Red Hot Summer Fishing

Hot, Hotter, Hottest!  That’s the only way I can think of to describe the last three weeks of fishing conditions we have all had to endure. The smart fish seem to have made a sensible escape to deeper cooler waters and the smart angler should probably do the same. That’s not to say you can’t find fish in the skinny water, only that you will need to put a little more thought into your endeavors. Tides, time of day and feeding habits become that much more important when the weather heats up to the levels we have been experiencing. Plenty of fish to be caught, you just need to adapt to the conditions. We will give you the scouting report leaving you to the adjust tactics that best fit the local area where you will be wetting a line.

If fishing with many options is part of your wish list, then consider starting you day at Pride Fishing Tackle in Red Bank. Convenient to the Navesink, you can fish your way out to some prime grounds. Max told me that of late, the hot spot for fluke has been around the Shrewsbury Rocks. Russ Noll caught a 10 pound fluke there using Berkley New Penny Shrimp. I checked out the fish on their web page and it’s hard to believe that fish only weighed in at ten. In other news, wreck fishing remains strong out of the area with ling, fluke and Pollock leading the pack. Sea bass catches have ebbed a little, possibly indicating they are in the spawn. Big Blues can be had at the Mud Buoy and there are also big schools of bunker in the area. Stripers have cooled off of late.

Did you know that the longer blue claw crabs are out of the water, the less tasty they will become? That is because they live off body their body fat once they are caught. So if you are an aficionado of crabs like I am, you want to get the freshest possible. And if you need assistance in catching crabs, I highly recommend a visit to Crabby’s Bait and Tackle in Keyport and speak with the crab master, Chris. As I mentioned before, Chris is obsessed with crabbing and if there is someone else in the state who knows more about this type of fishing, then I have not come across them. And the crabbing in Keyport remains strong with many customers doing well right off the local piers and bulkheads. Blue are around as well, so pack a rod and some small metals to grad some of them in the 1 to 2 pound class. Fluking from the boat using spearing, cut baits or Berkeley Gulp is another option if you are looking for a fish to stuff with crab meat.

The Sportsman’s Center in Bordentown has some hardnosed anglers on their staff and whenever I am in the area, I make it a point to stop in and chat them up. And if you are lucky enough to find Tommy P in the shop, it’s a bases clearing home run. If the fish are biting anywhere in the state, Tommy knows where they are. When I talked to him this week, he confirmed my suspicions about the recent streak of hot weather and its effect on fresh water streams and lakes. And that is low water levels. Find the deep holes, and you will still catch fish per Tom but the smaller streams are getting very thin. Rosedale Lake is giving up tons of nice crappies, one of my favorite pan fish. Trenton north on the Delaware has been terrific for small mouth bass and they are even getting  some nice flathead catfish up there using traditional dough balls as bait. The bigger lakes in the northern parts of the state are doing real well if you are looking for hybrid stripers. The bite is mostly at night and top water plugs are your best bet in the warmer waters. As a side note, on salt Tom told me the trigger fish are infesting the reefs. Jigging silver is the way to go when hunting trigger fish but small clam baits work as well. The biggest surprise Tom gave me this week was when he told me there were nice kingfish all the way up to Long Branch off the beaches. I don’t recall ever hearing about kings in numbers that far north. Small hooks and blood worms bit or Fish Byte Artificial baits will help you land some of these good eating critters.

I have been hearing some reports of out of the normal catches up in the northern reaches of the state so I thought it would be good to verify it with some of our sources up there. When I contacted the crew at The Bait Shop in Bradley Beach that is exactly what I did. Blues off the beach with the occasional striper caught on fresh bunker snagged and put back out to entice Mr. striper. Incoming tide seems to be the better tide. Night fishing has been good as well. As far as odd or early species, there are reports of scup in the area as well as northern kings and several Spanish mackerel being caught but not confirmed locally.

If you are in Atlantic Highlands and looking for some fishing information, head over to the marina and check in with the gang at Bait Your Hook Tackle and Ice. Combine the traffic that flows through their shop and the number of party and charter boats in the adjacent marina and you have information central. Kevin at the shop always has his ear tuned into local fishing frequencies and his information is as good as gold. This week he confirmed the reports of big blue fish at the Mud Buoy. Offshore, Kevin recommended the Chicken Canyon if you are looking for tuna off all varieties and colors. If it’s ling that you are targeting then you need to head over to the Mud Hole to fill your cooler. Fluke fishing has been great lately especially between the channels and the upper reach. Best baits are strip baits, Gulps and killies. The striped bass bite has slowed down considerably but you can still track them down at dusk or dawn in the back reaches. Try top water plugs to stir their interest.

Fresh water fans are moving towards venues that have better water sources to weather (no pun intended) recent drought conditions. Lake Hopatcong is a great option. Laurie Murphy at Dow’s Boat Rental tells me that the fishing on the lake is doing just fine. Recent catches include Jeff Van Varick with a 3 lb 1 oz Smallie, caught on a herring, fishing off Nolans Point. Tracey McBride, fishing at night with herring also had both Large and Smallmouth Bass, with the biggest Largemouth weighing 2 lb 15 oz. Lou Marcucci’s Smallmouth, also caught on herring weighed in at 3 lb 1 oz.  Crappies still hitting small jigs and also lots of Hybrid Stripers up to about 7 pounds. Fish off any of the points on the drop offs, usually with herring. Robert Murawaski, had an 8 lb 4 oz Hybrid off Elba Point. Early in the day and fishing in the dark seem to be the best times for a successful outing. If you are planning on fishing the lake, I recommend that you stop by the shop for latest conditions and spots that are hot.

Even though I have been hearing reports of slow sea bass fishing, if you have a good captain, you can still track them down. Captain Ken Gallop of the charter boat Big Kid Sport fishing is that captain. Recent trips have his charters taking fish up to 24 inches. That is a serious knot head. Ken has been using clam as bait on the reefs. Fluking has been good there as well with fish up to 8 pounds not out of the ordinary. When they aren’t wreck fishing on the Big Kid, they are off shore chasing really big fish. While out at the Lindenkahl last week, they put the hook in several big eye tuna, 8 yellow fin and a cooler full of Dorado. Another trip on thie custom 44’ Topaz resulted in a 120 pound blue fin and a 200 pound mako shark. Berthed at Hoffman’s in Brielle, the Big Kid is ready, willing and certainly more than able to accommodate all of your fishing needs. Tell them that I sent you.

While I was in Brielle, I thought I would touch base with one of my favorite tackle shop owners and Anglers, Dave Arbietman of the Reel Seat. If you are a technical type fisherman like me, then you need to visit this shop. Offshore, inshore or back bay, they carry it all. If they don’t have it, they can probably build it. That’s the mark of a great shop. When I spoke to Dave this week, the thought of the day was blue fin tuna. On the troll in and around the triple wrecks is the best play of recent reports. Plenty of bunker and their nemesis, the blue fish, ready to wreak havoc on you fishing equipment. Dave always seems to give me a surprise and this week it was cod, out deep over 25 miles out. After several good years of cod fishing down here, I had somewhat written them off this year, attributing it to the strange weather pattern we have been experiencing. But along with ling and Pollock, apparently I was too quick to dismiss them. You have to travel a little deeper it would seem but they are definitely out there, up to 25 pounds from what Dave told me. Inshore, the fluking has been good but the throwback ratio is up a little. Sea bass are out there but you may have to touch a few different wrecks to get the mother lode as the big ones aren’t as common as they were earlier in the season.

In the shadow of Lady Liberty is a full service marina that not only can handle all of your boating and fishing needs but also comes with a staff that is well versed in the local fishing hot spots. Anyone I know looking for berthing in the upper-most part of the state, easily accessible to NYC gets pointed towards Liberty Landing Marina. I spoke to Greg this week and he told me that while the water has been heating up, the fishing has kept pace with it in most respects. Fluking has been strong in the bay but with a higher throw back ratio than out front. Striped bass has ebbed but that is to be expected with water temperatures over 75 degrees. Those that are being caught now are juveniles and your best bet is at night. Blues, mostly of the cocktail variety are still the most popular in the bay area. Bunker is still moving in and out of the Hudson on a regular schedule.

Long Branch is one of the great places in the state when it comes to surf fishing. And when I get up there I always make it a point to stop in Surfside Bait and Tackle to pick the fishing mind of Jack Montiero, owner of the shop. Surfside caters to us sand jockeys, with everything from bait and rigs to the Commando Surf Bag line and Fiber Star composite rods. When I talked to Jack this week he informed me that fluke were the current kings of the beach and boat. Berkley gups are starting to out produce the natural baits as the water warms up to it peak summer temps. Porgies are doing quite well off the rocks and jetties. Clams are your first choice there but squid is producing as well. Kingfish have arrived in good numbers; try sand worms on a smaller hook if you are actively searching for them off the sand. Smaller bass are still showing up in the subs, primarily at night and the artificial lure of choice seems to be Black Bombers according to Jack.

One would think that because Efingers Sporting Goods sits in the middle of the state, you would be limited to fresh water reports when you spoke with their staff. Then one would be mistaken. The staff there stays on type of every type of fishing that is available in the state. Must be some training program they have at Efingers. When I spoke with Bradon this week, he told me the Raritan Bay was going strong on fluke and if you can, use live peanut bunker for best results. If not, use a Spro Buck tail tipped with spearing or killie. Bigger blues have now been officially confirmed at the Mud Buoy, the spawn is definitely on. The fresh water scene is almost as productive if you stick to the bigger bodies of water. Small mouth bass are being caught in good numbers in the Raritan River, best later in the day. Spruce Run is giving up nice hybrid striped bass, especially at night and on the troll. Best baits for the hybrid’s has been live herring or sunnies. Pike on the Pass the main topic of local anglers. Find the cooler feeder streams and stake out a spot while using spinner baits. A white or green skirt are the best producers and if all else fails, go to live shiners. Bradon suggests using a single hook on pike to keep the mortality rate down and promote the fishery. Good idea!

The minute you walk through the doors of Giglio’s Bait and Tackle shop in Sea Bright, you know you are home. Especially if you are a surf angler! One look around you will immediately recognize these guys know their business. To me, they carry one of the finest inventories on the coast for the avid surf angler. And it goes without saying that they have their fingers on the pulse of the local fishing scene. When I spoke with Tom at the shop this week, fluking was the topic of the discussion. The beach pick has been getting better as the water temperature rises and the flatfish seek relief along the beachfront. Tom told me the best baits lately were the Berkley Gulps, all versions depending on the end users personal preferences. Tom Grabowski of Lawrenceville and Mike Pinto of Bound Brook had great days on the beach, each bring home four flatties up to four pounds. Each angler was using a setup that included Gulp swimmers. The snapper blues are here a little early and can be had for the price of small shiny metal lures. Cast Master or Hopkins are working well. On the boat, the fluking is good, the sea bass are on the wrecks in decent numbers and as a bonus, trigger fish are all over the place. Gene Bradford of Rumson came into Giglio’s with six nice trigger fish up to 3.5 pounds. Tom told me that this is the first season in recent memory when there were so many trigger fish being caught. That’s fine with me, I always like to have a fallback position. Especially one that is great eating!

Best Bets for the Weekend.

The heat has pulled back a little but it looks like we may get smacked again this weekend. As such, the shallow waters are heating up and if you are going to fish in the rivers or bays, I would definitely plan my activities around the incoming tide. Plenty of fish in the back but the throw back ratio is going up. There are binger fluke to be had out front off the beaches and almost certainly in 50+ feet of water. The wreck fishing has been strong and looks like it is going to stay that way. Sea bass are a little iffy but you can replace them with nice trigger fish.  Off the beaches and rocks, think about blow fish and northern king fish. Be sure to pack some smaller hooks. They are there and are a nice change of pace option. Offshore, the thermals are shifting a bit so plan accordingly. Blue and yellowfin tuna are the hot action in the offshore arena. There have been strong reports on both. Mahi have moved in as well. Plan accordingly to take advantage of the situation. Whatever your plans are for the weekend, be safe. With heat come sudden shifts in weather. After last week’s storm, no one knows that better than me. Five days without power from a storm that emerged out of thin, hot air has convinced me that Mother Nature is a cruel mistress. Plan your angling trips with that in mind. You only get so many days in the game, use them wisely. See you on the incoming.