Good news, anglers – they’re back.Crabby’s Bait and Tackle in Keyport tells me that the bluefish have invaded the surf along Keyport and Cliffwood Beach.
Surf anglers have been nailing hungry chopper blues up to 10 pounds on bunker (both incoming and outgoing tides) along with plenty of catch-and-release stripers in the mix .
Charter Boat Freddy C of Leonardo made its first run of the year and reported Wayne Smith and Trent Charilas of Florham Park both decided on a split decision with 10-pound bluefish and 10-pound striper pool winners.
Hi-Mar club member Bill Boardman took the first-quarter Intra-Club Tournament. Bill has been the hot hook in the club so far this year with several reported limits of flounder and a reported catch of over 75 striped bass last week. The majority of the bass were shorts, but Bill did manage to find that 34-pound fish in that mix.
Capt. Jerry Beaver of The Teacher’s Pet reported, “The bass fishing is very good with many of the fish short. I would guess the throwback ratio is about 10 to 1. Almost all of the action has been on clams with some larger fish on bunker. The entire fleet has been fishing at Romer Shoal; the harder you clam, the more fish you boat.”
N.J. saltwater fisherman reported the Point Pleasant canal was loaded with blues and stripers. There were a few boats drifting in the mouth of the Bay Head side, with anglers nailing the blues. On the Manasquan side, the guys fishing off-land on the canal were reeling up stripers one after another.
Hi-Mar fourth annual Charity Spring Bass Tournament is June 2
The Hi-Mar Striper Club third annual Bass Tournament will benefit Jason’s Dreams for Kids. Hi-Mar would like to give the captains the option to donate their catch to be filleted by the club members and donate the filets to the Monmouth County FoodBank. Last year this was a huge success, with well over 450 pounds of filet given to the food bank for distribution.
Mark your calendars – a mandatory captain’s meeting will be held Friday, June 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Twin Lights Marina, Shrewsbury Avenue, Highlands (www.twinlightsmarina.com). The tournament will begin at lines-in time of 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 2. The weight scale opens at 1:30 p.m. at the Twin Lights Marina.
Registration applications may be picked up at most tackle shops and mailed in, or by signing up at the captain’s meeting June 1, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Entry fee is $100 per boat, max six persons aboard.
Following the tournament, a picnic hosted by the Hi-Mar Striper Club will be open to all participants of the tournament. During the picnic, the Coors Light Girls will be in attendance with beer specials.
To find out more information, call the tournament directors: Barry Heffernan at (908) 309-9048, or Bob Kaminski at (732) 495-9210, or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Recipe of the week
Every week I ask readers to send in their favorite local recipes to share with the rest of us. Our recipe this week comes from Sandy Ng, whose parents from Hong Kong, China, have passed on this authentic sea bass recipe that they have enjoyed for generations. Sandy tells me you can try this with any favorite fish.
Get the Net: 5 out of 5 nets
Difficulty: Very Simple
Comments: One of a kind, healthy and simply delicious
Sandy Ng’s Sea Bass Delight
All you need is soy sauce, corn oil, scallions
In a large pot (big enough and long enough that the whole, cleaned fish will fit in) boil water, enough water to cover the fish when you place it in water.
Step 1. When the water is boiling, place whole fish in, turn off the flame and cover.
The size of the fish determines the amount of time the fish stays in the water, usually about eight minutes.
Step 2. When fish is done, gently remove from water and place on a platter. This is the hardest part – be gentle.
When the fish is cooking in the water chop up some scallions (green onions) put aside.
Step 3. Heat up some corn oil, enough to coat the fish and then some for dipping. Once oil is hot, remove from flame and place in chopped scallions.
Step 4. Take the oil and scallion mixture and drizzle over the fish, enough to coat.
Pour the rest of the scallions and oil in a small bowl for dipping, and the last touch is drizzle soy sauce on fish.
Chef: Sandy Ng, Holmdel