Fishing remains solid for New Jersey Anglers. June looks like another great month in the Garden State. 2010 proved to be one of the best spring striped bass runs in our lifetime. Anglers continue to find big trophy bass as water temperatures start to slowly warm up and the bass migrate north. Summer flounder and sea bass are now being targeted as the relentless bluefish moves in on bass territory making it a love hate battle between man and fish.
New Jersey Summer Flounder Season is officially opened, May 29th to September 4th with an 18 inch six fish per angler limit. The summer flounder is the most sought after fish in the Atlantic and for most it is a fish that many can’t resist fishing for. Nothing in this world taste better then a fresh fried flounder fillet on a roll with tartar sauce that you caught a few hours earlier.
Seabass, flounder, bluefish, blackfish and soon weakfish should remain solid pickings in the summer weeks to come. So far this has been a year of bigger fish in all categories with offshore species yet to be seen. Charter boat captains finally feel some relief from the gas pump and seeing the greatest bass season ever has helped many survive a tough economy.
Last year we had very little action in the canyons with yellow fin tuna, but inshore blue fin tuna made up for that. The inshore run made it easier for charters on fuel and a different cycle of blue fin tuna not seen in many years within reach. We had some great weak fish seasons in recent years but not a great 2009 season. Sea bass have remained solid in past years along with blackfish as restrictions allowed the stocks to rebound. Bait fish hold all the answers, bunker pods are bigger than ever and schools of spearing are showing up in bigger sizes each year. These are all tell tale signs of a well managed fishery. Sure some restrictions are a bit off line and may not seem right to the avid recreational fisherman and charter boat captains who rely on our fishery. We can only hope that the restrictions are enforced on the commercial markets so we can continue to watch our recreational fishery grow in the Garden State and neighboring states. I have seen many patterns of species come and go in cycles. Most species when given a chance will bounce back stronger than ever. It is a delicate balance between fish and angler. A balance that is up to us to decide.
Imagine if there were no bunker or spearing, the bait fish that makes East Coast fishing what it is today. Well, in the Gulf the balance of shrimp and shell fish has been changed forever, shrimp is the main staple to all fish life and people who live in the Gulf region. The disaster that BP has caused will be felt for decades to come and if not contained soon will bring its damaging effects up the east coast through the Gulf Stream with irreversible consequences .Oil can be on New Jersey beaches within the summer months . We can only hope and pray in the weeks to come that this disaster is reversed with all efforts made by the British and American Governments. If I were a betting man knowing we can put a man on the moon, take pictures on Mars, fight wars from thousands of miles away with “Predator Drones” & clone sheep, I would have to bet it all that we can plug a leak in our backyard and reverse the damages!
Fish On!
Ron Nuzzolo
Greater Media Newspapers
