SL5-23-14-COLUMN RISTORI FOR FRIDAY FISHER PRICE WiNS HI-MAR TOURNAMENT by Al Ristori -- In case I get in from fishing too late on Friday -- will call Capt. Derek Bielitz topped a field of 37 boats competing in Saturday's Hi-Mar Striper Club's Spring Striped Bass Tournament out of Bahrs Landing in Highlands with a two-bass total of 57.4 pounds that included the big bass of 36.2 pounds that was the largest officially-weighed I've heard of from Raritan Bay so far this year. Only 23 boats weighed in fish, but there was a very close battle behind Fisher Price for the rest of the five places. Reel Time nipped East Wick for second by only a fifth of a pound with 46.6 pounds. O'Malley's Pub was just over a pound back in fourth at 45.2 pounds -- and Parker took fifth at 44.2 pounds. Kristin Dowd took the lady angler award of a custom-made Kevin Bogan strped bass rod with a 21-pounder. The switch from October to May turned out to be a good move for the Governor's Cup Surf Fishing Tournament. After years of having the Governor's Cup for longest fish won by a small bluefish, there were many decent-sized fish caught Sunday at Island Beach State Park by the 629 entrants as 194 fish were measured. I predicted last Friday that there could be three-foot bluefish in the mix, and that's exactly what Chris Follmer of Hasbrouck Heights caught as his 36-inch chopper was a very respectible winner of the Governor's Cup. Anthony LaRocca Sr. of Staten Island was close behind with a 35 1/4-inch striped bass that won the adult prize in that category. Other winners included Terry Demiduke of Pitman with a 33-inch blue in the adult female category: Zacharey ElShaer from Short Hills with a 35 3/4-inch blue in teen male; Brian McCaffery of Millstone with a 33 1/4-inch blue in male child; Morgan Vicidomini from Forked River with a 33 1/2-inch blue in female child; Erin Pawlowski of Forked River with a 22-inch blue in teen female; and Evan Alexoudis from Morganville with a 33 1/4-inch striper in male teen. .Time broke a tie between two 34-inch blues for second and third in adult male as Michael Smith of Langhorne, Pa. caught his before Al DiMartino of Clifton. For complete results plus daily fishing information visit my blog at nj.com/shore/blogs/fishing. The Manhattan Cup was postponed last Friday to Friday, May 30 -- not June 30 as noted last week. It will still be run out of Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City. The Berkeley Striper Club runs its 11th annual Spring Striped Bass Tournament from May 30 to June 7 with $7,500 in guaranteed prizes -- but this time it will be on a catch-and-release basis. For information visit http://tinyurl.com/BSC-CatchAndRelease Chuck Many of Annandale had to work a lot harder than usual on Sunday to come up with 11 released stripers on his Ty Man from Gateway Marina in Highlands. Nellie Greer of Bethlehem, Pa. and I were the other anglers as we checked all over Raritan Bay and down to the Rocks before ending up chunking near Ambrose Channel where we also caught our first blues of the day. My last was a real jumbo that weighed 15 pounds on the Boga Grip before release. Absecon Bay Sportsman weighed a 41-pound striper caught from the Brigantine jetty at night by Vinne Ho of Egg Harbor Township. Boaters are getting into some snag and drop stripers under bunker schools. Grumpy's Tackle in Seaside Park weighed a 49-inch, 48.15-pounder for Phil LaGrossa. The New York State Record for freshwater stripers was awarded to a 60-pounder caught in the Hudson River on May 14, though that 53.4-inch bass was clearly a migratory female loaded with roe about to be shed in the tidal Hudson -- rather than a freshwater resident. Bill Porter's party from Jackson got a thrill this week when thay boated a rare 74-pound halibut while fishing with Capt. Jim McFarland on Big Mac from Green Harbor, Ma. The six anglers added 52 cod and limited on haddock. END