After striper fishing went dead for most in the Raritan Bay area on Thanksgiving, the Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands reported it bounced back today with birds over mixed-size bass up to the 17.4-pound pool winner. Both jigs and shads did the job on them.
The ocean report wasn't as good. The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported a tough day, though some bass up to 25 pounds were caught on jigs, crocs and live bunker -- but not enough. Miss Belmar Princess ran to the south where there were readings, but few biters. They will be sailing early at 6:30 a.m. over the weekend, while Royal Miss Belmar will follow for 7:30 a.m. striper fishing.
Though party boat striper fishing was poor on Thanksgiving, I did hear of some good catches in bunker schools by charter boats that day. Tony Arcabascio, of Tony Maja Fishing Products in Bayville, reported there's been some very good trolling for large bass with his Tony Maja bunker spoons in 60-foot depths off Island Beach State Park. One boat caught seven, including two 40-pounders.
Grumpy's Tackle in Seaside Park reports small stripers are being caught in the surf, but there were no weigh-ins by youngsters in their Thanksgiving kid's contest. As a result, they will run it again during store hours from 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday . The largest bass or blue weigh-in by an angler 16 or younger wins a Tsunami gift package.
The surf reports I got this morning from Monmouth and Ocean counties weren't good, but I worked the same stretch I've been catching small stripers from to add two more on the Castaways Super Teaser and Tsunami Sand Eel. Though both of those small bass hit hard and I had high hopes for more action there wasn't another tap -- and those were the only two fish I saw caught.
Very cold water coming out of Barnegat Bay seems to have shut off the blackfish bite on the outgoing tide in Point Pleasant Canal, though some are still biting on the afternoon incoming with warmer ocean waters. There was so much traffic in the canal this afternoon that anglers had a hard time making a cast -- and it looked more like the Fourth of July instead of Black Friday.
