Posted on April 17, 2019 More traffic slows Bay striper bite There was nothing to complain about, but increased boat traffic in Raritan Bay seemed to provide a pickier  striper bite. Capt. Rob Semkewyc of the Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands said he’d settle for that bite any day as most fares managed a keeper and released others. That was quite a contrast to Tuesday’s wild bite. Tank Matraxia noted that there were no lip-hooked bass as they all engulfed the shad lures,. Dave Lilly of Hazlet fished with a friend out of Keyport and trolled large bass trolling mo-jos almost everywhere they went. A couple of males were kept and the rest released during a short trip since the wind was blowing water out of the bay and they barely were able to dock at Keyport. Chuck Many and Rob Rommel counted 83  bass from 12 to 34 pounds released from Ty Man out of Highlands while livelining bunkers on Tuesday. Chuck Many releasing an obviously female 34-lb. striper which will be spawning in the Hudson next month. Thursday morning may be marginal as southeast winds of 15-20 knots are predicted with seas building to 4-6 feet in the afternoon. The surf is finally producing stripers. Jerry Lasko and Maren Toleno from Point Pleasant fished the Seaside surf yesterday evening and released 34 small bass on Kettle Creek paddeltails. Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park reported lots of bass from 18 to 24 inches being caught in the surf on bucktails and Kettle Creeks, though a local pro also released two keepers. Bob Matthews reports from Fisherman’s Den in Belmar Marina notes some small stripers from the local beaches and the inlet jetty. Blackfish are turning on in Shark River Inlet and Point Pleasant Canal. Allen Riley and John Mazzeo of South Plainfield tried to break the ice in the Sandy Hook surf this morning– and Riley did so with a 15-inch striper on a sandworm. Fifteen-year-old Mitchell Mc Kee from the same town was along for his first surf attempt, and kept casting a small popper until a 22-inch striper hit it.