Striped Bass, Tautog and Cod. And New Hours.
We had a busy weekend here at Grumpys Tackle. We had a big shipment of items that we have had on order for almost a year (not kidding) and the fishing has been improving.
Some of the biggest news in the shop is we have changed over to our summer hours. We will be open 4:30 AM to 8:00 PM every day for the foreseeable future. Of course, our online shop is open 24x7…..
So, one of the items we have been waiting to see for a long tome are Calcutta Sunglasses. We finally got a bunch in and have them on a new floor stand in the shop. They were one of the most asked for items recently, and we now have them available.
We have restocked on Z-Belts for those looking for a wader belt with back support. All sizes available in the shop, and online they will be available during the week.
Need a set of rod holders for your beach buggy? We got those in too. Both 4 and 6 rod holders meant to mount on your bumper. We also have the hitch receiver mount for these if you need it.
As for the fishing, we have been hearing some really good reports. Scott (from the shop) took one of the new Salty C’s Divers out on his kayak and had a heck of a night. He sent this picture in of one of his many fish. no, there is nothing wrong with your screen, the picture is a little blurry...
The fishing on the ocean side beaches has been heating up for striped bass. Most have been caught on bait. Clams, bunker, and bloodworms have all been working. We have also been hearing of some fish being caught on lures in the surf, including the one in the picture submitted by Thomas through Instagram. He said it fell for a kettle creek shad on a jig head.
The bass bite in the Barnegat bay has remained hot, although the fish remain on the small side. We have had reports from all over the bay, but some have been some coming from closer to the Barnegat Inlet. Lure have been the ticket in the bay, and the hot items have remained as it was in previous reports (like this one, and this one, and this one), but add to that SP Minnows and Bomber Long Shot minnows. Dark colors and bone have been working.
The blackfish bite has been good. Teal weighed in a 23 inch, 8.9 pound tog that won the pool on the party boat he was on. He caught it fishing a whole crab on an S&S White Chin Wrecker jig. He said he and his buddy were out fishing everyone on the boat with the jigs. As an added bonus, we have been hearing about of lot of cod being caught by people fishing for blackfish. Size/possession limits for Atlantic Cod are 21 inches / 10 fish.
No clever picking on Ray this time. But, seeing him getting hit in the face is always funny. This time, it’s a fish…
Again, the hair…