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Tog Bite Is Hot Along the Jersey Shore, Green Crabs Not So Much catcountry1073.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from catcountry1073.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
It didn’t take long. Striped bass season opened on Monday and initial reports were pretty good with keepers caught in Raritan Bay and the rivers down south. There were plenty of shorts caught and released as well.
Reports also circulated of a few winter flounder caught by the Mantoloking Bridge and in Belmar. Granted, the bite is far from hot, but we’re off to a good start. Warmer, sunny days are in the forecast and that will only help the cause. The Tackle Box in Hazlet posted this photo of Tommy Karindrakas of Long Branch with his opening day striper caught in Raritan Bay. ....
This is certainly a winter of discontent. Blackfishing has been slow and there’s little to indicate it will improve. Recent episodes of nasty, chilly weather haven’t made things any easier. Most boats have called it a season and are heading for the shipyard to get ready for the spring. A nice mix of tog and ling caught earlier this week aboard the Ocean Explorer out of Belmar. There just hasn’t been a lot to get excited about lately. But, hey, it’s winter, anglers are supposed to be less than cheerful this time of year. Now is a good time to get gear in order and stock up for better weather. ....
A nice tog caught aboard Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar this past Monday. This time of year, it’s helpful to keep expectations in line with the calendar. It’s winter and fishing is slow. There have been better reports on blackfishing but it’s still hit or miss. On the bright side, the weather has been outstanding for the middle of January. While this week’s sunny skies and warm temps haven’t’ helped the ice fishing, the freshwater guys have been doing pretty well with bass, trout, crappie and perch. You just have to take your fun where you can find it. ....
The Jan. 2 tog trip aboard the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach produced this nice catch. Winter is upon us and, as can be expected, fishing has slowed down. Blackfish are currently the main target for offshore anglers along with cod, pollock and porgies. Small stripers continue to be caught in the surf but there aren’t a whole lot of fish, nor fishermen for that matter. Before I get to the report, the New Jersey fishing community suffered a great loss at the close of 2020 with the sudden passing of Capt. Chris Hueth of the Big Mohawk out of Belmar. ....