Is Raritan Bay Next
 

Over many years now, Raritan Bay has been producing lots of striped bass. Many of those stripers were and are females. Some consideration is being given to the fact that these fish might be spawning fish that move up the Raritan River or Shrewsbury and Navesink. Other speculation is that they are staging for a late move up the Hudson to lay their eggs.

If the Raritan Bay area is studied and if it is found to be a spawning area for a large number of bass, will there be regulations like those in effect in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland.? Check out the Maryland maps in the link below and see what could happen here. It's worth thinking about. Just like the numbers of bass that were caught during the fall run and now, during the Spring, there seems to be quite a recovery of the stock. it has yet to be proven that the striper stock is fully recovered. or that the Raritan Basin is adding to the recovery. The current numbers can take a dive at any time, however. The current size and bag limits seem to be adequate but if it is found that NJ is a contributor to big numbers of " young of the year" tough regulations may follow.

https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/P...bf778cfc6769dc

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

It has always been my understanding that the Raritan River & Shrewsbury/Navesink River complex have always had a small (in relation to the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware & Hudson Rivers) spawning population.

I do think that with the increasing improvement of water quality in those systems have drawn some of those bass that used to use the bay as a staging area prior to entering the Hudson into using them as spawning grounds.

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

Chesapeake has some serious issues which is why they have the regulations they do.

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

Tougher regulations here won’t mean a damn thing if they aren’t enforced. You could put a moratorium on stripers right now and it won’t stop the rampant poaching that’s been going on for weeks.

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

There were no stripers here for decades... They weren't missed really.. There was a lot of other species to fish for in Spring... All those species are gone, caught and eaten over time... So now all there is to fish for is Stripers this time of year. Guys don't care if they are spawned out, or loaded down with eggs or milt... They want fish, Stripers are the only thing available in salt water, so they get intense pressure during the spawn... Hopefully, the stocks stay strong because if Stripers ever vanish they way they did for 30 or so years in the not too distant past, there will be nothing left to fish for in March and April except a few scarce blackfish and ling, unless guys want to catch Skates, Horn Dogs, and Pout... bob

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

Listen the regs are what they are.... it's up to the angler to decide whether they will keep a fish or not... the individual who catches these striped bass on the Shrewsbury or navisink rivers are allowed 1 fish between 28 and 38 inches which is legal most the people I fish with in these rivers just throw them back regardless of the fish being legal or not they ate sport fisherman and do this shit every night damn near

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

Understood,, However, if a guy spends $150 to go on an "open/charter" boat, he will typically kill and eat a fish. same with private boats that spend thousands a year to fish. Multiply that by a thousand guys a week, and the number of fish killed every spring and fall can get pretty high... Even with a 1 fish limit, these fish are under some intense pressure...

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

Not true, my son and I very rarely if ever keep a striper that we catch on our boat. Nor do I keep any when I go on an ‘open boat” trip.

On average, I catch in excess of 200 stripers a year and at most I keep 5 & only when my receptionist requests one.

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

The overall fish population thanks you, but in reality you are the part of the minority....similar to recycling...

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

Am I missing something? I don't remember this early spring striper run 20+ years ago in Raritan Bay but I do remember people fishing for bass on Flynn's Knoll after these fish where done spawning in the upper Hudson River.

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

Starts with one person then grows.

I’ve said it for years, if the northeast angler attitude became more like the southeast angler we’d see an overall increase in fish stocks (IMHO),

Here it seems that unless you have a boat limit, at least one ‘trophy’ fish, or a filled cooler/dock shot picture you didn’t have a good day. While down south, it’s been my experience (after having lived in Florida & Georgia for numerous years) that they take what they need for a meal & are happy with just having the rod bend the rest of the day.

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

When I started striper fishing in the bay back in the mid 1990’s, the spring striper fishery consisted of me drifting sandworms through the Sandy Hook Rips (R.I.P.), along the edges of Sandy Hook Channel, under The Highlands Bridge as well as further up the Shrewsbury from the Rumson Bridge up to a sunken tug and at various spots in the Navesink. Caught bass from the mid 20 inch class to the mid 30 inch. Usually started around mid April. By mid May is when we’d first start chunking on Flynns Knoll & Romers Shoal.

There wasn’t much of a mid bay fishery that I can recall. Maybe the fish were there & we never knew it. I do recall that people fished off the back bay beaches though.

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

That's pretty much what I recall also. maybe the fish where there all along but I think that there a lot of bait in the bay which now keeps them around. It's amazing you keep the commercial guys out of the equation with stripers and bunker and in a few years the fishing really picks up!

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

Man, you guys are old……:p

Re: Is Raritan Bay Next
 

I lived right on the bay in the early 80's... In those years I can recall landing 3 Stripers.. One from the beach at union beach, one from a 16 foot boat at night between the channels off SH, while weakfishing, and one nice one from those salt ponds on rt 36 in Keansburg,, had once a real big one snap off a big treble hook there on a salt water Rapala and get away ... There were a few bass caught during those years, and a few specialists actually did well, but were very very secretive.. Big stripers those years were caught off the rocks dead of night by rock hounds that knew exactly when what and where.. Very few went out in the bay "looking " for bass,, A few schoolies were caught as well by guys flounder fishing, but even that was rare,, Never caught one myself, and never saw one, but I knew they were there in small numbers.. As I stated earlier, we didn;t miss them as the water was loaded with other species starting in March .. We fished for what was there, when they were there, and caught a lot of fish.. These bloody deck "limited by 9am" pictures did not exist then, and no one really cared... bob