It’s fall striper season in New Jersey

Every spring and fall the Atlantic striped bass or "stripers" make their migratory trek up and down the east coast. Along the way, they stop to feed on a smaller fish called menhaden, also known as bunker.

These are filter-feeding fish that swim together tightly in large schools. Sometimes they chase the schools close to the beach and surf fishermen can have a field day.

Boaters have the luxury of following the schools of bunker and the stripers that feed on them. If you walk along any beach in New Jersey in the spring and fall when most sun-worshipers are elsewhere, you might have wondered what all those boats are doing. Most weekend days you'll find hundreds of boats pretty close to the shoreline hunting these trophy fish.

Weekdays are a little less crowded but still busy.

I was lucky enough to get a day off and give it a shot this year and jump onboard with Captain Tony Bartone of Ark Sportfishing Charters.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis Malloy's own.