Posted on April 19, 2019 Bay stripers bite again Though the weather wasn’t the best, striped bass continued to bite in Raritan Bay.  Capt. Rob Semkewyc had a good crowd on his Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands, and once again ended up with a boat limit plus many releases. He will be fishing into a tough forecast again tomorrow. Capt. Ron Santee  made his first trip of the season with his Fishermen from Atlantic Highlands, but was worried when he didn’t see any gannets diving. However, as soon as the tide started running, his father, Capt. Ron Sr., jigged the first bass. The bite was good on most drifts, and there were only a few shorts caught on 9-inch shads. Check with them before coming down tomorrow — and Easter is a no-go. The Ocean Explorer from Belmar reported the ocean was very lumpy today and bottom fishing was tough. They’ll be waiting out the windy weekend weather before sailing Monday. The Saturday forecast is for south winds of 15-20 knots with gusts to 30 — and 7-10-foot seas plus morning showers. Small craft warnings are up through Saturday afternoon. At Seaside Park, Grumpy’s Tackle reports there are still lots of bass in the back bay. Due to Saturday’s poor forecast, the ODM rod demo has been moved back to 1-4 p.m. Betty & Nick’s Tackle reports small bass are being caught off the docks, and one angler said he got bitten off. Blues could well show up this weekend. Ten-ounce sinkers were needed to hold bottom in the surf today. Word press wouldn’t let me write script after I posted the photo of the 757.8-pound swordfish caught last month on Capt. Nick Stanczyk’s Freeman out of Bud ‘n Mary’s Marina in Islamorada , Florida Keys. One of the largest swordfish ever recorded, that 73-inch girth sword was caught during daytime fishing in 1500 feet with a “bonito” (actually little tunny) belly bait. It fought for eight hours and the battle ended up 20 miles from the hook-up. Unfortunately, it didn’t meet IGFA sportfishing standards as several anglers were involved and a harpoon was used at boatside rather than a gaff. Capt. Nick Stanczyk has established himself as the top skipper in the relatively new sport of daytime swordfishing which his father Richard pioneered. Anyone who wants to catch the most elusive of all the billfish should get in touch with Stanczyk, who has an amazing success rate. Call 800 742-7945.