Hey, it's fishing. It's supposed to be fun. And it is. But let's just say I've seen and heard enough already. Easy to sit behind a keyboard and poke fun at those out there getting it done. But, c'mon guys, are you really accomplishing anything when fishing for pre-spawn striped bass? And that goes for spin, fly, troll, plug, jig, and shad anglers. Basically it's find the fish, and you'll catch fish. And that's even easier said for the boat guys.
If you're in the know then you know. Just take a minute and watch the early birds trying to get a worm as they leave Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina. The boats pull out and they either head west or east, then south, then west. It's no secret, although people are trying to keep it one. Yes, the Raritan River is big, small compared to the Chesepeake, but if you are in a kayak it's big, a 28-foot center console not so much.
Basically, at this time of the spring, all of those pre-spawn bass who are ready to go, like spawn, or are thinking of getting ready to go, will stage and chew, in the bays and rivers around northern Monmouth County, Middlesex County, and Staten Island County. I won't give up spots, but you know them, the Raritan River, the Arthur Kill, and the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers.
Captains do their best trying to keep the bite quiet, but it's already blown up. My guess is the above picture could have been seen taken as you drove over the Highlands Bridge. The boats have been stacked up there, as well as around Perth Amboy, every day for the last two weeks, outside of any weather days. And the banks have been lined with guys, day and night, if they can squeeze in their car to the limited parking areas of the funnel-type spots.
These fish, are entering and are stuck in the funnel, that will have them enter into the Raritan Bay system and exit into the Hudson River. While the Chesapeake Bay has many tributaries where bass spawn, these fish are heading to Albany. Some say they spawn in the back of the Navesink, Raritan, and Hackensack Rivers, but I am not a believer. So when there's images and videos of catches with terms like "epic" and "madness" it makes me cringe. You came out of the marina, found the flotilla, used your electronics to mark tons of fish, and dropped bats down to them. I know I sound jaded, or jealous, but c'mon guys.
Other guys post and just don't care what's in the background. This guy's a happy NY Giants fan and a striped bass fishermen proudly holding his catch. That spot has always produced and believe it or not, before they replaced that bridge, guys used to fish off the hold one and hoist up 30 and 40 pound bass. Fishing from the bridges in New Jersey used to be a thing, but the law has that locked down, plus the new bridge is way too high.
Fishing for pre-spawn striped bass in the spring is fun, no doubt. There's a lot of fish around, depending where you are, and they are eager to eat before their hundred mile long journey north. But sitting anchored or spot locked up over a ton of fish on an ingoing and outgoing tide and landing "triples" is not much of an accomplishment, to me, but that's where I have to admit that's a jerky statement. Fishing is fun, and these anglers out there having fun.
If you go, pinch the barbs, get rid of the tailing trebles, and hold them correctly, so they can have enough life in them to make it to the den of iniquity in the north Hudson.
