As is the case in most of the coastal waters in the state, the predominant south/southwest winds we have been experiencing for the last two weeks has cooled waters substantially in the northern reaches of the state. These winds create a condition called upwelling where the warmer top waters are blown away allowing the cooler bottom waters to rise. Does that mean the fishing has bottomed out? Hardly! But headboat captains, charters and shop owners all tell me the same thing. You need to adjust your tactics and work a little harder compared to a normal summer weather pattern. Additionally, tidal flows seem to be playing a more critical role for local anglers. The warmer water from the flats on the change of tide, filter in and out and seems to stimulate the bait which in turn accentuates the bite. No scientific data to back this theory up, just something I have been noticing since the temperature drop. Let’s see if our “on the scene” reporters have any additional data to support my theory.

In the northern reaches of the state, finding warm water and hyperactive fish has been somewhat of a problem for the past few weeks. But good captains adapt. And while I have never fished with Captain Peter Sykes of Parker Pete Charters I can tell he is one of the good ones. He has adapted and from what I am seeing of late, has done so in a big way. For example, The DD group was out the other day and filled up the coolers with fluke up to 5 pounds. The Parker Pete boat, a custom 35-foot Donelle is one of the best fishing platforms in the entire state. I say that with a degree of certainty as I fished it when it was first built. Captain Sykes usually has a slot or two open on his charter only operation so give him a holler if you are looking for a ride. He can be reached at (732) 496-5028 or captpete@parkerpetes.com.

a href=”http://www.jerseyhookercharters.com/” target=”_blank”>The Jersey Hooker is back on the water and all I can say is it’s about time. Sandy dished out a double dose to Captain Rich Wilkowski in Brick, hitting the shop and the boat with both fists. But everything is back and from what I can see, better than ever. When I spoke with Rich today, he was still ironing out some light issues but still had time to give me a fishing run down. The fluke bite has turned on at the Axel–Carlson reef with some nice fish being reported being taken from there. Berkley Gulps seem to be the hot bait for the big fluke. The captain told me that the chilly waters have also kept the local river bite for fluke going strong. He also told me that crabbing has been good, especially in Barnegat Bay and Beaver Dam Creek. I usually try to get some offshore info from him and this week he told me he is hearing good things from the Washington Canyon. Bluefin and yellowfin with the occasional bigeye tuna are all being called in. One boat had a banner day with a report of four bigeye on a recent trip. The Jersey Hooker still has a few dates open if you are looking for a top notch ride to the action in the deep water. Give Captain Rich a call at (732) 903-6904 before his dance card fills up.

After a week of humdrum fishing and plenty of fuel burned, the Miss Belmar Princess is back on the fish. We knew a quality party boat like the Princess and her sister ship the Royal Miss Belmar wouldn’t take an influx of colder water lying down. Recent reports from the crew indicate they have found the blues off the Mud Hole and have no intention of letting them out of their sights. Fish up to 12 pounds and consistent action have been reported on all the recent trips. The 120’ Miss Belmar Princess sails daily at 7:30 am for bluefish and again at 7:30 pm for some night action. The Royal Miss Belmar sails twice daily at 7:30 am and 1:30 pm targeting fluke and sea bass. Two great boats, two great captains who will go out of their way to put you on the fish of your choice.

I spoke with Captain Bobby Quinn of the Ocean Explorer out of Belmar this week to see how they have been doing lately. The 100’ Ocean Explorer is a great fishing platform with a captain who goes out of the way to put his fares on the fish. The captain told me that fighting both the wind and cooler water of late has been a challenge but from the looks of the pictures I have seen, they are definitely up to the challenge! According to Bob, cut and live baits have been producing a little better than jigs with this weather pattern lately but both are available. Recent trips have put fish in most customers’ coolers up to 7 pounds. And the good part of the season has yet to start. Just wait until the water heats up a tad. The OE leaves each day from Belmar at 7:30 am for a ¾ day trip. Charters are available, call for pricing.

If you can’t find the fish from on top of the water, you still have options. If you are a certified diver you can always go down and get up close and personal with your prey. In the Shark river, you can hook up with the Ol Salty II and Captain Nick Caruso for either dive or fishing charters. This Sunday, July 14th, the Ol Salty will be heading for the Tolten and a two tank dive there. For more information, olsaltyii@aol.com or call the boat @ 1-800-836-8862 for more details and to book your spot. The OL’ Salty II offers discount rates for clubs, groups and dive shops. The Ol SaltyII is also available for fishing charters and is certified for up to 50 passengers.

Even with the cold water issue we have been experiencing, Captain Chris Hueth and the crew of the New Big Mohawk have been on the fluke big time again this year. On the Mohawk, lighter tackle (compared to other head boats) and Berkley Gulp Baits seem to be the deciding factor. Fish up to 7 pounds are not uncommon and Captain Hueth has a knack for finding the honey holes. I can only imagine what they will be doing once the weather settles back to a “normal” summer pattern. The Big Mohawk sails most days from its Belmar slip at 7 am but on occasion breaks dock early. I recommend calling ahead for their schedule.

At the top of the state, I spoke with Joey of Joey’s Bait Shack fame in Keyport. Most of the action of late has been centered on fluke with anglers getting them all over the Raritan Bay and its feeders. Joey tells me he has weighed in some nice fish, up to 7 pounds that have been taken off the Keyport Bulkhead. Most of the locals are using a combination of killies and or spearing and squid. The bluefish bite is somewhat limited to snapper sized which can be taken on small metal lures. And once again, for the second season in a row, the spot (or Lafayette’s, as they are known locally) have returned to the area. Small hooks and a piece of FishBytes artificial bait is all you need to put up a stringer of these drum cousins. Joey was also very excited about the crabbing in the area, telling me it is about as good and early as he can remember. Bunker has been the prime crabbing bait.

Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright reports that the rivers have been swamped with cow nose rays so mind your tackle. They can break a rod if you are not mindful. Ernie tells me that the beaches are doing well by the fluke crowd. Igor Kovac of S. Amboy had four keepers up to 3 pounds taken on Gulp Baits. Joe Mairo (Sea Bright) went 4 for 7 on fluke with several breaking the four pound mark . That’s a pretty good ratio. Mike Pinto of Bound Brook had a five pound flatfish in the surf. Ernie tells me there are still bass around, most anglers having success with Daiwa SP Minnows or metal lures like Hopkins or Kastmaster. The beaches and rivers in the area are loaded with croaker and spot. And a few northern kingfish have been caught in the suds.

As is the case with most of the coastal bait and tackle shops, Reel Life Bait and Tackle in Point Pleasant was busy restocking from a hectic holiday weekend when I got in touch with them. But Bob still had time to give me an update on the local conditions. There are still bass in the canals although not as many and not as big. Most anglers are using eels or tossing a plug with some weight out front to get action. Storm or Tsunami are big sellers of late. The hot spot for fluke has been the Manasquan and Bob said light tackle is the ticket. Sand eels, squid strips and Gulp Baits have been the most effective. Out front, Long Branch has been the show place for fluke. Forty to sixty feet of water seems to be the place to drop a line. Fish up to 7 pounds are being taken regular. The bluefish bite is most out towards the Mud Hole and all off shore action of late is south towards the Baltimore. Big Eye and yellow fin have been the best reports down there. The northern deep water, when last heard from, had mainly small blue fin tuna. Sea bass has been good and then great on the inshore reefs.

We are getting into the prime summer season so I thought I would give you a couple of options if you are looking for a charter ride out Belmar. Each of these boats come highly recommended with captain who each have an impressive track record. And it’s never too early to book that fall striper trip. It will be here before you know it.

• Last One! 35’ custom Sea Hawk – up to six passengers. Inshore and wreck fishing. (732) 556-7156

• Katie H Sportfishing 46’ custom Hatteras. Up to six passengers. Inshore and offshore. (908) 600-6413

• XTC Sport Fishing 44’ Henriques . Up to six passengers. Inshore and offshore. (732) 616-3763

• Teri Jean Sportfishing 45’ Hatteras. Up to six passengers. Inshore and Offshore (732)280-7364

For some fresh water info, I checked in with Eric at Harry’s Army and Navy in Robbinsville, a place who always has their thumb on the pulse of the not-salted scene. He tells me that Spro Frogs have been hot lately for largemouth bass. Take along some shiners and a few Senko worms for good measure. Assunpink and Farrington lake are two areas Eric mentioned for possible action. If you are looking for some small mouth action, the Delaware River, north through Yardley seem to be the go to stretch of water when the river has been clear. We also heard some rumors about action in the Peaquest but could not confirm it. Eric also told me that many of his customers have been chasing carp and catfish with nice results primarily because of the water conditions of late. And almost every small farm lake or pond has been having a pan fish bonanza this year. If you want to keep the kids occupied for an afternoon, grab a bucket of worms or shiners and head to your local pond for a day of chasing blue gills and crappies. And get ready for some fine eating afterwards.

News Flash from NJDEP:

The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Prospertown Lake, located within the Prospertown Lake Wildlife Management Area, has recently received a variety of fish to restore it as a popular fishing location. The lake, which drained following the failure of the outlet structure in September, 2011, was refilled over the fall and winter and stocked with 1,170 trout for the 2013 spring season.

More recently, Hackettstown Hatchery staff released 11,692 largemouth bass fingerlings. They also stocked 3,500 other fish, consisting of a mix of species. Those fish should help build a forage base for the bass population. Another stocking later this summer of additional bass, sunfish and brown bullhead catfish is planned.

Anglers can anticipate good populations of catchable size fish by this time next year, but are welcome to enjoy the lake now. For more information, visit http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/news/2013/prospertown_restock.htm on the Division’s website.

This time of year, consider yourself lucky if you can get a few minutes to chat fishing with Dave Arbietman, owner of the Reel Seat in Brielle. The Reel Seat is one of if not the premier tackle shop in north Jersey, especially when it comes to the off shore scene. If he isn’t building custom rigs and spreader bars, Dave can usually be found on the floor making sure he has the right inventory on hand for the current bite. I got lucky this week and caught him with a free moment to discuss the local bite. The northern canyons are all quiet still according to Dave with most of the tuna bite taking place from the Baltimore south through the Washington Canyons. Closer to home, Dave informed me that there are still more than enough thresher and mako sharks hanging around for some strong action. If you are looking for the missing bluefish Dave says they have been located in the area around the Mud Hole. Inshore, fluking and sea bass has been great, even with the cooler water conditions.

Breaking News: I just returned from the committee meeting where it was tentatively decided to add 8 additional days to the NJ Summer Flounder Season. This means that the closing date changes from September 16th to September 24th effective upon approval of the legislative powers.

Best Bets for the Weekend

I know we have been through this before but the weather people out there are saying things are looking good for the weekend. If the winds would just turn around for a day or two, I believe we are in for some fantastic fishing conditions. Not that they haven’t been decent to date but a few days of north east winds would do wonders for the bite on just about everything. Fluking has been good but I suspect there are better days ahead. Even with lousy winds and water, there has been a noticeable uptick on the ocean side. The good thing about this time of year is you can’t really go wrong. Catch a couple of spot and live line them for fluke or striper. That’s what I will be doing. Whatever you choose to do, please be very careful out there. A surf angler was struck by lightning this week when a sudden storm hit.