Brad Dokken/McClatchy News ServiceEven though it is December, the nice weather has allowed the fishing season to be extended.
We’ve got a few days to go before the man in the red suit makes his annual visit, and one might think that most fishermen have put away their tackle for the winter. Well, if you are one of those fishermen that have packed it in for the season, you are missing out on some of the best year ending action we have seen in many years, both in fresh and saltwater.
This fall’s weather has been some of the mildest in recent years. Compared to last year’s weather, the difference is like night and day. The mild fall we have had has kept water temperatures about 10 degrees warmer in the freshwater and ten to 15 degrees warmer in the brine. This has translated into some very good fishing, despite of some wet weather.
In the sweetwater, the December crappie fishing has been super on the local scene, and excellent throughout the state. Last season water temperatures in local lakes were 33 degrees on December 12th, and anglers had to battle skim ice on most local waters. By that date, anglers in the northern part of the state were already ice fishing on Lake Hopatcong and most of the smaller lakes in the northern portion of the state. Likewise, most south Jersey fishermen were frozen out of the pickerel fishing in the bogs and shallow water lakes.
This year water temps were 44 degrees on December 12th and have been holding around the 40-degree mark since then. Skim ice on local waters has been almost non-existent. Some icing has taken place in the northern portion of the state and in the Poconos, however, anglers are still fishing open water on most lakes, seeing good crappie fishing, some very good deepwater bass fishing and excellent walleye fishing in several waters.
In the brine, water temps were 52-degrees along the inshore waters on December 12th. Last year on that date they were hovering around the 40-degree mark. This has kept large numbers of sandeels, rainfish and bunker moving along the inshore waters. As a result, there are still good numbers of stripers and bluefish feeding on these baitfish and making runs at the beaches up and down the coast. Beach fishermen continue to catch stripers on plugs and metal, as well as bait. Another thing that the warmer than normal water temps have done is kept the blackfish in shallower water. This has given bottom fishermen some of the best tog fishing in recent years and there is no sign of the fishing slowing up or of the fish moving into deeper water.
There has also been increasing amounts of ling and cod stacking up along the coast, and mid-range fishing has also been very good.
In all, fishing in December has been above average and should remain there through the holidays.
License Snafu: The Division of Fish and Wildlife is advising hunters who purchased 2011 Shotgun or 2011 Muzzleloader deer permits on or after December 14, 2011 to review their permits and if necessary, follow the instructions provided in the following information.
Due to automated licensing system changes necessary to begin issuing 2012 hunting and fishing licenses, 2011 Shotgun and 2011 Muzzleloader deer permits purchased on or after December 14, 2011 at license agent locations with Verifone machines were printed and will continue to be printed with only one transportation tag for all zones, including zones where two antlerless deer at a time may be taken (Zones 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 36, 41, 42, 48, 49, 50 and 51). Permits issued by agents with internet based systems were not affected and will continue to be issued with the appropriate number of transportation tags. Hunters who harvest two antlerless deer at a time in zones where it is legal, but were issued a permit having only one transportation tag, are instructed to record both deer on the one transportation tag.
That transportation tag should then be attached to either deer and both deer should be transported at the same time to a check station. Check stations will check both deer normally by completing a data form for each deer and by issuing a metal seal and supplemental transportation tag for each deer.
If a hunter with an affected permit checks only one deer from a zone where two antlerless deer at a time may be taken, the check station will only issue one supplemental transportation tag to the hunter. If that hunter harvests two antlerless deer at a time on a later date, they should use the supplemental transportation tag for one deer and a homemade transportation tag for the second
deer.The Outdoor Report
Saltwater
Inshore Fishing
Red hot blackfishing was the word from Capt. Bob Quinn of the Ocean Explorer. Bob said the warmer than normal water temps (53 degrees on Wednesday) have been keeping the tog in 30 to 40-feet of water, making for some easy fishing. This is some of the best December fishing we have seen in recent years, Bob added. Another boat captain that told me of very good December bottom fishing was Capt. Butch Egerter of the Dauntless. Butch said get in on the fishing while the weather is mild, because this has been one of the best Decembers in a while. His boat has been into a mix of sea bass, porgies, tog, ling and also has striper s and bluefish this past week. Capt. Chris Hueth of the Mohawk echoed the reports of excellent blackfishing and said plenty of limits have been coming up on his decks with some pool fish topping the 10-pound mark. The fishing has been red hot in 40 to 50-feet of water and the fishing should go well into January. Capt. Steve Spinelli of the Skylarker gave me a call to say the blackfishing remained solid with a group from the Monmouth Beach Cartoppers slamming the whitechins to John Giben’s 7 pounder then boating stripers to 18 pounds. The Tom Campbell group boated a mix of sea bass, ling, porgies and cod, while the Tim Carder party from New Hope, limited out with stripers to 16 pounds and decked tog Tom Kelly’s 7 pounder. Capt. Butch Egerter of the Dauntless said his boat has been into decent bottom fishing. Ling and tog have been dominating the catch with some stripers, cod and pollock mixing in. Capt. Greg Market of the Golden Eagle told me his boat is still fishing for stripers and his last couple of trips have been outstanding while fishing between Sea Bright and Belmar. The boat will be fishing stripers this coming week so if you are off work give it a shot. The Paramount has been into some very good ling fishing, reports Greg Bogan at Brielle B & T. The boat has been seeing good catches in 70 to 150-feet at the Mud Hole with some cod mixed in. The Jamaica’s last several offshore trips have been seeing improving sea bass catches along with plate size porgies, cod, pollock and hake, while her sister ship the Jamaica II has been putting anglers into decent tog catches when she has been able to sail. The Gambler is another boat that has been hammering the striped bass. Capt. Bob Bogan said his trips this past week jigged plenty of bass and blues while fishing north of Belmar.Surf Fishing
Reports coming from the beach show sporadic bass action up and own the coast. There is even a few bluefish still around in some areas. Water temps in the surf are in the low 50s and there is still plenty of baitfish moving along the beaches.Bay Fishing
A few boats continue to pick up bass in Raritan Bay and anglers fishing from the shorelines along the lower part of the bay are picking up mixed size fish on clams.Freshwater
Local Lakes & Streams
Several local waters provided excellent crappie fishing this past week, and we are also seeing a upsurge in white and yellow perch being caught. Bass fishing has been spotty with a few bass still being caught on live bait, along with some pickerel in a few lakes. Top spots this past week included Lake Mercer, Assunpink Lake, Stone Tavern Lake, Carnegie Lake and Grovers Mills.Delaware River
Not much to report on the big river. We have heard a few reports of walleyes being caught at Lambertville, Scudders Falls and Bryam. However, so few anglers have been fishing the river that reports have been scarce. In the lower river a few bass, walleyes and catfish are being caught at the Trenton Power Plant when they are pumping warm water. Fishing in the coves has quieted down with only a few perch and crappies being caught on the top of the outgoing water.Water temps in both the tidal and non-tidal river are in the mid 30s and water levels are still running higher then normal for this time of the year. All launch ramps are serviceable.
North Jersey
Northern lakes are seeing some skim ice but for the most part anglers are still open water fishing. Lake Hopatcong is serving up some crappies and panfish off the bridges and a few anglers are jigging walleyes of the drop-offs. Shoreline fishing continues to produce a few trout at Round Valley and the few boat fishermen that are fishing are seeing some nice catches of lakers and browns.We also got reports of trout being caught in the Pequest down from the hatchery, in the Pohatcong at Ravine Road, in the Gorge on the South Branch and at Warren Glen and Asbury on the Musconetcong. Here too only a few anglers have been taking advantage of the fishing.
South Jersey
Pickerel fishing is the name of the game in the lower part of the state. The warm weather continues to keep the fishing hot in Pemberton Lake, Lebanon Lake and the bogs and ponds off Route 70, Stafford Forge and Colliers Mills. I also got a report of perch and short stripers being caught in the Maurice River at Millville.Pennsylvania
The only report we got form Bucks County was some crappies and panfish being caught in Lake Luxumburg. While lakes are starting to ice up in the Poconos, we still have not gotten any reports of safe ice. In the Lehigh Valley the Little Lehigh and Monocracy creeks are giving up trout in the afternoons.Contact J.B. Kasper at jb.kasper@verizon.net.
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≈~≈The Daily Catch Team≈~≈
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