Between the tough regulations and the tougher fishing, the 2017 summer flounder season will not go down as one of the best. It ended with more of a whimper than a bang.
Strong southerly winds put a crimp in the action for the last few days. It’s a shame the fluking ended when it did because the fishing was finally getting good.
At this time last year, we still had a couple of weeks left in the season.
The fluke season did, however, end well for those fishing in Keyport Harbor.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box said the area was loaded with peanut bunker and the fluke were chowing down. The harbor was clogged with traffic over the weekend, he said, and folks were fishing from the backs of their boats without leaving the dock.
There were plenty of fish in the 6- to 8-pound range landed and Sciortino weighed in a 7½ pounder for Parker Marciniak of Union Beach he caught on a peanut bunker. Parker is 4 years old.
The bountiful bait also attracted some big blues with a good number of 8- to 10-pound fish caught in Raritan Bay. There have also been some weakfish up to 4 pounds hitting live peanuts in the Reach Channel. A few have been caught on worms as well, Sciortino said.
And the porgies continue to bite. They will be getting a lot of attention until sea bass reopens.
Capt. George Bachert on the Angler out of Atlantic Highlands said he was sorry to see the season end just as the fishing was getting good. The weather proved a problem on his last couple of trips but he still managed to put some nice keepers in the boat.
Starting Friday at 7 a.m., he’ll be sailing for porgies, triggerfish and blackfish.
Capt. Ron Santee of the Fishermen in Atlantic Highlands took advantage of a small fishing window on closing day and headed to the ocean. He reported the bite was on for the first couple of drifts with a few anglers getting two keepers right off the bat.
Then conditions soured and he ended the season after hitting a couple of spots in the Swash Channel. He’ll be fishing for porgies come Friday as well.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright also reported on the good fluke fishing in Keyport Harbor and added some nice keepers were caught in the Matawan Creek and in the surf on Sandy Hook.
The ocean is loaded with rainfish and spearing, he said, and should make for a good fall run. Lots of guys are waiting for the false albacore to show up on North Beach at Sandy Hook.
There are 6- to 8-pound blues popping up in the surf, he added, and small bass continue to be caught in the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers. The crabbing in the rivers remains excellent and should last another couple of weeks.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar also commented that the fluke season was far from memorable but a couple of notable fish were brought in before it ended.
Steve Germann from Freehold weighed in a 9-pound, 11-ounce fluke and Tim Hulse of Middletown brought in one that weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces.
Matthews said that some of the boats have been doing well with mackerel, blues, bonito and false albacore.
The Golden Eagle out of Belmar is among them and has reported excellent fishing for all four species. Capt. Rich Falcone reported that the wind was a problem on Tuesday, but prior to that he’s been catching loads of fish.
On Saturday’s trip, Capt. Falcone reported a 25-pound yellowfin was landed and another was hooked but lost.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar reported his last days of the fluke season were excellent, but now he’s going to be concentrating on striped bass. He has plenty of open dates for the fall season.
Eric Bunz at the Reel Seat in Brielle reported that the best season-ending fluke fishing he heard of was at the Farms in 75 to 90 feet of water. There were a lot of fish in the 6- to 7-pound range.
He also reported the tuna fishing really turned on in the Hudson Canyon for both bluefin and yellowfin. Fish are being caught chunking, on the troll and jigging.
Closer to home, he said, the bonito fishing is fantastic just east the Sea Girt Reef. The fish are being caught chunking spearing and trolling Japanese feathers and small Clark Spoons. There are albies being taken as well.
Catherine at Brielle Bait and Tackle said the Big Jamaica has been doing well with the bonito, mackerel, blues and false albacore with a few mahi-mahi in the mix. She reported several were caught up to 15 pounds.
The Jamaica II also had a good finale to the fluke season with 50 keepers on closing day up to 6 pounds. The Jamaica II will now be sailing for porgies, ling, triggerfish and blackfish.
Freshwater anglers appeared to take the holiday weekend off as many of the shops hadn’t heard much in the way of action from their customers.
Jim Behre at Behre Bait and Tackle in Lebanon said Round Valley is still producing rainbow trout at a depth of 15 to 30 feet over 70 to 90 feet of water. Shiners on slip bobbers are working as are trolling Warrior Spoons and small Rapalas.
He also said lake trout up to 4 pounds are being caught on the bottom using live shiners or herring. The fish are partial to meat now, so spoons aren’t working, he added.
He hadn’t heard much out of Spruce Run this week, but said the smallmouth bite at Merrill Creek was pretty good. Live shiners or herring offered in 25 to 30 feet of water near structure was catching fish.
Steve at Garden State Bait and said there was little change from last week with most of the activity centered on smallmouth bass in the reservoirs.
He did hear of a few nice muskies caught at Greenwood Lake. A lot of guys, he said, are getting ready for the upcoming bow season.
Ken at Tackle and Field in Wanaque said it was quiet there this week with a lot of his customers heading to New York to fish the Hudson River creeks for largemouth bass. He sold a lot of bait, he said, but didn’t hear much about what was caught.
Larry at Newark Sinker Company in Pine Brook said most of what he’s hearing is about the smallmouth fishing in the Passaic River. The river, which is somewhat low Larry said, is also holding a lot of carp.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
The porgy fishing looks as close to a sure thing as you can find right now. There also seem to be plenty of bonito around in the inshore waters. You’re likely to find some false albacore, bluefish and mackerel in the same vicinity.
It’s also time to start patrolling the beaches with an eye out for bluefish. The weather is starting to cool and there’s plenty of bait around so the bass can’t be too far behind.