Posted on March 28, 2019 Raritan Bay stripers were in perfect condition It occurred to me after Monday’s wild light tackle action on Chuck Many’s Ty Man from Highlands, which produced 207 short stripers up to 26 inches  in the back of Raritan Bay, that there wasn’t a single fish that didn’t look healthy. There wasn’t a single mark or any sort of flaw on those fish, though I was surprised to see sea lice on a couple. I assume these were Hudson River fish, but sea lice are only present in the ocean. I wonder where those bass came from as early as March? There were a couple of kayackers fishing on that 6-foot flat where we were catching bass on lures after first scoring with worms in 14 feet, but there have been no boat reports so far,. That will surely change in April. April 1 will also be when the Big Mohawk from Belmar makes its first trip of the season as blackfishing becomes legal. Departure is at 7 a.m. At Seaside Park, Grumpy’s Tackle reported a good bite of school stripers continues in the back bay along with a pick of winter flounder. Friday’s weather is looking good with southwest winds of 10-15 knots.