Jim also said that the black drum bite continues to be good at Slaughter Beach. Offshore, anglers are starting to catch sharks.

Fishing is starting to Read More]]> Matt at Jim’s Bait and Tackle told us that in South Jersey, the striper action continues to be good. He said that anglers are nailing stripers along the beaches on clams.

Jim also said that the black drum bite continues to be good at Slaughter Beach. Offshore, anglers are starting to catch sharks.

Fishing is starting to take off — get out there and land some linesiders while you can.

Striper fishing in Massachusetts will be here soon, so get ready. This video about catching striped bass in Massachusetts should help get you ready. This video was taken on May 30th 2009 with guide and Captain Reilly McCue leading a striper charter on Joppa Flats in Newburyport, Massachusetts.  Enjoy!

Further investigation discovered that they were small Read More]]> The folks at the Virginia Beach Fishing Center reported that they have recently received reports of nice speckled trout and puppy drum in the inlet, and they have also seen some of the diving birds coming back up with flounder; that’s right, they said that they were getting flounder.

Further investigation discovered that they were small flounder that aren’t yet legal. Nonetheless, this is a good sign of the future, both for flounder fishing and conservation.

Boats that are fishing for striped bass are reporting decent catches, but they are now becoming more scattered and not traveling in the large schools, as they prepare to move into the bay to spawn.

During the main season, rockfish tend to travel in large schools. Now, they are still able to find them with a little bit extra effort and time. Those fishing for stripers will find five fish in one place, a few in another, and then a handful in a totally different place.

Striped bass are still biting once you find them. There are some nice sizes to the fish, so you should expect an excellent trophy season in the Chesapeake in a few weeks.

The Rockfish season in the ocean is drawing to a close, with only 11 more days remaining. As of March 31, the ocean will close and the Virginia waters of the Chesapeake will not open for them until May 16.

For those anglers who are ready for an awesome offshore season, they are reporting that the bluefin tuna are arriving shortly. They have received reports that they are getting closer and closer and hopefully will start booking trips for them here in the next week or two.

The striped bass is currently one of the hottest gamefish on the East Coast. Both freshwater and saltwater anglers are targeting the striped bass, and anglers from the Easton area have stripers that they can pursue in the Delaware River.

Thirty Read More]]>

The striped bass is once again plentiful and fun fare for anglers of all ages

The striped bass is currently one of the hottest gamefish on the East Coast. Both freshwater and saltwater anglers are targeting the striped bass, and anglers from the Easton area have stripers that they can pursue in the Delaware River.

Thirty years ago, the situation was different. Strict management of the striped bass fishery has made the striper what it is today – a modern-day success story.

The History of the Striped Bass

When American settlers first came to the Northeast, they saw thick schools of striped bass everywhere. One settler commented that they were so thick that “you could walk across their backs.” As America entered the Industrial Age and commercial anglers began using stripers for food, fertilizer, and anything else they could think of, striper stocks declined greatly. Conservation efforts around the turn of the century helped to replenish the number of stripers, but environmental pollution and heavy commercial fishing once again hurt the striper stocks in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. By 1980, there were not many stripers swimming the bays, oceans or rivers. Stripers could be found, but the numbers were few and far between.

Suddenly, the striper was given quite a bit of attention. Studies of Hudson River stripers revealed that they were polluted. Fishing for stripers was banned altogether in some states. Minimum sizes for stripers caught shot up to 36 inches, and the bag limit for stripers in most states was set at one fish per day.

While these efforts began, some states, such as Pennsylvania, began stocking striped bass in freshwater. The striper can live in either water, making them adaptable to many situations. Often, stripers live in salt or brackish water, but will travel into freshwater to spawn.

The late 1980s saw the striped bass stocks beginning a slow rehabilitation throughout the coast. The numbers of fish were improving, but they were nowhere near the good ole days of the 1960s. As the number of stripers began to increase, the size of the linesiders also increased.

In addition to becoming more plentiful, striped bass have also traveled into freshwater. Stripers run up many rivers on the East Coast, including the Hudson, Delaware, Susquehanna and rivers through Maine.

Striped bass are back, as long as we make sure that we closely monitor the fishery and do not make the same mistakes that we did in the past. The stripers will surely have more challenges in the future, but they should endure. This modern-day success story can be attributed to strict management and solid conservation efforts. Anglers and sporting organizations should be proud of this success and strive for more instances where the fish recover fully so they can once again swim the waters.

The following are some of the best Raritan Bay hotspots for linesiders. Read More]]> Raritan Bay is classic striper habitat. Striped bass start running into the bay in April and stay into December. Throughout the year, anglers can catch stripers in many parts of the bay. It’s one of the most productive striper hotspots on the East Coast.

The following are some of the best Raritan Bay hotspots for linesiders. This list is by no means all-inclusive, as other areas in the Bay can be quite productive for striped bass. As always, be careful when fishing in Raritan Bay as it’s open water and conditions can quickly change.

Flynn’s Knoll

Located across from the point of Sandy Hook and bordering Sandy Hook Channel, this mussel-covered bottom is a prime area for clamming school stripers in the spring. I caught my first striper at Flynn’s Knoll, a 34 incher, on a bunker chunk, many years back.

Anchoring up on the bottom can be difficult, and plenty of chain ahead of the anchor is a must. Stripers come back again in the fall, with many over 28 inches included for those drifting eels and worms. This is classic striper habitat that provides many linesiders for anglers.

Raritan Reach

Reach Channel, also known as Raritan Reach, runs through Raritan Bay and heads out to sea. A main shipping channel, fishing the edges of Reach Channel can produce striped bass.

Try trolling the channel edges with Stretch 25′s, or troll bunker spoons along the edges. Both will prove productive in the spring into early summer.

Ambrose Channel

This deep channel runs from the Verrazano Bridge as the Hudson empties into New York Harbor out to the ocean. A deep shipping channel, Ambrose is great habitat for anglers fishing for linesiders throughout the year.

Anglers often catch large (and I mean large) stripers in Ambrose Channel on bunker chunks in the spring after they spawn. The summer will see smaller stripers submitting to worms throughout the channel. As the fall approaches,  anglers will land linesiders on live eels bounced on the bottom.

Sandy Hook

Sandy Hook is the classic striper habitat. From Sandy Hook channel to the hook itself, anglers land plenty of stripers in the Sandy Hook vacinity.

Fishing from the beach will often produce many of stripers, with the fall being the prime time for Sandy Hook. I’ve spent evenings on the tip of the hook (the ocean-facing hook, or the false hook) where every third cast has produced a linesider.

Fishing from a boat, Sandy Hook Channel is quite productive when drifting eels.

Sweeping past the tip of Sandy Hook, the channel runs out to the ocean and provides good fluking throughout. The largest fluke prefer the depths, so it’s important to have little wind or wind and tide together in order to be able to drift properly. This has been one of the best areas for large fluke during the current season. Striped bass pile up in the channel during early fall, and can be tempted with drifted live eels – if you can keep large bluefish from chopping them first. Large weakfish can be drifted some years in late summer with worms along the inner portion of the channel.