It’s true. The season is off and running. Captain Chuck with Sea Star III made a couple of trips and caught stripers up in the Bay. Pool Winner was Denny Hughes of West Cape May, with a 15.5-pound striper.
Captain Ray got the Tide Runner in the water and was anxious to head out. With the strong west winds the ocean water temperature dropped into the lower 50s but it didn’t stop the fish from biting. He fished four times including one fly charter and found stripers on every trip.
The fish were mostly shorts, but were all caught on flies using sinking line. Olive/white, yellow/white, chartreuse/white clousers caught best, fishing in the afternoon on the incoming full moon tides, around the inlet and close into the surf line. No great numbers of bass, had to work for them, but well worth the effort. With the warmer than normal water temperatures this has been the earliest that Ray has seen fly action for stripers.
The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife announced recent changes for summer flounder and black sea bass regulations for 2012 fishing season. Recreational summer flounder regulations 2012 are as follows: minimum size limit of 17.5-inches, bag limit 5-fish per person per day, open season May 5 through September 28.
The recreational black sea bass regulations for 2012 are: minimum size limit of 12.5-inches, bag limit 25-fish per person per day, open season from May 19 through Oct. 14 and Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. Please note that the black sea bass season regulations will likely change again. Anglers should check the division’s website for future changes .
The Division of Fish and Wildlife is seeking the assistance of NJ’s saltwater anglers. Since 2009, the Division has conducted an online volunteer angler survey to collect information on recreationally important marine finfish species. Information collected through this voluntary survey will provide data which may support alternative management strategies that increase fishing opportunities for the public. The focus of this voluntary survey is to collect catch and effort information from fishing trips in marine and estuarine waters of the state and surrounding areas. In order to participate, go to http://www.nj.fishandwildlife.com/marinesurvey.htm.
The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife has officially certified the catch of two new state record marine fish. Robert Macejka, Point Pleasant Beach, reeled in the new state record Hickory Shad Nov. 20, 2011. The fish weighed 2 pounds 13 ounces eclipsing the previous state record by 13 ounces. Robert was fishing from the surf at Mantoloking and using a St. Croix Triumph rod and Penn reel when he landed his catch.
The other state record was reeled in by Raul de la Prida of Elizabeth, on Feb. 10, 2012. His 3 pound ½ ounce Cunner was caught fishing from the Norma K III off Point Pleasant and measured 16 inches in length with a girth of 13 inches. Raul was using an Ugly Stick rod and Penn boat reel with clam as bait. The previous state record weighed in at 2 pounds 9 ounces. For information about the State Record Fish Program visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/recfish.htm .
The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife is reminding anglers that trout season is open and stocking continues through May 25 in waters throughout the state. Early reports indicate a high level of satisfaction as fish are abundant from pre-season and ongoing stocking.
The Marine Fish Conservation Network has released the following statement: “Now that they’ve decided to reduce menhaden catch, managers have to figure out how long it should take to reach the new target, how we should track what’s being caught, and what sort of management tools can be used to make sure the new rules are followed. “Having worked for decades to reach this point, advocates are pushing for immediate action to conserve “the most important fish in the sea.” A three-year timeline is more than enough to implement changes that conservation-minded recreational anglers have been demanding for years. Of course, reduction fishery giant Omega Protein is pushing for further delay, lobbying to punt the hard work 10 years down the road.” Tell managers that waiting another decade is not an option. Go to www.conservefish.org for more information.
Send your reports and pictures to cmiller@cmcherald.com. All pictures submitted are posted online at www.capemaycountyherald.com.
West Cape May – The amount of TV shows airing is getting out of hand. Less movies are being produced today than ever before. Instead, people are glued to watching shows that most people never heard of.
