There was a time was when the best bluefishing came during the summer. Now it looks like spring is primetime. For the last several years, once the bunker start to show, the bluefish are not far behind.
Big, bad blues are everywhere. From the beaches of Raritan Bay down to the Manasquan Inlet and in the surf at Island Beach State Park.
A 10-pound blue inhaled a bunker chunk I threw into the Ocean Grove surf on Wednesday intended for a striper.
That seems to be one of the downsides of the invasion. The blues have monopolized the action and stifled the bass bite. They can be a bit of a pest if you’re after stripers.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the tackle-busting blues are being caught in Leonardo, Belford, Union Beach and other locations along the Bayshore.
Some of the fish are in the 5- to 10-pound range, others between 12 and 15 pounds, but there are also “mutants,” as he called them, exceeding 20 pounds.
There are still bass being caught, with boats trolling Mojos having the most luck. Sciortino reported Anthony Acceta caught a 27 pounder from his kayak on a Mojo Rock Candy.
The bass boats out of Atlantic Highlands are getting some fish as well, but the mad bite has yet to materialize.
Capt. George Bachert on the Angler out of Atlantic wrapped up his spring blackfishing season on Sunday with some nice fish and he also saw striped bass, fluke, sea bass and ling come over the rail. He’s going to be ling fishing until the fluke season opens, whenever that is.
Butch at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said many of their customers are getting in on the bluefish bonanza but the high winds on Tuesday and Wednesday kept the number of anglers down.
Mel Martens are Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said it’s been bluefish, bluefish and more bluefish. The fish are in the Shrewsbury and Navesink
rivers feeding on the enormous amount of bunker.
There are small bass in the Navesink and Shrewsbury, he said, but you have to wade through the blues to get to them. They’re hitting small plugs and shads.
My friend Ennis Murphy landed a fat keeper from his dock on the Navesink last Thursday on a jointed Red Fin.
Martens mentioned that some fluke have been caught in the rivers by accident as well.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar also reported on the influx of big blues. Fish up to 16 pounds were all over Shark River and at the inlet hitting plugs and metal.
He said the blackfish season ended on a high note for the anglers out of the marina as he witnessed fish up to 11 pounds at the cleaning tables. There were some tog in the 7-pound range taken on the inlets rocks.
The winter flounder fishing has pretty much come to a halt but a few guys still fishing for them have caught fluke in their place. Matthews got a report of a 21 incher that was released.
He’s expecting more reports of cod and ling in the next few weeks, along with the appearance of bigger bass off the beaches.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar sailed up to Raritan Bay for his first striped bass trip of the year last Saturday. He was trolling Mojos and managed to put two in the boat while missing out on several others.
He anticipates the bass fishing in the ocean will improve after next week’s full moon.
Lou at Brielle Bait and Tackle said the blues are back by the Route 70 Bridge on the Manasquan River and Avas and SP Minnows are catching them.
Dave Arbeitman at the Reel Seat in Brielle said it’s all bluefish at the Manasquan Inlet and in the river. Anglers are also picking up some fluke in the Manasquan River while targeting other species.
Arbeitman also reported that ling are now being caught offshore and the shad fishing on the Delaware Rivers has been outstanding.
In other freshwater fishing, Jim at Behre Bait and Tackle in reported that the windy conditions had taken its toll on the action. Most of the catches reported were of stocked trout caught in the streams.
Jeff at Fins and Furs in Newfoundland said it’s still pretty slow in his neck of the woods. The crappie bite is improving, he said, but some consistently warmer weather would really help matters. The guys are getting out on the good days, but the problem is there haven’t been many of them.
Ken at Tackle and Field in Wanaque echoed that assessment, adding that not many folks are fishing yet. Some white perch are being caught at Greenwood Lake while largemouth bass are being landed at Candlewood Lake. It’s still catch-and-release for the bass.
Steve at Garden State Bow and Reel in Stockholm also reported large and smallmouth bass being caught at Greenwood Lake and at Lake Hopatcong. Some crappies and stocked trout are being taken as well.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
While they may not be everybody’s favorite table fare, there’s no disputing the fighting ability of a bluefish. This is a good weekend to get in on the battle as the fish can be caught from boats and the beaches.
Tossing plugs and metal in the rivers and bays or chunking bunker into the surf will likely get you some bluefish. And these are the deluxe-size fish.
Fishing remains red h0t in the Manasquan Inlet today 5/10/17. It is not like the past two weeks when even Stockton Lake next to the (Sea Girt Army Camp) filled up with the Monster Blues. They will eventually turn to the 2 lb. blues which will run up until the 3rd, week of June if the long history of these fish gets back to normal. I was in Daytona Beach, FL and I was catching these huge 32 inch racer bluefish at the same time the lines we snapping and the poles were cracking in the Manasquan, Just prior to the Bluefish attack small stripers were being caught by the dozens and released. That has since slowed down.
Just a note: Party boats from as far away as Brooklyn were fishing the Bluefish in the river during this unprecedented blitz. No talk of any Boston Mackerel, Winter Flounder so far.