April at last! A month that signifies the birth of a new season is actually underway. Yes, there may have been fish to catch since January, but April brings with it a different compilation of sights ,sounds, smells, and taste all combining to make it feel like a new season. The longer days and warming temperatures is what this non-winter participant really craves, especially after a long winter of boat shows, outdoor shows, seminars and watching the winter run of The New Jersey Angler Video Magazine. It may not be flip-flop and shorts weather just yet, but it’s coming; oh yes, it’s coming!

 

Flatties first

 

   In the meantime, winter flounder will be one of my first targets. I can’t imagine a season beginning without fishing for these tasty and fun to catch species of the sole family. The key to success here is easy; just remember three things, chum, chum and more chum! At times the only difference between a boom or bust trip is the amount of “fresh” chum one is willing to make or purchase. A steady, consistent flow of chum is not only important to get the flatties biting, but it will also keep them biting and interested in the boat as a food source. Bloodworms as well as sandworms will produce fish when using a standard homemade or store-bought flounder rig weighted with painted yellow or red sinkers. I believe that a painted sinker will out-fish a plain sinker especially when “sinker bouncing” up and down a little. I cannot say for sure why, but it has been my own experience and observation over the years that the guys who consistently jig their rig will out fish the guys who don’t, and significantly!

   Early April will find most of the fish still a little ways from the inlet at places like ICWW around Harvey Cedars, Gulf Point, the “42”, “BI”, “BB” on up to the Seaside bridge and farther North. As we get further into the month look to Double Creek channel, Oyster Creek channel and Meyers Hole to see its share of the action as these areas tend to funnel the flounder making it very easy to target and catch them with reliability.

 

Ahhhh stripers

 

   Mid April we will start see a noticeable increase in the abundance of stripers moving into the bays. These weary and usually hungry new arrivals are a very welcome sight indeed. The first to arrive will not be the bunker-gobbling, trophy-size striped bass that we see from May through July. Rather, they will be a smaller class of fish ranging in size from 6 to 15 pounds. Clam, herring and artificials will all account for their share of these fish, so pick a favorite, or try all of the above and see what turns out to be the “soup de’ jour” or in this case the bait de’ jour.

   One of the coolest things I have witnessed while clam chunking on anchor for stripers was winter flounder riding the out-going tide at the water’s surface, shadowed by striped bass that were not allowing the hapless little flatties to retreat to the safety of the sandy floor on the channel bottom. As if the flounder didn’t have it bad enough by being knocked completely out of the water by the stripers below, things got even more bleak for them when from above, fast learning ospreys caught on quickly to the feeding opportunity.

 

New season blues

 

   As April wears on, and the bay’s water temperature rises, the ever cooperative racer blues show up in force with fish ranging in size from just a few pounds on up to teen-size gators! These fish are an all out blast to catch, hitting just about anything that one can throw at them. However, if anglers want some visual excitement, along with great action, they just have throw poppers. There is nothing quit like fishing in the serenity of the bay’s crystal clear shallows, only to have the peace shattered by multiple blues fighting over a topwater offering. It’s more than enough to jolt one back into reality.

   A unique characteristic of these early-season bluefish seems to be a noticeable clumsiness that actually lends itself well for the purpose of heart-stopping visual excitement. These early arrivals, whether still shaking off the effects of their trip northward or acclimating to the bay’s warmer temperatures, will make multiple attempts to connect or zero in on their target.

 

Tide-runner weakfish

 

  If weakfish is one’s game, there should be “no worries”. April could provide anglers with their best chances to connect with teen-sized, trophy weakfish. These plus-size beauties are fresh in from their wintering grounds and are ready to spawn. An interesting tidbit of information about their wintering grounds is that they actually are thought to winter offshore of the Virginia and North Carolina coasts at the continental shelf; and you thought they were a bay fish. Practicing catch and release is paramount when it comes to these early-season tide runners as they are here on a mission, to procreate. Allowing them to do so will help to provide years of fun for anglers and their families in the way of the smaller, more abundant spikes we will see later in the year.

   The best way to target these larger fish is with the use of artificials, whether it is plastics, plugs or the multitude of realistic swim baits. These larger fish are Piscivorous, or fish eaters and look for soft-ray finfish to sustain their larger chassis. Look to deep-water cuts and channels adjacent to grass flats as these fish are thought to be the apex predator of the grass flats.

 

   When most marinas will have the heavy scent of carnuba wax and anti-fouling paint hanging in the air, I will have the scent of the bay’s fresh salt air running through my lungs and the excitement of greeting the sounds of the first laughing gulls. So don’t be a Johnny come lately, be part of the welcoming committee for the new and exciting season. Ahhhh, April is here and boy does it feel good!