Rack & Fin Radio

Depending on where you’re dropping a trap or hand line, crabbing has been fair to excellent. As the summer progresses, figure it to hit good to super status, again, predicated on the venue.

In reference to the 1967 #1 pop hit by The Turtles, it’s indeed a happy time when one observes a box turtle in the garden or lawn.

There is no better time than from when you’re reading this through June 22, the last day of the segmented sea bass season, to hop on a vessel and get in on the drop ‘n reel fishing and the post trip tongue-slap-yer-brains-out dinners and fried fish sandwiches.

The Little Italy, Resor, Cole and Triple Wrecks are but a few of the locations loaded with sashimi.

It’s arrived in time for many thousands of bay, tidal river and inshore saltwater anglers to cancel a rod ‘n reel uprising: tomorrow’s (5/24) opening of the fluke season.

The current run of striped bass is developing to be the best springtime sprint in years, be it along the beaches or out front in the depths.

The way the newly arriving stripers and blues are savaging fresh bunker and fresh (and salted) clam baits in the suds as they trek northward along casting distance of the beaches, it’s akin to an out-of-control jet sprayer.

The next couple of weeks are the twixt ‘n tween of the emerging hot spring saltwater fishing.

One week in, and it’s looking like this will be on par with last year’s spring gobbler season harvest when 2,864 gobblers were brought in to the mandatory check stations during the five week segmented season.

While stripers and tog have been getting the overwhelming majority of the saltwater angler attention, the black drum have been rolling with a building bang that will reach a kettle booming crescendo during the upcoming weeks.

The out front (read: ocean) spring run of stripers is underway, and when it comes to out-of-the-doldrums-let’s play smash mouth, well, the opening bell has been rung.

The 2019 trout season kicks in at 8am this Saturday, and from all indications, it looks like not only a banner Opening Day, but a season as well.

It’s time to catch the biggest bass of your life...at least in New Jersey! The largemouth, not the striped kind.

Figure by this weekend, and into next week for sure as a result of the warming trend and uptick in water temperatures, the white perch will start putting the raspy lips to blood worm and grass shrimp baits.

And just like that, it’s once again legal to fish for striped bass in the bays and tidal rivers and creeks.

February is a tricky month fishing-wise.

Sea bass and ling and are providing steady fishing, with a bonus in the form of cod and winter flounder. Fluke fishing is solid in the back bays, although the bigger fish appear to be moving out front. Bluefish are more on than off. Crabbing is on the upswing.

Flounder (fluke) fishing in the back bay is torrid.

Sea bass fishing is improving by the day, and the fluke season is off to a rip snorting start.

Finally! Some consistency with the flounder bite, especially in the back bays, ICW, rivers and inlets from Manasquan south through Hereford.