FishinJersey Reflects on New Jersey's Past Fishing Year...
Was 2013 Everything We Dreamed It Would Be?

Story by Michael Melchionne

For most New Jersey fisherman another year has passed us by. The majority of NJ anglers hang up their gear well before the cold weather sets in. But, for the diehards and dedicated, gear may still be laying around on their decks, in their sheds, garages and in their wife’s way. Now is the time to make sure loose hooks and artificials are stored safely away so they don’t become lodged in your pants, or worse yet...a curious pet's paw or cheek!

You boat owners, who are among the diehards and dedicated, if you’re anything like me, have either waited for a warm spell, impending bad weather, or ice to form in your lagoon before pulling the boat for the year. And then again, you may be like some who are waiting for, well, I still haven’t figured that out yet, or for someone to ask you to take them “fishin'”, one more time??

Make no mistake about it there is still plenty of “fishin'” yet to be had. In fact, there is still some of the best fishing if you have adventure in your blood and want to travel offshore on the handful of experienced party boats that sail to the offshore wrecks, crevices and canyons for giant cod, pollock, sea bass, tilefish and other deep sea creatures. This type of fishing has become the mainstay of the “off season”.

Many of us however have, or soon will, switch gears and attend to domestic matters with family and other obligations. We’ll have time to sit back and reflect on a season just past. In fact this very subject came up at a Christmas gathering and it left a lot of room for thought.

Now, I don’t care who you are or what your politics or religion are... BUT you can’t deny that fishermen are nothing more than dreamers! They dream about going fishing and where they are going to fish, and they dream about what they are going to catch. And as we fisherman know, dreams “sometimes” really do come true!

Most of my close friends are Jersey fishing fanatics. So I’m fortunate enough to get the reports as they are happening, or very shortly after they’ve happened. As the conversation went the other day, even the best came to no solid conclusions as to what in the heck happened this past year as far as inshore fishing went! It just didn’t seem to pan out the way things have in years past...at least not for this angler or his “sharpie” friends!

Yeah, we all know the guys that spend day after day on the water. And yes they usually are consistent with their ability to produce in the clutch. But for those of us that get a day or two a week to get out there and dream a little, the “usual” places didn’t seem to produce the way they have in the past.

Late winter and early spring did produce some white perch and winter flounder. Crummy weather did play a part in angler participation though. And for those of us who like to spend a few days a year catching “winter” flounder, we found it pretty difficult to put any kind of reasonable number of fish on the end of the line. I know...with a limit of only two, why bother?  Hey...call it "cabin fever"!

Just in time, striped bass season was upon us and after an unusually slow start, a few shorts and then some legals finally showed. We did hear of a few heavyweights as May rolled in, but not in the numbers that we in Jersey have become “spoiled” with!

Our May "bay bluefish" influx was well..."eh"! Yeah, there were fish...but it seemed that you had to put in more hours and travel greater distances for any catch. However, for those who were lucky enough to be at the mouths of the inlets at tide turnover (usually outgoing), they did enjoy some furious and enjoyable action. I get such a kick out of those fishermen that turn their noses up at these “Taylor Blues” (1-3 lbs) as nothing but trash!!

If that is YOU, then you’re missing some great opportunities to fill your freezer! My first choice is to bleed and ice them immediately...always handling them as delicately as possible when you can! Smoking and making fish salad is still my favorite. (Be sure to look for a feature story on smoking fish in 2014) Another thing I do is cut all the dark meat out of the fillet, then cut into 1" x 3" inch strips, batter and freeze on a cookie tray. Place wax paper in between the layers until they're frozen solid. Then vacuum seal in one/two person portions. On a cold winter day, or for a quick meal, deep fry or throw them in a pan with butter and wa-lah. Delish! Don’t forget the dipping sauce! All the left over heads, skin, and other parts make wonderful bait and chum for crabbing and other fisheries as well!

June produced some nice flat fish (fluke) in the back waters again for the sharpies fishing a few hours at the top of the tide on light tackle. But all in all, a lackluster fluke year (at least in the Barnegat Bay region!)
Even our saving grace...the trigger fish, which usually invade our inshore waters, were few and far between this year. The large schools of feeding fish around the jetties, pilings and rocks weren’t observed in the numbers we’ve again become accustomed to. Even my "secret" spots let me down in 2013!

July and August produced some GREAT crab potting! We were doing so well in August that we produced a short “how to” video on potting crabs "Jersey style". On the day of filming, one pot had 42 crabs in just 24 hours...WOW! My secret spot (that everyone knows about) really produced! Speak to the commercial boys and they’ll tell you they had the “worst” year in recent history! Go figure?

All I have to say is thank goodness for the blowfish. What I want to know is WHO opened the gates at the “blowfish hatchery”? What a banner year and the saving grace for many a fishless day. Shame on all of you Dads, Uncles, and Brothers that didn’t take a young person fishing for these bait-stealing puffballs. This past summer a good buddy of ours invited us over for a "blowfish bake". I have to tell you that it was some of the best eating of any fresh fish the entire year. AND, if I can feed him enough beer sometime soon I’ll get his "secret ingredient" recipe out of him to pass along to all of you!

In September, fluke season closed with a few more keepers on the off shore rocks and wrecks but still disappointing for many I spoke with.

Inshore, "tog" (black fish) was fairly consistent with some nice keepers thrown in. Now, I know that rough economic times are amongst us and the state has had to cut back, but more enforcement efforts need to be dedicated to the jetties, as way too many shorts found their way into the bottom of coolers, tote bags and beach towels than ever could be imagined. In fact a friend and a regular at the jetty underneath the Barnegat Light House told me of story after story of short fish being pilfered! One low life would make the trek back to his car trunk with each illegal fish he caught. Let’s face it, our conservation officers can’t be everywhere, so maybe enforcement by employees on the local municipal payroll can lend a hand? (I don’t know but something should be done to stop this behavior)!

October slammer blues?? Where were they? NOT the numbers we usually see! Even when striper fishing, the bluefish didn’t seem as numerous!

Then, the long anticipated fall striper migration approached and we waited, and waited. To our North, were reports of a few fish but something held them up! Then, a spurt, then a pause. And finally a cold snap and they were here and gone! Five reasonable days of fishing and poof! Again, NOT what we’ve gotten accustomed to! What the hell? When you see Belmar head boats off Island Beach State Park and even farther south, something's amiss!

My last trip of the year went like this. A couple of buddies who waited all year to go “fishin'” called to see if I was going. Well, I was gonna pull the boat but decided maybe, just maybe, we could find one more fish! As usual we met at the boat and as is a matter of tradition I griped, "No one take anything out of the truck until the boat starts!" (Boat owners...you know what I’m talking about!) So first engine went down and was running. Second engine, second engine, heeeeelllooo!! The trim wouldn’t go down! Worked two days ago! And it worked all year long too! Are you freakin' kidding me? Yup, you boat owners know exactly what I’m talking about! I must have had that "astute fisherman vision" as I had luckily asked another buddy (but more importantly another boat owner) to come along that morning. So the transition was made...and we did get out. First we traveled North...then to the South. Caught one of the largest skates (snagged it in the tail) I ever saw! (Remind me to tell you what it tasted like another time!)

The conversation of reflection on the 2013 season went from climate change, to global warming...from foreign trawlers, to middle of the night poachers...to the red tide, pollution, boat traffic and jet skiers!
Eventually it got around to the reason we all fish with good friends...“You couldn’t catch a fish with a catcher’s mitt in a fish market”! You’ll note I said “GOOD” friends cause anyone else might open up a can of that “jersey whoop azz” with a statement like that!!

In all seriousness, the conversation revolved around the effects of Sandy that truly opened that "can” on us along the coast a year ago last October. Did it fill in all those holes? Did it move around all of that structure? Has the ocean floor been changed for years to come? Have the migration routes been diverted? Only time will tell.

But for now, most of us are already dreaming about 2014! So store that gear, fix and maintain those boats and stabilize that gas. Spring is just around the corner and I’m sure all of us in New Jersey will still keep dreaming about how fortunate we are when we’re “Fishin' Jersey”.  Hope you have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!