Northern New Jersey Fishing Report - August 10, 2017

It’s taken until August for the June fluke bite to arrive. But now that it’s here, we better take advantage for the season is winding down.

Nice fish and plenty of them have been caught over the last week with several in the 10-pound range. The bite, which was mostly north of the Shark River Inlet last week, has spread south with the Sea Girt and Axel Carlson reefs providing good action.

The porgy fishing is still on fire as is the sea bass bite.  Some anglers have complained they’re chewing up all the Gulp before it gets to the fluke.  

There still hasn’t been any word on what will happen to sea bass after the season ends on Aug. 31.

The boats out of Atlantic Highlands are all benefiting from the improved fluke fishing.

Capt. Mike Russo on the Sea Hawk said Sunday’s trip produced a 9½-pound fluke along with keeper sea bass and a few triggerfish. He’s also been running evening trips to get in on the porgy bite.

Capt. George Bachert on the Angler out said the fishing has been good since Sunday with the exception of a bad weather day on Monday. It’s been fluke up to 7-pounds with plenty of limits. Bachert said Wednesday’s slow drift gave the light-tackle guys an advantage. There were a lot of sea bass caught on bait, he added, with a few over 4 pounds.

I fished the Shrewsbury Rocks last Friday with Jim Stonaker and his cousin Scott Kopliner and we ran into a lot of sea bass chewing up our Gulp! There were a bunch caught, but none around 4pounds.

The wind was stiff out of the southeast, which is usually means tough fishing, but Kopliner managed to get his limit with two fluke in the 5-pound range.

There are also some large black drum around. We missed a couple of Friday’s trip, but Stonaker brought one about 80 pounds to the boat the following Sunday.

Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet has been getting better fluke reports from the boats and the piers. He’s weighed in a few up to 7 pounds and added that there have been more surf fish caught in Sea Bright and on Sandy Hook.

There are also some blues popping up in Raritan Bay and the crabbing remains terrific in the rivers and creeks.

Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said that fluke sharpie Mike Pinto from the shop got four keepers fishing from the sand on Sandy Hook.  

He also reported small blues are popping up sporadically along the beach and that the crabbing in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers shows no sign of slowing down.

Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar reported that the fluke fishing improves every day. He said the shop weighed in several double-digit fish over the weekend with the biggest being an 11½ pounder

Michael Angstadt, 11, from Douglassville, Pa., brought a 10¼-pound doormat to the scales

Matthews reported that the winning fish for the Belmar port in the annual Jersey Coast Angler Association Tournament was a 9-pound-2-ounce fluke caught by Anthony Pansini.

The overall winner of the annual contest was 10-year-old Dylan Cole of Andover who weighed in a 9.69 fluke at the Jersey City port.

There were several Shark River fluke weighed in at the Den with the biggest going 6½ pounds and a number in the 4- to 5-pound range.  

Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar reported several good days of fishing with last Sunday providing excellent fluking. There were multiple limits aboard the boat and the big fish of the day went just over 9 pounds.

Capt. Sykes said he’s been fishing to the south of the Shark River Inlet lately and finding quality fluke and sea bass.

He’s still has plenty of availability before the fluke season closes.

Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar continues to mix it up with a variety of species. When the blues can’t be found, he targets fluke, sea bass, mackerel, ling, bonito and porgies. He reported that his fares have been filling up their coolers.

Eric Bunz at the Reel Seat in Brielle said he received good reports of yellowfin tuna being caught at the 100 Square and the West Wall of the Hudson Canyon.

There have also been reports of mahi-mahi lurking around the pots and a few wahoo being caught.

Yellowfin have also been caught to the south along the 25 Fathom line. Bunz said that some of the fish down there have been caught jigging and on the chunk along with trolling.

The fluke bite also picked up nicely on the Axel Carlson and Sea Girts reefs with a number of fish in the 8-to 10-pound range being caught over the weekend. Bunz said white 6-inch Gulp grubs and white 4-inch swimming mullet looked to be the fluke favorites.

There are still small bass in the Mansaquan River, but the fluke are a little scarce. You’re better off offshore, he said.

Greg Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle agreed. Both the party and private boats are finding fish up to 9 pounds, he said.

Gulp and killies are working for his customers.

He’s also had reports of small black drum in the Point Pleasant Canal.

There’s loads of life around, he said, with the Manasquan River full of snappers, peanut bunker and spearing and he did hear of a few stripers caught on eels near the Railroad Bridge. One was 33 inches.

The word from the freshwater front is that not a whole lot has changed since last week, which is fine since the fishing has been pretty good. The heat is on, though, so the bite is best early in the morning and later in the evening.

Laurie Murphy at Dow’s Boat Rentals at Lake Hopatcong said the action on hybrids has been good with the fish hitting herring and chicken livers. Mark Richman got one striper close to 8 pounds.

Murphy added that the Knee Deep Club will be holding their catfish contest this weekend, Aug. 12 and 13, from 6 p.m. Saturday until noon on Sunday. Cash prizes will be awarded for the three heaviest fish.

Ryan at Tackle and Field in Wanaque reported that the fishing for bass, pickerel and musky has been good at the Monksville Reservoir.

Steve at Garden State Bow & Reel reported a good bass bite on topwater plugs in the evenings. The state parks close at 8 p.m., but he said guys fishing well past that in private lakes and ponds are doing very well.

He also said the smallmouth bass bite has been good at Splitrock Reservoir and folks are still catching crappie there.

Jim Behre at Behre Bait and Tackle in Lebanon reported that the large and smallmouth bite is good at Round Valley, again, early in the morning and later in the evening is the most productive.

The lake trout are also hitting shiners in 70 to 100 feet of water. The key is to be anchored if you want to catch them, he said. Rainbows can also be caught on slip bobbers in 20 to 40 feet of water.

The hybrid striper bite remains hot at Spruce Run, he added, with the fish hitting shiners on slip bobbers. Drifting or a slow troll will also produce fish. Jim will be holding the annual Howard Behre Memorial Tournament on Aug. 19 and 20.

Larry at Newark Sinker Company in said he’s getting more reports of northern pike in the Passaic River along with a good catfish bite.

Ron at Fins & Furs in Newfoundland said that it’s mostly an early morning or evening bass bite in his neck of the woods. The warm weather brings the bite pretty much to a halt during the middle of the day.

Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey

By most reports, the fluke fishing is finally matching up with the calendar. Unfortunately, there are only four weekends left in the season, so if you’ve been meaning to go, now’s the time.

The local reefs, from Sandy Hook on south, are holding some nice fish and bucktails and Gulp and catching them. The Sandy Hook and Sea Bright beaches are also giving up some summer flounder.

The door is also closing on the black sea bass season as well and who knows what the fall will bring on those fish.

The porgy fishing remains red hot and Raritan Bay offers several spots where limit catches have been the norm. And don’t forget the summer staples of snappers and blue claw crabs. They are being caught all over the place.