New Jersey Fishing Report – January 18, 2018

New Jersey Freshwater Fishing Report

The ice anglers are having all the fun.

It’s been three years since there was decent ice in the state and those who enjoy fishing the hard water and taking full advantage of it.

Steve at Garden State Bow and Reel in Stockholm said the guys are having a ball after that long wait. All kinds of fish are being caught just about everywhere, he said, including trout, bass, white and yellow perch, pike, pickerel and blue gills. Holdover trout are biting in Lake Aeroflex, Silver Lake and Green Turtle Pond. There are walleye at Greenwood Lake and big pike at Budd Lake. A three-footer was taken there over the weekend on a jig. The local ponds, he said, are giving up a lot of bass on tip-ups. Some recent rain and warmer temps turned the ice a bit sloppy during the day, but freezing temperatures at night returned the ice to good shape. The average thickness is around eight inches.

Laurie Murphy at Dow’s Boat Rental at Lake Hopatcong reported that several muskies were caught over the weekend on tip ups. The fish were 43 to 47 inches and released. She said there were lots of perch and pickerel being caught as well along with walleye and some smallmouth bass. The ice there is eight to 10 inches thick.

The Knee Deep will be holding their first ice fishing contest of the year this Sunday from 6 a.m. to 4 pm.

Matt at Fins and Furs in Newfoundland said his customers are getting a lot of crappie and smallmouth at Greenwood Lake. The action has also been good at Highland Lakes. The ice got a little sloppy at times, he said, but it’s still a solid six inches. Folks are using shiners, wax worms and mousies and the shop also has live suckerfish for bait.

Billy at Tackle and Field in Wanaque said things turned a bit slow during the recent thaw, but picked up again as the temperature dropped. Most of the action has been with perch and bass at Green Turtle Pond.

Larry at Newark Sinker Company said there has been a lot of traffic at the store for folks heading to Budd Lake and Lake Hopatcong. He’s getting good reports on pike and perch at both places. He’s been selling a lot of meal worms, Rapala jigs, Swedish pimples and Johnson Thinfishers, which are proving very popular.

Those freshwater anglers looking for something to do this weekend but not inclined to head out onto the ice, the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife is holding its annual public forum to discuss freshwater fisheries research, management and recreational angling in the state. The forum is Saturday, Jan. 20 at the Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery in Warren County and begins at 10 a.m. You can pre-register by calling 908-236-2118 or by sending an e-mail to njfwfish@dep.nj.gov.

New Jersey Saltwater Fishing Report

Things haven’t been so good for those who fish saltwater.

Bottom fishing is about the only thing going on now and cold, windy and wet weather has been playing havoc with sailing schedules. And when the boats can get out, the fish haven’t been cooperating.

Phil Sciortino Sr. at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said Raritan Bay is now clear of ice but nobody is sailing.

Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said it’s been quiet around the shop. The boats have not been sailing with any regularity and the few people that have been in the shop are picking up stuff for spring or bait for ice fishing in local ponds.

Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer sailed on Tuesday and reported a fairly nice ocean but a miserable bite. There wasn’t a blackfish to be had and he said the snow melt might have had something to do with the poor fishing. They did manage to find some ling but that was about it. Capt. Quinn said he was going to wait a couple of days for the runoff to clear before sailing again.

Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the fishing has been tough. He was out at the Mud Hole late last week catching ling but the bite wasn’t great. He sailed farther out and found mackerel but that fishing was slow as well. He’s going to keep trying.

John Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said there hasn’t been much going on there. The boats out of Bogan’s Basin haven’t been sailing due to the weather. They have been selling killies for the ice fishermen heading to local ponds and lakes.

The shop is holding a rod building class on Feb. 5, 7 and 9 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. each night. The cost is $90. The covers everything you need to know to build your own rods and Bogan said they’re always there to handle any follow-up questions.

Capt. Ken Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach has been sailing every day he can get out and finding a few tog here and there. The fishing has been tough, he admitted, with little consistency. He’s been fishing in deep water, between 100 and 150 feet. The Mimi VI will be sailing every day weather permitting through the end of January.

Capt. Matt Sosnowski on the Norma K III, also out of Point Pleasant Beach, said it was a bit chilly on Sunday’s trip with not a lot of life to be found. Only a few keeper tog and some shorts were all that were to be had for the day.

Frankie Z at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said rod building and reel repairs were keeping people busy at the shop, but that’s about it. He did add the shop is getting ready for a storewide sale that starts Jan. 20 and ends Feb. 4. There will be a 10 percent discount on nearly everything in the store.

New Jersey Fishing Forecast

Let’s face it, it’s January, so the options are limited.

The weather looks pretty good for the weekend so the bottom fishing boats should be sailing out of the Shark River and Manasquan inlets for blackfish, ling, jumbo porgies and cod.

And it should be fairly nice on the ice. The cold nights will keep the ice in good shape for the weekend despite the warmer days.