Fish On Shad lures taking local anglers by storm Ron Nuzzolo Put away the diamond jigs: a new era has begun.The era of the shad has taken anglers by storm. With the fall bass run continuing into January, I was fortunate enough to take a trip with my father on Capt. Ron's Fishermen in Atlantic Highlands (no relation to me). Being a traditional jig fisherman, my tackle box is filled with A-40's and 80's in all colors. But after my trip, and watching the success of some avid fishermen, I quickly ran out and purchased several different types of storm shads. "Match the hatch" seems to be the name of the game, and for all you veteran fishermen, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Bass inshore feeding on rain fish seem to take the smaller 2- to 4-inch shads, but in the deeper water where the big cows are feeding on herring, the 12-inch white holographic shads worked best. Shad lures were introduced to me by my brother Chris about a year ago. He insisted that they work better than bait, and he was right. I watched him catch everything from sea robins, skates and weakfish to mahi mahi on these lures. We even had a 90-pound yellowfin tuna take one in the canyon on a spinner. Talk about smoking your reel. I figured I would start introducing to the column the lure of the month, and some recognition is definitely deserved to the storm shad. These lures can be worked on the top of the water, jigged on the bottom and even trolled. And if you're worried about those toothy critters destroying your lures, don't worry; you can pick up a six pack of them at your local tackle shop for about $5. I loaded up on all my lures at the Raritan Center show. I did pick up one particular lure that I can't wait to try out, the wiggle rig. I don't know if anyone saw the booth, but they had the lure in a fish tank with the filter running and, man, does this lure move. It looks good enough for even me to eat. So if you want to e-mail me some feedback about the wiggle lure or any others that may have worked for you in the past, I'll be more than happy to discuss it. So make room in your tackle box. This is the perfect time of the year to get organized, start clipping off some of those old knot ends from your lures and make some room for the storm shads - you won't be disappointed. Attention boaters There seems to be considerable public confusion regarding a New Jersey Marine Police Boating certificate required under the 2006 law, and boating addendum to driver's licenses, according to District Lt. Don Baker of the Raritan Bay Power Squadron, a local unit of the United States Power Squadrons. The license addendum applies only to fresh water lakes or rivers, he said. Boaters are finding that when they appear at the Motor Vehicles Commission to renew their licenses, they are told they must first pass a certified boating safety course. Many boaters think they are legal with this endorsement when boating on tidal waters, which they are not. New Jersey units of the Power Squadrons have scheduled NASBLA (National Association of Boating Law Administers)-approved boating safety courses throughout the area that meet the requirements of the New Jersey law requiring boaters to pass a safety course and receive a New Jersey Marine Police Safety Certificate. According to Lt. Baker, he receives calls almost daily from people just learning about the law. Boaters can locate a course near them by visiting www.usps.org and typing in their ZIP code or by calling (732) 566-9652. Recipe of the week I have been receiving many e-mails from readers with original local seafood recipes. Please keep your recipes coming to ron@signbrothers.com. One recipe I received from George Virgilio of South River was not only original, but has been in his family for generations. George and his family moved from Newark to Point Pleasant in the '70s. He remembers as a kid, his mom and dad would visit the incoming party boats at the docks with their catch of the day. George recalls his dad buying a whole bluefish from the fishermen for $1 per fish. His mom and dad would filet and dine on fresh fish several times a week. Both his mom and dad are gone now, but George enjoys making his mom's favorite recipe bluefish cakes, which he has shared with us. Mrs. Virgilio's Original Bluefish Cakes Get the net: 4 out of 5 nets Comment: classic, hearty, excellent appetizer Take one bluefish filet (one pound), skinned Steam filet for 10 minutes Cool down and trim off dark meat Add two slices of bread into a food processor along with chives, scallions and a hand full of parsley. Process till fine. Break up fillet into large chunks Add bread with a beaten egg and lemon zest Blend into four patties Film a skillet with olive oil and heat Sauté the cakes until golden brown on both sides and serve. Chef: George Virgilio, South River Please send all comments and fish tales to ron@signbrothers.com