This past week saw big fluke, more blues on the beach and the arrival of Spanish mackerel
Among the largest fluke was a 12-pound, 2-ounce doormat caught aboard The Angler out of Atlantic Highlands on Sunday. There were also a number of fish landed in the 8-to 10-pound range on party and charter boats.
Blues up to 2 pounds also have been popping along the beaches from Sandy Hook to Manasquan.
Spanish mackerel showed up off the beach and more bonito were reported caught as well. There were also reports of mahi-mahi caught in midshore areas. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before the false albacore join the party.
All good signs as we head into the final weeks of August.
Phil Sciortino Sr. at The Tackle Box in Hazlet said the fluking is definitely getter better in the deeper water, with some big fish caught at the Scotland Grounds and in the Ambrose Channel.
The snappers are everywhere, he said, and the porgy fishing has been very good.
The 12-pound, 2-ounce doormat caught by Bruno DaSilva of Oakhurst wasn’t the only big fluke caught aboard the Angler on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Alex Turko visiting from Florida, landed a beautiful 10-pound, 6-ounce fluke for the trip’s first keeper. Capt. George Bachert reported that fish of 4-, 5- and 6-pounds quickly followed that fluke aboard.
DaSilva’s fluke was the biggest of the year so far for the Angler.
The Angler followed up the big Sunday trip with a 9-pound, 9-ounce fluke on Tuesday. Capt. Bachert added there are still plenty of nice sea bass being caught.
The party boats out of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands, including The Prowler, Sea Hunter, The Fishermen and the Elaine B II all reported good catches this week. Capt. Ron Santee’s Fishermen reported fish over 6 pounds on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright reported that the fluking remains good from the beach with Gulp and live snappers doing the job. The rivers and surf are loaded with bait, including some mullet.
There are still bass around, Martens reported, as he got word of a few keepers caught in the Deal and Allenhurst surf on plugs.
He, too, has heard of Spanish mackerel being caught from the beach and mahi-mahi have appeared at Barnegat Ridge.
The crabbing in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, he said, is unbelievably good.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said it’s a steady pick of fluke at the beach but he thought the fishing might have slowed down just a bit since last week.
There are more cocktail blues around, he said, but still plenty of bait-sized snappers for fluke. The surf there is loaded with spearing, he added.
Bigger blues have been around all week off Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach. Schools have been breaking close to the beach with fish up to 2 pounds. There were Spanish mackerel coming out of the water on Wednesday night, but just a bit out of reach for me.
The surf along this stretch is also loaded with bait.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the only things hurting the fishing right now are the weather and the weathermen. Rain, or the threat of it, is keeping people at home.
Otherwise, the bite is good.
The party boats are reporting fluke up to 9 pounds and the sea bass just keep on biting. The surf, he said, is loads of fun, giving up plenty of small blues, Spanish mackerel, some small bass and even cow nose rays if you’re in the mood to test your tackle.
The ocean and inlets are full of bait, mostly rainfish, he said, which is attracting plenty of fish.
Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer out of Belmar reported good fishing this week, with Wednesday’s trip a standout.
The fishing was red hot, he reported, with fluke up to 8 pounds and non-stop action all day. Some anglers had their limits, while others had the shorty curse, but there were plenty of keepers caught around the boat. Pink and white Gulp were the hot colors, he said.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar said the fluke fishing has been picking up lately. He said that from now until the end of the fluke season, which is Sept. 22, will be prime bucktailing time.
Amanda Gillespie was fishing bucktails with Gulp for the first time on Sunday aboard Parker Pete’s when she got her limit, including a 10-pound beauty. There were a lot of nice fish caught around the boat as well.
Capt. Sykes said that every year, either a day before or day after the Friendly Sons of Shillelagh Fluke Tournament, they catch a monster fluke. The 10-pounder came a day after this year’s tournament.
The top fluke in the tourney was an 8.8 pounder caught by Lock-N-Load Sportfishing out of Shark River.
Capt. Rich Falcone on The Golden Eagle out of Belmar has been putting his anglers on a wide variety of fish over the past several days including bluefish, mackerel, bonito, sea bass, ling and fluke.
He’s also currently booking his tuna trips for September and October.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on The Skylarker out of Belmar reported good fluking and sea bass fishing with fluke up to 7 pounds. He also took a run offshore last week and came back with some big tilefish and mahi-mahi.
Alex Kondas at the Reel Seat in Brielle said they’re still getting keeper fluke in the Manasquan River on Gulp and jig heads. The ratio is about 10 shorts to a keeper.
Spanish mackerel, one of my favorite eating fish, are off the beaches and hitting Hogy epoxy minnows, Kondas said. Small Avas are also getting attention.
Mahi-mahi have shown up at the Shark River Reef and guys fishing the pots or floating clumps of seaweed are getting them on spearing and small metal lures.
The ocean fluking is improving, Kondas said, with bucktails and Gulp getting bigger fish in the rock piles.
Greg Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said Spanish mackerel are along the beaches and at the Manasquan Inlet. Anglers have been getting them and bluefish on small Avas.
Bogan said the ocean fluking has definitely improved with the Jamaica II reporting fish up to 9 pounds with plenty of fluke in the 5-to 6-pound range. The Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs have been very productive lately, he added.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said he’s been getting reports of much better fluking in the ocean off Belmar and Manasquan and Spanish mackerel off the beaches.
The freshwater fishing took a hit, he said, due to all the rain with the rivers and streams in the area up to their banks.
Steve at Garden State Bow & Reel in Stockholm reported the bass fishing is holding up nicely in the reservoirs with Oak Ridge giving up largemouth bass to 5 pounds.
The crappie bite has been good in local lakes in deeper water on jigs.
Cheryl at Newark Sinker Company in Pine Brook said the heavy rains and flooding have pretty much shut down the freshwater fishing for the week. Hopefully things will return to normal in the coming days.
Chris at Tackle and Field in Wanaque said they haven’t received much in the way of reports this week with the exception of good bass fishing at Lake Hopatcong.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
Bigger fluke showed up in better numbers last week so now may be the time to get your doormat. Bucktails with pink or white Gulp fished on rough bottom are getting the larger fish. Bring plenty of extras as you’re bound to lose some tackle.
On the beach, there are fluke, small blues, snappers and Spanish mackerel if they get close enough. Gulp and snappers will work for the fluke, small metals or epoxy lures for the blues and Spanish mackerel.
A quick bit of housekeeping before I go. In last week’s report, I misspelled the name of the captain of the Christine Marie II. It should have read Capt. Chris Sibilia.