Knisell's Report, season almost here!

[Jimbo]

h

Good news: Striper season is almost here


Thursday, February 22, 2007By Ralph Knisell

One week from today the 2007 season for striped bass will open throughout the state. Yes, March 1, starts the striper season throughout the entire state.
During that month anglers will be able to keep two bass that are 28 inches or more in length. This will continue until April 1, when the Delaware River, from the Calhoun Street Bridge in Trenton to the Salem Creek, will see a total ban on the taking of striped bass until June1. However, Delaware Bay and all other waters throughout the state will remain open.
The big problem may be the water temperature. Will the water be warm enough to allow the stripers to be active enough to take an interest in your bait? As of right now, it doesn't appear to be the case.
Even if the weather were to be summer-like for the next week, the water would not rise much above the 30-degree mark. Currently the Delaware Bay still has some ice, according to Bunky Higbee of Fortescue, who also notes that it is melting fast.
The same goes for Great Bay. Talking with Scotty, at Scott's Bait and Tackle in Mystic Islands, he related that the bay is open and should remain that way if the current upswing in temperatures continue.
Scotty also said the perch fishing in Collins Cove has been good of late, even though the once 20-foot hole is now only eight feet in its deepest spot. He revealed that one enterprising angler took a depth-finder along and located the schools of perch in that manner.
One problem that striper buffs encounter at this early stage of the season is locating bloodworms. Many shops will not stock them until later in March.
Scott's B&T does expect to have them in stock by opening day, and I will check around and see if any other shops can be located. Bloods will be the prime bait early in the year, but if necessary clams are a second choice.
Some modifications in the choices given summer flounder anglers are reported by Tom Fote of the Jersey Coast Anglers Association. The number has been whittled down to four and are as follows:
Size Bag limit Dates Days
16.5 6-8 July 1-Sept. 3 65
17 3-8 June 9-Sept.18 102
17 3-8 May 26-Sept. 10 108
17.5 8 April 7-Oct. 21 198
According to Fote, these options will be presented to the N.J. Marine Fisheries Council on March 1, in Galloway Township. Fote also noted that option No. 3 was favored by many of those present.
The Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery, also known as the Charles O. Hayford State Fish Hatchery, has been devoted to the raising of warm water species ever since the Pequest Trout Hatchery took over the raising of that species.
The annual production is from 1.5-2.5 million fish per year. In 2006, it was 1,557,352 total for all species. Included were: Black crappie, bluegills, brown bullheads, channel catfish, hybrid striped bass, lake trout, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, tiger muskies and walleye.
Many of the fish liberated were fingerlings with a few adults mixed in. There were over 9,000 bluegils included, with many of these being given to various lakes for kids tournaments. Of all the fish released, the greatest number were walleyes, followed by hybrid striped bass.
This weekend, Feb. 23-25, will see the 2007 Bassmaster Classic on Lay Lake, near Birmingham, Ala. South Jersey's contribution to the Bassmaster event will be Mike Iaconelli. Iaconelli was last year's BASS Angler of the Year and also was the 2003 Classic Champ.
Formerly of Woodbury Heights, Iaconelli grew up fishing South Jersey lakes such as Malaga and Union, where he learned the tricks of pro-bass fishing. He later went on to join the pro bass circuit where he has excelled. We wish him the best this weekend as he heads south for this classic competition.
While the weather is not to too many fishermen's liking, those headed to North Jersey will find fine line action in the Mudhole. Party boats are sailing daily from ports to the north, but a call ahead will make sure your boat is sailing that day.
Ralph Knisell is the outdoors writer for the Gloucester County Times. His column appears on Thursday.


© 2007 Gloucester County Times © 2007 NJ.com All Rights Reserved. if (window.print) window.print(); if (_pdata){ sendpdata(); } if ( (document.cookie).indexOf('v1st')>=0 && (document.cookie).indexOf('GTC=')

[mudcat]

Start the countdown and bring on the warm weather!!!