Striped bass harvest exceeds great run of 2006

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Striped bass harvest exceeds great run of 2006
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 07/7/07
BY JOHN GEISER
CORRESPONDENT

Striped bass fishermen dream about a day like Thursday when trophy bass are so plentiful that they get tired of catching them.

Boaters had the best of it, but even some surf fishermen came away exhausted from the beaches. There was action all along the coast, but the center seemed to be from Belmar to Deal.

Mel Martens of the Asbury Park Fishing Club stopped at the Fisherman's Den after battling 15 big fish up to 39 pounds, 10 ounces, and admitted he was whipped.

He told Bob Matthews of the Den staff that he has been in on all of the great summer bass blitzes in the last three years, and this was, by far, the best.

"He said he stopped fishing; he'd had enough," Matthews said. "It was the best ever — all of the fish were over 30 pounds."

One of the mates on the Miss Belmar Princess came into the Den to report having been into the fish only a long cast from Shark River Inlet.

"They stopped and jigged 30 bass up to 45 pounds," Matthews said. "They had four bass over 40 pounds. They were into a massive amount of big fish."

Matthews said his customers have been coming in with limits of big stripers since Monday.

"Boaters report it is easier to catch eight 25- to 35-pound bass than it is to catch eight keeper fluke," he said. "Snag a bunker, catch a fish."

Adam Horvath was out with friends, and came back to the Den with 10 bass to 35 pounds, and he fished just outside Shark River Inlet.

"Riding through the parking lot in Belmar one day, all of the cleaning tables were covered by large bass," Matthews said. "Surf guys have had some blitzes, but the boats have had the best of it."

We recall Matthews saying last year that the harvest of big bass the last week in June was the best he had seen in 40 years of bass fishing. This year was better with the fish averaging larger than those recorded in the great run of 2006.

Matthews said so many huge bass were brought in that many were not recorded. The Den cooler was overflowing with big fish being donated to charity or held until anglers could steak them up.

Jerry van de Sande, president of the Spring Lake Live Liner Fishing Club, brought in a 39-pounder. He was the one who urged frustrated anglers a few weeks ago to have patience.

Capt. Scott Kulaszewski, skipper of the Promises Kept out of Shark River, was out with the George Phillip party, Fords, and they limited out on big bass while trolling bunker spoons, and added a lot of big blues taken chumming.

Kulaszewski and Capt. Vernon Bryan were out with the Rob Werosta party, Jackson, and they split the day between stripers and fluke. Trolling spoons produced three bass over 20 pounds off Monmouth Beach, and drifting yielded eight keeper fluke.

John Christensen of Scott's Bait and Tackle, Bradley Beach, has had so many entries in his log book that he faxed us four pages of anglers' names and the weights of their fish.

"They're coming in here in a steady stream," he said. "I'm sending you one list of just 40-pounders."

Roy Soyka, Middletown, had two bass - 40.01 and 40.8 pounds. The lighter one measured 47 inches long, and the heavier 45 3/4 inches. J.T. Penschow, Cranford, had a 49-inch bass that weighed 41.1 pounds, and was caught on a popper in Deal.

Herb Himsel, Toms River, had a 41.4-pound bass caught on a popper. That fish measured 47 inches long. Ralph Ward of the Asbury Park Fishing Club had two — 34.25 and 29.1 pounds — caught on poppers in the Asbury surf, and Jimmy Summers of Neptune had two - 35.2 and 28 pounds.

Anthony Martelli, Asbury Park brought in a 37.3-pound bass caught on a popper; Rob Pruszynski, Asbury Park Fishing Club, had a 30.15-pound bass, and Charlie Rhen, Neptune, had a 34.35-pounder. Both were caught on poppers.

Bob McBurnie, director of the Leonardo Party and Pleasure Boatman's Association, has announced that the organization's 24th annual shark tournament will be held July 14.

The tournament will be run out of Leonardo State Marina. Entry fee is $250 per boat with a limit of 125 boats and $21,000 in prizes. The tournament is for makos and threshers only. The captains' meeting will be held at 7 p.m. July 12 at the marina. Call 732-741-8935 for further information.


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