Now it’s a party.
It was just a matter of time before the big blues made the scene, and now they’ve arrived in Raritan Bay.
Multiple reports were received of bluefish from 3 to 18 pounds hitting metal and plugs from the Keansburg Pier and off the beaches in Leonardo.
Phil Sciortino Sr. at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the blues were on the attack Tuesday and Wednesday, hitting anything that was thrown at them. Mel Martens from Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said guys were throwing pencil poppers and the smallest fish he heard of being caught was 12 pounds.
Sciortino said the bass bite on bait from the bay beaches has slowed down some, which is understandable now that the blues have invaded.
It will be nice to be able to catch something else as the striper bite has been a little inconsistent lately. Jim Stonaker of Long Branch has been fishing the bay over the past few weeks and said the fishing is back on the upswing after a couple of slow days.
The party boats out of Atlantic Highlands are reporting mixed bass fishing. There’s loads of bait around and the boats are marking fish but the captains of the Sea Hunter, Fishermen and Sea Tiger II are not getting the bites they expected. The consensus is that things should pick up once we get past the full moon. It’s also spawning season, so these fish may not have their minds fully on feeding.
Ernie Giglio at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle reported a lot of action in his neck of the woods this week. He weighed in the first bass of the season, a 25½-pound bass caught by Andy Di Franco of Sea Bright on a plug in the surf. He also reported a fluke caught in the Shrewsbury River by a winter flounder fisherman.
The blues have also been coming and going in the Shrewsbury River to the south of the Sea Bright Bridge and a few bass are being caught in the river on worms and clams, he said. There are also some short fish showing up in the surf, stripers of 12 to 18 inches on clams.
The bass are in the Navesink River as well. Martens said the fish are all the way to Red Bank hitting small plugs. While they’re not big, they’re fun, he said. Mike Pawlikowski at the Oceanic Marina in Rumson said one of his customers caught a 27-inch striper across from Marine Park.
Anglers coming into Fisherman’s Den in Belmar are getting in on the bass in Raritan Bay but they’re hoping to see some more fish move on south. Bob Matthews reported a few bass and some blues have been taken in the surf, but the fishing has yet to gain any real momentum.
I dunked some clams on Monday and again on Wednesday in the Bradley Beach surf, but didn’t get a touch. My luck, however, should in no way be used as a guide.
Matthews did say there were already some keeper fluke being caught in the Shark River by guys targeting other species. The season doesn’t open for another month, so if you manage to catch one, release it carefully.
The bottom fishermen are taking full advantage of the April blackfish season with good catches reported by the Ocean Explorer and the Skylarker.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the new Skylarker said he’s very excited about the season and the way the fishing shaping up. He reported very good blackfishing the past week with fish over 11 pounds.
Capt. Spinelli said there have also been been a number of school-sized cod caught and even a few sea bass. The opening of that season is still a way off, so they all have to go back.
The tog fishing hasn’t been limited to the boat fishermen. Matthews added that some keeper tog are being taken at the Shark River Inlet.
Blackfish up to three pounds are also being caught in the Point Pleasant Canal and the Manasquan Inlet. In addition to the blackfish, Dave Arbeitman at the Reel Seat in Brielle reported bluefish at the inlet and as far back as Treasure Island in the Manasquan River. Schoolie bass can also be found in the river on plugs. There are also some shad to be caught and a few early fluke have also been hooked and released in the Manasquan.
Arbeitman also reported that the winter flounder fishing rebounded near the south end of the Point Pleasant Canal, especially for those folks fishing the eastern side.
Greg Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said he weighed in a couple of nice winter flounder over the weekend with fish close to three pounds. The guys who are catching the fish, he said, are putting in the time.
He, too, reported a good blackfish bite at the canal and Manasquan Inlet with most of the fish taking sandworms instead of crabs.
The Big Jamaica out of Bogan’s Basin went striper fishing over the weekend while the Jamaica II continued bottom fishing for cod, pollock and blackfish.
Capt. Joseph Bogan on the Jamaica II reported the bottom fishing was a little tough on Sunday with a pick of fish coming over the rail in the morning but the bite turned off in the afternoon. The pool winner was an 18-pound cod.
The Big Jamaica reported marking stripers all day long last Sunday, but they never turned on the way everyone hoped. Still, Capt. Howard Bogan reported putting some bass in the boat, including a 28-pound pool winner, which hit a silver croc.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
Raritan Bay continues to hold the most promise with big bluefish now joining the fray. Make sure you have some metal as they will chew up any wooden or plastic plugs tossed their way. They showed up in Leonardo and Keansburg, but they can appear anywhere now that they’ve arrived.
The blackfishing has been very good as well but the season is quickly coming to an end. It closes on April 30 and won’t open again until July 17 with a one-fish limit. The Angler out of Atlantic Highlands has scheduled blackfish trips until the season ends.