The Fishing Line: Patience Pays Off

Finally, the stripers are making their presence known and along with a hot tog bite, the season is finally picking up. Remember though, the tog season is suspended from April 30 until July 17 and summer flounder season does not open until May 18, not May 5.
Sterling Harbor Marina tells me that stripers up to 40 inches were reported from the North Wildwood and Cape May beaches. Clam or mackerel were producing the best catches. Justin Fesler of Court House, landed a 38 inch striped bass on a mackerel chunk in North Wildwood. Sterling also has had good reports of tog fishing at the Cape May Reef, and some being caught around the bridges and jetties. Green crabs is the bait of choice. Sterling Harbor is now open full time to help you with your bait and tackle needs.
As of this report, Captain John Sowerby and the Hooked Up II down at South Jersey Marina is ready for the stripers and hoping that the stripers move into the Delaware Bay from their spawning grounds up the bay and in the Delaware River. Captain Chuck, Sea Star III, Cape May, is having good success with tog while waiting for a stronger striper presence.
Captain Ray, Tide Runner, reports that freshwater fishing is still good. Ray took some time to give a local Coast Guardsman Bob De La Rosa some fly rod instruction. Ray says Bob caught on pretty quick and was able to cast fairly well for just starting out. He caught two crappies and two pickerel on his first outing at a South Jersey lake using floating line and an orange/yellow Mickey Finn fly. As soon as the saltwater fish get more active Ray’s going to introduce him to saltwater fish on the fly.
NEWS: All of NJ’s shellfish beds that were closed as a result of Superstorm Sandy have now returned to the classifications they had before the storm hit at the end of October. DEP continues to monitor these beds, reopening them to commercial and recreational harvesting when tissue samples meet health safety standards. For more information, including a map of all reopened shellfish beds, visit http://www.nj.gov/dep/wms/bmw/sandy.html .
UPDATE: Jersey Shore Beach N Boat Fishing Tournament, April 15, Dan Bye weighs in a 6.5 pound tautog, 22.25 inches long. Check out this season long contest.
CALENDAR: Strictly Boaters is a different kind of boat show that is, Strictly For Boaters! Various makes and models from 18′-65’ will be on display. Most will be displayed in-water and be available for sea-trial to qualified customers. Other related products will also be on display. May 3-5, South Jersey Marina, 1231 Rt. 109, Cape May.
Send your reports and pictures to cmiller@cmcherald.com. Column and pictures are posted online at www.capemaycountyherald.com. Let’s go fishing!