An improving bass and winter flounder bite, along with the opening of trout season, should get the hearts of anglers beating a little faster.
All we have to do is get past another soaker expected to continue through Friday and the weather should clear to give us a few days to go fishing.
Phil Sciortino Sr. at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the stripers are biting along the beaches of Raritan Bay. It’s not great as yet, he reported, but the bass are eating clams and worms and there are some keepers among the many shorts.
The water in the bay reached 50 degrees at the end of last week and Dennis Sipplak of Manalapan landed a dozen bass including two keepers on clams at Pebble Beach.
Bobby Madej of Iselin caught six stripers with a keeper in the mix.
Sciortino also reported that Joe Delgado from Long Branch fished the Bayshore both Saturday and Sunday using clams and worms and landed a 14 pounder along with a bunch of shorts.
Tom Giglio at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright has been getting reports of bass in the Navesink River on small plugs and shads. If they are in the Navesink, you can bet the fish are in the Shrewsbury River, too. There are stripers in the surf in Sea Bright as well, just not very big ones. They’re hitting clams, worms and shads.
Bob Matthews said the winter flounder fishing in the Shark River has been up and down according to the weather, but if the sun is out, the action has been good. It’s been pretty good by the Mantoloking Bridge as well, he added.
The shop is ready for the trout opener on Saturday with shiners, worms and anything else a freshwater angler might need.
Coinciding with the opening of trout season is the annual Trout Contest for Kids being held at Spring Lake this Saturday morning starting at 8 a.m. Organized by the Shark River Surf Anglers, the contest is open to all kids 15 and under free of charge with prizes awarded in four age groups.
In addition to the state-stocked trout, the club has put in about 600 brown, brook, rainbow, golden and tiger trout into the lake. Some are well over 10 pounds. It’s a terrific event and a great way to introduce youngsters to the joy of fishing.
Check out this video of the trout stocking by Captain Jim Freda or Shore Catch Guide Service:
The club offers rods, tackle, bait and instruction, along with hot dogs, ice cream and soft drinks. More information on the contest is available at sharkriversurfanglers.com
Jim at Behre Bait and Tackle in Lebanon is all set for the trout opener as well and said the fishing in his neck of the woods was much improved since last week. Round Valley Reservoir, he reported, is producing some nice rainbow and brown trout on shiners and Power Bait.
THE FOUR BEST BAITS FOR OPENING DAY TROUT
Jim said the action improved at Spruce Run Reservoir with guys catching northern pike from both boats and from the shore. The bite has been better at the streams and creeks feeding the reservoir, which is up due to all the rain of late.
Jeff at Fins & Furs in Newfoundland said everybody’s itching to go fishing but the recent rain has got the rivers running high and a little too quickly. Guys at the local ponds and lakes are doing pretty well with crappie, but some dry days would help the overall picture.
Timmy at Tackle & Field in Wanaque reported things are still a little quiet there but everybody has been gearing up for trout season.
Steve at Garden State Bow & Reel in Stockholm had a similar report, adding that the rain had swollen the rivers and filled up the lakes. Not many people were fishing, but he expected that to change next week with the brighter forecast.
Back at the shore, feedback on the reopening of tog season was a bit underwhelming. There were reports of blackfish caught, but the majority of fish were shorts. The weather didn’t help matters either with the wind on opening day keeping everybody at the dock.
Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer out of Belmar did report a big improvement on Wednesday with the afternoon bite being the best. He reported a few guys had two or three keeper tog and the pool fish came in at about 6 pounds.
Capt. Pete Sykes at Parker Pete’s Sportfishing in Belmar said he’s been busy getting the boat ready for the spring striper season and is currently taking reservations for trips starting in the next couple of weeks.
Catherine at Brielle Bait and Tackle said in addition to the winter flounder biting at the bay end of the Point Pleasant Canal, a few have been caught in the Manasquan River as well on bloodworms. She also said there are some small bass in the river, hitting worms and rubber shads.
The small stripers are also in the surf in Sea Girt and Belmar, again on worms and shads, with some fish hitting clams as well.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
It’s the opening of trout season on Saturday and the forecast looks favorable so that is certainly worth a try. Check out the NJ Div. of Fish and Wildlife website for the locations of stocked waters in your area.
And if you have children, take them to the Trout Contest for Kids in Spring Lake. The Shark River Surf Anglers do a tremendous job every year to introduce youngsters to fishing and they make it pretty easy on the parents as well.
It’s also time to give the beaches a try for bass. Their appetites should be improving as the water warms and clams, worms, and shads will do the trick.
Yeah boy the bay is alive with shorts and some keepers mixed in, The bite is blood worms and clams with bunker coming in at third place as of now.I see hundreds of ganats all over the bay as well .