Albies Arrive, Sharks hit the Surf
As of today, we are less than two weeks away from Labor Day. I don’t know about you, but to me it is the second Independence Day for anglers all over the state. The vacation crowds wind down from their torrid pace to a slow crawl. Weekday fishing is about as good as it can get, with the water still warm, most species’ seasons still open and the smell of the fall run permeating the air. There is a slight nip in the air in the evenings but the water and air temperatures during the day are still warm enough to ply our trades sans waders or hip boats. But make no mistake about it, the days are growing shorter. The time is nearing to switch tackle options. Are you ready? If not, I suggest you get your butt in gear, or you will be caught short when the festivities begin. And when you stop by your local bait and tackle shop or charter captain, be sure to give them a big “job well done.” If not for them, where would we be? For the past three months, they have been at our beck and call. Be it bait, tackle or repairs, they have anticipated our every need and pointed us to the best areas for a successful day on the water. Once in a while, I believe it’s good karma to give them their due. Enough of that, let’s see what is happening in the northern reaches of the state this week.
If you are in the Red Bank area and have some spare time before you hit the water, head over to Front Street and pay a visit to Pride Fishing Tackle to replenish your tackle box. These guys know their stuff and aren’t afraid to share that knowledge. Max has been busy getting a new shipment of Shimanos ready for the customers but that does not mean he hasn’t been following the local fishing scene. The Navesink is loaded with bait and if you can get past it, you can do all right with fluke. Taylor blues and weakfish are also an option. Crabbing in the river has been consistently great. Bunker is out producing all other baits. Offshore, the deep holes are giving up nice tilefish and tog and plenty of ling. Closer in, the big fluke and sea bass are holding tight to the reefs and you may even pick up a nice tautog. Triggerfish are closer inshore, try the Shrewsbury Rocks for a real variety, according to Max.
Sometimes you just need to get closer to the fish than the top of the water. If that is the case for you, there is an option available in Belmar and that is the Ol’ Salty II. A 60-foot custom fisherman, ready willing and able to accommodate your next fishing trip, either from on top of the water or if you want to dive to get a little closer to the action. Their crew is dive certified and the ship itself is fitted to professionally handle all your needs. Diving not for you? This is one fine fishing platform for almost every species from fluke to tuna.
When I caught up with Captain George Stellar this week unfortunately he was a little busy at the time. That’s because they had a nice striped bass on the hook and were busy getting it on the deck of their 45’ Hatteras, the Teri Jean II. I suspect that the striper season may kick off a little early this season and this may be an indication. In other news, Captain George informed me that they have been hitting the reefs hard off of Belmar and been rewarded with nice catches of both sea bass and fluke. The cooler water temperatures have really improved the fishing on the local reefs. If you are looking for a world class ride for inshore or offshore, you can’t go wrong if you contact Captain George.
Looking for berthing for your boat in a protected marina with deep water slips and floating docks? How about full service, is that important to you? Close to Raritan Bay, Keyport Marine Basin is the place you need to visit. All that and much, much more. I spoke with John this week and he told me that while the action has been a little slow in the past few weeks, there has been a noticeable improvement this week. Water temperatures have backed up a bit and the fluke bite in the bay has picked up. Plenty of bait in the area and tailor bluefish chasing it. Peanut bunker are all over the place. There have been strong reports of triggerfish from Sandy hook to the Shrewsbury Rocks. Crabbing remains strong. The best shot for a good throw back to keeper ratio is still at the inshore reefs.
At the top of the state, the fishing can get a little iffy. Be careful with your size limits, especially if you are considering crossing the state line with your catch. That was a heads up I received from Brandon at 46 Bait and Tackle in Palisades. Remember, if you are in New York waters with barely minimum-sized NJ fish, you could have a problem if stopped for a routine check. Brandon told me the area has slowed off a little but the white perch have turned on in the brackish waters and catfish are biting real well. By the by Verrazano Bridge is your best bet for keeper fluke with venturing outside to the deeper waters and reefs. There is a good supply of bait around, mostly juvenile menhaden. The crabbing remains especially good in the area.
If you are all about fluking and fluking only, you need to book passage on the Big Mohawk out of Belmar. Captain Chris Hueth and his crew seem to have the market cornered on flatfish this summer. And believe me; I have seen the pictures to back up my statement. A 10-pound-plus fish isn’t that uncommon and they regularly come back to port with a nice catch of 5- to 7-pound flatfish. And don’t mistake what I am saying, they catch fish other than fluke, it’s just that’s what they are after and Captain Chis always seems to know the hot spots. Berkley Gulp is the bait that is bringing in the really big ones; chartreuse seems to be the hot color.
The Sportsmens Center in Bordentown is my go to place for a wide variety of fishing r information, but I always ask about fresh water action first. Especially when ultra-dry conditions and high heat make for skinny water and sluggish fish all over the state. When I spoke with Tom at the store this week, he pointed me towards Budd Lake in Morris County and the pike bite at first light. Big Shiners if you can get them or spinners are the key baits for success with fish of 8 pounds or better. Another freshwater area that Tom recommended was Swartswood Lake off Rte. 521. Apparently, the hybrid striper bite has been going real strong there in the last week. Use live herring if you can them or swimmers like a Rebel if not. Trout are still being caught but with the streams and lakes down a bit, not in great numbers. Tom also shared a story about his fiancée Denise and her catch of a 40-pound cobia on a bucktail and an 88-pound hammerhead on a kite rig early this week. Great work Denise. Now if you could only transfer that knowledge to Tom, everyone would be happy.
It is always a pleasure to chat with Tom when I have to do my weekly call to Giglios Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright. Maybe it’s because I am afflicted with a disease that makes it impossible for me to pass by a great tackle shop. And that’s what Giglio’s is, one great, old-school tackle shop. This week, Tom told me the fluke bite off the beach has been good. Gulp baits, according to your personal preference, have been the best producing but spearing and squid has been almost as good. False albacore might not be suitable for dinner fare, but they sure as hell are fun to catch. And they have been showing up on the local beaches periodically for the last two weeks, mostly chasing schools of rain bait. There have also been a few unverified reports of Spanish mackerel being taken from the sand, according to Tom. Some striped bass are hitting in the suds and while most have been schoolies, a few have made the grade as keepers. Topwater plugs mimicking adult bunker will give you some nice action on these linesiders and may also give you a bluefish or two as a bonus. As a final tip, Tom told me that spike weakfish have showed up in the front in some numbers. Even though the current limit is still one, they are a lot of fun to catch.
I usually can get a wide variety of info when I call Efingers Sporting Goods because they service such a wide area of the state. But the bite must be on somewhere around Bound Brook because when I called the store today, everyone was out on a vacation day. I have told you guys before, if it turns on, call me and I’ll join you. But Braden did leave me a message. The Ambrose Chanel l has been on fire with fish up to 8 pounds being reported. This confirms another report I heard about that area. In general, the message said to seek water from 50 to 70 feet in depth and best producing baits have been spearing and Gulp. On the freshwater scene, pickerel is obviously the species most active with the warm water. Bradon suggest using stink baits for action or a spinner bait. There is also some nice catfish activity going on in the Raritan River. There has been some hybrid striped bass reported from the larger lakes like Lake Hopatcong. Live herring or top water plugs are both producing and first light has been the most active time for catching.
If you are looking to do a true Jersey Food fest, it’s a must to have blueclaw crabs to go along with your fresh fluke, Jersey corn, tomatoes and blueberry pie. That being said, if you are looking for advice on crabbing, you just may want to visit Chris at Crabby’s Bait and Tackle in Keyport. The man is crab wild. He runs a free contest to have the next record blue claw certified out of his shop. He already has the current one at 8 3/4 inches and does not want to be unseated. But the gang at Crabby’s can meet all your other fishing needs. Take for example Dennis Isendurge who weighed in a 30-inch 12-pound fluke this week. Or Tom Green, who got his limit on fluke with a big flattie weighing in at 9.5 pounds and none smaller than 5 pounds. Both gents were fishing in Ambrose Channel and using the big spearing and scented squid for bait. Chris told me that the local waters are teeming with bait, and that is helping everything else. Crabbing is great, spike weakfish and tailor bluefish are all over the place. And there has been a run on triggerfish in the Raritan as well. Sounds to me like it is the happening place to be!
In Brielle, I always check in with David Arbietman, owner and operator of The Reel Seat Tackle. If there are fish being caught inshore or offshore, the news eventually filters back to Dave. There was a run of bigeye the other day in the line of northern Canyons. He also heard of a nice pick of yellowfin tuna specifically in the Toms. Deep holes are still giving up nice ling in numbers with some cod mixed in for good measure and the occasional haddock. I have also been led to believe that the tile fish are going balls to the wall in the really deep zones. I have seen some pictures and that sounds about right. Inshore, Dave confirmed what I have known, the fluking has been fantastic. Some sea bass for those working the reefs and more big flatfish than you can shake a tick at if you put in your time. Berkley Gulp products are the most consistent producers according to Mr. Arbietman, but spearing and big squid strips are catching as well. Dave also noted that some Spanish mackerel have been caught but not in numbers and mostly by anglers trolling inshore hoping to pick up another species. False albies are also starting to show up inshore, so load up the metal.
It’s always a pleasure to talk to Jack Montiero at Surf Side Bait and Tackle in the town of Long Branch. In my heart of hearts, I am a plugger and Surfside is a shop that caters to people of my ilk. And he always gives me an honest outlook of the current conditions. This week when I spoke with Jack, he told me the fluke action has stayed strong off the beaches. Most of the regular baits were producing including: spearing, Gulp, killies and squid strips. There are blues up to 6 pounds are visiting on the beaches every now and then but as a rule, the blues are staying in the 2- to 4-pound range. Northern kingfish are all over the beaches, but the spot that have infiltrated can make it a tough day to catch them. Fish Bytes are the bait for either. Shark hunters are still picking up the occasional brown off the beaches at night as the sharks venture in chasing adult bunker. There have been some nice triggerfish taken as well, so keep that in mind if you are in the area. And Jack finished his report to me with a view of things to come. Stripers are starting to be caught on the beaches, not in great numbers or size, but caught none the less. Topwater plugs and swimmers are the key and remember, match the hatch. Thanks Jack.
Best Bet for the Weekend.
This is your heads up, NJ Tautog season (one of five this year) closes at the end of the month, so if you want one for the table, you better start looking for them now. It reopens in mid-October, so take advantage if you so desire. Most of the tackle shops are carrying green crabs or you can also use clam. Fluking has been spectacular in water over 50 feet and still good in the lesser waters. I can honestly say I cannot recall a season that has had more fish weighing in over 8 pounds. Sea Bass are starting to rebound a bit on the reefs. Offshore, big eye seems to be the big gun on the block with some action reported in most of the northern canyons. Tilefish and ling are still hot in the really deep waters. Big bluefish are strangely silent lately but I suspect there is a night bite for them going on. Check with your favorite head boat for the latest reports if you really have tangle with these yellow eyed devils. There are nice schools of menhaden all along the coast and when there is this much bait, I suspect the big bluefish won’t be far behind. If you are out on the ocean, make sure you have a rod setup for cobia at hand. They have been around and in the last week or so, must have developed an appetite because I have heard of at least eight nice fish being boated. False albies are starting to raid the beaches and inlets. Stripers seem to be raising their fins at all the noise the bait fish are making. All things being equal, I don’t think there is a local species you would not have a chance at bringing to ground this weekend. And to top it off early weather reports look like a prime weekend ahead of us. So make your plans and have at it. Whichever option you chose, stay safe out there. You only get so many days in the game, spend them wisely. See you on the incoming.