Northern New Jersey Fishing Report | October 2, 2014

More northeast wind is making the fishing difficult again this week. But there have been bright spots, including the first hints that the striper migration has reached New Jersey, at least a little.

Bayonne

With fluke and sea bass closed, and stripers still slow, the top option, according to True World Bait and Tackle, is porgies. Fortunately, these scrappy fighters are biting well between the channels in Raritan Bay.

Bound Brook

Brayden at Efinger’s said to fish over mussel beds for the best porgy action. The rocky-bottom areas are loaded with black sea bass, which are off limits for two more weeks.

The edge of the Mud Hole has a mix of albies and blues, Brayden said. Smaller blues can be found in the back bays where small lures and light tackle are working well. Some 1- to 5-pound bluefish are patrolling the surf, and at sunrise, there have been short stripers mixed in. Topwaters are working best for both species.

Bradley Beach

The report from The Bait Shop is that short bass are biting in the surf in the early morning hours, but over all, the fishing has been slow and the weather has been unforgiving.

Brielle

John at The Reel Seat said the wind has been a bear, but when fishermen are getting out, the catching is good. The canyons are hot, producing yellowfin and longfin. The weeds have been brutal, however, making trolling nearly impossible as the lures constantly foul with the floating vegetation. Chunking and jigging has been working both day and night, and is producing big numbers of tuna.

Dave from the Reel Seat recently returned from a tilefish trip where a lack of wind was the problem.  Hard to believe given the recent weather.  Nevertheless, the boat did well with deepwater species and even landed a potential world record blueline tilefish.

Blues, bonito and albies are biting well for inshore trollers, while porgies, triggers, ling and blackfish are bending rods for bottom bouncers.

John said fishermen trolling the Shrewsbury Rocks are taking stripers.

Small bluefish are biting well on metal lures in the Manasquan River and in the surf.

Hazlet

The last round of northeast blew some big bass into Raritan Bay, and fishermen drifting eels caught fish to 45 pounds reported Phil at The Tackle Box. When the wind lets up, there will be a number of fishermen checking if the fish are still there. Smaller stripers are running the sea bright surf, in the river and under the bridges. Clams, poppers, SP Minnows and swim shads are working for these bass. Small bluefish are blitzing on baitfish schools throughout Raritan Bay.

Best Bets for the Weekend

The first thing I would do is take some eels to Raritan Bay to see if any big stripers stuck around. My next choice would be to hop on a canyon-bound boat, weather permitting. For the shore-bound anglers, it’s all about bluefish, but hit the beach before first light for the best shot at hooking a striper.