When the first waves of migratory striper steam west along the south shore of Long Island, the first reports generally come along the Monmouth County stretch of the Jersey Shore, with jumbo stripers being caught and released sometimes during the middle of the month. If you’re hunting for pictures of a personal best, why not turn those photos into cash.
The Hi-Mar Striper Club will host their annual Bob Kamienski Memorial, a 40-hour “catch, picture and release” striper tournament from October 16-18. The captains meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on October 16 at American Legion Post 338 in Leonardo with an entry fee of $200 per boat or kayak. Go to Hi-Mar.com.
Next up is the Twin Lights Cup Striper Tournament on October 23. Based out of Bahr’s Landing in support of the Monmouth County Mental Health Association, that captains meeting will be held on October 15. For all the details email brian@jerseydevilsportfishing.com or visit thetwinlightscup.com.
While these tournaments are exclusively catch and release, keep in mind this season that the limit for keepers is one fish from 28 to 31 inches in length. For all those stripers under or over the slot, take particular care to release these fish properly. Don’t put your hands into the gills, and avoid holding big fish vertically (brace the trophies, one hand on the jaw and the other holding its belly in a horizontal position).
Make sure your crew is prepped for the task of landing fish, from the angler on the rod to the net man and captain; take a quick photo and avoid keeping fish out of the water for too long.
