Hey!

[STEVE IN MASS]

Got back yesterday, and been trying to catch up.....6 pages+ just in this forum alone.....

Anyway, I have a ton of stuff to do, having been away a week, but when I get a chance, I'll tell you of my adventures and tribulations....

For now, let's just say that I'm cooking striper on the grill tomorrow night.....

And I did give them that road map......

[Jimbo]

Steve, if you caught it the Garden State, land of your in-laws, how about giving up the roadmap to those of us still stuck here?
The town's probably all I need, I can get directions from Jim Freda's book.

[STEVE IN MASS]

Jim....one in SSP, one in Lavallette, a whole bunch on the south side of Raritan Bay in Keansburg (the second or third most dangerous town in NJ....)

Send me a PM and I can get more specific, as I saw a bunch of nice spots down in SSP and Lavallette, but I would be hung if I blabbed....

[Got Stripers]

Welcome back Steve, did the trout fishing go well?

[STEVE IN MASS]

No trout, Bob....the speckled jaunt is in mid June down in Hatteras...

I did throw your rubber in the Bay in Jersey three nights, but no takers.....not cause of the baits, but cause of the absence of fish. The weakies really haven't showed up yet down there, but should any day now. My buddy Rick did hook into a fish about 2' long one night....it ran and came up betwen us, shook it's head, and came unbuckled, so we will never know if it was a bass or a weakfish, but he said it attacked more like a weakie.

All the fish caught were on clams. I had nothing Thursday night or all day Friday in the surf. Friday I meet up with Glub Glub from SOL and fished IBSP. We went thru exactly 1 clam each.... Saturday was more or less a washout with rain and a strong east wind. I spent that afternoon at Arby's motel drinking some cold ones, eating pizza, watching the NFL Draft, and BS'ing.

Sunday again brought no fish in a fairly heavy surf. Met up with Rick in the PM, and also saw a guy named Mighty Mouse from SOL/SS on the beach with his frat buddies. I give them credit, as they had no waders, just shorts and sandels/sneakers, but waded the surf for about two hours in 45 degree water temps. Though Mighty Mouse is from Mass, and fishes Plum Island, and said that the water wasn't much colder than they get up there in the middle of the summer.

Sunday night Rick and I went to the backside, and that's when he laid into that fish I talked about....about ten minutes before, I caught the world record striper.....if there is a world record for the smallest striper....it was no more than 4" long.....my first striper of the year.....

Monday morning brought me a 28 1/2", 8 1/2 lb fish on clams, and anotherbefore that which gave me a good run, but being the first real hit of the season, operator error set in.....over anxious...

I'll continue on the next post, as this is probably getting too long for one post.....

[STEVE IN MASS]

To continue......no more hits Monday morning.....Monday afternoon, Rick and I headed up to the Sandy Hook area and fish the south side of Raritan Bay in Keansburg.....only small hits, stealing our clams for about 2 hours. That was probably flounder that we couldn't hook with the larger striper hooks.

The infamous Suntzu, aka Hugh, showed up in a suit and tie and wingtips at about 6:15. We talked with him for awhile, watched the bunker splashing around, and then he hopped over the dune to change clothes. He came back, threw a clam out, and within 10 minutes, Rick was into a small striper. From then on, it was hit after hit. Rick ended up with 5-6 fish from 15" to about 25", Hugh had 10+ fish from 18" to 30", and I eh-um, had the skunk, though not for lack of hits. I swear, I was just chumming for Hugh, as I would get a hit, they would drop it, and 30 seconds later Hugh is pulling in a fish.

Live and learn.....I was using 7/0 J hooks, and I should have downsized, as Hugh had on something like a 4/0.....that, or it was the south Jersey clams I had.....Hugh got his up North, and they must have had that sewage scent to them from the Raritan Bay sweage leak.....made the Raritan Stripers feel at home.........

[STEVE IN MASS]

Part 3......

Tuesday morning, after hopping around a few spots, brought in another fish at 28" and 6 1/2 lbs, and a few other smaller ones that went back.

We figured Tuesday night the Bay Side would bust wide open, as Sunday night we had seen some good signs....some BLOOCRABS around, a few small baitfish. But alas, not a touch for 2 hours of throwing.

Talked to the guy in the room next to me, and while he had the skunk for his whole trip, he did see one nice weakie caught in the surf, on all things, a clam. There were also quite a few fish weighed in at the local B&T's on Monday.

Wednesday brought another day of nothing, and after meeting with Glub again, we went back to the backside with Rick. About 8 guys out there, inclusing the famous Bob Popovich, and not a fish landed....

That was it for me....Thursday morning I packed up and headed home....two fish in tow.

So, it could have been more productive, but it was fun, and at least I got my first fishies of the season....

[STEVE IN MASS]

PS...forgot to mention....there were a few LARGE around, as Thursday a 33 lb'er was caught about a mile south of where I was fishing, and over the weekend, there was a 38 lb'er and a 32 lb'er caught way up further North near the Shrewsbury River. That's why I was reluctant to downsize my hooks when we fished the Raritan Bay......