Still Stripers In The Surf
First, shop news…
Yo-zuri has come out with a new lure in their “Mag” line. It is a fast sinking lure that stays at the desired depth for the full length of the retrieve. As with all the other Yo-Zuri mag lures, it has a state-of-the-art magnet weight transfer system for superior casting. It has a slow swimming action. These are going to be great lures for those fishing around structure in the back bays, or around jetties and inlets. Check out the new Yo-Zuri Mag Speed lures. Available in 3 sizes.
How is the fishing? Well, when the wind is not blowing 1000 mph, anglers who hit the beach are finding striped bass willing to bite. Ava jigs & teasers, small swimbaits and sand eel imitations are working for those throwing lures, while a few anglers fishing frozen bait have caught also. We still haven’t had a big chill, and until that happens, if there is a nice day, you may want to go fish the surf.
Or, on a nice day, jump on a boat and go for blackfish. We have been hearing the bite has been good. We have the jigs and rigs you need.
Another option, if you don’t want to try the two former but still want to wet a line is to try for white perch. They can be found in the rivers, creeks, and lagoon systems connected to Barnegat Bay. You will need very small jigs, with small curly tails or 4” swimming mullet Gulp!, or a bait rig with a boodworm or grass shrimp. You can also try a small Vudu Shrimp or Tsunami Shrimp under a bobber or popping cork, fished slow. Keep in mind while you are fishing for perch you might (ie likely will) get small striped bass as bycatch. The back bay is closed for striped bass until March 1st, so all striped bass need to be returned to the water immediately.
Some notable recent catches:
About or cover picture: Barney just came in for a bag of ice for his dinner tonight. A chunky 29” Bass that hit a mullet in the surf.
For today’s section on Ray, we won’t be using a photoshopped picture of Ray (not hat we EVER do that, we would never stoop that low. All pictures of Ray are unretouched…). This is Scott setting up new shelves in the shop. Not in the picture is he had the assistance of Connor and was supervised by Frankie. We are having a contest. We are placing our bets on when those shelves will lose out to gravity and fall to the floor. Starting Friday, come into the shop and see Ray to pick your date and time of the inevitable crash. Whoever is the closest without going past the time will win. Ray will tell you about the “prize” when you enter.
