There really isn’t a reason to hang up the rods in the Garden State. The fishing season runs 12 months a year, and anglers willing to adjust their tactics and target species can expect success throughout the year.
This is especially true this year as mild weather persisted through the New Year and kept bass biting in good numbers right into January. It seems the striper surf bite has finally tapered off. The fish that were feeding off the jetty tips last week have high-tailed it south after last weekend’s cold snap.
That cold snap wasn’t enough to put significant ice on New Jersey’s most popular hardwater destinations. Lake Hopatcong has had ice forming during the overnight lows and disappearing during the day. Even the coves don’t have stable ice. Though open water walleye and hybrid striper fishing was good last week, the skim and shoreline ice kept most anglers off the lake this week.
In the southern part of the state, the waters are still open and the trout are still biting. Chris at Harry’s Adventure Outfitters said Pequest and Flat Brook have been reliable for trout fishing. Crappie fishing has also stayed hot through the weather changes. Fish small minnows or jigs for these panfish. Suspended crappie often respond well to a jig fished below a slip float. Use your electronics to find schools of calico bass.
The headboat fleet was blown out for a couple days, but on Monday, when many boats sailed, the fishing was great. The ling bite is fast and furious, and a few cod are mixing in, though it hasn’t really heated up just yet. The best blackfish bite is on the offshore wrecks, and there have been some real togzillas coming up from the deep structure. There is still some action on the inshore pieces, but the vast majority of nearshore blackfish have been shorts.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The first think I would do, is get on the horn Friday night and call the nearest party boat to see if they are sailing and if there are open spots. Catching ling may not have the excitement of other saltwater species, but this time of year, just being out on the ocean and catching something is worth it – especially if that something is good eating. And as a bonus, the chance for a bruiser blackfish or nice cod is pretty good in the deepwater spots.
Winter trout fishing is some of my favorite angling of the year. It isn’t nearly as fast as the spring and fall when the gullible hatchery trout have just been dumped into their new homes, but feeling that tug and seeing a pink-striped rainbow or buttery brown is enough to keep me sane until the spring brings more angling options.