Friday's column as submitted:SL3-14-14 RISTORI FOR FRIDAY SALTWATER EXPO ANCHORS IN SOMERSET by Al Ristori The Somerset Saltwater Fishing Expo opens from noon to 8 p.m. today in Garden State Exhibit Center (Exit 10 off I-287), and runs through Sunday. Most national tackle manufacturers have full exhibits along with some local tackle companies, such as Pete Meyers' Run-Off Lures -- featuring his new Epoxy Plugs. Clubs and conservation groups are represented, along with exhibitors offering charters and travel opportunities. Among the features at the Expo is the 3412-pound great white shark mount provided by Ct. Capt. Greg Dubrule. Anglers can test themselves on a fishing simulator at that exhibit. Best of all, there are lots of free seminars -- all of which are of interest to saltwater fishermen. Gary Quon, of Tady Lures in California, is making sure that many anglers will be coming out ahead on tackle as well as information since he's offering one of his valuable jigs to the first 100 attending my seminar on Raritan Bay-area striped bass fishing at 11:30 tomorrow morning. Tickets will be provided at the Lobby Theater on the way in, and the lures distributed at the end of the presentation. Tady made their first east coast appearance at this show last year, and I stopped by to let them know I'd caught my IGFA All-Tackle World Record 27 1/2-pound leather bass while reeling one of his wahoo casting "irons" off bottom at Isla Clarion, Mexico during a long range trip on the Royal Polaris out of San Diego in 1988. Quon wanted to test his jigs on stripers during a trip east in June, and we set a charter up for June 14. A tropical storm blew in the previous day and, with friends coming over from Brooklyn, he was leery of the wind forecast for the charter day -- opting to put it off until his next trip east in November. As it turned out, I joined Chuck Many of Annandale that afternoon, along with Nellie Greer and Greg Prestosh from Pa., on his Tyman from Highlands to run down the beach until we found a striper school feeding on bunkers that ended up producing 28 releases of bass over 25 pounds - including five from 40 to 42 pounds. After Quon missed the finest ocean striper fishing imaginable that day, I was afraid the November 5 trip might be a disappointment. Yet, we hit the early bite between the channels just right with Capt. Hans Kaspersetz, on Sheri Berri from Baker's Marina on the Bay in Highlands, and Quon's group caught lots of stripers. Those bass weren't as large, being mostly in the 15-to-20-pound class, but they responded to his west coast jigs and techniques. The Expo runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Adult admission is $12, with youngsters 5-11 paying $3 -- and no charge for those under 5. During Family Day on Sunday there's no charge for kids under 5. Today's seminars in the Lobby Theater begin with surf pro Shell Caris on Advanced Surf & Jetty Tactics at 1. Capt. Jimmy Gahm covers tuna fishing tips from inshore bluefins to canyon bigeyes for Shimano at 2, and Capt. Frank Tenore details Raritan Bay variety from March to December at 3. Capt. John Kolias is on at 4 with Bucktails for Fluke, and David Schunke winds up today at 5 for Shimano with Small Boats for Saltwater Big Game. Capt. Frank Crescitelli provides a cast net demo at 2:25 in the rear of the Exhibit Hall. Tomorrow's seminars begin with Kolias repeating his fluke presentation at 11 a.m. in the theater at the rear of the Exhibit Hall, with Schunke following there with his offshore small boats. Champion caster Ron Arra covers distance casting tackle there at 1, and provides an outdoor surfcasting demo at 3 that shouldn't be missed. Crescitelli's cast net demo is at 1:45 in the rear of the hall, and Gahm's tuna show is in the theater at 2, before Tenore repeats his Raritan Bay program at 3. My 11:30 presentation in the Lobby Theater tomorrow will be followed at 12:30 by Bill Carson of Humminbird with Understanding Electronics from A-Z, and at 1:30 by the underwater videos of The Diving Fisherman, Mike Laptew, with The Amazing Underwater World of Game Fish and How to Hook a Monster. Capt. Gene Quigley comes on at 2:30 with Trophy Spring Stripers -- Bunkers, Poppers and Soft Baits. Check my blog at nj.com/shore/blogs/fishing for Sunday's seminars plus product highlights after I cover the Expo on Saturday -- and other show and fishing information. Despite yesterday's strong winds and bitter cold, we're very slowly moving toward spring. Joe Melillo, at Castaways Tackle in Point Pleasant, says he's already heard of small stripers being clammed from shore in Raritan Bay, and that fishing is normally worthwhile by late March. The winter flounder season is still set to open on March 23. At Brielle, Capt. Howard Bogan continues to fish offshore wrecks for cod and pollock with his Jamaica on Saturdays at 1 a.m., and mid-range wrecks on Sundays at 4 a.m. Last Saturday's trip was cancelled due to weather, but there was a pick of cod and pollock Sunday as Alex Cesarz of Union City won the pool with a 29-pound pollock. The Fishermen's Conservation Association will hold their 9th annual Charity Banquet Dinner at Historic Old Bermuda Inn on Staten Island at 7:30 p.m., March 29. This year's honorees include Dick Ketchow of Gateway Marina in Highlands as well as N.Y. State Senator Andrew Lanza, and Tony Ntellas of the NY/NJ Wounded Warriors Project. The $70 tickets can be obtained by calling 718 948-5104, or by e-mail at eyes2x@aol.com. The 17th annual IGFA Fundraising Banquet & Auction will be held on April 4 from 7-11 p.m. at Doolan's Shore Club in Spring Lake.The $75 tickets can be ordered from IGFA Rep Jeff Merrill by calling 908 451-1110 or e-mailing jeffmerrill2@verizon.net. Bill Fromkin of Ocean Township spent two months at his winter home in Ft. Myers, Fl., and said the fishing was great while we were shoveling snow. He made eight trips with Capt. Don Jones on Fishin-fever out of Getaway Marina that produced limit catches of four red grouper over 20 inches, and up to his personal best 18 pounds, despite using a Shimano 4000 series spinning outfit instead of the usual heavy conventional tackle. That rig also bested a 74-pound amberjack after a 45-minute battle. Limits of amberjack were common, along with lots of mangrove snappers and Gulf porgies up to 7 pounds.   Capt. Sal Cursi is enjoying light tackle sport with spotted sea trout plus small red and black drum in Florida's Banana and Indian rivers out of Palm Bay, but will be returning for the spring striper run in Raritan Bay. END