Striper action superb, Freshwater on fire
To quote the immortal words of Mr. Alice Cooper, “School’s out for summer!” And that can mean more crowds at your favorite fishing holes. Or, to look at it from a different perspective, it means that you now have the opportunity to take and teach a kid to fish. That’s another big reason to subscribe to the On the Water fishing report. We (in conjunction with our excellent network of fishing professionals) provide the legwork; let you know what and where the fish are biting. The rest is up to you. In my humble opinion, there isn’t a better feeling than the one you get watching a child reel in a fish. Whether it’s their first ever or they are an “old salt,” it just doesn’t get any better than that.
Lake Hopatcong has some fine variety if it’s freshwater action that you are seeking. And Dow’s Boat Rental is the starting point for most anglers on the Lake. According to Laurie, this week should offer a wide mix for the non-saltiest of anglers. Pickerel are being landed consistently by those using Mepps spinners or shiners. Hybrid striped bass are most active at night this time of year and you increase your odds by using a topwater plug like a Knucklehead but Bombers are still producing. Perch and crappies are very active, try using small jigs and fatheads to increases your hook-ups. Laurie also reminds us that bass re-opens on June 16th. Water temperatures are right where they need to be and bass are already taking plastic worms along the docks and shorelines. She also asked us to remind our readers that their annual challenge contest will take place on the 23rd and 24th of June. Stop by the shop for more info.
The Navesink River offers an abundance of opportunities for the saltwater enthusiast. And if you are going to fish there, Pride Fishing Tackle in Red Bank has your needs covered. Be it tackle, bait or information, these guys have it all. And they certainly do take pride in their efforts to provide you with the best of everything. This week, when I spoke with Max he informed me that the crabbing in the Navesink River was still going strong. Bass anglers have been having success farther up the river with blues of all sizes in that mix. Best bet for keeper bass is live lining menhaden. Pride is a great offshore and big game source of info and Max didn’t disappoint me there. Jay Campi, a local, had the first thresher shark of the season weighed in. Tom Rutemiller has been sharking at the Ledge and was rewarded with several nice makos as well as a number of blue sharks. Fluking has been strong in the deeper waters and Max said that sea bass and ling are dominating the head boat catch.
I have said it before and I will say it again. If you are in Atlantic Highlands, hitting one of the many party or charter boats that make their home port there, you absolutely must stop in at Bait Your Hook Tackle and Ice. Be it recommendations of the hot bait, recommendations for a charter or simply restocking your tackle box, they have the answer. While bass have been extremely hot in the area, the head boats and charter crews have been slowly resetting their targets to the wrecks and fluking and not without good results.
Looking for a private charter out of Manasquan Inlet? If I could recommend at least one in that area, it would be Big Kid Charters sailing out of Hoffman’s Marina. Captain Ken Gallup has over 20 years experience in the game and a nose for finding fish. And the name of the game is finding fish! Captain Ken has been spending most of his time of late chasing stripers having some good success. Limiting out on his 44 foot custom Topaz is a regular occurrence with the crew of the Big Kid. Live-lining bunker seems to be the secret. When they aren’t after linesiders, they have been on the wrecks hauling sea bass up to 3 pounds. And that doesn’t even take into account the ling. Ken also told me they have had a few cod mixed in the bag. The ever present blues also put their names on yet another tournament over the weekend to top things off.
For over 75 years, Zuback’s Marine has operated as a full service marina in Morgan. And when I say full service, I mean full service. Convenient to Raritan Bay, they offer slips, repair, boat ramp and of course, bait and tackle. And with that type of track record, it is a given that they know the more about the fishing in the area than most of the competition. When contacted last week, we heard that the crabbing in the area was good. Fluking, especially Cheesquake Inlet area of the Raritan was picking up but the better bite was occurring just out front of the bay in deeper waters. Stripers and blues have taken over the bay at times, find the bunker and you should be on the money fish.
If there is such a thing as a “fishing village” in NJ, then Brielle would be the model. And if you are in the village, you need to find the Reel Seat Custom Fishing Tackle before you head out for a day of fishing. Owner Dave Arbeitman and his staff have been at it for 30 years now and if they don’t stock it or know it, you are simply spinning your wheels. When I called the shop for some direction this week I was somewhat focused on the game fish report and Dave did not disappoint me. The whispers I have been hearing about bluefin tuna are confirmed with nice fish being taken at the Princess. Yellowfin tuna were dominant farther south with most fish being in the 30 to 50 weight range. Closer inshore for you shark hunters, mako and blue sharks seem to be going strong and there have been some reports of threshers but no confirmed landings. Dave thought that could be subject to change shortly. Additionally, one customer of the Reel Seat had a nice catch of cod over the weekend with some pollock mixed in for good measure. Just when you think they are gone, they show up. That’s great news for you deep water jig masters.
As an avid surf fisherman who likes to travel up and down the coast in search of my quarry, I like to identify a base of operations in every town I visit. In Long Branch, my source is Long Branch Bait and Tackle. Located on the river about a mile from the beach, it meets all of my qualifications. Its close, well stocked and has a knowledgeable staff willing to share the local wealth with us outsiders. You can have the most expensive gear in the world but without that local knowledge, you may as well be whistling into the wind to find the fish. There have been major breakout off the beaches all week and winds may hold them there according to Kevin at the shop. Captain Chris tagged a 45-pound linesider and Erik of Bricktown had two weighed in at the mid-30-pound range. Jimmy Bourne brought a 36-pound striper into the shop. Live bunker or swimming plugs were the chief cause of these fish meeting their match. There are nice blues in the mix so you may want to consider wire leader if you have an attachment to those lures.
Crabbing is always just that much better if you are able to access those spots away from the high traffic areas of the water. But what is one to do if they don’t want the hassles of boat ownership? Well, if you are in Red Bank, then all you need to do is head over to Red Bank Marina. A well stocked shop that also rents boats (including kayaks, row, motor and deck) you are all set! Crabbing has been very good in the river and back tributaries. If crabbing is too mundane for your tastes, the fluking in the area has picked up substantially of late. Best baits have been Berkley Gulp and live killies. When all else fails, strip baits are an old reliable for flatfish.
Do you like to talk fishing? Need someone to bounce ideas off of or to point you towards a successful day of angling? Then you need to seek out Tommy P. at The Sportsmen’s Center in Bordentown. Fresh, Salt or anywhere in between, he or the staff there will not only point you in the right direction but also outfit you with anything you could possible need to turn fishing into catching. Tom, who is always a little high strung, was off the wall when I spoke to him this week. The catfish bite has been red hot lately from Burlington all the way up through the top of the state. Channel cats have been landed up to 30 pounds on chicken liver. Most of the bigger lakes up north are experiencing the herring spawn right now and the night bite for hybrid stripers has been nothing short of phenomenal according to Tom. I also learned that the D-and-R Canal has been giving up pickerel up to 30 inches on live bait. Crappies up to 14 inches are an added bonus in the canal. Smallmouths are starting to move – the best producers have been Mepps lures.
The fluke are here according to Eric at 46 Bait and Tackle in Palisades. And his other recommendation this week was to go big with the baits and catch big. That is what allowed him to take 2nd in the recent JCAA tourney. Not only did their boat limit out but the smallest fish brought in was just under the 5 weight mark. The fish that put them in the money weighed in at 8.69 pounds at the Jersey City station. The bait of choice was stripped bunker on a bottom buck tail and top Gulp Chartreuse 6-inch swim shad. The guys had their best bite in water depths from 70 to 45 feet. In other news, blues from cocktail-size and up are working all the inlets but the striper bite has tailed off a bit. Sea bass have been active on the reefs but the best bite has been for ling.
Are you a surf dog? Like old-school, hard-nosed fishing. Are you around Sea Bright? Then make a stop in Giglio’s Bait and Tackle before you hit the beach. If you’ve never been there, you are in for a treat. If you have, then you know what I am talking about. When I spoke to Tom at the shop, he confirmed that there have been been blitzes from Avon through Sea Bright with bass and blues chasing bunker. Fluking has been decent off the beaches a well band will only get better. Tony Castellito weighed in a 8.5-pound flatfish at the shop. Bill Bertsch of Red Bank had a 30.25 pound striper. And Brian Mekia weighed in a 16-pound blue. Now that is some kind of fun. Snag and drag works for you baiters while pencils for are the go-to lure.
As far north as you can head in the state will give you a view of Lady Liberty and here torch. And in her shadows is Liberty Landing Marina. With short term berthing and access to some of the best grounds in the northern tier of the state you won’t be disappointed. And even though it is primarily transient in nature, Liberty Landing has a well appointed marine store with a staff that has great local fishing knowledge. When I spoke to Greg this week, he told me the fluke action had definitely turned on a dime. They weighed in a 9.5-pounder caught by Toni Botti of Aberdeen and a 5.5 pound flattie caught by Bob Briedt of Lake Hopatcong. I would say that proves the fluke fishery is here for summer duty. Bluefish are still in the Hudson chasing pods of bunker that are moving in and out with the tides. Ling fishing was confirmed as good by Eric. Stripers have slowed down a bit but until the weather calms down it is hard to say if they have moved further north. Sharking off and inshore is doing well with blues, and makos leading the pack. There have been some thresher spotted but nothing brought in to the weigh station.
I finally located the bass. They are congregated off the beaches of Long Branch according to Jack Monitero of Surf Side Bait and Tackle. He has had them there all week and they seem to like the accommodations. According to Hack, huge schools of bunker have parked off the beach and there have been blitzes of up to three hours at a time. Big bass with blues mixed in the feast. Fish up to 40 pounds have been weighed in at the shop. Bait of choice has been of the snag and drag variety. Be sure to include a snag hook with your gear of stop in surf Side and pick up some new ones if you wear yours out. If you are not into live bait, then make sure that you have plenty of pencil poppers in your arsenal.
In the northern interior of the state, Efingers Sporting Goods in Bound Brook is not only a great outfitter for everything outdoors but their staff is well versed on the local catch. According to Brandon, the small mouth bass are starting to get active of late on the Raritan River. Anglers using any type of curly tail grub or a spinner bait are having the best success. The trout bite at the Gorge has been good but recent rains may have cooled it off a bit. Pike on the Passaic has been exceptional with Red Daredevil lures being the top performer. And Brandon also informed me that if you are looking for catfish, now is the time to begin your search as they have been recording some really nice specimens. Stop in and visit Efinger’s if you have never been there. One stop shopping for all things outdoors. And more!
Best Bets for the Weekend
The last report I heard had big winds for most of the weekend but dry. Not the greatest news but then again, not a washout. The beaches should be fine. In fact, based on what our sources have told us they should be better than fine. Take a snag hook with you and load up on pencil poppers and swimmers. Bass and blues are crowding the beaches. The rivers and back bays are strong for fluking and crabbing but predicted seas of 4-6 may make the front a little risky. If the wind allows you, ling and sea bass are big winners. You need to really do your homework if your plans include going deep for shark or tuna. Keep an eye on the forecast and file a sail plan. Freshwater is on fire, that could be an option. The state’s trout program is still paying dividends and almost every other f/w species is willing to play with you. Once the waters clear up from the recent storms, it will only get better. And if you are simply looking for a lazy day, the crabbing has been great no matter where you go in the state. And remember, its Fathers Day. Factor that into your plans whether you are the giver or the receiver. Make it as fun as you can. You only get so many great days, make every one of them count. See you on the incoming.