New Jersey Fishing Report - January 12, 2017

 

Last weekend, the tough fishing got even tougher.

Snow followed by frigid temperatures kept boats at the dock and folks indoors.

The weather, however, became bearable by Tuesday, and by Wednesday, it was downright balmy.  Still, there’s just not a lot of people fishing.

The lack of anglers has led to shorter hours at the shops while some have closed down altogether until spring rolls around.

Phil Sciortino Sr. at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said it was very quiet there this week with just a few souls coming in.  He suspects there are still blackfish to be caught on the local reefs and rockpiles, but there aren’t too many boats sailing.

The Prowler 5 out of Atlantic Highlands is one of them.

Capt. Scott Hilliard sailed on Tuesday and reported the tog were chewing with everyone on board getting a couple of keepers. He said that the blackfish were still in shallow water which was a bit of surprise as he thought the cold might have chased them farther offshore.

As of now, he plans on sailing this weekend.

The Atlantic Star and the Sea Tiger II out of Atlantic Highlands have called it a season and the Elaine B II out of Highlands has hung it up until spring as well.

Sciortino said that he hasn’t heard of any bass being taken in the local surf in the last couple of weeks.

Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said it’s been a slow time on the fishing front with blackfish and mackerel the only games in town. The party and charter boats, he said, continue to sail out of the marina but they are at the mercy of the weather.

Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar got out before the storm hit and found some nice tog with Virginia Murphy getting two fish of 7 and 9.2 pounds. Mike Bennett landed one a little over 9 pounds. The Skylarker will be sailing this weekend.

Both the Ocean Explorer and Big Mohawk sailed out of Belmar on Tuesday and reported good fishing.

Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Explorer said the shorts were pounding the baits and it was a little more work to get the keepers. The eels were a bit of a pain as well, he said. Still, there were a couple of limits and some guys with two or three keepers.

Capt. Chris Hueth on the Big Mohawk said his trip on Tuesday produced several limits with the pool winner going 8½ pounds. Hueth said the white leggers outperformed green crabs. He is still sailing every day when the weather allows.

Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar said he hasn’t been out in a while, but the warming weather may offer a window if there’s people willing to go.

In the meantime, he’s been busy booking spring striper trips, which are filling up quickly, and preparing seminars for upcoming outdoor and  boating shows.

Matthews said guys fishing from shore are still getting herring and sundials at the inlets, but he hasn’t heard of a striper being caught since the snow arrived.

The Den is open 6 to 11 a.m. on weekdays and until 2 p.m. on the weekends. Matthews said new inventory is coming in daily and the new saltwater-resistant Tsunami Shield reels are drawing a lot of interest.

After being stuck at the dock last weekend, the Big Jamaica out of Bogan’s Basin in Brielle is sailing for porgies, cod, pollock and ling early Saturday morning.

There are still boats sailing out of the Manasquan Inlet for blackfish and the Norma K III got out on Tuesday.  Capt. Matt Sosnowski reported that the short life dominated the action. There were plenty of bites and keepers caught, but he wished there were more of them to go around. He’s sailing every day for blackfish.

Capt. Kenny on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach is also sailing every day for blackfish. He sailed on Tuesday and everyone on board got their four-fish limit. The high-wind forecast for Wednesday kept him at the dock, but he was heading out again on Thursday morning. He expects to be at it for another couple of weeks.

Ronny Bala at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant said all of the action now was on the boats with no word of fish coming in from the beaches. He’s keeping busy getting ready for the upcoming outdoor shows and flea markets.

The finicky weather is making things a little difficult for the hardwater anglers. Lakes and ponds that were frozen over the weekend are a little questionable now and a couple of shops said things are pretty quiet on the freshwater front.

Steven at Fins & Furs in Newfoundland said conditions were strange with some lakes and ponds frozen while others were not. This little heat wave can’t help matters. Bass, perch and pickerel were being caught at some local spots before and over the weekend, but with questionable ice, it may be a while before fishing returns.

Ken at Tackle and Field in Wanaque said there hasn’t been much going on there either. Thin ice at Greenwood Lake and Wawayanda State Park has kept anglers on the shore.

Back on the oceanfront, Hal at Betty and Nick’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park reported that it was dead quiet this week following the snow and ice. There may be some folks on the sand this weekend with the better weather, he said, but who knows.

Capt. Andy Grossman at Riptide Bait and Tackle in Brigantine reported that things were very quiet there as well. With the exception of selling Stock’s Pound Cake out of the shop, he was pretty much closing down for the next couple of months.

Justin at Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported that the bay was iced over and the striper bite there was done. He hadn’t heard anything on the local blackfish bite of late either.

Fishing Forecast for New Jersey

The forecast looks relatively good through the weekend so it looks like there may still be some life left in the season. Blackfish and mackerel present the best targets, with tog the better bet. The boats out of Belmar and the Manasquan Inlet offer the most availability.