There’s something for everyone. Pick your target and have at it as striped bass, bluefish, sea bass, fluke, blowfish, tuna and sharks are all now in play.
The fluke bite in Raritan Bay is coming along very nicely. John at Keyport Marine Basin said there’s lots of summer flounder by Buoys 1 and 3. The bluefish remain in the area, he said, but it’s nothing like it was a couple of weeks ago. On the plus side, the blues’ retreat has given rise to better striped bass fishing.
Phil Sciortino Sr. at the Tackle Box in Hazlet reported the boats are doing well with stripers in Raritan Bay and on the ocean side from the point of Sandy Hook to Monmouth Beach. Livelining snagged bunkers and top water plugs are catching fish and most of them are very big. Sciortino reported fish up to 45 pounds. Bunker chunking and trolling are also putting big bass in the boats.
Capt. Rob Semkweyc on the Sea Hunter out of Atlantic Highlands reported finding bass breaking in bunker on Tuesday and landed fish up to 37 pounds.
Those captains that have been focusing on fluke have been well rewarded. Capt. George Bachert on the Angler out of Atlantic Highlands reported more than 50 keepers on Tuesday’s trip with plenty of fish in the 4- to 7-pound range. One angler had four fish in the box by 8:30 a.m.
Capt. Ron Santee on the Fishermen, also out of Atlantic Highlands, got his fluke season started on Monday and caught fish most of the day with keepers outnumbering shorts. The pool winner was 6½ pounds and there were several fish in the 5-pound range. The fishing was equally good on Tuesday with the big fluke of the day tipping the scales at 8½ pounds with several limits.
Capt. Stan Zaleski on the Elaine B II out of Highlands is also finding plenty of fish for his customers when wind and tide cooperate. He reported multiple limit catches on trips early in the week with a 10-pound, 13-ounce fluke landed on Monday. Spro jigs tipped with Gulp are working but natural bait, said Capt. Stan, is also catching fish.
The fluke continue to bite in the Navesink River as well with Jack at the Oceanic Marina in Rumson reporting rental boats returning with multiple keepers. He also said more and more blue claw crabs are appearing in the river every day.
Kevin Bohnert at Long Branch Bait and Tackle said the same is true in the Shrewsbury River right behind his shop on Atlantic Avenue. It’s still early in the season, but crabs are being caught.
In Sea Bright, Ernie Giglio at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle said the beach action for bass has been good with guys tossing poppers early in the morning. There aren’t a lot of keepers in the mix, but there have been some. He also reported a few fluke taken in the surf.
He’s been getting good reports on the sea bass fishing on the reefs and rocky bottom with clams and squid catching fish. The blowfish in the Shrewsbury, he said, are favoring worms and clams. A chum log will always improve your chances if you’re after blowfish.
Jeff at Harry’s Adventure Outfitters in Robbinsville said it’s all starting to come together, calling the recent fishing “great.” His customers are getting a good amount of big bass livelining bunker off Monmouth County.
Shark season is also underway with tournaments taking place throughout the month. Tra Sea Ann won the Brett Bailey Mako Rodeo this past weekend with a 430-pound mako.
Capt. Ken Hager on the Taylor Jean out of Hoffman’s Marina caught and released a tiger shark estimated at 1,000 pounds during the same tournament.
Mako Mania, organized by the Greater Point Pleasant Charter Boat Captains Association takes place this weekend, with Mako Fever, organized the Jersey Coast Shark Anglers, scheduled for the following weekend.
This is the first time I can remember that those tournaments haven’t taken place over the same days.
Jeff also reported that boats seeking yellowfin tuna are finding their prey in the Hudson Canyon
Big blues continue to hit at Island Beach State Park, he said, and more bass are being taken in the surf on poppers.
There’s plenty of action out of the Shark River Inlet. Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar called the fishing red hot with charter and party boats catching bass close to 50 pounds. Many others were in the 30-pound range. The best part, Matthews said, is that these fish are hitting plugs as well as live bunker.
The big blues made a return appearance to the Shark River this week and the fluke fishing remains strong. Lana Gallo from Brooklyn caught a 7-pound fluke on a killie from the floating dock at the marina.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters is one boat cashing in on the abundant stripers, saying that the big fish are hungry and the fishing is excellent. The bass have been up to 44 pounds. In addition to his day charters, Capt. Pete is running magic hour livelining trips aboard the Capt. Cal II.
On the Golden Eagle, bass and bluefish are keeping customers busy. Capt. Rich Falcone has been finding bass on both live bunker and jigs and is still catching big bluefish. He’s added some afternoon livelining trips for next week to get in on the plentiful bass and reservations are required.
Stripers aren’t the only bass being caught. Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar has been sticking with black sea bass and the fishing has been very good. The fish range from 3 to 4½ pounds and he’s been finding a smattering of ling, cod and winter flounder as well.
According to John at the Reel Seat in Brielle, yellowfin tuna now inhabit the Toms Canyon and boats making the trip are catching them. There are also some bluefin there as well.
Closer to home, John said the fluking is good in the Manasquan River, especially near the Route 70 Bridge.
The report out of Brielle Bait and Tackle is that the sea bass fishing has been good for the boats out of Bogan’s Basin. The ocean fluke bite is still a bit off due to the colder water, so stick with the Manasquan River for summer flounder. Small blues are also showing up on the beaches and hitting artificials.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
These stripers aren’t going to hang around forever, so if you have your heart set on a big bass, now’s the time to go. You can also take advantage of the solid fluke bite in Raritan Bay and the local rivers. If black sea bass are on your wish list, you better get in gear. The current 10-fish season closes on June 19 and black sea bass won’t be legal again until July 1 with just a two-fish limit.
ThankU very much for posting my big bass on the online report. The bass was 49″ weighed 34lbs. Caught on light tackle spinning gear – live lining bunker. Caught at red church.