The fugitive sun finally returned on Wednesday and everyone is hoping it will stick around for a while.
Weary of the cold, wind and rain, anglers and charter and party boat captains are dying to get out and catch some fish.
Folks who’ve ignored the dismal weather over the last week have been rewarded with good fishing, especially for black sea bass. The action on big stripers also picked up dramatically earlier this week as well.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said stripers in excess of 50 pounds were caught snagging and dropping, on poppers and on the troll with bunker spoons and Mojos. The bite really took off Tuesday afternoon, he said. He got a report of a 54 pounder being landed.
The shop weighed in a 43-pound bass for Dan McGrath of Colonia and a 35 pounder for Vincent Quiles of Monroe Township. Both of those fish hit Mojos.
Jim Stonaker of Long Branch fished out of Atlantic Highlands on Sunday and got eight bass to 46 pounds, three trolling bunker spoons, four on live bunker and one on a popper.
Capt. Rob Semkewyc on the Sea Hunter out of Atlantic Highlands found the big bass on Tuesday as well and landed a number of nice fish with the largest going 46½ pounds.
The boats targeting fluke out of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands report the fishing has been better than the weather, but the anglers have to work for their fish in tough seas and swift currents.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the fishing has been good for those who are willing to go. With the sunny forecast for the weekend, participation should be a lot better.
Those who are fluking in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers are landing some nice keepers. The bluefish are in the rivers as well and more of them are popping up close to the beach. Surf anglers are getting them on metal and plugs.
Martens added that a few guys have been trying for fluke from the sand, but it’s still a bit of a struggle.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the sea bass fishing for the party boats out of the marina has been sensational. These boats usually concentrate on fluke this time of year, but right now, they’re sticking with sea bass.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on The Skylarker called the sea bass fishing as good as it gets and there have been ling, winter flounder and even a few whiting coming over the rail.
Capt. Ron Kish on the Capt. Cal II said pretty much the same thing on the sea bass fishing with most folks getting their limits or very close.
Matthews said the fluke fishing in the Shark River has been very good with fish up to 6 pounds being caught and many anglers getting their limit. Granted, now it’s just three fish at 18 inches.
There is still some hubbub surrounding New Jersey’s 2017 regulations with the ASMFC voting on June 1 to find the state out of compliance with the mandatory management plan approved by the Commission.
For now, until the departments of Interior and Commerce agree to find New Jersey out of compliance, it’s business as usual.
Matthews added that the striper fishing in the surf on clams is improving with more keepers showing up.
Capt. Pete Sykes at Parker Pete’s Sportfishing in Belmar continues to target bass and he found a couple of big fish on Saturday with stripers up to 46 pounds.
He hasn’t sailed since the weekend due to the weather but he has some openings this weekend and will continue to pursue the big stripers.
Alex Kondas at the Real Seat in Brielle said they’ve been getting reports of bluefin tuna being caught up to 100 pounds at the Hudson Canyon.
He’s also been getting good reports on black sea bass by private and party boats fishing out of the Manasquan Inlet while the Manasquan River is giving up some nice fluke to 10 pounds.
He said the offshore bass fishing has been a little tough. Trolling isn’t producing a lot of hits, he said, but when you do get one, it’s a big fish. Kondas said he trolled for 10 hours and only got two bites. Luckily, one was a striper at 47 pounds that won the annual Brielle Family Fishing Tournament.
Greg Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said most of the action there centers on the excellent sea bass bite. The Jamaica II out of Bogan’s Basin is doing really well on sea bass while the Paramount has been catching plenty of ling.
Bogan also said the kayak guys have been catching stripers on top water and swimming plugs at the Railroad Bridge in the Manasquan River. Blowfish have also joined the action, being caught in Barnegat Bay by the Mantoloking Bridge.
On the freshwater side, the fishing has been pretty good but the gloomy weather has kept a lot of people off the water.
Jim at Behre Bait and Tackle in Lebanon said not much has changed since last week.
Guys trolling Warrior spoons and Rapalas are still doing well for rainbow trout at Round Valley and live herring continue to land hybrid stripers at Spruce Run. Shore anglers are still catching rainbows on Power Bait and crappie on shiners over at Merrill Creek.
The big problem is the cold and rain keeping everyone away. People should be fishing every day, he said, but that’s just not the case. A few warm days should help break things open, he added.
Laurie Murphy at Dow’s Boat Rental at Lake Hopatcong said there have been hybrids and walleye hitting Bombers and Zara Spooks at night with fish in the 7-pound range.
Jeff at Fins and Furs in Newfoundland said the weather has been a big deterrent but the guys that go are being rewarded. The bass fishing in the area has picked up nicely in reservoirs and ponds.
Everyone has been catching fish, he said, you just have to go.
Ken at Tackle and Field in Wanaque said the walleye fishing remains very good at the Monksville Reservoir. Guys fishing for walleye at night at Greenwood Lake are also doing well.
The bass fishing is getting better, too, with one angler reporting catching a dozen smallmouth at Monksville.
Dino at Garden State Bow And Reel in Stockholm said things are picking up with good walleye fishing at Canistear Reservoir. The water is up in the streams, he said, and there are still plenty of trout being caught.
He, too, reported improved bass fishing, saying the largemouth were really starting to bite. Senko worms were a good bet.
At Lake Wawayanda, landlocked salmon are hitting shiners.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
The best weekend forecast in a while should get anglers out on the water. The sea bass fishing has been grabbing most of the headlines so if you want some fun and fillets for the table, jump on a party boat, either out of Atlantic Highlands, Belmar, Brielle or Point Pleasant. Fluke boats are heading out of those same marinas as well.
Schools of bluefish have been popping up along the beaches and the bass bite on clams has gathered some steam so consider heading to the sand for some fishing. If you have access to a boat, the big bass are offshore and taking spoons, Mojos and live bunker.
The freshwater action is also heating up and this Saturday is one of two free fishing days where the state permits anglers to fish in New Jersey’s public waters without a license or trout stamp.