Looks like the table is being set.
From the beach in Sea Girt on Wednesday morning, I could see a spotter plane guiding a netter to schools of bunker outside of the Manasquan Inlet. There were also a half dozen boats clustering on what I assumed to be pods of bait.
Now all we need is for the fish to get on them.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters out of Belmar was out chasing stripers on Tuesday and said there were enormous of schools of bunker around, just no bass.
They picked a couple of blues, but the stripers were a no show. But it’s that time of year and hopefully, the stripers will be in the bait soon. In the meantime, some guys are catching bass and there’s no shortage of big bluefish.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at The Tackle Box in Hazlet reported pretty much the same story with gator blues on the bayshore beaches from Keansburg to Leonardo and all over Raritan Bay.
Anglers fishing from the Keansburg Pier are getting all the bluefish action they want as well.
It’s a little tough to catch any bass with all these bluefish around but Sciortino said those chunking bunker on the Knoll and trolling by the West Bank Light are scoring some fish. Mojo and shad rigs are catching fish but Sciortino said a lot of tackle ends up shredded by the blues.
The boats out of Atlantic Highlands, such as the Sea Hunter, Dorothy B., The Fishermen, Sea Tiger and Atlantic Star have been out scouting for bass, but taking advantage of the exceptional bluefish action. There has been the occasional striper hitting a jig, but the bluefish are keeping everyone busy.
Capt. Ron Santee on the Fishermen reported there is a lot of bunker moving up the channel into the bay which bodes well for the bass fishing.
Not everyone is getting in on the bluefish bonanza. Capt. George Bachert on the Angler out of Atlantic Highlands went bottom fishing at the beginning of the week and found a nice batch of ling. He said it took a little while to get settled in after being stuck at the dock for week due to the lousy weather.
Sea bass, tog and fluke added to the action but all those species had to go back.
Joe at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said the striper fishing is gathering steam on the Sandy Hook beaches. Sandworms, clams and bunker chunks are picking up bass, but the vast majority, he said, are short. Still, there are some keepers and the number of fish being caught is going up.
He also reported that a few boat anglers are starting to liveline bunker and a few fish have been taken.
There’s bass at the Highlands Bridge at night, he said, and the Navesink River is still loaded with blues. The blues, he added, seem to be in the middle of the River with bass closer to shore.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright also heard of more beach bass, with a few fish in the 10- to 12-pound range taking plugs. The Shrewsbury River still boasts loads of bluefish, but the bite isn’t as frantic, which is giving folks a chance to catch some bass. Worms, plugs and chunks are catching fish.
Martens said the bass continue to hit plugs near Red Bank in the Navesink River as well.
The bluefish bite in the Shark River shows no sign of abating, but Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said it might have slowed down just a bit. Still, guys fishing the L Street pier and all the way out of the inlet are getting choppers up to 15 pounds.
Metal accounts for most of the fish with just about any kind doing the job. Ava 27s, small spoons or jigs are all working.
Some of his customers are getting bass on plugs, jigs and chunks at night in the local rivers, such as the Shrewsbury, Navesink and Manasquan, with fish up to 25 pounds.
Fluke are also lining the bottom of the Shark River but can’t be kept until May 21.
The boats out of Belmar are sailing again after the bad weather with the Ocean Explorer and the Skylarker catching cod and ling. Capt. Steve Spinelli of the Skylarker said they had some nice school-sized cod earlier this week.
The Golden Eagle has been after ocean bluefish and finding them, with some days proving better than others.
The Manasquan River still holds its fair share of bluefish, but John at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the pace of the fishing has fallen off just slightly in the last couple of days.
On the other hand, the bass fishing on the beaches is heating up. John said bunker chunks are producing stripers in the local surf. There are also stripers being caught in the Manasquan on plugs and shads.
The guys at Brielle Bait and Tackle said the bluefish action at the Manasquan Inlet and in the river is keeping everyone pretty happy. They, too, reported more bass taken on the beach in Point Pleasant and Bay Head.
For my part, I’ve yet to get my first beach bass of the year, but bunker chunks produced a couple of good strikes in the Bradley Beach surf earlier this week. Unfortunately, I missed them both, but it was nice to feel that tug.
I did manage, however, a keeper fluke from the beach on a chunk, so they’re in the surf and obviously hungry.
Up at Lake Hopatcong, the Knee Deep Club will be having their walleye tournament this weekend. Entries will be taken up until 8 a.m. on Saturday. Laurie Murphy at Dow’s Boat Rental said walleye have been hitting in shallower water, on live bait and lures.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
The weekend weather looks like a mixed bag but it’s fairly certain the bluefish aren’t going anywhere in a hurry. Raritan Bay still looks like the most action with the bayshore beaches and Keansburg Pier good spots to go to with metal. Bring some extra tackle.
The Sandy Hook beaches are also giving up some bass on bait so why not take some fresh bunker chunks, sandworms or clams to the sand and give it a try. That fishery is due to break open.
Went out From Keyport on The Mad Gaffer with Captain Ray yesterday.Fished near the Hook and caught way too many Blues and one very Nice Striper. Got back to dock just before the rain came.