Ron Nuzzolo

Fish On

Return of winter stalls early striped bass fishing In search of the first striped bass of the year was not as easy as I thought.

Opening day was Thursday, March 1. I searched as far south as Exit 58 on the Garden State Parkway. Bloodworms were the bait of choice, which was almost impossible to even find. One angler said he did get some at Scotts Bait and Tackle in Tuckerton. Clams were the second choice, and they, too, were tough to find - one angler improvised and went to Costco and picked up what they had.

Water temps were in the low 30s - still a little too chilly for bass. I did speak to a few gentlemen who released a few shorts (under 28 inches) off the Route 9 bridge at the Forked River Power Plant discharge canal. They did mention if you fish on the West side of the Route 9 bridge, you are required to have a freshwater fishing license, so keep that in mind.

Offshore:

The Gambler out of Point Pleasant is still pursuing the deep water ling and hake offshore. The Gambler did come into some nice size sea bass and ling as well as a few mackerel in the mix. You have to applaud the crew; they worked it the entire winter, producing good numbers all along, including the Norma K lll, who had a good winter as well. Thanks, guys, for curing cabin fever for those of us with the need to fish.

2007 fluke regulations are in:

The state Marine Fisheries Council voted Thursday for a 108-day fluke season, which will allow anglers to fish on both Memorial Day and Labor Day this year.

Over 100 people attended the meeting at the Atlantic County library in Absecon, and, after an hour and 10 minutes of discussion, the decision was made. Fluke season is opening May 26 and running through Sept. 10 with an eight-fish possession limit and a 17-inch minimum size. Good luck and fish on.

Every week I ask readers to send in their favorite local recipes to share with the rest of us. At the end of the year, I will post my three favorite recipes. Once we post them, you, the readers, will decide who will become the first annual "Fish on with Ron - Local Seafood Recipe Champ." Please send your recipe and/or fishing report to me at ron@signbrothers.com

First place will receive their favorite fishing picture reproduced on a 2-by-2-foot gallery-wrapped canvas photo. If you need a centerpiece over your fireplace, this is it. Remember, your recipe should also tell us where you're from and how you came about creating your culinary masterpiece.

Our next recipe is very interesting; it comes from a fan reading the article on www.gmnews.com.

Laura Mooney is from across the bay, a Staten Island native for over 50 years, and she read "Fish On" while at a friend's house, Kevin Mckee of Middletown. Since she doesn't receive the paper, she simply accesses it on the Internet. She claims to hold many blue-ribbon cooking awards and also enjoys any cooking contests she can enter. Laura was nice enough to e-mail this original masterpiece to share with us that can go with just about any fish you wish.

Get the net: 5 out of 5 nets

Comment: very diverse, healthy, excellent presentation, original

Difficulty: simple

Steamed fish with olives and capers

Parchment paper can be used to cook fish. It creates steam and makes any thick fillet taste awesome

Chilean sea bass

Olive oil

Olives

Capers

Cherry tomatoes

Fresh parsley

Fresh garlic

Place fish on parchment paper (comes in box like waxed paper, available in supermarkets). Meanwhile, mix good virgin olive oil with sliced black olives, a handful of capers, about 10 cherry tomatoes, some minced garlic and chopped fresh parsley. Add all these ingredients to fish and seal up the paper. Place it on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. You can use any thick fillet for this.

Chef: Laura Mooney, Staten Island, N.Y.