It was an incredible weekend of fishing, especially remarkable for the number of people who never got to fish at all.
For reasons still hard to fathom, the state found itself in a budget impasse and elected to shut down the government, forcing the closure of all state parks and recreation areas for most of the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
As a result, many anglers, especially the freshwater variety, were forced to change their plans. Surf folks hoping to fish Island Beach State Park were also denied as the park was open only to Governor Christie, memorably captured in a photo sitting on a nearly deserted beach.
The crisis was resolved by Tuesday, but the closure hurt both fishermen and the businesses they support.
For those who were able to go fishing, the action was a mixed bag.
The fluke fishing shows continued improvement but most captains and anglers said it’s still behind from where it should be this time of year. A hard southeast wind just before the holiday chilled the waters and slowed the bite.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said he is getting better reports of bigger fluke on rough bottom like the Sandy Hook Reef and the Rattlesnake.
Sciortino believes the warming water will get the fluke bite going, but things are definitely behind schedule.
He did say the bluefish were biting in Raritan Bay and porgies have arrived on the scene. The blue claws have also showed up in the creeks around Union Beach and Keansburg.
After a tough day on the Fourth, Capt. George Bachert on the Angler out of Atlantic Highlands reported that the action rebounded nicely with good fishing on bigger fluke on Wednesday.
Ray Slodowski from Toms River caught an 8-pound 10-ounce fluke to take the lead in the yearly and monthly pools. Bachert said there were a number of 5-and 6-pound fluke caught as well along with some big sea bass.
Tom Giglio at Giglio’s Bait And Tackle in Sea Bright said they have been weighing in a few more fluke from the beach with fish ranging from 4 to 6 pounds. Gulp! with squid has been the ticket.
He also reported small snappers are now in the rivers and there are a lot of crabs around, just not very big ones yet. He has also heard about porgies in the area.
Jessica at the Oceanic Marina in Rumson said the crabbers who know what they’re doing are coming back with some nice catches. She said the crabbing is pretty good in the Navesink River now, but it’s not a 100 percent yet.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the fluking continues to pick up with the boats reporting better catches. It’s still not great but the re-opening of the sea bass season helped put more fish in the coolers.
Matthews said the solid tuna bite is holding up but not everyone heading to the canyons is coming back with fish.
Much closer to shore, kingfish are being caught consistently from the local beaches. Anglers using blood or sandworms and even bits of clam are finding loads of kingfish in the surf around Asbury Park and nearby beaches.
And there’s bass in the surf, too. Matthews said stripers are being caught off the beach on sand bugs. Folks have been digging their own and baiting their hooks with one or two.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Petes Sportfishing has been concentrating on fluke and sea bass and some days have been better than others. That relentless southeast wind made for some challenging conditions over the weekend, dropping the water temperature about 10 degrees. It has since returned to the mid-to high 60s.
Capt. Sykes said there are four spots remaining for his on the water bucktail seminar set for July 10 where experts teach anglers how to catch monster fluke.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar has been spending his time chasing bluefish with mixed results. When they’re not biting, he’s switching to fluke and sea bass.
Dave Arbeitman at the Reel Seat in Brielle reported that the tuna bite has been good for some and not so good for others.
Boats lucky enough to find the schools of bluefin on top are catching them with poppers and stick baits. Those trolling are catching fish as well, but there have been those who tried for hours with nothing to show for it.
The Reel Seat’s Eric Bunz was among the fortunate ones. He was fishing with his friend Capt. Joe Schadle and they landed a 108-pound bluefin tuna that hit a bluewater candy ballyhoo daisy chain.
Arbeitman said the best and most consistent fishing right now is offshore for ling and winter flounder.
Diane at Brielle Bait and Tackle agreed, reporting that the Paramount out of Bogan’s Basin has been doing very well on both species on its offshore trips. The Jamaica II has also been taking advantage of the good ling fishing on occasion.
She added said that the fluking is still better in the Manasquan River than it has been offshore.
While saltwater anglers had other options besides Island Beach State Park during the shutdown, the closed state parks left freshwater anglers with fewer places to fish.
Jim at Behre Bait and Tackle in Lebanon said the closures really hurt traffic in the store for the Fourth of July weekend. And without anglers wetting their lines, there was little in the way of reports.
He did get one report of trout at Round Valley with rainbows being caught on the troll 35 feet down in 100 feet of water.
Over at Spruce Run, there are catfish and hybrids to be caught.
Ken at Tackle And Field in Wanaqu said the walleye continue to bite well at Greenwood Lake and Lake Hopatcong. Beyond that, he could not report much as most of the popular spots in his area were closed.
His store should have been very busy over the holiday, but due to the political lunacy, it looked like an average weekend, he said.
Steve at Garden State Bow And Reel in Stockholm said the fishing has been good with the majority of the action on walleye. The bite has been at Greenwood Lake, Swartzwood Lake and Canistear Reservoir.
He also said the crappie fishing has been good in private lakes, but the fish have moved deeper as the water warmed up.
There are also been some muskies caught in Greenwood Lake, Echo Lake and Lake Hopatcong.
Martin at Fins and Furs reported good fishing for smallmouth bass and walleye at Canistear Reservoir with worms catching the walleye and herring getting the smallmouth. He also said there were some big pickerel coming out of there.
He added that Oak Ridge Reservoir has been productive for both large and smallmouth bass on bait and artificials.
Cheryl at the Newark Sinker Company said the closure hurt a bit but the folks that got out did well fishing for bass using Senko worms and Z-Man TRDs. Most of the reports she received were from Lake Hopatcong and Lake Muscenetcong.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
The ocean water continues to warm up following several days of a northeasterly breeze so the fluke action is bound to pick up. The sea bass bite shows no signs of letting up so anglers can at least get their two-fish limit. The porgies are around, too, and kingfish can be caught in the surf on worms.
The blue claws are out in the rivers and creeks so it’s time for traps, nets and droplines.
Now that they are back open, you can also hit the state parks and reservoirs for walleye and large and smallmouth bass.