When Captain Ed Berger asked me if I would write this week’s fishing forecast so he could head up to Rhode Island for some much needed stress relief in the form of rock hopping and striper hunting, a thought came into my head. Why him and not me? Then it occurred to me, he must really need the rest because there is plenty of game right here in the Garden State available for the taking. All you need is the time and some good scouting reports to find it. Doubt me? Read on and I will prove it to you.
Head south on the Garden State Parkway until you reach the exit for Sea Isle City, turn left (or east if you like) and just over the causeway bridge, turn off for Sea Isle Bait and Tackle. Once there, owner Mike Cunningham will gladly assist you with not only some of the freshest bait and wide variety of terminal tackle, but also give you the most up to the minute location of the hot bite down there. Local Kelly C. pulled in several flounder this week up to 4 pounds using a chartreuse Spro bucktail tipped with a copper penny Gulp. Mike also informed me that the kingfish bite off the beach has been hot with his customers using FishBites artificial baits or bloodworms. The striper bite off the beach has slowed a bit with the best bet in the evenings on fresh bunker. Mike also told me that he had more than a few customers in this week bragging about the cod and ling bite that is still taking place on the deepwater reefs out front. Good news all around.
If you are into big game fishing, be it offshore or inshore, you must stop in the Reel Seat when you are in Brielle. Owner Dave Arbietman, in my humble opinion, is second to none in all aspects of this type of angling. According to Dave, the mako bite has been red hot since last week and it’s shaping up to be one of the best seasons in many years. Blue fin tuna have been taken in the 50- to 100-pound weight class at the Chicken Canyon, mostly on the troll. Inshore, Dave told me the thresher shark bite has been really good when you find the bunker schools. The boat XTC out of Shark River, weighed in a 605-pound thresher earlier this week. If its deep water jigging that floats your boat, don’t overlook the cod and ling fishing which Dave told me is still going strong on the deepwater wrecks.
Don Brown, manager of Captain Andy’s in Margate called to tell me that there have been schools of bunker off Longport and the GE inlet. And while they are holding some bass, most were in the 20-pound range. For flounder fishing, the back bays behind Absecon Island have been your best bet. The farther back, the better, according to Don. Methodist Ditch, Skulls Bay and Lakes Bay have been consistent so far this season. Minnows and strip mackerel are the baits of preference. If you are targeting bluefish, then hit the ridges, specifically, Avalon, AC or Barnegat. Blues up to 15 pounds are being harvested pretty regularly in those areas. Don’t have your own boat? Captain Andy’s Marina will be glad to hook you up with a charter service as they are quickly becoming one of the best centers in South Jersey for charter services. They also have the Jesse O fleet of party boats moored at their marina, for both back bay and inshore fishing expeditions. Stop in next time you are in Margate and introduce yourself to Don. Make sure to tell him Mike from On the Water sent you. It might get you an extra minnow or two in your bait box.
If you are on a “salt-free” diet when it comes to your fishing habits, then head up to Lake Hopatcong for some great trout or walleye fishing. Be sure to visit Dows Tackle shop before hitting the water. They will guide you to the best spots for action on the lake. Laurie Murphy of Dows, told me that while the weather has been altering the fishing patterns, there is still plenty of action on the lake. John O’Neill of Ironia, brought in a 10-pound, 8-ounce walleye that he captured using herring. And Harvey Banks weighed in a 3-pound brown trout that he caught using a Rapala lure. In the shallows, plenty of panfish such as crappies and bluegills can be had using small rubber lures and bass lures.
This time of year, one of the best spots for fishing diversity is always around the Long Beach Island, both front and back. This week, with surf temperatures right around 65 degrees, it’s been stripers, stripers and more stripers off the sand. The fluke bite is starting to get there but the bite has been timid with the better action being closer inshore. The back bays have been holding some small taylor blues. Boaters have been having some reel fun with threshers close in as they usually are this time of year. Andy Worst on his boat Bay Triever weighed in a 226-pound thresher shark earlier in the week taken less than a mile off the LBI beaches.
When I spoke to Chris at Harry’s Army and Navy in Robbinsville this week, I darn near wore out a pen taking notes. The bass bite in Belmar is back on according to Chris. Big menhaden all over the Shark River and the Belmar area makes it easy for even the novice angler to “snag and drag” some bunker and attract a lunker. There have even been some reports of black drum being schooled up and near the surface. The fluking is almost there, with the best reports of action in Raritan Bay on strip baits. And with all the bunker around, I guess it goes without saying that there is also a good mix of bluefish throughout the region. On the freshwater scene, Chris said there has been good smallmouth bass action on the Delaware, especially above Fireman’s Eddie. And if a huge muskie is your target, then head on up to Mercer Lake where they are getting fish in excess of 40 inches on a regular basis. Big wood plugs are the best bet for hooking up with one of these furious fighting beauties.
Best Bet for the Weekend.
From Delaware Bay north through Great Bay, it would be the flounder that are dominating the fishing arena. Strip baits, Gulp and minnows are the baits to use. Keep an eye on water temperatures as we are coming off a spring tide and even the flats seem to cool off when the tides get this big. Most of the striper action in the south seems to come at dusk, dawn or night fishing with fresh bunker. Crabs seem to be finishing their shed and are almost prime. Heading north, from LBI up, the rule of the day is linesider with a side helping of big blues the farther north you head. Find the bunker, find the bass. If you are a plugger, swimmers are the way to go. If it’s big prey you’re looking for, then saddle up. Most of the canyons have reports of tuna with a mix of some marlin and even a sail or two. It’s been a great sharking year so far and I believe there is still much life left in it. Some big makos have been boated offshore with threshers holding closer to the coast up and down in New Jersey. The hardest choice most anglers have to make this time of year is which species to attack. Once you decide, the rest is a snap. So get ready, get set – Go Fish!