Ristori: Sea bass season opens Saturday

Species Information

Scientific Name:
Common Names:	linesiders, striped bass, striper, fluke, bluefish, blues, dolphin, bunker
Environment:
Ideal Temp:

About Ristori: Sea bass season opens Saturday

New Jersey’s sea bass season will open as scheduled Saturday. Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin approved the Marine Fisheries Council decision to make the required 40 percent cut in fish by not opening the season until May 28 while retaining the 12½-inch minimum and 25 fish bag limit. The first portion of the season will run through Sept....

New Jersey’s sea bass season will open as scheduled Saturday.

Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin approved the Marine Fisheries Council decision to make the required 40 percent cut in fish by not opening the season until May 28 while retaining the 12½-inch minimum and 25 fish bag limit.

The first portion of the season will run through Sept. 11. The season reopens Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 31.

Saltwater anglers over 16 who don’t fish exclusively on party and charter boats are reminded they must become part of the free registry provided by the state. Registration is only available online at saltwaterregistry.nj.gov.

For daily fishing and conservation information, visit my blog at nj.com/shore/blogs/fishing.

• The surf fishing catch of the season so far was made by Rick Brescia of Colonia when he not only beached the first surf “50,” but also released five other stripers over 40 pounds. Brescia’s trophy weighed 50 1/2 pounds at the Tackle Box in Hazlet.

• Memorial Day weekend often produces blitz fishing for big stripers despite crowds on the water and along the beaches. At such times, it may become easy to catch linesiders we’re used to working hard for. However, these are big fish, and anglers often end up keeping far more meat than they can utilize.

It takes many years to grow such bass, and killing them just for bragging rights at the dock; to foist on neighbors; or to fill up the freezer until being dumped months later can’t be justified. Enjoy eating your catch, but also enjoy the opportunity to set free those in excess of your needs so they can reproduce and provide sport for future generations.

Joining the American Littoral Society — (732) 291-0055 — and buying tags for those released fish will make the experience even more meaningful as returns demonstrate how important your contribution is.

Top Catches

Veteran ALS tagger Tank Matraxia from Lyndhurst tagged his largest striper, 39 pounds, along with several others aboard Fishmonger from Brielle off Sea Girt with live bunkers. Matraxia added fluke and striped bass tags while Capt. Fletcher Chayes on Riverman in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, added keeper fluke.

• Fluke fishing has improved considerably. Captain Ed Bunting of the Seahorse at Atlantic Highlands reported good action Saturday, though it was only half that Sunday when the unexpected wind forced him to stay in the bay. The 11 anglers aboard Monday managed 37 keepers. Susan McAdley of Kingston, Ontario, had five keepers, including the pool-winning 5 1/2 pounds.

• Captain Ryan Bogan of Jamaica II from Brielle also did well over the weekend despite the weather and cool water. Pete Talevi from Trenton boated six fish up to 4½ pounds; Dennis Waddell of Princeton had five to 4 pounds; Ed Cromwell from Freehold caught five to 5 pounds; and Ray Bryant of South Orange had four to 4 pounds.

• Though the hot spots change from day to day, Shrewsbury Rocks produced stripers for both trollers and bait fishermen last weekend. I had the Alex Leib party from Pennsylvania down there Saturday in the early fog on Sheri Berri from Baker’s Marina on the Bay in Highlands as we trolled white Julian’s bunker spoons for limits up to 38 inches along with big bluefish up to about 15 pounds. It was slower Sunday due to the wind, but Ralph Kunze of East Brunswick saw his grandsons boat their largest bass along with jumbo blues.

• Last Friday’s Manhattan Cup, out of Chelsea Piers in Manhattan, was a big success for the Fishermen’s Conservation Association and the many wounded warriors they host. Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was one of the many famed anglers, and former Miami Dolphin Jim “Crash” Jensen took one of the celebrity awards with a released 10.18-pound bluefish. Tom LaTorre was the big winner in that all-release contest with a 40.75-pound striper he caught while fishing with captain Ralph Roth. Check my blog for additional results.

• The Jersey Coast Anglers Association statewide fluke tournament will be contested on June 11. Boaters signing up through June 4 pay a $120 entry fee. After that, it’s $150.

Ristori: Sea bass season opens Saturday Fishing

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Latest Record:	and located at 0, 0.
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