William Tamanini landed this 46 pounder aboard Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar.There are some very big bass around and right now you have to be in a boat to catch them. Stripers in excess of 45 pounds are hitting bunker spoons and Mojo rigs. Most of the action is around the Shrewsbury Rocks and off the beaches of Monmouth County.
My friend, Jim Stonaker, who sails out of Atlantic Highlands, told me he’s caught bass up to 42 pounds trolling bunker spoons. He’s seen a few bunker pods but none had fish in them as yet.
Hopefully, it won’t be too long until these bad boys get closer to the beaches and in range of poppers, live bunker and chunks.
In the meantime, there are still plenty of bluefish around and there’s smaller bass off the beach and in the rivers and bays.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet reported Raritan Bay is still loaded with bluefish. Anglers had a big day on Monday at the Keansburg Pier and the fish can be caught pretty much everywhere around the bay.
He did say the blues have shrunk in size a little and the action has toned down from last week’s insanity.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the bluefish continue to clog the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers but the fish have gone down in size a bit. They’re hitting SP Minnows and Mag Darters. There are also small bass in the rivers, with the fishing best at night.
Martens reported the blues were also on the sand in Monmouth Beach on Tuesday. Anglers fishing the surf are picking up blues casting blind so you don’t have to see them to catch them.
He added that clams were hooking bass from the beach on Sandy Hook over the weekend. The fish were in the keeper range and ignored all other baits.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar also reported that the boat guys did well on the big bass. Bunker spoons and Mojos got the majority of the stripers with fish up to 45 pounds. Ray Soyka of Lincroft got the 45 pounder while Danny Costantino of Belmar landed a 40 pounder and Harry Sassaman of Bradley Beach caught a 41 pounder.
He said the bass on the beach were on the small side, mostly shorts with a few keepers in the mix. They are hitting plugs and clams.
The blues are still thick at the Shark River Inlet and in the river and range in size from 6 to 20 pounds.
He added that the fluke are all over the river, too, with fish up to 8 pounds being caught by folks practicing for opening day, which is now May 25.
The New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council met on Wednesday evening and finalized the 2017 summer flounder regulations at three fish at 18 inches and 17 inches for those fishing Delaware Bay. Anglers fishing at Island Beach State Park can keep two fish at 16 inches. The season closes on Sept. 5.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar said the bass fishing has been excellent some days while others haven’t been as good.
His clients have had pulled bass up to 46 pounds over the rail. In fact, two 46 pounders were caught this week. All the fish have been caught on the troll with bunker spoons and Mojos.
Sykes said when they’re not catching bass, the blues have been filling in nicely.
Capt. Steve Spinnelli on the Skylarker, also out of Belmar, reported the bluefishing is the best he’s seen in some time. All of the action has been on jigs
Alex Kondas at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the blues remain at the Manasquan Inlet and in the river but the giant fish are becoming scarce. There are more fish in the 5-to 10-pound range.
Small bass are still in the river, too, hitting plugs and shads.
All of the big stripers are being caught north of the Manasquan Inlet on the troll, he said, with small fish falling for plugs and bait in the local surf.
Greg Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle in said his customers keep catching blues at the Manasquan Inlet, mostly in the morning with the preferred bait being a white bucktail with a twisty tail or a piece of Gulp.
The Big Jamaica out of Bogan’s Basin in Brielle has been getting in on the bluefish bite with good action reported most days. The Jamaica II has been after cod and ling.
Bogan also reported that fluke have also moved into the Manasquan River, where they’ve been caught on killies and Gulp and diamond jigs.
On the freshwater front, Laurie Murphy at Dow’s on Lake Hopatcong said the wind and rain over the weekend didn’t help but those that fished caught walleye, the largest being over 4 pounds. Trout, hybrids and crappie were also landed.
Pete Cusick was trolling for trout when a musky in the 25-pound range hit his phoebe. The fish was released.
Ken at Tackle and Field in Wanaque said the big news was that walleye bite is now on with catches at Greenwood Lake. He also reported a few muskies caught at Greenwood Lake and Monksville Reservoir.
The big catch of the week was a 21-pound, 4-ounce pike caught at Pompton Lake.
He added that conditions are starting to improve at a lot of different places and the last few days of sunshine should improve the action.
Steve at Fins and Furs in Newfoundland said the walleye bite is picking up steam at Echo Lake
Jim at Behre Bait and Tackle in Lebanon said the wind and rain put a crimp in the weekend action, but the fishing is really very good for those who have been going.
He fished Round Valley on Monday and caught about 15 rainbows and a dozen lake trout trolling Warrior Spoons. He said speed was crucial, between 1.0 and 1.8 GPS speed.
Several colors of Warrior Spoons, including gold and silver, were used at a depth between 15 and 30 feet.
Cheryl at the Newark Sinker Company reported her customers were doing well with trout in local waters before last weekend’s soaker, but she didn’t have an update since the storm.
Dino at Garden State Bow and Reel in Stockholm reported that the shad fishing on the Delaware River is still going strong. The water has been high with all the rain and the fish just keep coming up the river.
The crappie fishing in local waters has been very good and, with the rising water temperatures, he anticipates fishing will just keep getting better. He also reported landlocked salmon are being caught at Lake Wawayanda.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
The bluefish haven’t gone anywhere and they are the most accessible in the ocean, bays and rivers. Boaters can troll for big stripers off the beaches of Monmouth County. They may even find some bass among bunker pods as that should be happening soon.
The forecast for the weekend looks pretty good, if somewhat cooler than the last few days so you might want to head to the beach. There are small to keeper-size bass in the surf along with the bluefish. Clams, plugs and bunker chunks will get their attention.
That 46-pounder is a MONSTER. Nice catch!!!