STRIPED BASS
The 2006 striped bass fishing was a carbon copy of the last several years in the Mid-Atlantic states. In the Garden State, the fishing started to heat up by early spring, thanks to a mild winter. By April, the fishing had broken wide open in Raritan Bay, and big fish were part of most catches.

Likewise, the fishing in Delaware Bay was also excellent early and kept on producing well into the summer.

How early or how late the better fishing for migrating striped bass will start in Jersey waters is a result of the weather. The one thing that has been the mainstay of early-season fishing is the huge number of local fish that don't migrate out of state waters.

One of the main reasons for the increase in the number of resident bass along the Jersey coast is the large schools of menhaden (bunker), on the increase since the passage of the Menhaden Protection law several years back. Since the bill was passed, the number of resident bass has increased big time as more bass hold over along the coast, especially when mild winters are present.

In short, look for another good spring in Raritan Bay and the surrounding waters.

Most of the early-season catches are made by anglers using bloodworms and clams, and this pattern usually holds into the middle of the spring. Once the bass start to feed on the bunker, then live, cut and fresh bunker will be your bait of choice, along with trolling bunker spoons and big plugs.

Likewise, the spring has been producing bigger bass in the suds along the Jersey coast. In fact, the last couple of years have seen better fishing in the spring than in fall.

In the last several years, Delaware Bay's striped bass fishing has been on a roller coaster ride. Here, too, the reason has been the unstable weather patterns of the last several years. In the last two years or so, the Delaware River has experienced three mega-floods, and the influx of freshwater into the bay has had a lot to do with how erratic the fishing has been.

It has also affected spawning in the river north of Philadelphia. Should unstable weather continue this spring, look for the fishing to be hot and cold once again. However, should the weather pattern stabilize, striped bass fishing could be some of the best in the last several seasons.

In Chesapeake Bay, striped bass fishing has seen a trend towards smaller fish. No doubt this has a lot to do with the problems the bay's forage base has been experiencing.