If only the weather was as good as the fishing.
Black sea bass season opened with some nice catches, the ocean bite for stripers picked up dramatically, big blues have invaded the rivers and bays and the freshwater action is only getting better.
We just need a break from this relentless rain.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said it was non-stop action on Monday for big bass on Sandy Hook for anglers using clams. Stripers up to 29 pounds were landed, with many fish in the 20-pound range.
He also reported bass in the Shrewsbury River are being caught up to 20 pounds.
The big blues have made themselves at home in Raritan Bay, hitting chunks, poppers and swimmers at Keansburg, Belford and Leonardo. Sciortino said the fish are around 35 inches.
Capt. Rob Semkewyc on the Sea Hunter out of Atlantic Highlands said things are looking up on the striper front with good action on keepers and shorts on Monday’s trip. He followed it up with much the same on Tuesday.
The boat also released a big drum in the 60-pound range.
Capt. George Bachert on the Angler out of Atlantic Highlands is targeting sea bass and ling and he found both on Tuesday’s trip.
Some spots were okay with the sea bass and ling while others were mostly ling, with inshore waters having the edge over the deeper stuff. There were some big ling and sea bass caught, but the pool went to a winter flounder.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there have been a few bluefish on the beach in Sea Bright as well as small bass. The bigger fish are in the Shrewsbury River.
He’s expecting a good opening to the fluke season since a lot of nice fish have been caught in local rivers ahead of the opener on May 25 by bait fishermen. Evidently the fluke fishing in New York, where the season is already open, has been very good.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said Tuesday’ break in the weather got the fish biting. The party boats out of the marina looking for sea bass all found fish.
Capt. Bobby Quinn on The Ocean Explorer reported a good day with the sea bass and there were some ling and cod brought aboard as well.
Matthews also reported that there are a lot of small bass in the surf and plenty of fluke in the Shark River. He’s expecting a good opening day for them next Friday.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar said the striper fishing in the ocean broke wide open for him on Monday. Bass up to 40 pounds were caught livelining and trolling Mojos.
He followed that trip up with a magic hour outing on Wednesday that produced bass up to 46 pounds on Mojos. There are big blues in the mix as well, Capt. Sykes said. The new moon did the trick, he added, and the striper fishing is on. There are still available dates to get in on the action.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar got into the action on Tuesday with bass up to 30 pounds. The fish were all caught on jigs and Krocs. There’s a load of bait around, Falcone added.
Alex Kondas of the Reel Seat in Brielle said the bluefish are pretty thick in the Manasquan River, from the Dog Beach back to the Route 70 Bridge. It’s a mix of fish, from cocktails to big choppers.
The bass are in there, too, hitting shads, bucktails and spooks.
John Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said he’s been getting a lot of reports about blues in the Manasquan River with most of the fish being caught around Treasure Island. The majority of those are in the 4- to 6-pound range.
There are still a lot of bass being caught in the river as well, with bigger fish hitting clams, sand worms and eels.
He said the boats out of Bogan’s Basin are now fishing for cod, ling and sea bass. The Jamaica II got its limit of sea bass on Wednesday along with a few ling, some cod and a couple of lobsters.
The freshwater bite has been on the upswing as well, but the inclement weather has definitely affected participation.
Ken at Tackle and Field in Wanaque said that when things start to pick up, another bad patch of weather comes along and kills the momentum. But there are fish to be caught.
The walleye bite at Greenwood Lake, Monskville Reservoir and Lake Hopatcong has been good. Herring and shiners are working with good action at night. He also reported there have been several big muskies caught at Monskville Reservoir.
Trout fishing remains good as well with salmon eggs, spinner baits and yellow Power Bait.
Steve at Garden State Bow & Reel in Stockholm said the fishing really picked up with customers reporting good catches of crappie, smallmouth bass and trout throughout the watershed. The walleye bite has also been good at Canistear Reservoir on herring.
He mentioned that he fished the Hudson River up at Kingston and got stripers up 28 inches. It was catch-and-release with about 25 fish caught on light tackle.
Garden State is among the sponsors for the Kids Fishing Derby this Saturday at Echo Lake. Trout have been stocked and the contest will get underway around 8 a.m.
Ron at Fins & Furs in Newfoundland said that the trout fishing remains excellent on the Pequannock River. Olive wooly buggers have been popular and one customer reported that he caught and released about 380 trout since the season opened.
Ron also said a 51-inch musky was caught and released on Echo Lake over the weekend.
Cheryl at Newark Sinker Company in Pine Brook said that the people who are braving the damp weather are catching fish. The Passaic River is producing largemouth bass, pike and carp.
And North Jersey fishermen will have a new hangout starting this week. Locally owned and operated TAK Waterman, an outdoor apparel line specializing in fishing, surfing, spear fishing, and stand-up paddling gear, will open its first store, TAK Waterman Surf n Fish, located at 129 Brighton Avenue in Long Branch. TAK Waterman Surf n Fish will enhance the existing lifestyle apparel brand by now offering surfboards, wetsuits, fishing rods and reels, tackle, sunglasses, and beach essentials, in addition to board rentals and surfing lessons. The store will feature local brands as well as companies such as Excel, Shimano, Costa, Patagonia, and much more. A ribbon cutting ceremony with Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider will take place on Saturday, May 19th at 12pm, and is open to the public.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
For starters, this Saturday is the Annual Governor’s Cup Fishing Tournament at Island Beach State Park. Registration opens at 5:00 a.m. at Bathing Pavilion #1 with fishing between 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The beach fishing for bass has been pretty good at the park lately but be prepared for some damp weather. The tournament benefits fishing programs at the park. There are more details at the NJ Div. of Fish and Wildlife website.
The bass and blues are in the local rivers and bays and fishing for stripers picked up considerably in the ocean during the last week. Jump aboard a party boat or fish the surf with clams and shads. The sea bass season is also open and the party boats targeting them did pretty well on opening day.