It’s another slow week as the weather continues to toy with our fishing emotions. Rain, wind and even snow continue to pelt us on a fairly consistent basis. I went down to Cape May Point on Saturday to see the “Ghost Tracks,” the old railway that was uncovered again recently, and drove through an unexpected snow squall on Sunset Boulevard. That was a surprise. While walking the beach, I was checking the surf and thinking of the approaching days when stripers will hopefully be within the cast of a surf rod. Again, another small line of snow rolled through. It caused quite a contrast of two things I like. It was ocean versus snow. Ultimately, I won with both elements that day. Well, we have some fishing news to report on, and we have both saltwater and freshwater on the docket. Let’s cast off.
I have some follow-up news about the recent New Jersey Marine Council meeting. I stated in the last column of some confusion about the meeting. That confusion was that I received conflicting information about where the meeting was being held. One placed the meeting in Galloway Township and the other listed Manahawkin. Not wanting to send readers to the wrong town, I erred on the side of caution and mentioned neither. I’m hearing now that the next meeting, April 5, will be in Manahawkin. As for the happenings at the meeting, only tautog and porgies were discussed. Fluke and sea bass will be on the agenda at the April meeting. The regulations for porgies, a.k.a. scup, will be a 50-fish bag limit, a nine-inch minimum length and a 365-day season. Unfortunately, tog has a more restricted set of regulations.
Tog will reopen in a few days on April 1, and no I’m not trying to fool you. Tog will also have varying regulations that I’ll discuss. For April, your bag limit will be four fish and your minimum length will be 15 inches. The 15-inch length is a constant throughout all the allotted seasons. Tog will be out of season in May, June and July. From Aug. 1 to Nov. 15, there will be a one-fish bag limit. The bag limit increases to five fish from Nov. 16 through the end of December. The bag limit drops to four fish from Jan. 1 through Feb. 28.
These regulations may seem similar to some readers. The state was required to reduce their catch and did so by eliminating two weeks from the portion of the one-fish season, then reducing the bag-limit in the November/December segment from six fish to the recently approved five.
One captain that I caught up with recently was hoping that the whole one-fish season would be eliminated, but also understood that it was important to others and realized that it wouldn’t be. His reason reminded me that there is another segment of anglers that I wasn’t thinking of. He said it was for the spear fisherman. I’ve seen them when I leave the inlet, but never thought of them having to go by the same regulations. But a fish is a fish, and the regulations are the same. I’ve always thought scuba diving would be a great hobby, and being able to fish while doing it would be a great bonus. It’s an idea that should go on the bucket list.
For those of you who like to trout fish, your time to pursue your quarry is approaching. Trout season will open on April 7 at 8 a.m. To help you, the state stocks approximately 570,000 rainbow trout that were raised at the Pequest Trout Hatchery into the state’s streams, ponds and lakes. On opening day, nearly one-third of the raised fish, or 181,140, will have been stocked. The bulk of these fish will average 10.5 inches, but some large breeder fish that measure between 15 and 21 inches and weigh up to five pounds will also be released in the early part of the season.
The state has 14 major trout streams that are stocked each week following opening day. These streams are closed to fishing from 5 a.m. till 5 p.m. on the day of each stocking. This closed period allows the fish the chance to move away from the stocking area. Other areas that are stocked are able to be fished that same day. Also, areas of the major streams are stocked at least three times.
Each county will have waters that are stocked, so an opportunity to try for a trout is never far away. Cape May County’s stocked waters are Tuckahoe Lake in Upper Township and the Ponderlodge Pond in the Villas.
Be on the watch for one of the 1,000 jaw-tagged trout. They are part of the “Hook-a Winner” program. If you catch one, you can claim your “HAW” prize, which is a certificate and a patch, by calling the Pequest Trout Hatchery at (908) 637-4173.
Don’t forget to check on the Buddy License when you are ready to purchase your freshwater license. This offer is for current fishermen renewing their licenses, plus new anglers. Do them together and you will be eligible for reduced price fishing licenses.
Also, don’t forget that a fishing license and a trout stamp are required to fish for trout if you are 16 years or older. For children under the age of 16 and those older than 70, no license is required. Licenses and stamps are available through the many license agents in the state or online.
Another item you may want to check out is the Pocket Ranger App for your phone. It’s approved by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife and designed to provide information on fishing, hunting or viewing wildlife in the state. It has a homepage with various offerings that when chosen lead to other options. For example, if you hit the fishing button, you’re taken to a page where an option is where to fish. That takes you to a screen where one choice is lakes and ponds. You are then asked which area of the state you want to check. Choices of lakes and ponds, plus important information on them, are provided. Lots of other interesting possibilities exist. Check it out, navigate around the site and see what you think.
Well, you have to figure that sometime soon you will be able to get out, so if you brave the elements, good luck. If you hook up with something, start bragging and let me know how you did.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
