Rack and Fin

It will be a double shot Opening Day throughout the Garden State for trout.

While not at the level of the summer flounder opener when it comes to angler participation, the April 1st opening of the blackfish (tog) season is nonetheless greeted with over-the-top enthusiasm.

The gobblers are starting to strut and spread those fans, and the hens are starting to notice.

That’s until 8am next Thursday, April 1, the first of two “opening days” of the statewide trout season.

Nasty and disgusting. Tiny and insidious. And purveyors of various diseases, a few of which can be debilitating and, in worse case scenarios, fatal.

This is perhaps the most perfect time to enjoy a hike or a cycling exercise through the vast stretches of the Pine Barrens.

The springtime migration of raptors through, or to, southern New Jersey is happening, brought to light with first hearing, then seeing, an osprey make a dive into the ICW while plugging for stripers behind Ocean City.

“Nothing is over! Nothing! You just don’t turn it off!”

March roared in like lion, and with it a slow first week and weekend of the striped bass season in the back bays and rivers.

No doubt there’s sure to be a lot of head shaking going on, but the decision is final.