New Jersey Fishing Report for 4-9-2015

 

Things were finally starting to get on track for the spring striper fishing in New Jersey, and then, once again, the weather took a turn. Fortunately, the weekend is looking good, and the bass bite should bounce right back.

Phil at the Tackle Box in Hazlet got the first report of keepers from the Raritan Bay this week. The fish, which just squeaked past the 28-inch mark, were taken on fresh clams in the Union Beach area. Things were looking great, Phil said, even bunker were beginning to show, but the recent foul weather put a hold on the fishing at late this week.

At the other end of the state, stripers are also being caught in the Delaware Bay and the Delaware River, as far as Philadelphia, reported Matt at Harry’s Army Navy. The river temperature has been hovering around 45 degrees. Another 4 or 5 degrees, and Matt expects the striper fishing to pick up father upriver.

While fishing for Delaware River stripers, Matt had a surprising catch when an Atlantic sturgeon swam into his line and got snagged. Every year, a few sturgeon are caught this way by fishermen looking for shad or stripers. The sturgeon was returned to the river quickly and safely to continue its spawning migration.

Shad were being caught as far as Lambertville last week, reported Matt, but the river got out of shape from recent rains. It’s returning to fishable levels, and Matt expects the shad fishing to resume.

Between New Jersey’s big bays, the striper fishing is a little more spotty. Bill at Fin-atic’s reported that as the back bays behind Ocean City warm up, more resident stripers are moving down from the rivers. A few short stripers have been reported in Corson’s Inlet and along the 9^th Street Causeway, Bill said. Most stripers, along with good numbers of white perch, are in the Tuckahoe and Great Egg rivers. Bloodworms have been the bait of choice, Bill said.

There’s plenty of bait out there, reports Noel from One Stop Bait and Tackle in Atlantic City. Bunker have moved in, but he’s yet to hear of any keeper-sized bass. Shore fishermen were having luck catching tog, Noel said, but the weather has put a stop to that fishing for the time being.

The tog being caught from shore have been shorts, but as the waters warm, keepers should be moving in from their offshore wintering grounds. For the best bet at catching a keeper tog right now, Bill from Fin-atic’s recommends hoping on a party boat.

Cod are still being caught by party boat anglers. The Voyager found some more big cod this week, though the numbers weren’t as impressive as their April 2 trip. Never the less, the pool winner pulled down the scale to 30 pounds, and big ling and short cod kept the customers busy.

Betty and Nick’s is still looking for that first surf-caught keeper to claim the 11-foot Shimano Tiralejo. The surf has been big this week on account of the northeast winds, but the silver lining is the warmer water being pushed in.

Opening Trout Day on Saturday was a big success, and fishermen continued to have success with trout right through the week. For a full rundown of the trout season (and the lowdown on where the big breeders were stocked) check out Tom Pagliaroli’s column in the April Issue of On The Water.

Largemouth fishing is on the slow side right now, but some fish are being caught in Assunpink. Pickerel and panfish are undoubtedly being caught as well. Early spring is prime time for Garden State picks.

Best Bets for the Weekend

The variety of species available to New Jersey anglers over the next couple weeks makes choosing a “best bet” a challenge. Striper fishing should pick right back up after the weather settles down. Expect to see the bass showing up in the surf soon, and in greater numbers in Raritan Bay and the back bays and rivers throughout the state. Reports from the Chesapeake are that good numbers of big bass are moving in to spawn, so it’s going to be a couple weeks before the schools of big bass reach the Garden State.

In the meantime, the shad run is picking up steam in the Delaware, and these kings of the herring family earned their nickname—the poor man’s salmon—for a reason. They jump, run and put up a dogged fight. If you’re new to the shad game, a number of guides will get you right in the middle of the run and introduce you to this fantastic species.

With the ocean temperatures warming, the cod bite is sure to wane soon, so the next few days may be your last shot at landing a big cod. Check with the Voyager or other party boats to see when they are sailing for these big groundfish.

Last but not least, take advantage of the trout fishing. A number of in-season stockings will keep the streams and ponds supplied with trout over the coming weeks, and fishermen can expect fantastic fishing with spinners, mealworms, PowerBait and Trout Magnets.