A couple of warm, sunny days over the weekend kicked the spring fishing into a higher gear.
Bass, blues, winter flounder, tog and trout are all contributing to the action.
More and bigger stripers are showing up in Raritan Bay, monster bluefish are on the beach at Sandy Hook and in the Manasquan River and blackfish continue to come over the rails on boats taking advantage of the short April season.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the big blues showed up in the surf at Sandy Hook on Monday. John Davis of Parlin weighed in two of the choppers at the shop.
Sciortino also reported an improvement in the bass bite with stripers in the 20-pound range hitting plugs and bait along the Bayshore. Boats trolling Mojos and X-Raps are also getting fish.
The party boats out of Atlantic Highlands, namely the Fishermen and the Sea Hunter, have started their striper seasons. It’s been a bit slow for the first week, but the bay is loaded with bunker and the boats are marking plenty of bass.
Capt. George Bachert on the Angler began his spring season bottom fishing last weekend and found a mix of ling and tog. Saturday saw a good blackfish bite but too many of the fish were shorts.
Tuesday was a better trip with a number of limits and the pool fish going to Marissa Lollo of Stewarstville. Not bad for her first day on a fishing boat. The action was all on clams, Bachert said.
Ernie Giglio at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright weighed in an 8-pound bass for Doug Ren on Tuesday that he caught in the surf. Ernie said he’s heard of some 30 pounders caught up at Sandy Hook and in the bay, but none that big have come to the shop.
He added that winter flounder are being caught in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers.
Bob Matthews as Fisherman’s Den in Belmar reported that the winter flounder action in the Shark River has been terrific with most guys getting their limit of two fish in short order. Worms and clams are getting the job done.
Matthews said the bass have appeared in all of their usual haunts, with the ocean lagging behind the rivers and bays. He’s received reports of fish between 15 and 30 pounds with the bigger bass up in Raritan Bay.
Anglers fishing at night are getting them on a variety of plugs including darters, metal-lipped swimmers and SP Minnows. Bring some shads along as well. He, too reported bunker all over the bay.
There are loads of small bass in the surf. I fished the Ocean Grove suds with clams early in the week and got plenty of bites. The fish were not very big, though, measuring 12 to 15 inches. There was a fly fishermen on the jetty with me and he was catching the shorts on a chartreuse clouser minnow.
Boats out of Belmar Marina are also chasing tog and finding some fish. It’s not red hot, but there are keepers to be had.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar plans on sailing Saturday to start his striper season. He’s currently booking spring trips.
Bob M. at The Reel Seat in Brielle reported the monster blues appeared in the Manasquan River over the weekend, but they haven’t showed up every day since. Morning and evening are the best times to find them, he said.
Lou at Brielle Bait and Tackle said the winter flounder continue to bite at both ends of the Point Pleasant Canal with small stripers being caught in the canal itself and in the Manasquan River.
Anglers are also getting small stripers on the local beaches and there have been a few keepers in the mix. Clams, worms and shads are hooking fish.
On the freshwater side, Laurie Murphy at Dow’s Bait and Tackle on Lake Hopatcong said some nice trout have come to the scales since the opening of the season.
The fish have been caught trolling and casting from shore and Murphy said several rainbows were well over three pounds. There have been plenty of small trout taken as well, trolling phoebes and small Rapalas.
Murphy added the hybrid stripers are beginning to show in the shallows and Eddie Mackin landed one over seven pounds on a bomber. Crappie and perch are rounding out the mix of fish now biting at the lake.
Jim at Behre Bait and Tackle in Lebanon said the fishing has picked up nicely at Merrill Creek, Spruce Run and Round Valley reservoirs.
Lake trout in the 7- to 8-pound range have been caught at Merrill Creek by guys trolling jointed Rapalas and warrior spoons between 30 to 50 feet in water 80 feet deep.
Live shiners, he said, are a good choice at Spruce Run right now for hybrid stripers. The water level is up at the reservoir, which is a good thing, he added, and anglers are also catching crappie, some up to 17 inches.
Brown trout are hitting shiners at Round Valley, Jim said, while the rainbows seem to favor Power Bait. Anglers are also catching trout trolling between 10 to 20 feet over deeper water.
Ken at Tackle and Field in Wanaque reported Green Turtle Pond is the hot spot for trout right now. The fishing has been pretty good lately with the only problem coming in the form of high winds.
Steve at Garden State Bow and Reel in Stockholm said trout season is in full swing there and the fish are biting in area waters. The largemouth bass bite has been good, he said, but it’s catch and release only. He hasn’t received many reports on crappie but he assumes they’re biting for the folks fishing for them.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
It’s nice to have options.
The spring run of striped bass is gathering steam and fish are being caught in Raritan Bay and along the beaches to the Point Pleasant Inlet. The bay is holding the bigger fish, but with the bunker beginning to move around the bite could break open any day.
Big blues are now on the scene as well and in the surf at Sandy Hook and the Manasquan River. I’m sure we’ll be getting word of them in the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers any day.
You might want to get in on the winter flounder fishing before it’s too late. It’s been very good in the rivers, but there’s no telling when they’ll start to move out into the ocean.
Warming temperatures have turned the freshwater action up a few notches and trout, hybrid stripers large and smallmouth bass and crappie are biting in the rivers, lakes and ponds all around the state. Get out there.
compliments to Joe Delgado for Releasing a nice breeder fish like that.
need more of that for this great fish to thrive.