Hooked

Bass bite picks up

John Oswald — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:18:01 +0000

The long-awaited spring striper run appears to be gathering steam. There's been bass caught all along the beaches, except Sandy Hook, which is still closed. The Hook is scheduled to open May 1. Bob Matthews at Fisherman's Den in Belmar called this afternoon and said a customer had caught more than 15 bass on clams in Spring Lake. Two were keepers. Time to go fish.

Menhaden Meeting

John Oswald — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:24:29 +0000

It looks as though the Atlantic Menhaden meeting on Draft Amendment 2 will take place as scheduled on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Atlantic County Library at 306 Jimmie Leeds Road in Galloway. Amendment 2 offers a … Continue reading →

Atlantic Menhaden meeting

John Oswald — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:10:49 +0000

There isn't 100 percent confirmation on this but Allen Russ of the NJ DEP sent an email that said with the government offices closed again on Wednesday and the amount of damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, it is very unlikely … Continue reading →

Sandy shuts down fishing

John Oswald — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 22:27:17 +0000

Nothing going on out there right now. We'll have to wait and see what the weekend brings. In the meantime, hope all of you are safe.

Sandy’s impact

John Oswald — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 21:09:12 +0000

The arrival of Sandy put a real damper on the striper fishing in the surf. Several days of blitzes came to an abrupt halt as the surf began to heave. No is sure what impact the storm will have on … Continue reading →

Bass bite heating up

John Oswald — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:47:19 +0000

The surf just looked right when I stopped down there this morning. Turns out the bass showed up in Asbury Park behind Convention Hall and there were about 30 boats into fish off the beach. More details later.

Bass in the Rip

John Oswald — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:41:45 +0000

The bass fishing at the Rip off Sandy Hook has picked up dramatically. Jimmy Morenz at Julian's Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said the guys in boat are doing very well with live eels. Kevin Bohnert at Long Branch … Continue reading →

Passing of a legend

John Oswald — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 20:12:12 +0000

I, along with countless members of the fishing, hunting and outdoors communities of New Jersey, were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John Geiser. For decades, he brought valuable information regarding the environment, conservation, and outdoor recreation to the readers of the Asbury Park Press and he will be missed. There will be more on John and his many contributions in this Friday's Hook Line & Sinker.

Good weekend to hit the surf

John Oswald — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:51:52 +0000

The water temperatures have been dropping steadily and it's been making the bass more active. More keeper fish are being reported and anglers are also getting in on some bluefish in the suds. There's still plenty of bait around and swimming plugs with teasers anywhere along the beach should be a good bet.
For those who want to get in on the hot sea bass fishing, you better move quickly. The season closes after Sunday for two weeks and will reopen on Nov. 1. In the meantime, party boats will be concentrating on porgies.

Black sea bass best bet

John Oswald — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 02:11:12 +0000

While everyone is waiting for the striper season to gather steam, the best bet for bending a rod is black sea bass. The party and private boats have been doing very well with this tasty fish since the season reopened on Sept. 23. All of the party boat captains I spoke to on Thursday said the fishing has been consistent with fish up to 5 pounds. The hang on rocks and other underwater structure so be prepared to lose a few rigs. Clams are the bait.