Well, ditched Manasquan for the Hook because of the lousy forecast. I took my nephew out for our first ever try at stripers. We got a late start on the ultra high, outgoing tide. It took a bit before any bites but, we did manage to have a few real good bites and one lost rig to a decent fish. Even though the conditions weren't great we did manage to bring one 32" fish to the boat.
Thanks to everyone who has given me info on the area and species. This has been the first year with an ocean-worthy boat in a very long time and it has been well worth it.