Shep on Fishing: Striped bass beginning to reappear

Published in The Press of AC: Saturday, March 28, 2009

Capt. Fred Ascoli has been knocking around Delaware Bay for quite a few years. When he says he's real excited, it has meaning.  He sent the Miss Chris partyboat from its dock in Cape May into Delaware Bay on a scouting trip for striped bass last weekend, and he said the action was "very encouraging" for this time of the year.  Two anglers on board last Sunday's trip got their limit of stripers to 34 inches in length and others had one keeper, and the action was good on short bass under the 28-inch minimum returned to the water. Capt. Fred reported that 95 percent of the catch was with clam as bait, plus some on plugs. Ascoli put the Miss Chris on a daily schedule, leaving the dock at 8 a.m., starting today.  Striped bass made an appearance in Great Bay off the Mullica River. Dan Williamsen claimed the $100 prize for the first keeper of the season to be caught at Graveling Point and Pebble Beach and weighed at Scott's Bait and Tackle in Mystic Island. It was 28 inches in length, weighed 7 pounds and was caught with bloodworms Wednesday evening. Scott Albertson said the season is coming to life there with water temperatures 50-51 degrees, some short stripers and quite a few anglers out on the sod banks. Short stripers took clam offered as bait last Sunday.  A couple of keeper striped bass were caught by anglers using bloodworms from boats in Great Egg Harbor River and Tuckahoe River, according to George Brennan at Brennan Marine in Somers Point. He reported good white perch catches from Jeffries Landing to the B.L. England power plant in Great Egg Harbor Bay.  Offshore catches remain solid. Two trips by the Atlantic Star from Wildwood Crest were affected by dog sharks or strong currents, but anglers on board still racked up good numbers of sea bass with some tilefish. Umberto Rivera, of Vineland, had a pool-winner 15-pound tilefish, plus 12 sea bass weighing to 5 pounds last Saturday. Last Sunday, Jim Kim of New York City limited out on sea bass with a 7-pounder taking the pool. Pete Martine of Vineland had 20 sea bass to 5 pounds.  The North Star Express out of Ocean City had "beautiful" sea bass and 25 or so mackerel despite a "screaming" tide last Saturday, according to Capt. Paul Barrus. It was much the same as it has been all winter on the 18-hour offshore trips. Barrus said the final trip last year was April 19, and it was one of the best of the year. So, he expects the good offshore fishing to continue for at least a couple more weeks.  The Press Bent Rods Fishing Contest opens Wednesday with cash prizes of $50 and a trophy for the winners in Freshwater, Other Than Boat (surf, pier, jetty, banks), Boat Bay/Inshore (inside three miles), Offshore (outside three miles), Youth Saltwater (under 15), Youth Freshwater (under 15), Women, Senior (65 and older), Most Unusual Catch, Flounder, Striped Bass, Bluefish, Weakfish, Kingfish.  The season-long contest runs to Nov. 30, and within that, seasonal segments offer three prizes each. They are April 5-June 21 for Freshwater, Youth, Striped Bass; June 22-Sept. 20 for Flounder, Offshore, Inshore; Sept. 21-Nov. 29 for Striped Bass, Bluefish, Weakfish. The winners of those each get $150 gift certificates at participating bait and tackle shops or marinas.  Anglers can enter and submit photos and details of their catch online at www.pressofatlanticcity.com/bentrods or by mail. There is no cost or pre-registration, but the fish must be entered at a certified weigh station. Entry forms are available at most area bait and tackle shops or marinas.  The entry list will be updated online all season long with every catch submitted, and it can be seen - along with Press Fishing Contest records, a list of weigh stations and Shep on Fishing columns - on the Web site. The Press Fishing Contest Leaderboard will appear in the Sports section every couple of weeks during the season.  Ed Goldman, who is on the Mid-Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council, reported that New York is taking a hit this year with flounder restrictions. The restrictions limit the catch to two fish daily with a minimum of 21 inches to keep them and a split season of May 15-June 15 and July 2-Aug. 17.  The Ladies Invitational Bluefish Tournament, which annually raises money for the fight against cancer, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The popular contest is scheduled for June 20. Call Kim Kirk at 609-412-0641 or go to the contest Web site at www.fishlibt.com for details. The tournament has three stations: Sen. Frank S. Farley Marina in Atlantic City, Seaview Harbor Marina in Great Egg Inlet and Utsch's Marina in Cape May.

Mike Shepherd is the retired sports editor of The Press. His Shep on Fishing column will appear on Tuesdays and Saturdays beginning next week. Call 609-350-0388 or e-mail: sheponfishing@yahoo.com.