Hurricane Sandy has certainly presented us with far more pressing problems than what’s going on in the world of fishing, but the storm is having a big impact on anglers and party boats and one that will be felt well after Sandy departs.
The tempest has roiled all the local waters and it’s tough to tell when things will quiet down enough for the fish to start biting again. The bass and bluefish blitzes that were on the beaches have been pretty much been blown up by the weather.
Another immediate impact of the storm is that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has announced the postponement or cancellation of several upcoming Atlantic Menhaden meetings. The meetings were scheduled to hear public comment Draft Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden, which is aimed at reducing menhaden harvests.
While meetings in Virginia, Delaware and Maryland were either canceled or postponed, as of Monday, there was no word on the New Jersey meeting scheduled for Thursday. To find out the latest information on the upcoming meeting, visit www.asmfc.org.
Before Sandy rolled into the town, the fishing was a bit mixed on the bass and blues front. A week ago, the beaches in Monmouth County saw daily assaults of nice bass and jumbo blues tearing into schools of peanut bunker. I checked the beaches from Sea Bright to Spring Lake on Friday and saw no sign of the fish.
Capt. George Bachert of the Angler in Atlantic Highlands reported his last day out was Saturday and the fishing was slowing down as of Friday. He said the stripers would pop up but the gathering boats would put them down again. The majority of the catch was jumbo blues. After Saturday’s trip, Capt. Bachert was going to move the Angler to a sheltered location to ride out Sandy.
Capt. Rich Falcone of the Golden Eagle, Belmar, reported his last day out was Saturday when the fishing for blues and stripers was fair to good. Several of his customers limited out on stripers but he he said they really had to work for them. He also said they caught plenty of bluefish up to 15 pounds. The bass were hitting jigs and poppers while the blues stuck mainly to the jigs.
Because of the storm, Capt. Falcone didn’t anticipate he would be back fishing until Thursday, when he’ll be targeting striped bass.
Capt. Alex Majesky of Lighthouse Sportfishing, Barnegat reported that before pulling his boat due to Sandy’s imminent arrival he had the DeCicco charter our for some classic fall fishing. Staying in Barnegat Inlet and the back bay, Capt. Majesky reported catching over a dozen bass on live spot and Bass Kandy Delights. He also said there were blues around from snappers to 5 pounders in the back bay.
Capt. Alex said once Sandy is on her way, the boat will be back in the water for some more fall fishing.
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