a boat to catch stripers.
While using bloodworms as bait, they also managed to catch some nice white perch. Congratulations, Myles, as a great father-son outing was made better.
As of this column, second and third-place prizes were still up for grabs.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle is accepting reels for needed service and repairs. They will be tagged and worked on promptly. Contact Cameron through Instagram or Facebook to set up a drop-off time. They expect a high volume of reels and plan on returning them, so the fisherman can use them as soon as they are ready.
It was a slower week for news and information, but there was finally exciting fishing news to report – let’s hope it continues as March moves along.
Take care and I’ll see you around.
Submit your news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
