Following is Friday's column as submitted:SL4-25-14 Ristori for Friday Stripers in Raritan Bay -- but take it easy on spawners by Al Ristori As expected, striped bass fishing broke open last weekend in Raritan Bay with clamming, trolling and live bunker fishing all producing lots of legal bass. Yet, as good as that fishing has been it's important to keep in mind that most of those large bass are females feeding up before spawning in the Hudson River next month. It's almost certain that any striper of 20 pounds or more is a female, and the future of local stocks is dependent on maintaining a strong spawning stock in the Hudson. If you're going to bring home some fish, it's better to keep the smaller males rather than round-bellied females so close to spawning. Delaware River shad fishermen can participate in a major shad contest from tomorrow through Tuesday out of Phillipsburg. Eric Fistler expanded his Bi-State Shad Fishing Tournament to four days to replace the Forks of the Delaware Tournament that was dropped after 30 years. Entries will be accepted up to 8 a.m. tomorrow. First prize is $2,500 in the $30 entrance fee contest. Call 610 762-0440 for information. Dave Perruso, of Palmer Township, Pa., said the Delaware River shad fishery started on on a high note before heavy rains created high, discolored waters. Yet, a 5.2-pound roe shad won a contest last Saturday (a good catch under poor circumstances) -- and conditions look good for this weekend. Bob Wallenstein, 62, of Toms River, a pioneering local tuna fisherman, passed away on April 9. Wallenstein also ran tugboats, and his charter boat Ridge Runner. Additionally, he wrote Fishing Saltwater Structure, and Best Kept Secrets of the Giant Tuna Highliners.     Chuck Many of Annandale once again got live bunker fishing started in Raritan Bay by reporting a 29.2-pound striper released off Staten Island from his Ty Man out of Gateway Marina in Highlands. That's still the largest I've heard of from the bay this season. Capt. Lou Grazioso of Wall also fished off Staten Island last weekend, teaming up with Dave and Tony De Marco on their boat along with Dan Mancini. Though they were chumming with clams for stripers, it was the flounder rod that was most active as mostly 14-to-18-inch flounder bit steadily in the best flattie bite Grazioso has seen since 2009. They did catch a 34-inch striper along with quite a few shorts. Capt. Kevin Coles is fishing out of Brown's Point Marina in Keyport He and a friend trolled a limit of bass on Stretch plugs last week after clamming produced only 20-inchers. Saturday's charter had a limit to 22 pounds plus a 17-inch flounder. Dave Lilly of Hazlet did very well trolling bass over 20 pounds over the weekend, when medium Tony Maja bunker spoons were working best. At Atlantic Highlands, Capt. Rob Semkewyc was happy to finally get into a striper bite Saturday with his Sea Hunter. They were all shorts, but the next day there were also keepers up to a 25-pounder by Cliff Roberts. Semkewyc said Tuesday was a fine day to be a party boat skipper as striper fishing was hot. Art Masiski of Staten Island had a 22-pounder to edge a 21-pound bass by Jim Yakaboski of Shohola, Pa. for the pool. Capt. Scotty Hilliard said striper fishing has been good all week on his Prowler V, topped by a 22-pounder for Lisa Brown of Belford on Easter Sunday. Capt. Robbie Barradale is running some trips, and magic hours sailings will be added from 3:30 to 9 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The Sea Horse reported all aboard had a keeper bass on Monday when a 24-pounder took the pool, and there were some limits as well as lots of shorts. Capt. Stan Zagleski has been pleased with the improved striper fising, but some of his blackfish regulars talked him into giving tog a try before the season closes. Therefore, Elaine B. will sail from Bahrs in Highlands for tautog at 7 a.m. both tomorrow and Sunday. At Morgan Marina, Capt. Joe Massa was able to net enough bunkers to tempt a two-man limit of stropers plus releases in the back of the bay from My Three Sons. The last bass weighed 28 pounds. Marcelo and Steve Remotti didn't do anything clamming last weekend, but Stretch 25 plugs produced three stripers up to 19 pounds on SSBAPA at Round Shoal. Boaters continue to look for stripers in the ocean. The Jamaica from Brielle madean attempt without success last Saturday, but will sail again at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. Bob Matthews reports from Fisherman's Den in Belmar Marina that winter flounder fishing in Shark River has been good. Jinny Sadtallia of Maanchester caught her limit up to 3 pounds. Matthews has heard of a few short bass on clams in the surf from Seaside to Belmar. Marty Westerfield of Wall weighed a locally-caught 14-pound striper that hit a shad lure. At Seaside Park, Betty & Nick's Tackle weighed their first striper of the season last Friday, though that clam-caught bass barely made it at 28 1/4 inches and 8 1/2 pounds. Paul Schuyeder won the $150 gift certificate. On Wednesday afternoon, 11-year-old Catherine Leonard of New Egypt released a 28-inch striper that was also her first. Local angler Ralph Tango released three short stripers in the Island Beach State Park surf. Grumpy's Tackle is still waiting for that first striper to settle their Polar Bear Tournament. A few small blues have been reported in Barnegat Bay. The Tackle Box in Hazlet reported a trolling limit of stripers in Raritan Reach by Nick Thorpe of Hazlet on Stretch and Rapala plugs. Adam La Rosa reports there may be an early start to the canyon season as a huge Gulf Stream eddy has formed 100 miles east of Hudson Canyon. La Rosa notes that only 53 open boat seats for canyon fishing on the Canyon Runner fleet remain for the entire season.     Capt. Jim McFarland has been fighting the weather with his Big Mac from Green Harbor, Ma., but still coming up with lots of haddock plus increasing numbers of cod on fresh Jersey clams as the waters warm a bit. All-day tides are bad news for anglers on the west coast of Florida, and that's what we had to deal with Monday when I fished out of Ft. Myers, Fl. with Joe Greco (formerly of Edison), Crazy Alberto Knie of Estero, Fl. and Luis Gonzalez from Homestead, Fl. Those tides produce little current, and game fish rarely hit well during that condition. Greco worked the mangroves with his small boat, and Knie managed two short snook -- one on the new Tactical Anglers CrossOver Stalker surface plug that will be available in June. We ended up bailing out with some spotted sea trout on jigs cast over weedy bottom. I also fished with Knie as he checked out many night spots from shore last Saturday night along with Long Island striper pro James Clark, who's transplanted to Ft. Myers to crew on the party boat Sea Trek while also running an inshore guide boat. A cold north wind put a damper on the fishing except at one bridge on the end of the ebb. Knie and Clark each caught a small snook, and I hooked a fish that tore off lots of line from a heavy drag on a tarpon spinning outfit. Just as I got the fish back to the rocks, the jig came out of what they said was a big redfish. My next cast produced a cownose ray.     Visit my daily blog at nj.com/shore/blogs/fishing for updated fishing reports END