Posted on October 14, 2019 Columbus Day looking good After last week’s northeaster, we deserve a nice day — and the Columbus Day holiday should be just that in the morning. The forecast is for north winds at 5-10 knots before a switch to southwest gusts to 20 in the afternoon. That won’t do General category giant tuna fishermen any good as NOAA Fisheries has closed that season as of 11:30 tonight. That category will reopen on Dec. 1 with a one giant bluefin limit. Sea bass fishing wasn’t great after a week of big swells, but the Big Mohawk from Belmar reported some limits today. Some porgies were also caught. They will sail a limited trip at 6 a.m, but have a few spots for those without reservations if they show up by 5 a.m. The Golden Eagle from Belmar reported blues didn’t bite well today, but that fishing should improve as the swell continues to drop. Some blues and porgies were jigged, and an 11-pound blue took the pool. I’ll have results of the Barrier Island Beach Brawl in tomorrow’ blog. I joined Capt. Joe Massa today on his My Three Sons from Morgan Marina. Joe got all the bunkers we needed with one castnet throw, but we didn’t see anything going on in N.Y. Harbor, and didn’t read any stripers. As a result, Joe ran south to Shrewsbury for blackfish. His first shallow water spot didn’t produce a bite, and I was afraid the swell had turned them off. Yet, a short move to a 26-foot drop resulted in a steady bite. We ended up catching about 50 tog. Most were 13-14 inches, but about a third were 15 inches or better up to a 20-incher for Joe. The present limit is just one a man, but prospects for the fall season are looking good. We were using one-handed spinning rod which provided great sport as they hit green crabs on light jigs. The only variety was a 4-inch sea bass that I hooked on the crab-baited jig. Anyone can hook a fish with a big mouth, but it takes skill to hook one with a small mouth!