Left the house at 4:30 and headed down to Neptune City, NJ to fish the Raritan bay with the boys. Water temperature was 50* and bunker were tough to find in numbers, the schools scattered but we eventually got a few. Threw 9” paddle tails while hunting for bunker and even trolled to no avail, they wanted bunker only. Had a lot of fish that would pick up the offering, run for a bit but then drop the bait without committing. Landed 13 bass between the 3 of us and lost quite a few. Ben got the largest at 33# with Gregg a close second and dad mopped up the rear. I did lose a really good one boat side guessed at 35#. Really wanted to take one home but all were over the slot of 28-31.” Day started slow but ended up quite well. Fun time with the boys.
I'd say ... was a day well spent
bknecht wrote:
Left the house at 4:30 and headed down to Neptune City, NJ to fish the Raritan bay with the boys. Water temperature was 50* and bunker were tough to find in numbers, the schools scattered but we eventually got a few. Threw 9” paddle tails while hunting for bunker and even trolled to no avail, they wanted bunker only. Had a lot of fish that would pick up the offering, run for a bit but then drop the bait without committing. Landed 13 bass between the 3 of us and lost quite a few. Ben got the largest at 33# with Gregg a close second and dad mopped up the rear. I did lose a really good one boat side guessed at 35#. Really wanted to take one home but all were over the slot of 28-31.” Day started slow but ended up quite well. Fun time with the boys.
Left the house at 4:30 and headed down to Neptune ... (
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Nice catching guys! All the fish being over slot is a good sign for the future recruitment years. Thanks for sharing the day and pictures Brad.
US MARSHALL wrote:
I'd say ... was a day well spent
Thanks US, we had a fine time.
Fredfish wrote:
Nice catching guys! All the fish being over slot is a good sign for the future recruitment years. Thanks for sharing the day and pictures Brad.
For sure Fred, the slot limit is enhancing future recruitment. It’s tough getting a fish within those narrow confines though. Stripers aren’t my favorite on the table but I would have liked to have kept one for the smoker. Smoked up a few last year and they were fantastic.
bknecht wrote:
For sure Fred, the slot limit is enhancing future recruitment. It’s tough getting a fish within those narrow confines though. Stripers aren’t my favorite on the table but I would have liked to have kept one for the smoker. Smoked up a few last year and they were fantastic.
I haven't had any in quite a while, but I remember them being very tasty.
bknecht wrote:
Left the house at 4:30 and headed down to Neptune City, NJ to fish the Raritan bay with the boys. Water temperature was 50* and bunker were tough to find in numbers, the schools scattered but we eventually got a few. Threw 9” paddle tails while hunting for bunker and even trolled to no avail, they wanted bunker only. Had a lot of fish that would pick up the offering, run for a bit but then drop the bait without committing. Landed 13 bass between the 3 of us and lost quite a few. Ben got the largest at 33# with Gregg a close second and dad mopped up the rear. I did lose a really good one boat side guessed at 35#. Really wanted to take one home but all were over the slot of 28-31.” Day started slow but ended up quite well. Fun time with the boys.
Left the house at 4:30 and headed down to Neptune ... (
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Nice fish! You and your sons have been doing great catching stripers…keep catching!
DVTracker wrote:
Nice fish! You and your sons have been doing great catching stripers…keep catching!
Thanks DV, they’re a ton of fun at the end of a line.
bknecht wrote:
Left the house at 4:30 and headed down to Neptune City, NJ to fish the Raritan bay with the boys. Water temperature was 50* and bunker were tough to find in numbers, the schools scattered but we eventually got a few. Threw 9” paddle tails while hunting for bunker and even trolled to no avail, they wanted bunker only. Had a lot of fish that would pick up the offering, run for a bit but then drop the bait without committing. Landed 13 bass between the 3 of us and lost quite a few. Ben got the largest at 33# with Gregg a close second and dad mopped up the rear. I did lose a really good one boat side guessed at 35#. Really wanted to take one home but all were over the slot of 28-31.” Day started slow but ended up quite well. Fun time with the boys.
Left the house at 4:30 and headed down to Neptune ... (
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What a great day with the boys and some great fish
Those are some great stripers. That must have been an awesome trip.
DCGravity
Loc: Fairfax, VA (by way of Cleveland OH)
Wow! Those are some massive stripers! Nicely done. Great way to spend time with your boys!
bknecht wrote:
For sure Fred, the slot limit is enhancing future recruitment. It’s tough getting a fish within those narrow confines though. Stripers aren’t my favorite on the table but I would have liked to have kept one for the smoker. Smoked up a few last year and they were fantastic.
Try smoked bluefish. They are much better than smoked stripers.
Congrats to you and your sons. Slots sure can be discouraging but we know why they are there.
Fish On!!
ranger632 wrote:
What a great day with the boys and some great fish
Always fun to get together with the boys for some outdoor activities Ranger.
NJ219bands wrote:
Try smoked bluefish. They are much better than smoked stripers.
Thanks bands, I’ll have to give them a whirl. Just wondering if you’ve gotta remove that hemoglobin rich deep red meat, always do it with the stripers.
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