Pictured above: JR Moore and his son Andrew got this bluefish in the Shrewsbury River this week.
The Bluefish Onslaught Continues!
Blues of all sizes kept anglers happy for the past week, biting pretty much everywhere from Raritan Bay south to Manasquan Inlet and beyond.
On top of that, big bass finally showed in the ocean earlier this week with boats trolling at the Shrewsbury Rocks landing stripers in excess of 30 pounds. There are some smaller bass in the suds and the bottom fishing was pretty good as well.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at The Tackle Box in Hazlet said the bluefish invasion is a tackle-shop owner’s dream. Anglers are streaming in to replace gear destroyed by the choppers and he’s doing a steady business in plugs and metal.
The fish are all over the Raritan Bay, at Sandy Hook and in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. A lot of big fish have been caught at Marine Park in Red Bank on the Navesink.
In addition to the artificials, the blues are eating bunker chunks.
I tossed a bunker chunk into the Ocean Grove surf on Wednesday, and while there weren’t any blues around, I did catch a pretty big fluke. It went right back as the season isn’t due to open for another 10 days or so.
If the season was open, it might have been a keeper. I can’t be certain since size limits are an issue yet to be decided.
New Jersey’s appeal on the 2017 summer flounder regulations won’t be heard until after this report is due. We should have word on what’s going to happen with the fluke season by end of day on Thursday.
Sciortino also reported on the improved bass bite in the ocean with bigger fish hitting bunker spoons and Mojo rigs.
The Fishermen and The Sea Hunter out of Atlantic Highlands have been getting in on the bluefish action while seeing an increase in the striper bite.
Capt. Rob Semkewyc on the Sea Hunter reported that after catching mostly blues for the last couple of days, he made a change on Wednesday and it paid off with a good day of bass fishing with a mix of keepers and shorts. Most of the fish were in the 24- to 27-inch range but everyone went home with a keeper. The biggest fish was 41 inches.
Capt. George Bachert on the Angler out of Atlantic Highlands is bottom fishing until fluke season opens and he reported a good day on Tuesday with some jumbo ling coming aboard. Fluke and sea bass came over the rail as well and went right back.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the blues still dominate the scene and they’ve been caught from 2 to 20 pounds. He did weigh in a couple of bass, a 23 pounder for Andrew DeFranco of Sea Bright and a 16 pounder for Bill Bertsch of Red Bank.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar repeated what everyone is saying about the blues. Guys are getting their fill of them, with SP Minnows the lure of choice.
He’s been out chunking at night for bass, and while he’s caught a few stripers, the blues are relentless.
When I was at the shop on Wednesday, one happy angler was filleting a 43-inch bass he caught trolling a bunker spoon about two miles off Long Branch.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar reported that the big bass bite broke open on Tuesday and he will be sailing this weekend for stripers weather permitting. He still has openings for spring striper trips.
Matthews also mentioned that the fluke are stacked up in Shark River with a number of fish over 20 inches caught by anglers fishing for other species.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on The Skylarker out of Belmar has been getting some of the big blues, but he’s fitting in some bottom fishing as well. He reported doing pretty well with ling and the occasional cod.
John at The Reel Seat in Brielle said he got the reports on Tuesday of big bass taking bunker spoons and Mojos at the Shrewsbury Rock and off Long Branch. The blues continue to provide a good time at the Manasquan Inlet and in the river, and there are some small bass in the mix as well.
Greg Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said the Crisdel out of Manasquan Inlet trolled bass over 30 pounds off Elberon on Tuesday. He also got reports of bass taken on the troll off Spring Lake.
On the freshwater front, the wind during the week and rain on the weekends has kept anglers at home.
Jim at Behre Bait and Tackle in Lebanon said the cold and wind has been a deterrent but there are fish being caught.
Lake trout are hitting shiners fished deep at Round Valley Reservoir and they’re also hitting Warrior spoons on the troll. Rainbows are favoring Power Bait fished on the bottom with Carolina rigs.
At Spruce Run, the hybrid action has picked up on shiners and herring. There are crappies to be had has as well along with largemouth bass. It’s still catch and release on the largemouth.
Merrill Creek, he said, offers a bit of everything with lake trout taking Warrior spoons in 30 to 40 feet. There are also hybrids eating herring and catfish taking nightcrawlers.
Ken at Tackle and Field in Wanaque said his local anglers have yet to turn out in any numbers due to the poor weather and many traveling out of state to fish. There are some stocked trout being caught, but it’s been a little quiet.
Cheryl at the Newark Sinker Company said the trout fishing has been a bit up and down but fish are being caught on worms. The local ponds are giving up some large and smallmouth bass and a number of her customers have been heading to Raritan Bay to get in on some bluefish and striper action.
Steve at Garden State Bow and Reel reported that the trout fishing in the area has been pretty good as has the small and largemouth bass fishing. The crappie bite is coming along nicely as well.
Northern New Jersey Fishing Forecast
It doesn’t appear likely that the bluefish will be going anywhere soon considering the amount of bunker in the area. Raritan Bay, and all the rivers and inlets south of there have been producing fish. SP Minnows, poppers and bunker chunks are all catching fish.
Trolling off the beaches with Mojo jigs and bunkers spoons are the best bets for the bigger bass but a lot will depend on the weather. Saturday is shaping up to be pretty nasty, but things might settle down by Sunday when a west wind is in the forecast.
You can also head to the beach to chunk for blues or toss clams for stripers. There have been bass, but they’re still not very big. This may be the weekend when it all changes.