Shark Fishing Excellent, Flukin’ Still Fair
The weather man hasn’t been too friendly to the Jersey Shore the past couple days, at least in terms of forecasting fishy (or at least fishable) weather, but the fishing has been great, and with better weather on the horizon, there’s no reason to expect anything but exception early summer fishing in the days ahead.
The striper fishing varies pretty widely depending on which beaches you fish or what inlets you launch from. Down south, warm water is pushing the fish north and putting the residents on a summer feeding schedule. Above LBI, big bunker schools are keeping big bass interested, and some are occasionally hitting the beach. Ron at Fishermen’s Supply Co in Point Pleasant said Monmouth County had a big time bass blitz on Tuesday with big fish. Pencil poppers were the ticket to the big bass. Tough weather set in on Wednesday and shut things down, but it could pick up as soon as things sort out.
The guys at Dock Outfitters were similarly displeased with the weather, saying the rough water has made things tough. Before Wednesday’s tough wind, Bob at Reel Life Bait and Tackle in Point Pleasant said live-lining bunker for big bass was excellent for boat anglers. The better bites had been taking place in the afternoon.
The backwater fishing was a little less affected by the weather, and Lenny at Captain Hippo Bait and Tackle in Tom’s River said the fishing for bass in the river has been steady. Same goes for way south, where the waters behind Ocean City are doing well with stripers along the bridges and sod banks after dark with pink soft platics.
In the South Jersey surf, the jetties are producing bass on almost a nightly basis according to the report from Absecon Bay Sportsman. Any jetty has the potential to hold bass, but especially the jetties bordering inlets. Ed at Fin-atic’s said the big surf has been producing good bass catches in Ocean City. Black drum, which have slowed in Delaware Bay, are still occasionally showing along the beaches, hitting clam baits.
Bluefish look to be the most reliable option this weekend. Ron at Fisherman’s Supply Co reported fast action on 2- to 4-pound blues in the canal. These fish were attacking everything thrown their way. Blues are also being caught in Tom’s River said Lenny at Capt. Hippo. All the inlets from Manasquan down to Cape May are holding blues as well reported the guys at Dock Outfitters in Seaside. Most of the inshore blues are on the small side, being less than 4 pounds. While still great fun on light tackle, many anglers are looking for bigger bluefish, and they’ll find them offshore. There are numbers of blues over the deepwater structure from 10 to 30 miles out.
With the numbers of big bluefish out there, it shouldn’t be too surprising that the makos are around in force right now. Mike at Sea Isle Bait and Tackle said shark fishing is as good as it gets. The Tackle Direct crew reported that makos to 330 pounds have been caught. The blue sharks are a nuisance on some of the inshore structure, but fishermen can ditch the blues by motoring farther offshore. Some of the best shark fishing is taking place as far out as 60 miles. Threshers are in the mix too, and several whiptails heavier than 300 pounds hit the scales this week. The Cigar has been one of the hotspots, and the large trolling squid, believe it or not, have been one of the better baits. Mackerel and bunker has been working as well. Ron at Fishermen’s Supply Co. added the Fingers and the Star to the list of productive sharkin’ spots.
Bottom fishing is great, and the sea bass are thick as thieves on the reefs and wrecks. Capt. Mark from Bayhawk Charters has been catching 100 or more sea bass on each trip. One of the hotspots has been the Sea Girt Reef according to Bob at Reel Life. The sea bass are good size, averaging between 12 and 16 inches, and clams have been the best bait, though jigging with Gulp-tipped bucktails or metals is an effective, and more active, technique.
Good sized fluke have been showing up off Long Branch reported the crew at Jersey Hooker Outfitters in Brick. More ocean-going flatfish can be found on the Klondike and the Sea Girt Reef. Big bucktails sweetened with strip baits or Berkley Gulp are the key to the fluke out front. Fluke fishing remains good in the backwaters. Ron at Fishermen’s Supply said small bucktails with the new Uncle Josh MEAT strip baits are working great. These pork strips have incredible action and look to be the new hot item in fluke fishing for 2012. Anglers are dropping down to ¼- and 3/8-ounce bucktails to catch the fluke in the Manasquan River. The BB Buoy in Barnegat Bay has some keeper-sized fluke scattered around it. Friends of mine said Great Bay has been unusually slow this year when it comes to fluke fishing. This rich estuary is a perennial hotspot, but it seems the flounder have stayed offshore this season. In the sloughs off the ICW, minnows or Gulp have been working on the legal flounder reported the guys at Absecon Bay Sportsman.
Down south, Lake’s Bay, behind Margate and the waters behind Sea Isle and Strathmere are all giving up keeper fluke according to Ed from Fin-Atic’s. Mike from Sea Isle Bait and Tackle did admit that the winds muddied up the water and slowed the flukin’ a touch, but when things clear up again, fluke fishing should pick back up. The upper end of the Delaware Bay has a good pick of keeper fluke as well, reports Capt Mark of Bayhawk Charters.
Over the past week, triggerfish have showed up just about everywhere, Mike at Sea Isle said. These transient tropical fish are eating squid and clam strips and testing anglers’ tackle. Triggerfish could give tog a run for their money when it comes to the best-fighting bottom fish. (I think the triggers might actually be the winner there.) They’ll orient close to structure both out front, in the inlets and in the bays. They have tiny mouths with strong beaks, so use heavy duty, but narrow hooks.
Another odd-looking but good-eating species, the blowfish, is still being caught in Barnegat Bay around the BB and BI Buoy. White perch are providing another good-eating option. Lenny at Captain Hippo said Huddy Park in Toms River has been one of the reliable perchin’ spots. The Great Egg Harbor River perch fishing has been tough since the full moon reports Absecon Bay Sportsman Center. Shedder crabs are working best, but even so, the fish have been picky.
As I mentioned previously, the black drum fishing is shutting down in the Delaware Bay, and that may be all she wrote for the 2012 drum season. There are still opportunities to catch a Garden State drumfish, however. They’ve been occasionally taking clam baits intended for stripers, and have been popping up in Great Bay every once in a while. Some anglers successfully target them there, but they keep a pretty tight lid on that fishery.
The drum’s cousin, the kingfish hasn’t quite invaded the surf in big numbers yet. Ed at Fin-atics reported a few kings, and that was all I heard of them. It won’t be long those. These small fish have some good fight in them and are one of my very favorite fish to eat. Their heads also make a heck of a striper or shark bait from the surf.
Speaking of sharks in the surf, it looks like a few browns were taken off the Brigantine Beaches this week. If you’ve never done this fishing, it’s well worth it. You won’t get a better fight from the beach.
The canyon bite has been good. Mike at Sea Isle Bait and Tackle reported yellowfin in big numbers in the 40- to 50-pound range in Spencer Canyon. Jersey Hooker also reported big numbers of tuna in the canyons, and Tackle Direct described the yellowfin bite as “excellent.”
The mudhole has bluefin in the 50-pound range while the 20-fathom line off South Jersey has 20-pound bluefin. The Virginia wreck and the Princess have bluefin feeding around them as well. If the sand eels stay, so will the tuna.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Watch the weather, and if it allows, go get that mako. When you get your shark to the boat, consider letting it swim away, and bring home the memory of the fight, the leaps and the sight of that beautiful apex predator returning to the deep to terrorize more bluefish.
Striper fishing looks to be good through the weekend, especially north of LBI. The fluke fishing outlook is decent for the weekend. The nice part about the fluke, is you likely won’t have to break the inlet to find a keeper.
If you’re in South Jersey, look for triggerfish. You won’t find a better-fighting bottom fish in these parts.