It was inevitable.
The weather is finally in sync with the calendar and high winds, low temperatures and some very nasty days have kept anglers off the beaches and boats stuck at the dock.
Likewise, some shops have closed until spring and a number of charter captains are plying their trade in warmer climates.
With participation down, there’s not much action to report, but as Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said, it’s been a strange season so anything can happen. The party boats out of the marina continue to sail for tog when the weather allows.
And there are a couple of other pockets of activity.
Jetties along beaches in Monmouth County continue to yield some stripers. Ronny Bala at Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant said bass are feeding on plentiful white leggers and some nice fish have been taken.
Guys using orange-bellied plugs are having the most luck. A similar crab bite occurred a couple of years ago and bass anglers caught fish well into February. Back then, jetties in Long Branch were the hot spots.
The good herring run continues in the Manasquan River and Bala said guys are catching loads of them on sabiki rigs. The Shark River is holding herring as well and they’re being caught at the inlet. Those after sun dials are finding them in both the Shark River and Manasquan Inlets.
When he’s able to sail, Capt. Jeff Gutman on the Voyager out of Point Pleasant is catching cod and jumbo porgies on offshore wrecks. He last got out in some heavy seas on Jan. 8 on and found some cod, pollock, porgies and blackfish.
He’ll be heading out again on the 15th then it’s off to the shipyard for a couple of weeks. His plan is to return in mid-February when there should be more cod around.
Capt. Kenny on the Mimi VI, also out of Point Pleasant Beach, sailed last Saturday and the blackfish bite was slow. The tog were biting well before that trip, then conditions deteriorated. The blackfish are still in close and he’s heading out again this Friday.
The water is still warm enough to keep the fish inshore, he said, and he plans to keep fishing as long as people want to go and the weather cooperates.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters out of Belmar said the togging was very good until the weather interfered at the end of last week. He, too, plans on sailing as long as they bite.
The Angler out of Atlantic Highlands will be heading to deeper water for tog. Capt. George Bachert believes the bigger fish have moved farther off so that’s where he’s heading this weekend. The fishing was pretty good, he said, until the weather turned bad. He hasn’t seen any ling and only a few mackerel. At this point, he said, it’s blackfish or nothing.
Down south, things are quiet.
The bass bite hung on bravely but Hal at Betty and Nicks Bait and Tackle said with the exception of a few shorts, nothing much is going on. Tom at Dock Outfitters reported the same scene and the bass season may finally be done.
Dave at Absecon Bay Sportsmen reported that there are a few bass in the rivers but the best chance of angling success lies with the perch. The colder water has them gathering in the deeper holes. He’s got grass shrimp to tempt them.
Best Bets for the Weekend
All things considered, it’s got to be the blackfish. Small stripers remain in the surf and the Monmouth County jetties hold the promise of larger fish on the orange-bellied plugs, but the fishing is far from consistent. Pick a favorable weather day and go for the tog.