Fishing with Dad

Ronny Bala at Fisherman’s Supply said fishermen were active this week catching weakfish, blues, albacore and stripers out front and blackfish in the canal. The weakies were found right outside of Manasquan Inlet where spikes up to 16-inch fish were schooled up. Ronny’s grandson Kenny Bala was on the school and landed his first albacore and a bunch of weakfish on shiny metal. The big blues were from Spring Lake north and the stripers are being trolled or jigged on the Shrewsbury Rocks. Capt. Willy Egerter of the Dauntless reports the porgies are jumping in the boat. Anglers are catching between 30 to a limit of the small panfish. Egerter is fishing north on the rocks. On their way out on a trip this week Egerter said they spotted schools of false albacore all the way up the beach from the Manasquan Inlet to the Shrewsbury Rocks. The fish were on the surface chasing bait. Jason Szabo at Pell’s Bait and Tackle reports Kevin Ketelaar trolled up a 29-pound striped bass using shad umbrella rigs. Ketelaar brought five more bass to the boat. Off Mantoloking Beach, Todd Gansereit landed a 12-pound bass fishing with salted clams. Szabo said the fall run of bass should pick up once the water temperatures drop a few more degrees. Joe Meerman got into the weakfish good, catching a 4 1/2 pounder and releasing hundreds more. Jigs with small teasers are catching them. In the Point Canal, the blackfish action is hot. Paige Stevens landed a nice 18-inch tog fishing with green crabs. Szabo added the blue claw crabs are still around. Crabbers are fairing best with overnight traps catching about six keeper blue claws.

Dan Radel

The surf is loaded with rainfish and sand eels,” Tom Hansen at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle said. Anglers have had some blues on mullet and stripers on clams in the surf. Mike Malek from the shop fished on his boat the Evil Queen a few times this past week and reported great action with false albacore. “We got into a mess of albies about a mile off the beach,” Malek said. They fished until their arms got tired skipping Ava 17 jigs across the surface. Frank Meade had good luck this week with three striped bass weigh-ins over two days of fishing. The bass were from 28 to 30 inches and were caught on clams and a shad. Tom Sagedy had a pair of bass on clams and Adam Longo weighed in a triggerfish that was just under three pounds. The trigger hit a crab. John Bushell at Betty and Nick’s Bait and Tackle reported Dennis Vincent picked up a 32-inch bass fishing at night on Island Beach State Park. Dave Hughes at Grizz’s Bait and Tackle reports anglers are catching stripers in the Barnegat Inlet and the sod banks with live eels at night. He said boaters were slamming the spots for awhile in the channel but the action has started to taper off. There are still blowfish biting in the clam chum slicks by the 40 Can and BI and BB buoys in the Barnegat Bay. In the freshwater lakes around Forked River the catfish are still biting in the evening. “The cats will hang around until it really starts to get cold,” Hughes said.

Dan Radel

The striper fishing looks to be heating up. Reports from Sandy Hook said the jigging for bass is early and outstanding. Capt. Sal Cursi of the Cathy Sea, Sewaren, said the fishing is more like November than early October. A friend called to tell me he’s getting big porgies, bass, blues and albacore off Sandy Hook all on diamond jigs. There have been clouds of birds working off Bradley Beach and Avon the last couple of days, but I didn’t see a whole lot of fish breaking in them. The bait in the water looked like peanut bunker and there are reports of sand eels everywhere.

John Oswald

The stripers seem to be coming out and enjoying the weather as much as some of the fisherman.  They are being weighed in at the local bait shops.  Water temperatures are still warmer than normal for this time of year.  Which hopefully means a late striper run and a good one.  Crossing my fingers.

I was at the beach on Monday and had no luck with the striped bass, but we did find ourselves reeling in a couple of fluke in the meantime.  Yes the middle of October and surf fishing was still producing fluke.  Maybe the geniuses behind the fluke quota’s can start the season later and end it later.

Well I am guessing here but I assume the striper season to come full bloom in the next week or two.  Get out there and wet a line, the weather is just beautiful for it.

Striped bass weigh-ins were pretty steady around the rain at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park. The small blues have also been out in the surf and there has been a little talk of a few weakfish. The wind made plugging difficult and the shop’s log book shows nothing but clams catching bass. Tom Hansen at the shop recommends using a fish finder rig when fishing with clams. The blues have been hitting mullet baits and small metals so it might be a good idea to bring two rods set up and ready to go for the different fish. By mid-week Hansen said the surf was down and conditions were improving. Some weigh-ins this week were Ken O’Gara with a 10.6-pound bass, Steve DiCarlo with a 15.3-pound bass, Tom Sagedy with a 15.8-pound bass and Carlos Rivera with an 8.75-pound bass. All fish were caught on clams. At Betty and Nick’s John Bushell had a couple of weigh-ins from anglers who fished in the Governor’s Cup. Gary Grimm, Flanders, stopped in and put the tournament winning bass on the scale. The fish weighed 9 1/2 pounds and was caught on metal. Francis Burns, Mount Holly also came by with the third place fish. It weighed 9 pounds and was caught on peanut bunker. Dave Hughes at Grizz’s Bait and Tackle reports the blowfish are still biting near the 40 Can in Barnegat Bay. The fish will begin to move out soon as the bay temps drop. Around the freshwater lakes, he said there are largemouth bass and pickerel biting but the early evening catfish bite has been pretty good. The fish have been around 6 to 12 inches and the trick has been using hot dogs for bait. Hughes said uncooked hot dogs cut into small pieces will get the catfish on the line. The fish have been biting best an hour before and hour the sunset.

Dan Radel

Somewhere between 800 to 900 excited anglers are expected to line the beaches of Island Beach State Park this Sunday, October 10th for the 19th Annual Governor’s Surf Fishing Tournament. Most will come away fishless, but practically all will have a great time.

The tournament began 19 years ago as a way to introduce people to the pleasures of surf fishing and it quickly became a Jersey Shore tradition. It was also designed to instill an appreciation of New Jersey’s marines resources and create a day where families can come out and enjoy an activity together.

It has succeeded on all those levels — and then some.

In addition to a good time in the great outdoors, the tournament has also raised more than $120,000 for conservation projects and improved beach access. It also funds the popular weekly surf fishing seminars held at the park during the summer, one of which I had the good fortune to attend.

I’ve also been witness to the last three tournaments and they really are a good reason for a family outing. The entire park on the ocean side is open to anglers so there are plenty of places to set up shop and just enjoy the day. The event takes place rain or shine and the forecast for Sunday is sunny with temperatures in the 60s, perfect fall fishing weather.

“The first couple of years, there were bluefish blitzes all over the beaches,” said Tom Fote of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association, one of the sponsors of the annual tournament.

While there were not a lot of fish caught in the last couple of tournaments, this year could be different. The surf is loaded with bait from Sandy Hook on south and the change in weather following Thursday’s storm is expected to break the fishing wide open.

Dennis Palmatier of Murphy’s Hook House in Toms River will stay open until 11 p.m. on Saturday and will open at 4 a.m on Sunday to accommodate those participating in the tournament. He’s stocking up on equipment and bait in anticipation of a large turnout.

“A lot of people make a weekend out of the tournament,” Palmatier said. Entrants come from all over New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Winning fish are determined by length, not weight, and prizes are awarded for the following species: bluefish, weakfish, kingfish, stirped bass, red drum, albacore and blackfish. There are minimum length requirements for each species and may differ from New Jersey saltwater regulations.

Prizes are awared in adult, teen and child categories for males and females.

Registration starts at 5 a.m. at Pavilion No. 1 and fishing begins at 6:30 a.m. and concludes at 1 p.m. Raffle drawings will take place between 1:30 and 2 p.m. with the awards ceremony at 2 p.m. Top of the line rods and reels are awarded for each category and the angler who catches the longest fish, wins the coveted Governor’s Cup. His or her name is inscribed on the cup and it remains on permanent display at the Park.

The fee to enter is $15 for adults, $5 for teens 13 to 17 and children 12 and under are free.

“It always makes me happy to see all the kids out fishing,” Fote said. “There’s are lots of families who have been coming to the tournament for years.” Many of the anglers came as kids and now they are bringing their children, Fote added.

He has also had the opportunity to accompany many of New Jersey’s governors and lieutenant governors who have attended the tournament.

“It (the tournament) always impresses every new governor about how important surf fishing is to the state,” Fote said. Gov. Christie will be out of the state on Sunday, but Lieutenant Gov. Kim Guadagno is expected to attend.

The event is sponsored by the NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife and Division of Parks and Forestry, the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, the Jersey Coast Anglers Association and the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association.

Chris Salus at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Keyport says he’s been getting more and more reports of keeper stripers being caught on Sandy Hook and some in the bay. The bait is still all over the bay. He also reported the porgy and sea bass fishing just keeps getting better and better and the snappers are just getting bigger. There are also weakfish around the 19 and 20 cans and the crabs have not gone anywhere. Capt. George Bachert of the Angler, Atlantic Highlands, is the last boat still fishing for fluke, and he’s finding good fishing when the weather cooperates. Last Sunday, there was a lot of short action with some nice keepers mixed in. Checking old log books from when the season went into October, Capt. Bachert found good fluke catches, so he’s hopeful good fluking is still ahead. Capt. Sal Cursi of the Cathy Sea, Sewaren is finding school bass hitting rattle traps and live peanuts in the western part of the bay. He also reported adult bunker in the bay which could mean big bass once the fall run really gets underway. Capt Mike Russo of the Sea Hawk, Perth Amboy said the fishing has been very good with big porgies and a nice mix of sea bass. James Razios, Edison and a 3 1/2-pound sea bass and Franklin Bozier, Irvington has a 2 1/2-pound porgy. Capt. Carmine Monaco of the Lucky Carm is finding bass and good bottom fishing with big porgies. He’s running charters and open boat trips and can be reached at (908) 590-5240.

Like everywhere else, the weather has been a factor in this zone. But, the word is, if you go, you’ll catch fish. Johnny O at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said there are plenty of spot and kingfish in the Shark River and the party boats are doing well with sea bass, porgies and blackfish. Reports out of this zone also say the are bass on the beach for those who want to brave the storm. Capt. Scott of XTC Sportfishing, Belmar, said there were all the bluefish you wanted on Tuesday’s trip, along with some false albacore. He had been doing real well with bluefin when he could get out, but the weather has been a problem. Capt. Scott is gearing up for the striped bass run and said to book early. XTC is offering $100 off on trips booked by Oct. 15. Capt. Howard Bogan of the Big Jamaica reported good fishing for false albacore and bluefish over the weekend. Check out www.bigjamaica.com for upcoming trips. Capt. Joseph Bogan, Jamaica II reported excellent sea bass fishing mid-week, that turned a a bit slower over the weekend due to rough ocean. He said there were a number of limit catches including Bruce Casagrande, Middletown, to 4 pounds and Anthony Kim, Manalapan, to 4 pounds. The biggest sea bass of the week, and monthly leader, was caught by Wayne Nelson, Willingboro, 6-pound, 4-ounce whopper.

John Oswald

Despite the weather, Ray at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the fishing has been very good the last couple of days, especially at Island Beach State Park. This bodes well for the Governor’s Surf Tournament. He reported the mullet is pouring out of the inlet and the beach is loaded with bait, including sand eels and peanut bunker. Grumpy’s weighed in bass for Craig Napolitano, Toms River, a 10.2 pounder, a 10.95 pounder for Lou DeRosa, Toms River, a 16.7 pounder for Carl Jenny, and a pair of 10 pounders for the Hryszko brothers, Greg and Bob. Ray said Grumpy’s would be open early with plenty of clams, bunker and mullet for folks fishing the tournament at IBSP. John Bushell of Betty and Nick’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the small blues continue to hit even in the bad weather. Thursday morning saw a local angler come in right from the 9th avenue beach after landing three blues on a Deadly Dick. Bushell said it’s the best fall fishing he’s seen in at least 10 years. While he said the big fall run has yet to start, bass are being caught and he had three weigh in on Wednesday up to 16 pounds. Betty and Nick’s will be open very late on Saturday and open at 3 a.m. Sunday for the Governor’s Cup Tourney. Jana over at Grizz’s Bait and Tackle said the blowfish continue to bite at the BB-BI buoys and 40 can in Barnegat Bay on small pieces of clam. Clam chum is the trick. Kingfish are also biting in the bay along with some weakfish.

John Oswald

The Water Knot is frequently used by freshwater bait-casters for tying a leader to braided line or for repairing a break in a line, and it can be used for connecting monofilament. It is not as strong as some knots such as the Blood Knot or the Surgeon’s Knot, and is seldom the choice of most saltwater anglers. However, it is easy to tie and remember.

Step 1: Begin the Water Knot by laying the two pieces of line parallel with each other and overlapping six inches.

Step 2: Tie an overhand knot with the tag end of each line around the standing part of the other, and pull the knots together. The knot is serviceable at this point.

Step 3: It is made stronger, but bulkier, by taking the tag end of one line where it emerges from its overhand knot and winding three times around the standing part of the other line. Push the tag end back through the loop nearest the overhand knot, and repeat the process on the other side.

Step 4: Tighten the knot, and trim the excess off the tag ends.

Courtesy of APP.com