Welcome to the opening weekend of sea bass season. Plenty of wind, rain and a lack of fishing. Many trips were cancelled, and a lot of comments about another lost weekend were heard, or read about in various correspondence. It seems that if a storm front and rain are going to come through, you can be safe to assume it will be on the weekend. Let’s hope that trend ends, and we get a long break from the inclement weather. In spite of Mother Nature’s dominance over the weekend, some fish were still caught. Let’s get to the news.
Captain Fred from Utsch’s said the charter boats at the marina, as well as the personal boats, are gearing up for the opening of sea bass season. However, they were feeling worried about the weather forecast, and that unfortunately proved accurate as the wind and rain arrived.
Prior to that a slip-holder went out to the Hudson Canyon and came home with a couple of yellowfin tuna and some nice dolphin. The trick seemed to be to get out before the weather turned bad.
Right before finishing this week’s report I received word that Captain Bob finally was able to get the Full Ahead away from the dock. The weather cooperated just enough and the reward was a party limit on sea bass, plus some pollack, bluefish and triggerfish. The wind and seas made for a “sporty” day, but all were happy with the results.
The tackle shop is open and loaded up with all kinds of offerings for stripers. Now we need the fish and the weather to cooperate. Stop by and let Fred help you out.
The Starlight has been running its fall trips with continued success. The six-hour trips brought in plenty of porgies, triggerfish and bluefish for those aboard. A couple of top anglers this week were Tom Whitehead from Wildwood who had “a banner day” catching porgies, and Spencer Sprague from Lower Township who had “a hefty mixed bag.” The sea bass season is highly anticipated as it will allow another quarry to go after. The four-hour trips will continue on the weekend at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Matt from Jim’s Bait and Tackle sent in a picture and facts about a recent catch. Derek Garbarino weighed in a 13.92 pound sheepshead that he caught while tog fishing. Not a bad by-catch. He caught it from the inlet rock pile.
Cameron from Boulevard Bait and Tackle sent in word of an angler who braved the windy, 40 miles per hour west wind on Saturday. For his effort, Todd was rewarded with a 17 inch red drum. That’s one fish, along with a speckled trout, that I’m still trying for.
The Ocean City Fishing Club conducted its 49th Annual Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 22. The weather was cold and rainy with gusty winds for the 27 teams and 19 individuals who participated. The people showed up “but the nasty weather may have put some restraints on the fish,” as the largest fish caught was a 14 inch bluefish.
The Delaware Valley Surf Anglers took first place with 32 points, the Merchantville “B” Team came in second with 28.50 points, and the Creek Keepers “A” Surf Fishing Team took third with 27.50 points.
Doreen Szczepanski won the “Women’s Largest Fish” entry with a 13.75 inch weakfish, while the men’s winner was Joe Falcioni with the previously mentioned 14 inch bluefish. Fran Kelly won with the most “fish points” among the men.
In the 14-17 age group, the winner for largest fish was Devin Wiest with a 12.5 inch kingfish. The most “fish points” trophy in the youth division went to Jimmy Jones, while Ryan O’Connell won the trophy for the most fish in the under-13 age group with a shark. In the youth-assisted category, Chase Kephart won for most fish by catching two sharks.
The registration and the awards ceremony took place at the Ocean City Intermediate School on Bay Avenue.
Captain Ray from Tide Runner Charters, and President of the Cape May County Party and Charter Boat Association (CMCPCBA), sent notice that the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will hold hearings on New Jersey Special Management Zones. There will be three meetings with one being held in Cape May.
Backing up a little, he explained that the CMCPCBA is in the process of acquiring two, possibly three, boats or “similar structures” to be sunk on two Cape May County reef sites to provide habitat and fish holding structures for angler benefits. This will add to other contributions the club has made to previous reef deployments.
There will be three public hearings coming up that will affect the 13 reef sites in New Jersey Federal Waters (over three miles from the coast). The hearings will be run by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The closest meeting to us will be Nov. 17 at Congress Hall, 200 Congress Pl., Cape May from 7 till 10 p.m.
If you care about reef fishing, you should plan on attending. To the south of New Jersey, all artificial reef sites in federal waters are considered special management zones for recreational hook and line fishing only. No commercial interests are allowed to drop fish pots on these reefs. New Jersey allows commercial fishing on these reefs that were created for and paid for mostly by recreational groups. Federal funding would allow New Jersey to greatly improve the reefs. The question facing New Jersey is whether to allow commercial fishing on the reefs or not. The law says you can receive federal funding as long as you do not allow commercial fishing on these reef sites.
The question that will be asked by the Atlantic Marine Fisheries is, “Should we make these artificial reefs Special Management Zones for recreational fishing only?” If this question is approved, then you could only fish the reefs with hook and line, and New Jersey would then be eligible for federal funding to expand our reef sites.
A related reef topic concerns a proposed reef in the Delaware Bay equidistant from Cape May and Cumberland County ports. The hope is to pass a resolution supporting the reef. This meeting will be held on Nov. 3 at 4 p.m. in Galloway Township. A couple of points provided were that Delaware has eight reefs in the bay compared to zero for New Jersey, and that the proposed reef is one square mile in size compared to the approximate 782 square miles of the bay.
Again, if you have any opinions on these issues, attend these meetings and let your voice be heard.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
