Labor Day may have come and gone but there is plenty of good fishing left in the northern reaches of the Garden State. A mediocre fluking season is turning into a good if not great end to the year. Reports are coming in all over the place verifying this as fact. Add in some healthy bluefish reports and the expected return of migrating bass and we have an excellent prelude to the fall run. But with this bounty from the sea comes an increased workload for you diehard anglers. It’s time to get the fall gear ready for the chase. Therein lays the dilemma. But there is no need to sacrifice prime fishing time to prepare for the herd moving south. That’s where OTW and our fishing forecast come in. In order to maximize your time out there, we will provide the best information we can get from our scouts in the field. That way you can use your time fishing the areas that produce. That’s why we get the big bucks, working to make your fishing adventures as successful as possible. Actually, it’s a labor of love for me. Fishing is supposed to be fun and nothing is more fun that fishing and catching.
The Miss Belmar Princess is reporting nice blues on their daily trips with pool winners in the fourteen pound range. More importantly, they want to say thank you for a successful season. Below is their announcement that runs through Friday.
KIDS FISH FREE!!! We would like to thank all of our loyal patrons and let all kids, 14 and under, fish for free on the Miss Belmar Princess now through Friday, September 5th, 2014, when accompanied by a full paying adult. Lets let them have some fun before they have to go back to school. This is valid on both the day and night trip weekdays only. Weekends not included
The Sea Tiger II, out of Atlantic Highlands, is still running twice a day fluke trips through the end of the season. Latest reports indicate that the flounder bite is better than it has been all summer. Big fish seem to be the standard on the Sea Tiger with recent pool winners breeching the 9 pound mark. Captain Hal reports more than a few passengers getting their limit as well. Water temperatures have finally hit the mark and the fish are responding.
In Belmar, the 75’ Captain Cal II is also crowing about the fluke they have been catching of late. Recent pool winners have all broken the 5 pound mark with some much bigger. Lately two to six keepers per drift has been the average if they can get the right speed. Bucktails tipped with your favorite bait has been the key to success. The Captain Cal departs daily at 7:30 am and will continue to do so through the close of summer flounder season.
Up at Lake Hopatcong, Laurie at Dows Boat Rental tells us that the bite has been very good of late. If you are casting or trolling, expect a visit from some pickerel. Mepps and Rapala Lures have been the most productive. Fish up to 3 pound have been the norm using these methods. There are some hybrid stripers around; Laurie suggests using live herring to call one up. The white and yellow perch bite has been solid as have small and large mouth bass. Anglers searching for walleye have been rewarded when using live herring. All things being equal, there are plenty of opportunities on the fresh water right now.
Don’t tell Captain Chris Hueth of the new Big Mohawk in Belmar that summer is over. You might jinx the incredible run he has been on. Latest reports from the Mohawk tell me that they are still on the fluke and have no intention of letting them slip away. The Mohawk likes to frequent sandy bottomed holes and most of the regulars prefer lighter tackle and Berkeley Gulp Baits. My kind of head boat. This week, bucktails with white or chartreuse Gulp Grub tails is the winning ticket. The Mohawk will be sailing daily through the end of fluke season.
Ernie at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright tells me that the surf fishing in the area is pretty much what it should be at this time of the year. Snapper blues dominate the surf at most time with some bigger ones moving in and out with the pods of bunker. Acme Kastmaster and Hopkins are flying off the shelves in the shop. Striped bass are showing more and more each day but most are smaller school sized. Fluking in the suds is good with plenty of shorts around but there is a decent number of keepers in the mix. If you are a surf angler and have never visited Giglio’s, it’s worth a stop if you are in the area. It’s a surf angler’s nirvana.
John at the Reel Life Bait and Tackle in Point Pleasant reports that fishing in the area is as good as it can get right now. Fluke chasers in the area are killing them with plenty of monsters being put on the deck. Gulp and Strip baits on a bucktail are the best baits. Big blues have also moved into the region. He also reminded us that the sea bass limits were expanded this week (15 fish) but the season closes on Saturday the 6th until October 18th. Blackfish and striped bass are present in the canal. Reel Life opens early and closes late every day.
The Golden Eagle 100’ Party Boat out of Belmar is on the big blues and plans to stay on them until a better option shows up. Bluefish up to 15 pounds have been taken on both bait and when they are thick, jigging metal. The Eagle puts out to sea every morning at 7:30 and also has evening and extended Saturday night blues trips. Beginning at the end of September The Golden Eagle has limited seating canyon trips on the schedule but seating is limited to 25 anglers and reservations are required.
At Joey’s Bait Shack in Keyport, the talk of the fishing usually centers on bluefish of the snapper variety. They are all over the place. Fluking has been decent off the beaches and in the back waters but for real action, you need to hop on a boat and hit 50-75 feet of water where they seem to be catching non-stop. Crabbing in the area remains solid. As a harbinger of things to come, smaller stripers are starting to make a show. Top water plugs at dusk or dawn will give you the best opportunity for some practice.
Captain Pete Sykes and his boat Parker Pete report that they have been on the fluke hard for a couple of weeks now. Bucktails with Gulp have been the best option for putting a keeper flattie in the cooler. The Parker Pete is a 35’ custom Donnel with a huge cockpit that makes fishing a real pleasure. Pete will be chasing bottom fish through the end of the season but this boat is ready for any and all species. With a 350 Cummins engine, no target is out of range. Captain Pete is now booking for striped bass season and also has some “open boat” trips on the horizon.
I was looking for some freshwater info so I contacted John at Harry’s Army and Navy in Robbinsville. One of the best for the non-saline crowd and frankly pretty good for the salt water crew as well. John tells me that while it has been a good summer for the fresh water crowd, it hasn’t been epic. He suspects cooler weather may have some effect on it but lately, it was the big rains we got that hammered them. People are catching largemouth bass in most of the local lakes and ponds but not in great numbers consistently. Smallmouth and catfish still dominate the Delaware River and the canal. Pickerel can be had in most of the spots for the cost of a Mepps. John did tell me it has been a great year for pan fish like sunnys, crappie and bluegills. This Saturday is Lamiglass Demo Day at Harry’s. Stop by and do a meet and greet with Ron Arra, 5-time US Distance Surf Casting Champ and check out their new line. Afterwards there will be a Live Demo at Mercer Lake Boat Ramp. This is a great chance to see some of the new Lamis in action. And meet a surf casting and fishing legend.
If offshore fishing is your passion and you have never visited Dave Arbietman’s Reel Seat in Brielle, then you are probably in for a surprise. Dave and his crew have one of the best offshore shops in the state. Forget about the fact that they carry everything you could possible think of to outfit you next trip, it’s the custom work and information they provide that will really drop your socks. From cutom built spreaders and rods and hard to find lures, if they don’t have it, they will get it for you. I spoke with Eric at the shop this week who told me that the Hudson has been the best place to start the hunt lately. Yellow fin and long fin are being taken on both the chunk and trolling. There have been some wahoo bite offs and a few whites in the area but that bite seems to be further south. The Lindenkohl Canyon also has some reports of nice yellow fin action. Little Italy is loaded with bonito that boaters are both trolling and chumming up in big, big numbers. Eric asked me to remind everyone out there about their upcoming Shimano Seminar (October 2 at 7pm) on the new Aero Technium Line of long cast reels and rods. Roy Leva, Shimano Pro Staffer will be on hand to demonstrate the system and answer any questions. Call the shop to reserve a spot.
Best Bets for the Weekend
I would put my money on chasing fluke and bluefish. With only a few weeks left in the summer flounder season and the bite finally where it should be, now is the time to load up the freezer. Second choice would be the offshore or inshore tuna trek. But you still have some good times in front of you with that market. Striped bass are still a few weeks away and my advice would be to go with the best possible opportunity and right now is flat fishing. From beach or by boat, it is game on. The weather looks cooperative although it might have some heat influence. As long as we don’t get the big winds and waves, you should fare well. Whatever option you opt for, stay safe out there. Fishing is supposed to be fun but safety always comes first. See you on the incoming.