Jeff Merrill reports that Friday night's IGFA Dinner & Auction at Mike Doolan's in Spring Lake is sold out. No tickets will be available at the door.
Striper clamming in Raritan Bay and jigging in the ocean both dropped off today. After Tuesday's hot jigging off Mantoloking, Bobby Matthews at Fishermen's Den in Belmar Marina said the herring must have moved because the boats who tried for them today were unsuccessful.
As noted in yesterday's blog, clamming for stripers was very good in Raritan Bay on Tuesday. Yet, it was completely different today. The Sea Hunter from Atlantic Highlands reported poor fishing, and I experienced the same thing as I fished with Capt. Hans Kaspersetz and his friend Nico on Sheri Berri from Baker's Marina on the Bay in Highlands. Though we marked fish in several places, we never had a hit on clams. There was also no gannet action in the middle of the bay, but trolling with Yo-Zuri diving plugs produced four stripers from 30 to 32 1/2 inches before we headed in. Capt. Dereck Bielitz had a similar lack of success clamming from his Fisher Price, but then did very well trolling Stretch plugs.