Barnegat Light B &T-Fishing report-04-14-10-By Bob Misak
As we cruise into the spring fishing season of 2010 things are starting to pop. The beach has been on and off with keeper bass coming from the suds just about anywhere on L.B.I. and fresh clam is of course the bait of choice, with no bunker to be had yet. The shop has fresh clams as well as blood worms for those who want try to put the 1st 30 lb. linesider on the scales this year.
Out on the jetty rocks the tog are rolling in shore and some 6 lb. fish have been caught and taken off, but fresh bits of clam seem to be out catching the crab baits right now, which makes sense as it is the natural bait until the crabs come out in full force. Bass are also being taken off the south jetty on guys that are tossing whole clams, but the tog are starting to steal baits, so anglers are sure to keep their bass baits well off the rock pile.
Outside boats are cleaning up on the blackfish with some cod fish mixed in, and its well worth a trip out to a wreck for some of those delicious togs before the season goes out on April 30th. With well over two weeks of togging to go, I’ll be out there grabbing up my share as often as possible.
In the bay guys are doing real well on short bass, and tossing poppers this time of year draws a lot of guys up on the flats between Double and Oyster creek channels, and 20 fish in a night isn’t uncommon. Thing is, they’re 90 percent toss backs right now, but they’re a ton of fun and who knows, you might put a keeper in the boat. The flounder are slowing up in Barnegat bay and most of the bigger fish are being caught north of here by Mantoloking Bridge and the Shark River. You really need a bright sunny day for those flatties, as they seem to get the rainy day doldrums and don’t want to eat. But we only have a little time to cash in on the flounders before they start high-tailing it out of here. I’ve had one guy tell me he caught a bluefish the other day in the bay and it was spitting up chunks of flounder. Hey, that fish was mine! Anyway, speaking of bluefish, they’re still an item at Oyster creek channel, with short bass mixed, and guys are fishing the mouth hoping to nail the first big weakfish of the season. Take a picture and let them swim, they aren’t that great to eat anyway. Let us not forget that the boys up top tell us that the stocks are in trouble, and with each tide runner carrying 2500 eggs, it makes sense to just toss them back.
The perch fishing in the Toms River has picked up big time, and down Jennings Rd. in Manahawkin the perch fishing is crazy right now, with 40 and 50 fish being caught by some guys in a night. Most of the perch are not eater sized, but one in ten are over 12 inches, and my son, my grand-daughter Brynn and me caught a bunch of good sized fish on Monday night, keeping ten or so for an absolutely fantastic perch dinner. So there are plenty of fishing options to choose as move into “cow season” and everybody is out there fishing.
Speaking of which, Brian Lodge is hosting his Garbagefish.com garbage fish tournament, and the shop is a weigh in station. The tournament is 20 bucks, and they’re giving out some real generous prizes for the largest sea robin, dogfish, and skate, and the cash prizes are worth it. Brian has a load of other prizes to give out as well, and this tourney is one where just about all of us can weigh a fish in, and can spark your interest when everybody else is complaining about these bait thieving species. I’m getting in so I don’t have to leave the beach during a skate invasion at night. Just go on to garbagefish.com to register or stop by the shop or by Fish Bonz in Forked River to register. So join us at Barnegat Light Bait & Tackle and we’ll put you on some fish! See you all at the shop, and good luck and great fishing to everyone!

Barnegat Light Bait and Tackle
1501 Bayview Ave.
Barnegat Light, NJ
(609) 494-4566
Website www.barnegatlightbaitandtackle.com
Email info@barnegatlightbaitandtackle.com