Tom P.

The NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife’s third round of trout releases, the “Winter Stocking”, takes place today and tomorrow in 19 select lakes and ponds in the northern, central, and southern regions of the state.

Sure, there are still plenty of big bass around, many exceeding 35-pounds with more than a few in the 40 to 50-pound class being caught, but the numbers are nowhere near what they were a couple of weeks ago.

Tog anglers have been waiting patiently for the possession limit to bump to the five mark from the one fish limit. It starts tomorrow, November 16, and will continue through December 31.

To be sure, this primary rutting period kicked in big-time a few days ago and will run through the second and maybe into the third week of November.

Actually, it’s the “Statewide Small Game Opener”, but for years, sometimes decades, there have been earlier openings for the likes of gray squirrels and cottontail rabbits.

Bay and inlet, and also out front in the shallower reaches, the eel is the deal when it comes to getting a striper to inhale a favorite prey.

The indices are all here: autumn’s first rolling Nor’easter, ocean water temperatures inching downward, and bait, I mean loads of bait, primarily bunker but also including corncob mullet, spike weakfish, sand eels, and spot, are on the move down the Garden State coastline.

Just gotta love October...the harvest month that keeps on giving!

This Saturday, October 23rd. No need for a license. No need for a trout stamp either if fishing in waters that have been stocked with trout. In an effort to promote the outstanding freshwater fishing opportunities throughout the Garden State, the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife, years ago, instituted a free fishing weekend that ran the third weekend in June. It...

Only a couple of weeks remain to get your striped bass bonus tag.