Southern New Jersey Fishing Report - April 14, 2016

Enough is enough.  We should be enjoying some spring weather by now—no more snow!  If this doesn’t change, March may go down as being warmer than April.  The windy weather is putting a serious damper on the fishing faithful as most shops are mentioning the lack of angler participation.  I did hear of some serious Striped Bass up in the Raritan Bay which were caught by guys trolling Mojo’s, and there have been some reports of weakfish south of Ocean City.  All signs are pointing to the season firing up as the Mother Nature turns the dial to Spring.

Gates Bait & Tackle of Point Pleasant Beach recommends fishing in the canal for blackfish as anglers are doing well with sandworm, clam, and green crab.  The shop did hear of some bass caught around the Mantaloking Bridge and also in the Raritan Bay.  There are some short bass around the Point Pleasant Canal and Route 37 Bridge, so soft plastics or bloodworm would be the way to go.

Fisherman’s Supply had anglers getting into Striped Bass in the pocket off Manasquan Inlet, while most bass where in the “unkeepable” range they did provide some good action.  Most were caught on teasers thrown above swim shads.  Anglers returning to the shop for bait are reporting decent action on Blackfish/Tautog in the Canal on sandworm or clam.  The shop feels if we have a few days of warming, it could start to break wide open.

The MIMI VI was held dockside as the relentless weather forced Capt. Ken to bail on the week’s trips.  The crew should be back at it this upcoming week, but call the boat for details as they are itching for tog.

The Gambler has been forced to stay tied up as the weather has kept them at the dock for most of this week. They are set and raring to go once the seas settle, so call the boat for details on dailiy bottom fishing or Sunday Golden tilefishing through April.

The Norma K III will open its 2016 fishing schedule this Saturday (April 16th) by hitting some of the wrecks and snags for Blackfish.  The boat will be sailing every day from 730 a.m. to 230 p.m., and they have plenty of green crabs aboard.

Brian from Betty and Nicks Bait & Tackle reported their first keeper bass weighed in by angler Pat Mickles.  The fish was caught behind Island Beach State Park on bloodworms and weighed close to 10 pounds. The fish are starting to move around the bay, and there should be some fish in the surf zone.  Brian recommends fishing areas that are warmer which will have more active Stripers.  Oyster Creek channel continues to provide decent action of Striped Bass on pink soft plastics and drifted bloodworms.

Dock Outfitters reminded anglers that there are fish around, but the weather continues to play a bigger role.  The west side of Barnegat Bay continues to produce Striped Bass and occasional Weakfish around the nuclear outflow, while multiple limits of blackbacks were boxed around Bayville to the BB channel marker.  Heavy chumming and bloodworms have been the trick for these Winter Flounder.

Gina from the Carolyn Ann III said the boat made a quick rebound after the bad weather on Saturday.  Although she had a smaller crowd, it was “drop and reel” fishing for the majority of the trip and the boat had their limit by 12:30 p.m.  She hopes the blackfishing continues to be this good over the next several weeks.

Creekside Outfitters reported a few more weakfish being caught around the Oyster Creek outflow and also towards the southern end of Long Beach Island.  There also has been some better action on winter flounder as of late.  One of the shop patrons reported seeing birds working on small 2- to 3-pound bluefish while they were clamming, so this is good sign of things to come.

Tony’s Bait & Tackle reported “not so great” fishing conditions this past week, but the fish are still cooperating for the ones getting out.  There are still some shorts around the area bridges which are mostly being caught on soft plastics or bloodworms.  The white perch action continues to be “status quo”, it seems when we get a good amount of sun it helps the late afternoon bite.  The hot bite has been the Black Drum off Graveling Point and Pebble Beach towards the mouth in the Mullica.  The fish have been chomping on clams and weighing up to 25 pounds.

The Brigantine jetties have been choked full of short Striped Bass according to Riptide Bait & Tackle.  Soft plastics like the pink or white Zoom are the ticket for these smaller fish, but the shop is still waiting for the first official keeper Striped Bass caught off the beach in which they give a $50 gift card.  “We need calmer winds and some seasonal temperatures to jumpstart the spring fishery”, says Andy.

Dave from Absecon Bay Sportsman had some good news on the Striped Bass migration which he heard from points way south of us (Maryland, Delaware).  They are starting to make their way up, so it shouldn’t be long.  On a more local scene, White Perch continue to be had from the Mullica and parts of the Tuckahoe which grass shrimp being the choice bait.  There has been word of some Black Drum caught near the mouth of the Mullica on clam baits.

Apart from the cold and the wind, water temperatures are in the fish-producing 50s according to Nowell from One Stop Bait & Tackle.  There continues to be schoolie Striped Bass action on the jetties with up to 200 shorts being caught over the last week, according to a few shop regulars.  Also there has been some sporadic bird play just out of reach of the surfcasters and jetty hoppers. “It’s a whole lot of fish, but just not too many keepers as of yet,” according to Nowell.  The hot areas are the T-jetty, Vermont Avenue, and Massachusetts Avenue which have been consistent for anglers over the past week.  There are some keeper Blackfish around, so tossing clam or green crab is a option for Tog off the rockpiles.

Fin-Atics of Ocean City advises anglers to fish Corson’s Inlet, 9th Street, the Parkway Bridge, or Beasley’s Point for Striped Bass.  There are fish around, mostly shorts, but should be able to pick a keeper in the mix.  Soft plastics such as the pink or white Zoom and the Gulp Nemesis tipped with a 3/8- to ½-ounce jighead have been producing good results.  These same areas have given up a sporadic weakfish, but this should start to build over the next several weeks.  There is not much to report on the surf scene.  On the river side of things, fishing has been good for White Perch especially on the days when the wind and sun cooperate.

Fishing Forecast for Southern New Jersey

It seems the best bet this weekend would be to hit some of our area wrecks for Tautog as the season has recently begun and not-too-many boats have hit the choice spots due to the recent blow.  The best Striped Bass fishing continues to be around the area’s bridges as the menhaden-eating migratory fish haven’t got here yet.  Make sure you equip yourself with some different types of soft plastics (white, pink) and retrieve the lure slow with the current.  It wouldn’t hurt to grab some bloodworms, and fish them on a float rig if the fish aren’t into plastic.

Good luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines.