ARCTEKJim

TOP CATCHES

Capt. Russ Binns of Toms River not only braved Friday's cold, howling northwester, but found himself all alone on Mar-Lyn off Ortley Beach among schools of stripers as Dave Bruist and Stan Angelone joined in jigging 155 bass and two bluefish. Though the stripers were of mixed sizes, about 35 to 40 were over 28 inches. Binns said it was blowing 35 mph, and they couldn't get a heavy jig to bottom more than a quarter-mile off the protection of shore, but they had non-stop action and left them biting. The bass were feeding on both peanut bunkers and herring.
Dave Lilly of Hazlet had Shrewsbury Rocks almost to himself in Saturday's wind and cold, but enjoyed non-stop action with stripers of various sizes. Most were jigged, but bass up to 18 pounds were trolled with Stretch plugs.
It wasn't quite that hot Sunday morning when I jigged there with Tom Morford of Atlantic Yachts in Sea Bright and Capt. Hans Kaspersetz of Weehawken. We found school stripers at the mouth of Sandy Hook Bay and along Sandy Hook before moving down the beach to get into better-sized schoolies and a couple of keepers around the Rocks. More small bass were encountered on the way back after noon near the tip of the Hook and birds were also working at the mouth of Sandy Hook Bay. They took a long time to arrive, but the volume of small bass being caught now is very encouraging for the future.
At Point Pleasant, Capt. Bobby Bogan had a very good jigging trip Saturday with his Gambler as most of the bass boated from Ocean Beach to Seaside were keepers. Ray Madysik of Clarksburg won the pool with a 25-pounder and also had a 12-pound bass. Mike Cassidy from Freehold had a limit to almost 20 pounds plus five bluefish. The action was in 40 to 70 feet, and the bass were feeding on herring.
Capt. Victor Medina of Nutley had the most unusual catch of the weekend as he released a 20 1/2-inch fluke while wreck fishing Sunday with Capt. Dave Clapp on Cindy Sea 3. Alex and Noel Menendez of Cliffside Park, Sam Sooknanan from Woodbridge and Dan Bias of Asbury joined to catch 10 stripers, including two keepers to 30 inches, and then 80 blackfish of which there were 14 keepers to 4 pounds.




Capt. Mike Copeman had a good shot of stripers and blues the previous Sunday on his Renegade. Bob Pachiara of Piscataway, Jay Baskin from Flemington, Bjorn Swanstrom of Watchung and mate Jay Taylor from Frenchtown went south at first and ended up with a mid-day bass flurry off Manasquan Inlet as stripers up to a 28-pounder and blues to 15 pounds were caught.
At Highlands, Capt. Stan Zagleski reported an 8 3/4-pound blackfish that took yesterday's pool on Elaine B. for Al Orduna of Perth Amboy. Frank Lavelle of Jersey City won Sunday with a 7 1/2-pounder.
Capt. Ken Dubman of K-Kat had 42 blackfish for the Monmouth Fence party, including a 10-pounder. The Bill Higgins party from Monmouth Beach had 25 tog, of which seven ran from 7 to 9 pounds. Dave Blendowski's group from Oakland sorted through lots of shorts for 22 blacks up to 8 pounds.
At Atlantic Highlands, Capt. Don Hager had fine blackfishing Saturday on his Sea Fox with many tog over 8 pounds. Limits were recorded by Chris Wilson of Milford. Emil Jascot from Elmwood Park, Tommy Cymbaluk of Piscataway and Tony Puzzo from Middlesex.
Capt. George Bachert was at the N.Y. meeting yesterday. He said Sunday was one of his best days on the Angler for both blackfish and ling at Scotland.
Capt. Rob Semkewyc found larger stripers Sunday between the channels as everyone aboard the Sea Hunter caught at least one keeper and some jigged several.
At Brielle, Capt. Joe Bogan reported a super Mud Hole ling trip Wednesday on Jamaica II. Jumbo porgies and sea bass plus cod and bluefish were added to the catch from wrecks in 160 to 190 feet. Jerome Hodge of Rahway bagged 57 ling and 21 sea bass. Phil Esposito from Point Pleasant had 45 ling and 14 bass.
At Belmar, Capt. Jimmy Elliott had a fine Thursday blackfish trip with Royal Miss Belmar as Tom Newman of Spring Lake Heights had a limit up to 11 pounds, and Andy Lewandowski from Trenton boated a 12 1/2-pound tog plus others of 6 1/4, 7 1/2 and 8 pounds in his limit. Monmouth County prison guards were aboard Wednesday as the group fell just a dozen short of a limit with tog up to 8 1/2 pounds. Saturday was good, but conditions were tougher Sunday as shorts dominated inshore while a strong current made it tough to fish deeper spots, though a good catch was put together by the end of the day. Mike Sullivan of Lavallette won the pool with a 9-pounder that he kept while releasing the rest of his limit and others. Teddy Nadej from Old Bridge had a limit to 7 pounds.
Allen Riley of South Plainfield had generally poor results in the Sandy Hook surf until the Sunday before last, when small bass hit his Ultimus black teaser at dawn before a 28-incher took a Mann's Super Stretch 1-Minus around 8 a.m. Wednesday's dawn bite was hot for small bass on the teaser, followed by linesiders of 26, 28 and 34 inches on the plug though there was no repeat of that hot fishing Thursday morning.
Bob Douglas of Tuckerton put in two hours clamming the Long Beach Island surf recently to release seven stripers up to 26 inches. That's typical of what his season has been like with 111 bass for the year but not one keeper.
T&A Tackle in Port Monmouth recently weighed a 16-pound, 1 1/2-ounce striper trolled by Ron Bulvanoski of Farmingdale on a shad umbrella near Sandy Hook. Darren Rinn of Belford fished clams in the same area for an 11 and 1/16-pounder.

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