Nick Cicero of Tsunami caught this big bass during a Thanksgiving Day blitz.
One can only hope the blow earlier this week hasn’t put an end to the tremendous bass fishing anglers have been enjoying lately.
The stripers were still around Monday afternoon off Ocean Grove, but the fishing had slowed down some from the insanity of the previous week. Most the of folks I spoke with believed it was a just a temporary interruption
Phil Sciortino Sr. at the Tackle Box in Hazlet reported bass being caught at Sandy Hook on Sunday. The shop weighed in a 28-pounder caught by Joe Wnek of Linden on a bunker chunk.
He also said the stripers, along with some big blues, were on the sand in Monmouth Beach on Sunday.
After three days of nasty weather, however, he wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. If the bait wasn’t chased by the storm, the fishing should come back, but it’s just a guess at this point, he added.
Capt. Ron Santee on the Fishermen out of Atlantic Highlands reported a slowdown in the bass bite just before the weather went south. He said most the big schools of bait had headed too far south for him to chase.
He’s going to see if the bass come back after the weather straightens out or if it’s time to call it a season.
Capt. Rob Semkewyc on the Sea Hunter continued to find bass and blues up until the rain began, but said it wasn’t always easy to catch them. He’s been at the dock and will sail again for stripers and blues on Friday.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands reported very good fishing at North Beach on Sandy Hook and in Monmouth Beach over the weekend. He said that many anglers who had never caught a beach striper before got their first with all the fish around.
The bigger bass were caught by guys trolling Mojos in Raritan Bay. Aaron Ciccia landed a 33 pounder doing just that. Julian was of the opinion the striper fishing will be good for another month with the bigger fish yet to move into the area.
The shop also weighed in an 11-pound tog for Bart Obuchowski from Kenilworth he caught on a green crab off Highlands.
The blackfishing has been solid with Capt. George Bachert on the Angler out of Atlantic Highlands reporting good fishing on Sunday. The weather was a bit cold but the action was good. Joe Mastorio from Union Beach had four keepers and the pool fish over 6 pounds. The Angler is scheduled to sail again on Friday.
Capt. Tom Buban on the Atlantic Star made his three-quarter day trip on Sunday and found blackfish on all of the drops he made. High hook was five keepers with the biggest running 7¾ pounds.
Capt. Stan Zagleski on the Elaine B II last sailed on Sunday and fished both shallow and deep and found better fishing in the shallow water. He said the nicer fish are still inshore as the bottom water temperature is around 53 degrees.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright reported that a few bass were still being caught on bucktails at Sandy Hook after the nasty weather arrived.
He called the striper fishing prior to that just unbelievable, from Sandy Hook down to Island Beach State Park. There were even some redfish in the mix as Bill Bertsch of Red Bank told Martens he found a pod of them feeding among the peanut bunker. The fish were in the 22-inch range.
Martens also reported his buddy managed to trap a several dozen crabs in the Navesink River during Thanksgiving week.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the fishing was good over the holiday with stripers feasting on peanut bunker. The weekend was a little tougher, he said, as a change in the wind kept the bait off the beach.
The night before Thanksgiving, I was on the beach in Asbury Park near Convention Hall and the bass were busting on the peanuts for several hundred yards along the sand.
The boats were packed close to the jetties and the shore was lined with fishermen. Everyone was catching. Most of the fish were shorts to 35 inches but I did see a 25 pounder caught by an angler tossing a white metal-lipped swimmer.
Mathews added that the blackfishing has been good with a lot of anglers going with jigs and white leggers.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the blackfishing has been excellent. He was stuck at the dock with the bad weather after following Monday’s trip but said the bite was good before that with fish up to 9 pounds.
He also did some striper fishing last Friday and had a good day with bass up to 20 pounds.
The sea bass fishing, he added, is very good farther offshore.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfish out of Belmar had a good weekend with bass, blues and blackfish. Sunday’s bass trip produced a nice number of keeper bass along with some monster blues.
The tog bite started out a bit slow on Monday, but came on strong toward the end of the day.
Capt. Sykes believes the good striper fishing will continue as there is still a load of bait, including adult bunker, in Raritan Bay and it should keep the fish interested for a few more weeks.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle reported finding good bass and bluefish action up through Monday. The fishing was best earlier in the day with the bite tapering off in the afternoon.
He did most of his fishing south of the Shark River Inlet and said he read plenty of bait and lots of fish. He’s expecting good fishing through December.
James Buonanno at Harry’s Adventure Outfitters in Robbinsville said the peanut bunker were still around on Tuesday night at Island Beach State Park where he picked up eight bass on shads up to 33 inches. The storm, he said, shouldn’t hurt the bass fishing and he expects it to continue for another month.
In addition to the peanut bunker, he’s also heard of sea herring in the area. All we need are some sand eels and the fishing will be great, he said.
The slob bluefish, he said, are also still around.
Dave Arbeitman at the Reel Seat in Brielle also heard of bass biting at Island Beach State Park in the rain on Tuesday. The action was at the southern end of the park.
The blackfishing has been good at the Manasquan Inlet and the boats were doing well on the local reefs for tog before the blow. He added that the offshore sea bass fishing is pretty good when the boats can get out.
Boats were also chasing bluefin tuna from 12 to 15 miles out and while some of the fish were spotted, Arbeitman said he hadn’t received any reports of anyone hooking up.
Greg Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said he received reports of bass in the surf in the Lavallette area on Monday. Boats trolling with Mojos were also picking up fish off the beaches.
The charter boats, he said, are doing well with blackfish on the Sea Girt and Axel Carlson reefs. Before the storm, the Jamaica II, Big Jamaica and Paramount out of Bogan’s Basin were making nice catches of sea bass and porgies on the offshore reefs and wrecks and will be sailing again by the end of the week.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
Ever the optimist, my hope is the bass just took a short break with the weather. The stripers should still be around for both the beach guys and the boaters. Bait is worth a try from the sand, clams and bunker chunks, while the water is still a bit stirred up. The weather looks clear for the next couple of days and the expected drop in temperatures might get the action back on track.