Color the fishing blue.
Spring choppers dominate the action right now with bluefish up to 20 pounds being caught from Raritan Bay to the Manasquan Inlet.
The bass are still around, but as is usually the case when the bluefish show, they push other everything else aside.
Roger at Tackle U.S. in Laurence Harbor said Raritan Bay is full of big bluefish, with guys getting them on plugs and metal at Cliffwood Beach, Union Beach and Leonardo.
Striped bass continue to be caught from the bayshore beaches, but the bite is mostly at night on bait, he said. Perth Amboy has been producing a good number of fish on bunker chunks and clams.
Blues are also the main topic at the Tackle Box where Capt. Phil Sciortino said there are tons of blues around and anglers are getting them in excess of 18 pounds in Leonardo and from the Keansburg Pier.
He did get two bass weigh-ins with Gene Amato of Fish On Lures bringing a 20 pounder on Monday and a 17 pounder a few days earlier, both caught on his plugs.
Jimmy Morenz at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands reported a lot of bass being caught on bunker chunks, clams and worms on the bay beaches and the Sandy Hook surf. Loads of blues have also made their way into the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers and there are smaller bass there as well.
He added that there are some nice blackfish being taken near the Atlantic Highlands Bridge, but time is running out on the them as Saturday is the last day of the season.
There are also some ling around.
Capt. George Bachert on the Angler out of Atlantic Highlands said Monday’s fishing wasn’t great but okay for spring with some anglers getting between 10 and 15 fish.
He also reported more keeper tog coming aboard along with several nice cod.
The boats out of Atlantic Highlands targeting stripers, however, are having a slow time of it. The Fishermen, Sea Hunter, Sea Tiger II and Atlantic Star have all gone in search of bass, but are calling the results disappointing.
While there have been pockets of activity, with some keepers and shorts being landed, a sustained bass bite has yet to materialize for the party boats. Private boats trolling mojo and umbrella rigs along with Stretch lures are getting more fish to bite.
Boats heading out of the Oceanic Marina in Rumson don’t have far to travel to find fish. Eddie at the marina said the blues, up to 10 pounds, can be found all the way back to Red Bank hitting plugs and swim shads. There are also some small bass around if you can get to them through the bluefish.
The bass bite is back on in the Raritan reported the crew at Jigging World in Rochelle Park.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the blues are thick in the Shrewsbury River as well. The beach fishing is still slow, with Mel only getting scattered reports of a small fish taken in the surf. Not a lot of folks are giving it a try, he said. This cool spring weather can’t be helping matters.
I’ve given the Bradley Beach surf a try several times over the last two weeks and have yet to get a hit. The water temperature is hovering around 50 degrees, so they’re bound to bite soon.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the beach is quiet there and the Shark River Inlet has not received the influx of bluefish seen elsewhere. What the Shark River does have, he said, is loads of fluke.
The season doesn’t open until May 21, but anglers have been picking up summer flounder while fishing for their winter brethren. All of the fish went back, he said, but it’s a good sign for the upcoming season.
The blackfish boats out of Belmar have all enjoyed a good April and will be sorry to see it end on Saturday. Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker reported a fine week of tog fishing with lots of daily limits and pool fish in the 7- to 8-pound range. The Skylarker landed one fish at 14.2 pounds.
He added that they’re still seeing the occasional cod, with a 10 pounder taking Tuesday’s pool.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters has been fishing for tog and has some spots open for Saturday’s trip. He’s been hunting around for striped bass, too, but while he’s marked bait and some fish, the fishing hasn’t quite come together yet. Hopefully, the bass will turn on and fill the void left with the closing of blackfish season.
And you don’t have to be in a boat to get in on the tog action as they are biting at the Shark River Inlet. Marty Westerfield of Wall got a 7-pounder fishing the inlet at the beginning of the week.
They’re at the Manasquan Inlet, too, reported Dave Arbeitman at the Reel Seat in Brielle.
Arbeitman said the bigger tog news was the 21¼-pound-blackfish caught by Joe Zagorski fishing aboard the Fish Monger out of Point Pleasant Beach on Tuesday. Capt. Jerry Postorino saw a 19-pounder come aboard first only to be followed by Zagorski’s monster.
The winter flounder bite picked up again this week in the Manasquan River, with the fish moving out of the bay and into the river. The fish have gone down in size, said Arbeitman, but up in numbers. There are also some small bass around, hitting swimming plugs and plastics.
And then there are the bluefish. Gator blues were in and out of the Manasquan Inlet all week. John Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said they were showing up early in the morning and again in the evening.
Tuesday evening’s invasion brought a herd of fishermen to the inlet with poppers and metal catching fish up to 20 pounds. Tossing a swimming plug from a dock on the Manasquan, I caught a blue estimated at around 12 pounds. Naturally, I missed a couple of others.
Bogan said the blitzes are reminiscent of last year when the blues were thick at the inlet. He’s just hoping that they don’t disappear for three months like they did in 2015.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
Blues in the Raritan Bay and in the rivers and inlets will offer a good chance to catch some fish. The weather looks a bit gray and chilly but it doesn’t seem to be bothering the bluefish. Bass on bait on the bayshore beaches at night is another option.
It’s also your last chance for blackfish. The season ends on Saturday and it won’t open again until mid-July when it will be a one-fish limit.