Though Juno may not have been the historic storm that the weathermen predicted, it brought cold enough temperatures to slow down the New Jersey saltwater fishing scene—at least temporarily.
Brayden at Effingers said before the storm, cod (mostly shorts) were still being caught in 80 to 130 feet of water, with some blackfish mixed in. Blackfishing was okay through the weekend, though limit catches have been tough to come by. The ling fishing has been on the slow side.
In freshwater, ice fishing is good on the lakes with fishable ice. The Knee Deep Club had their annual ice fishing contest on Sunday, and some impressive perch and pickerel were pulled through the ice. The three biggest perch were all heavier than 1 pound, and the biggest pickerel was just shy of 4 pounds.
Best Bets for the Weekend
This is the right time of year to service and repair your rods and reels (or buy new ones), so swinging by your local tackle shop is a good way to break the winter monotony and make sure you’re ready to go for the coming season.
It’s also a good time to travel out of state and check out some of the other fishing opportunities within road trip range. On Long Island, the East End party boats have been doing well on cod. You can get the full scoop on the Long Island Fishing Forecast. In Upstate New York, ice fishing is going well, and the steelhead fishing is fair in the Lake Ontario tributaries. Look to the Upstate New York Fishing Forecast for the latest updates there.