New Jersey Fishing Report for Manasquan Inlet to Cape May
Surf Heating Up
I’ve got the fever. I’ve got it BAD, and I plan to infect every single one of you.
It starts every year when the Atlantic County Surf Derby begins and I can drive my truck on my home beaches. Sure, I am always good for a rock hopping trip to Rhode Island in June, a chance to slide down a sand cliff in Block Island, and I’d never pass up an excursion to Montauk. None of these things make me actually have a hard time falling asleep the night before, but fishing at home in the Fall does.
The best time to surf fish in the morning is just before sunrise until just before work, where I show up in my waders. The best time to surf fish in the evening, is right after I leave my office, while pulling on my waders, until just after dark. The “magic hour”. Then it is home for dinner, and if TV is no good, a 4 minute drive to my favorite jetty can be just as satisfying as the latest episode of Homeland or Boardwalk Empire. Then, I get a few hours sleep, and do it all over again.
Rubbing in the “local” thing a little too much for some of you? Just let that go for a second and take a deep breath of the highly contageous angler’s flu that I am spreading.
In a week or two, while surf fishing at sunrise, there might be some gannets working within eyeshot of the beach. If things are slow in the suds, a quick phone call or two to a couple more aflicted parties, and we make the eight-block drive to the FmTuna. From leaky waders we go directly to 500 horsepower, blasting through a light chop to a scene of dive-bombing projectiles and screeching gulls. If the bite is on, I fire myself for the day.
Feeling a little congested yet? Have you been saving some sick days just in case you come down with the same illness that is terminal in my case?
Let’s take a lap around our Central and Southern NJ reporters to see if we can get your fever high enough to pull the trigger on some of those precious impulse days off!
It seems the most reliable fishery right now is the sea bass. Ron at Fishermens Supply in Point Pleasant is sending guys out to the Sea Girt Reef and Axel Carlson to connect. A few stripers are being taken from the beach nearby, but the numbers are low in both size and quantity. Most of the serious guys are wearing out the Turnpike and Long Island Expressway to Montauk. They are killin’ it up there. Ron is loaded for bear for when they come a little further south, and was stocking the shelves when I called.
Even though the fire has not started yet, the Striper Tournament out of Jersey Hooker Outfitters in Brick is warming up with their first weigh-in from a boat. OTW is a co-sponsor of this annual event. You can weigh in from either the surf or a boat, which is kind of cool. Sea bass is still the biggest game in town until the stripers really start rolling in, and there are rumbles of a tuna bite out near the Tom’s, with several of the offshore regulars icing down and getting ready to take a run at it.
How about a 13-pound bluefish in the Canal? You know there is a ton of bait in Point Pleasant when those big choppers move in and Reel Life Bait and Tackle weighed that yellow-eyed demon in this week. Stocks of sea bass continue to show strong with 14- to 15-inch fish crawling over just about any decent rock pile you choose. There was also a 6-pound Blackfish taken in the Canal. There are also plenty of blues in the surf to keep your rod bent.
You really need to be out just before sunrise in Seaside if you want to pick a striper or two from the beach. Scott at The Dock Outfitters reports plenty of cocktail blues to play with once the sun is up, but early seems to be part of the equation to grab a bass. No real size on those stripers yet. With the warm water there are still some blowfish in the bay and inlet as well.
Matt at Tony’s Bait and Tackle in Manahawken reports that the bay is still producing blowfish, weakfish and spot. Ocean temp was down to 63 two days ago along LBI with a little bird play up and down the Island on small blues. Nearshore, the bottom is literally paved with little spike weakies from 25 to 35 feet of water. Small blues, kingfish and spot are still running the shallows in the surf.
Dave at Absecon Bay Sportsmens Center reports that there are still plenty of fish to be caught, even though we are in a little bit of a holding pattern on the striper bite. There are some being popped at night, but as we all know, the guys that fish at night don’t chat about it too much. Medium bluefish are blowing up bait in the surf and there are spot everywhere, some of them big enough to eat. Personally, I’d throw them in the bait pen before the frying pan.
Team Tackle Direct has been hitting the beaches pretty hard the last week or so with only a few high points to report. Very early and just at dark seems to be when the action heats up on the beachfront. There are plenty of cocktail blues to play with, and they will hammer anything that vaguely resembles a mullet. The back in the evening has been very, very good with schoolie bass inhaling poppers and Slug-Gos in the shallows. One team member had five bass two nights ago, with one making the stretch. Tuna trip scheduled for tomorrow, will report the results.
For those in the Ocean City area that do not have a pen full of live spot, John at Fin-Atics has them for you. There are still kingies in the surf if you can get through the other bait and catch them, and the mullet are still running out through both inlets. In the back, some good catches of weakfish from behind 34th Street out to Corson’s. There are some tog and still some triggers in deep holes under the undercut in the sod banks and an occasional mini-blitz of small blues on the beach.
Joe at Two Chums Bait and Tackle In Sea Isle reports his rental boats are still doing well with crabs and weakies in the back. A few industrious guys are working the lagoon ends into the channel with clams at night and picking up a few stripers. Behind Avalon and Townsend’s Inlet are loaded with small to medium sized blues.
I got to talk to Becki in between customers at Sea Isle Bait and Tackle this morning. She is still seeing a good catch of kingies and tons of spot in the surf. Bloodworms are like magic. Small to Medium bluefish on mullet can keep you busy, and if you want to explore your dark side, try the shadow lines of the bridges at night. Some stripers and some decent weakies are being taken after dark.
Best bet for this weekend depends if you want to get your feet wet or not! If the surf is your target, there will be plenty of small bluefish to play with if you can find the bait, which should not be too hard. Catching spot is almost automatic if you want to take some kids out. From the boats, I’d say it’s a great weekend to go sea bassin’. Bust some clams, get some of that funky red- and green-dyed squid strips, and have at it!