New Jersey Fishing Report for Raritan Bay to Manasquan Inlet
Offshore Action Great, Blues, Blowfish, Striper Action Improving
It’s not fall yet, but some of the telltale signs are beginning to show as we get closer to the best time of year to be an angler in the state of New Jersey. The evening bite on weakfish, stripers and blues in the shadow lines of the bridges is being fed by what some are calling the strongest year in a long time for bait schools in the back bay and rivers. Schools of mullet and peanut bunker are boiling on the surface in the shallow back creeks and around dock lights. In some cases, the bait schools are bulking up to a point where, from a short distance, you may have to do a double take to see if it is actually bait, an area of wind rippled water, or some kind of large dark discharge on the surface. Old salts are scratching their heads wondering why. Me, I’m just getting cranked up for when all hell breaks loose. Will the mullet wait and flush out at the first high tide with the full moon in September? Will one of those freaky summer tropical storms blow through and screw the whole thing up? Are those 60-degree nights going to hit us this week or next? When will the first push of cooler water spark the bite?
Most importantly, what is the scoop for the holiday weekend? Go long, hit the reef, fish nights, or sweetwater fights? Fluke, tuna, white marlin, the guy in the blue suit, any stripers yet, wrestle with sharks, battle with bluefish, chum for blowfish, drop for crabs, it is all up for grabs! Inquiring minds need to know… here we go!
Laurie at Lake Hoptacong is riding shotgun at Dows Boat Rentals. Her guys are catching Hybrid Stripers off the points of the main Lake, with fish up to about 8 pounds. A number of walleye have been taken in the past week and the crappie numbers are high. Rocky points such as Nolans and Chestnut are good places to try when using small jigs for smallmouth bass. Knee Deep’s Walleye contest will take place on September 22nd and 23rd. By the way, Dow’s store hours have changed, now open from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm, and will remain open for boat rentals until November. Call the shop for any info you may need, at (973) 663 3826
Brandon at 46 Bait and Tackle in Palisades Park reported huge loads of decent sized snappers and spot being caught off the Crab House. With the cooling river water and all that bait, there has also been stripers showing up in spurts in the 15 to 20 pound range. No question that as it continues to cool down, the bite is going to pick up even more. The fluke bite seems to be slowing down.
Greg at Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City reports very happy crews coming back with sea bass and “decent” fluke catches the last couple of days. The offshore bite has dropped out considerably, although there is some good water way east by the Atlantis. There is tons of bait in the back and many reports of weird catches of big needlefish and hound fish around the River and by Rockaway Inlet. A few stripers have been taken at night, but nothing to get fired up about yet.
John at Keyport Marine Basin in Keyport is extremely happy about the weakies showing back up in the bay. There are plenty of spikes to play with and even a few keepers mixed in. The sea bass fishing out by the Scotland Wrecks has been excellent, with a few nice fluke mixed in. Inside, good catches of fluke are coming from the area near Buoy 19, but be careful on your sizes, as that is New York water. It is expensive enough to catch dinner these days. Don’t make a mi$take.
Crabbys in Keyport reported many coastal bluefish and the occasional fluke and weakfish. The crabs have started to come back again and there are plenty of snappers to go around.
Kevin at Bait Your Hook Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands still has customers getting good catches of keeper flatties and sea bass fishing by the rocks and nearby snags. There have been solid catches of Ling and some 8 to 10-pound cod are coming off the Mudhole, with rumors of a few tuna showing up in the area. However, most of the active offshore bite is way over on the East side of the Hudson.
How far offshore do you have to go to catch a mahi? Not offshore at all! Ernie at Giglios reports his guys talking about a chicken caught off the beach! With all the tropicals in the area such as jacks and triggers, it really is no big surprise. Kingfishing is still good, while fluking has backed down to just “OK.” Lots of kids are bending poles on all the snappers around and the crabbing continues to be good on size if not on numbers.
The whole crew at Pride Bait and Tackle in Red Bank have been tearing it up this season with both inshore and offshore surprises. With yellowfin at Shark River Reef and Cobia on the Shrewsbury Rocks, it has truly been a year of surprises. With 79-degree inshore water temperatures, it is no surprise right now that an inshore “grand slam” was posted this past weekend on the Miss Belmar, where they caught big bluefish ranging from 8 to 15 pounds, false albacore, skipjack, and a 47-pound yellowfin! From shore, record catches of kingfish, spot and porgies have been coming in off the jetties. Fluking is good on big bucktails and equally big 6-inch GULP.
Jack at Surf Side Bait and Tackle in Long Branch reports more of the same. There are bluefish, kingies, and tons of spot on the beach. Reports of Albie sights far outweigh the reports of Albie catches (no surprise there!).
Dominick at The Bait Shop in Bradley Beach has his crew loading up on spot for the fall run, as they are all over the beach. There is still some decent fluking from the wash if you put in the time, and the kingfishing continues to keep rods bending from the locomotive-like little rockets. A stringer of kingies is a blast and a great fish fry. Dominick can point you in the right direction.
Dave at The Reel Seat was recovering from another successful tile fishing trip, so John picked up the call this week. Ocean fluking is on and off with the throwback ratio getting higher, but seabassing continues strong. There are plenty of bluefish in the usual haunts and small pelagics in the same zone with an occasional yellowfin surprise. The offshore bite, with the exception of the white marlin flare-ups, has slowed some. In the river, there plenty of snappers and a few stripers at night. Kingfish on the beach are plentiful.
My crew and I are headed out to 1000 fathoms to chase some white marlin in the morning, and if the seas are favorable, there will be a considerable amount of deep dropping for tiles at the edge.
Best Bet for the Weekend:
I totally blew the marine forecast last week, so I am a little iffy about making any predictions on where you should be headed from a conditions standpoint. With 78 to 79-degree water up and down the coast, one thing is for sure… you have to be ready for anything! Catching a wahoo in 60 feet of water in sight of bikinis is totally possible. Floating a live spot at a nearshore reef could put you on a yellowfin that has lost his roadmap. As of press time (Wednesday afternoon), it is looking like reasonable seas with unreasonable winds: 2- to 4-foot seas and gusts up to 20 miles per hour, which is fishable depending on you and your boat. It will be a great weekend to take the kids out in the back to play with the snappers, small weakies, and to fill a bucket with crabs. If you have a mess ‘o kids, bring them along so they have some great memories to take back to school. One thing is for sure; Labor Day is coming, and summer is officially over! That means OUR time officially begins!
Stay Tuna-ed!