06-04-2004, 03:51 AM
Big stripers rallied early this week off Manasquan Inlet and at Shrewsbury Rocks. The clam beds off the inlet produced lots of quality bass on clams, while live and chunked bunkers did the job at the Rocks where the bite was red-hot Tuesday when Capt. Lou Grazioso's Striper Mania from Highlands, and Capt. Sal Cursi's Cathy Sea from Sewaren pretty much had it to themselves due to rough early morning seas. Grazioso said two of his crew's many bass were in the mid-40s. The bite was more modest yesterday and only during the middle of the ebb.
Shrewsbury Rocks was dead last Friday morning when I rode down there with Nick DeNucci of Denville and Bob Stasiulaitis from Bridgewater, and I had to backtrack to New York where we had a hot bite of stripers in the 15- to 25-pound class on both live and chunked bunker for two hours before beating the storm in. Yet, that same spot produced only a few blues Saturday morning for Ken Van Cleve of Linden while we had the northwester and ebb tide together. Once the tide turned into the howling wind, it quickly became unfishable in open areas.
At Brielle, Capt. Howard Bogan Jr. said blues in the 2- to 3-pound class were jigged close to the inlet Friday before Bogan headed north for 3- to 7-pounders plus some bass, including a 38 1/2-incher for Marc Lubin of Colts Neck. Night bluefishing was very good Saturday and Sunday nights for 3- to 10-pounders along the edge of the Mud Hole. Clam fishing broke open Monday when everyone limited on stripers. Jake Bergman from McGuire AFB boated a 38-pounder, and Erik Bogan , 9, had 28-and-30-pound stripers. Chris Jordan caught a 29-pounder.
Among yesterday's catches were 24-pounders by John Piljar of Trenton and Chris Bush from Hamilton, and an 18-pounder for Joe Ramutkowski of Hamilton. Another recent bass pool winner was a 21.3-pounder by Lou Perez from Camden. John Mancini of Berkley Heights won a bluefish pool with a 10-pounder.
The Paramount had many limit catches of sea bass last week, including one by Mike Mohler of Iselin, who had two 3-pounders. Ken Isovich Jr. boated a 4-pound sea bass.
Greg Bogan at Brielle Tackle reported a hot striper bite Sunday on clams around the mile marker off Manasquan Inlet. Tom Clement of Bryn Mawr, Pa., boated a 20-pounder, and Steve Verger from Clifton had a 16-pound bass. Wayne Anastasia of Wall returned with a 30-pound striper caught on live bunker. John Nyire from Weehawken beached a 14-pound bass in the Spring Lake surf on clams. This week's clam bed catches included a 29-pound bass for Keith Walters of Hewitt, and a 28-pounder by Jack Newitts of Point Pleasant.
Capt. Jim O'Grady of the Cock Robin from Point Pleasant had a wind against tide problem Friday morning on the west side of the Mud Hole, but ended up going south into 250-foot depths of the Mud Hole where blues from small up to 9 pounds cooperated. Bryan Bennett from Oxford caught his 15-bluefish limit and released five more. Saturday was also good, but after some small blues were jigged close to Manasquan Inlet early Sunday there was nothing doing for the entire bluefish fleet all the way up to Sandy Hook and out to the east, where only dogfish responded to baits.
[signature]
Shrewsbury Rocks was dead last Friday morning when I rode down there with Nick DeNucci of Denville and Bob Stasiulaitis from Bridgewater, and I had to backtrack to New York where we had a hot bite of stripers in the 15- to 25-pound class on both live and chunked bunker for two hours before beating the storm in. Yet, that same spot produced only a few blues Saturday morning for Ken Van Cleve of Linden while we had the northwester and ebb tide together. Once the tide turned into the howling wind, it quickly became unfishable in open areas.
At Brielle, Capt. Howard Bogan Jr. said blues in the 2- to 3-pound class were jigged close to the inlet Friday before Bogan headed north for 3- to 7-pounders plus some bass, including a 38 1/2-incher for Marc Lubin of Colts Neck. Night bluefishing was very good Saturday and Sunday nights for 3- to 10-pounders along the edge of the Mud Hole. Clam fishing broke open Monday when everyone limited on stripers. Jake Bergman from McGuire AFB boated a 38-pounder, and Erik Bogan , 9, had 28-and-30-pound stripers. Chris Jordan caught a 29-pounder.
Among yesterday's catches were 24-pounders by John Piljar of Trenton and Chris Bush from Hamilton, and an 18-pounder for Joe Ramutkowski of Hamilton. Another recent bass pool winner was a 21.3-pounder by Lou Perez from Camden. John Mancini of Berkley Heights won a bluefish pool with a 10-pounder.
The Paramount had many limit catches of sea bass last week, including one by Mike Mohler of Iselin, who had two 3-pounders. Ken Isovich Jr. boated a 4-pound sea bass.
Greg Bogan at Brielle Tackle reported a hot striper bite Sunday on clams around the mile marker off Manasquan Inlet. Tom Clement of Bryn Mawr, Pa., boated a 20-pounder, and Steve Verger from Clifton had a 16-pound bass. Wayne Anastasia of Wall returned with a 30-pound striper caught on live bunker. John Nyire from Weehawken beached a 14-pound bass in the Spring Lake surf on clams. This week's clam bed catches included a 29-pound bass for Keith Walters of Hewitt, and a 28-pounder by Jack Newitts of Point Pleasant.
Capt. Jim O'Grady of the Cock Robin from Point Pleasant had a wind against tide problem Friday morning on the west side of the Mud Hole, but ended up going south into 250-foot depths of the Mud Hole where blues from small up to 9 pounds cooperated. Bryan Bennett from Oxford caught his 15-bluefish limit and released five more. Saturday was also good, but after some small blues were jigged close to Manasquan Inlet early Sunday there was nothing doing for the entire bluefish fleet all the way up to Sandy Hook and out to the east, where only dogfish responded to baits.
[signature]