The fall sea bass season is now upon us, and so is this persistent summer-like weather. It seems like we should be in the middle of the summer offshore scene, but the calendar says October. Hopefully soon the weather and the fall fishing will fall (no pun) into place. The bluefish are doing their part, small stripers with an occasional keeper are around, and the sea bass are coming over the rail. Some nice blackfish have also been caught. A cool snap may help to kick things up a notch, but we’ll have to wait and see. We also have news of an upcoming surf fishing tournament in Ocean City. Let’s check out what went on recently.
First, let’s offer congratulations to a young fisherman and local resident who also excels at another interest. Colin Jastremski, son of Captain Skip from Stalker Fishing Charters, recently made the Final State Team for the New Jersey Olympic Development Program. A winter of training lies ahead, then it’s on to the Virginia Friendlies in February followed by the Region 1 tournament in June. Good luck, Colin. Enjoy the experience and keep progressing. Mom and Dad want to thank all the people, coaches and trainers that helped Colin achieve this honor.
Captain Skip has had the Stalker skiff in the back and he is bringing in the striped bass. The action was described as “very, very good.” They’ve had fish up to 33 inches recently, and a “bunch of other fish between 24 and 30 inches.” They’ve also been picking up one- to three-pound blues. Skip is also setting up his charters for the bigger boat, the Stalker II. These will be for bay and ocean striper outings that are private charters or open boat trips. Reach out to him at (609) 972-5218.
Captain Chuck and the anglers on the Sea Star III had the blues this week, as in “many 15 fish limits.” The action featured fish “between .5 and two pounds, and were plentiful.” For now, the Sea Star III “will fish the wrecks and reefs” and target sea bass, triggerfish, porgy “and maybe a blackfish, too.” They will leave daily at 9 a.m. This will be their strategy “until sometime in November.” They hope to fish for stripers from late in November till some point in December as they “finish out our 2018 campaign.” Pool-winners this week were Frank Servocky and Patrick Moore who won with 1.5 and 1.7-pound bluefish, respectively. Call (609) 884-3421 with any questions.
Off the Hook Bait and Tackle reported catches of sea bass and triggerfish. The opening of sea bass season provided a new entry at the top of the leaderboard for that species. Jeff Becker is the new leader after registering his 2.98 pounder.
The Fishin’ Fever with Captain Tom was out recently and put together a good day as they caught a “daytime” swordfish. They described it as “a solid fish,” but “not a monster.” They also had some tilefish and limited out on mahi. Not a bad trip overall. They will also be doing some trips for sea bass and are putting together a second daytime swordfish trip. That trip and this column will be completed around the same time, but other trips may be set up so I’ll pass on any information as I receive it.
Captain Bob had the Full Ahead out early on Monday in search of sea bass. He found them early and often as his patrons filled up the cooler. They also caught some triggerfish that pushed the total of fish caught to an even higher number. They were back at the dock nice and early. That sounds like a good formula to copy.
The Cape May Lady had a “gorgeous day on the water” while fishing on the opening day of sea bass season. They finished three fish shy of a boat limit with sea bass to 4.5 pounds. They also caught “a flurry of ling here and there, a few jumbo perch and nice white hake.” They would have stayed a few minutes longer to limit out, but they “counted wrong.” No harm, no foul. Hey, it seems like everyone had a great day and that’s what counts. They will continue to run a variety of different trips, so call (609) 425-4303 to see what they have planned.
The Miss Avalon had a successful opening day of sea bass season. Sea bass and triggerfish were prominent in some of the pictures I saw, and lots of fillets will find the table. Some nice size fish were caught, and multiple fish for the anglers seemed to be the norm. The overall numbers on sea bass for the day were over 300 caught, with 125 representing keepers. The largest of those weighed in at 3.5 pounds. They will be running for sea bass on the weekends and other days as the weather allows, so call ahead at (609) 967-7455 to make sure they are running or not previously chartered.
Boulevard Bait and Tackle is staying busy. The hot fish recently has been blackfish. Chris stopped in to get a picture of a very nice tog that he caught recently. No weight was listed, but a safe estimate would be in the seven-pound range. The shop is scheduled to be closed through Thursday, Oct. 18, but after that, be sure to stop in and say hello.
The Sailor’s Delight had “one heck of a trip” on the Saturday of the long weekend. Bluefish, with some up to 20 inches, were the main catch. Sea bass, and out-of-season, returned to the water, and flounder were also caught. Sea robins plus dusky and sand sharks added a little spice to the list of caught species. As the Captain Andrew concluded, it’s “fall fishing at its finest.”
Ryan Morse had a good outing recently while tog fishing. He caught a 15-inch, 2.1-pound keeper. He followed that up a few days later with a 19.5-inch, 2.8-pound catfish. Good job, Ryan. Continue fishing, and keep us informed as to what you’re catching.
The Ocean City Fishing Club will be holding its 50th Surf Fishing Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 27. Families and individuals are welcome to compete. The tournament also draws fishing clubs from throughout the Tri-state area.
Registration takes place from 5:30 to 7 a.m. at the Ocean City Intermediate School, located at 18th and Bay Avenue. A six-member team costs $80, while individuals are $15. Anglers will be assigned to two beach locations to fish. The first session goes from 7 to 9:30 a.m. There is a 30-minute break, then session two runs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Free one-day beach permits are available for four-wheel drive vehicles at registration. A free lunch plus the awarding of trophies and door prizes will follow back at the Intermediate School.
For more information, contact Bobby Dever at (267) 251-2306 or bdever65@comcast.net, or Mike Collins at (215) 595-7261 or hkmike3@gmail.com.
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
