he 2002 season has come to a close and I think that many anglers are happy that it has. Each year when a new season begins I, like many, have high expectations of a record breaking season, plenty of blitzes, fish just about every time I go out, and just maybe that trophy fish that will be the biggest one that I have ever had.

Well for me anyway I will just have to wait to see what 2003 brings to meet all of the above expectations. 2002 will go down in the record books as a season that was suppose to be but never really got into high gear.

To sum it up in one word it was fair and I think that might be giving it some praise that it does not deserve. A good fall can save a season and make you forget about a poor spring and summer but when you end a season with a bust it kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Here's a quick overview. For the most part our spring run of bass was unlike what we are accustomed to seeing mainly because we had a very poor run of alewife and blueback herring. Hotspot anadromous points such as Deal Lake and Wreck Pond saw little in a way of an upward movement of these baits due to the shoaling of sand around their entrance points. The Metedeconk faired better but the sunken rocks around Barnegat Inlet, which normally produces fifty pounders each spring left a lot to be desired. Raritan Bay topped the list of best spring spots to be along with the upper southern Bayshore for bass but even with the number of fish we had years past were better.

As late spring approached we all waited for the big tide running weakfish to fill the void but for the most part these 7-12 pound fish were elusive. Some traditional time proven hot spots such as the Manasquan Inlet rail, and the bulkhead at Island Beach State Park have all seen better seasons. Here again the Reach in Raritan Bay proved tops and a sleeper was the Shark River but not many anglers knew about this one.

The big bunker run that occurs along the beach in June and early July was short lived so we never had a quality shot at the big twenty and thirty pound bass that these baits bring tight to the beach. Many days were spent snagging baits that went untouched as they were released back into the pods.

One highlight of the summer months was the invasion of the cow-nosed rays that were tight to the beach. In fact on many days beaches had to be closed to allow a parade of thousands of these prehistoric specimens to glide on by. We targeted them on the fly using small crab patterns and consistently hooked into 20-60 pound fish.

The fall however brought high expectations because we did see plenty of small baits stacked up in our back bays and rivers. In fact, so much bait was present in September that everyone was saying what a great fall it would be. But Mother Nature took care of that as she ushered in plenty of northeast wind or hard south blows to kill one weekend after the next. As a result our mullet run was short lived and only teen size bass were the norm along the beach.

Through the rest of the fall and its accompanying winds the bridge fishing in the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers was a saving grace as this was very good. Plenty of big fish were had here with some record numbers in terms of pounds of bass recorded for the Interclub striper tournaments. But as we all know this type of specialized fishing simply wasn't an option for your average angler.

Our inshore run of false albacore from July through October never materialized like it did last year when just about on any day you could find all the albies you wanted on the lumps and ridges. Yes there were fish but they were more difficult to find this year. And as far as the beach went the albies didn't even know where it was.

As we finished out the season in late fall the peanut bunker were short lived on the beach with a lot of running around to follow the pods that were there. And the sandeels stayed off the beach almost completely making it once again a boater's game leaving the surfcaster high and dry. But even here your once or twice a week boater found it hard to find any consistent action. If however you were out on every windless permitting day you did ok.

In the early part of December cold temperatures along with quickly dropping ocean temperatures that were accompanied by an early season snowstorm quickly took away any remaining enthusiasm that anglers might have had. Most called it an early season and pulled the boats so as not to get caught in the water with possible future snowstorms on the way.

Probably the best and most consistent highlight of the season was all the big fluke that were caught this year during its limited season. Boaters did very well and many consistently caught a range of fish from three to seven pounds. Besides this an abundant number of doormats above seven pounds were taken from our waters. A good number of 10 pound plus fish were also taken.

Putting your time in this year along with plenty of luck factoring into the equation were the keys to doing well in 2002. Yes there were memorable moments, some big blitz days, and some big fish that were had but it definitely wasn't the norm. Bring on 2003!