Pictured above: A nice striped bass caught earlier this week on the Sea Hunter out of Atlantic Highlands.
The dip in temperatures seems to have lit a fire under the bass bite and the action has picked up nicely since the beginning of the week. The boats have been getting the better part of the fishing, but the surf is starting to yield more fish.
The ocean is thick with bait at the moment. The surf in my neck of the woods is loaded with rainfish and snappers and hickory shad are all over the place. A whale was feeding not too far off the Ocean Grove beach early Wednesday morning.
And while the wind played havoc with the sea bass season opener, the weather has cooperated the last couple of days. Boats have been finding plenty of fish, with porgies and triggerfish mixed in.
Capt. George Bachert on The Angler out of Atlantic Highlands said Monday’s trip was drop-and-reel fishing for sea bass, with most of the fish going back. The 13-inch limit is having an impact on what stays aboard. There were double and triple headers, and at times, there was a good amount of keepers coming over the rail.
He reported Wednesday’s fishing was the best of the week with bigger sea bass and some porgies in the mix.
Phil Sciortino Sr. at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said there were a lot of bass around on Monday. Guys fishing eels and clams from the boats did well in the Reach and some fish were taken on top water plugs. He also got reports of bass on the beach at the tip of the Hook and in Monmouth Beach.
He said when the bottom boats finally got out, the sea bass fishing was excellent. There are still some porgies around, but the numbers are dwindling. Most guys are also getting their one blackfish.
Joe Julian at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said guys fishing clams, eels and sandworms in the rough weather over the weekend did well with the bass.
Capt. Ron Santee on the Fishermen out of Atlantic Highlands reported that the bass bite is on, with several spots close to the dock producing fish on shads, jigs and eels. The Fishermen is also sailing at 6:30 p.m. for bass Monday through Saturday.
Capt. Rob Semkewyc on The Sea Hunter out of Atlantic Highlands had a good day on Wednesday with lots of stripers around. His fares jigged shads all day and everyone went home with some fillets. The pool winner was a 20 pounder.
Tom Giglio at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the bass really started hitting at the beginning of this week with fish up to 20 pounds taken on eels from boats and on plugs from the beach.
The fish have been biting at night and he said the action was also good on the beach in Sea Bright following change of tide on Monday afternoon. Tom said SP Minnows and MP Minnows are catching fish along with surface poppers and shads.
The false albacore continue to pop up along the shore there as well.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the weather was a disappointment for the opening of the sea bass season. Several boats did manage to sail with mixed results due to the unfavorable conditions.
But as the week went on, conditions improved and so did the fishing. Capt. Chris Hueth on the Big Mohawk and Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer saw good sea bass action with porgies and triggerfish mixed in.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on The Skylarker out of Belmar has been fishing nearly every day since the season opened and said while the catching is good, the keeping is fair. He indicated the 13-inch size limit is cutting down on the number of fish that make it to the coolers.
He said big triggerfish are taking the recent pools.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportishing said the weather put a crimp in his sailing plans but was set to resume on Thursday. He’ll be getting in on the sea bass and striper action along with the blackfish. He’s currently in the process of booking his November tog trips.
Matthews also said that the weather caused problems for the boats trolling for stripers, but a few were able to put some large bass in the box. Ron Anderson of Jackson landed a 34 pounder fishing aboard the Rita Too out of the Belmar Marina on Tuesday.
He added that the blackfish and winter flounder bite in the Shark River is very good with most anglers able to put limit catches together. Guys fishing the surf with clams are doing fairly well with bass, while plugging at night is producing fish.
Dave Arbeitman at The Reel Seat in Brielle reported that the tuna fishing has definitely improved. It’s just a matter of getting the weather that lets the boats sail. He mentioned that no one has been fishing the mid-range waters but he suspects there are still some mahi-mahi there to be caught.
He also reported that the false albacore showed up on the beaches of Long Branch on Wednesday morning. That’s no surprise considering the amount of rainfish around.
The bottom fishing in the area has been good with sea bass, triggerfish and blowfish being caught.
Capt. Ryan Bogan of The Jamaica II out of Brielle reported excellent sea bass fishing on Tuesday with a number of limit catches with fish up 4 pounds. There were also porgies and triggerfish coming over the rail.
In addition to the good sea bass bite, Catherine at Brielle Bait and Tackle said there are blackfish and blowfish in the Point Pleasant Canal. The number of keeper tog seems to have fallen off, possibly, she said, due to heavy fishing pressure.
Stripers continue to bite in the Manasquan River, both on bait and lures, such as small swimming plugs and shads. The areas around the bridges are also holding blackfish.
On the beaches, the surf in Spring Lake and Sea Girt is giving up bass on bait and plugs as well. Guys fishing at night seem to be doing better, she said. As always, it’s a matter of putting the time in.
Capt. Howard Bogan on The Big Jamaica reported very good tuna fishing on his most recent trip which returned to the dock on earlier this week.
The catch was mostly yellowfin up to 75 pounds and the fish were caught on both bait and jigs. The weather, he said, was a little worse than he expected with high winds and choppy seas, but that didn’t stop the fish from biting.
Northern New Jersey Fishing Forecast
There are lots of choices. The weather forecast, for what it’s worth, looks favorable for the weekend so a boat trip for stripers or sea bass will likely pay off. There is a ton of bait in the surf and the dropping water temperatures should help spur the striper bite on the beaches. Clams or bunker chunks during the day and popping plugs or shads in low light conditions are a good way to go.