Fluke remain the focus, but there’s plenty of variety when it comes to the fish being caught in local waters now.
There are blues in the surf, lots of inshore tuna, mahi-mahi are in close and those able to get offshore have enjoyed outstanding white marlin fishing. Anglers are also picking up cero, Spanish and chub mackerel, bonito, false albacore, cobia, kingfish and a few banded rudderfish.
Fishing Report For Northern New Jersey
Capt. Phil Sciortino at The Tackle Box in Hazlet said the boats continue to well with big fluke on rough bottom in deeper water.
He also reported very good kingfishing on the bay side of Sandy Hook for anglers using worms and that the porgy fishing remains excellent on the rock piles in Raritan Bay.
Banded rudderfish, a small cousin of the amberjack, have shown up in the Monmouth County surf, he said, and there were mahi-mahi at the tip of Sandy Hook earlier in the week.
The boats out of Atlantic Highlands are reporting good catches of fluke as long as conditions cooperate.
Capt. George Bachert on The Angler has been having a good run putting his fares on fish up to 7 pounds. Jim Custer was the star of Wednesday’s trip with the first keeper and a quick limit. He was high hook with four fish from 4 to 7 pounds.
Capt. Bachert reported that the weather looks good for the short term, but he may lose trips as the forecast looks grim after Friday.
Capt. Ron Santee on The Fishermen reported good fishing on Wednesday with an all-day bite.
There was plenty of short action to begin the day with the bigger fish coming along after the change of tide. A 6.6 pounder was the big fish of the day, followed by a 5.4 pounder and several others at 4 pounds.
The big fish of the week was the 9-pound fluke caught by Jeff Criswell Jr. on Sunday. He also had a 6½ pounder the same day.
Capt. Stan Zagleski on the Elaine B. out of Highlands reported a good day of fluking on Wednesday with solid action right from the start. Multiple anglers got their limits with the Gulp and bucktails catching most of the fish.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the rudderfish, about a foot long, were in the surf there, along with fluke, bluefish and small stripers.
He said the amount of bait around is phenomenal and that bodes well for a good fall. The snappers haven’t gone anywhere, he added, and the crabbing in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers remains excellent.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch reported that a lot of small bass were caught in the surf this week on bucktails. Guys trying for fluke were picking up the stripers
He also said the bonito and false albacore popped up a few times during the week off the beach in Long Branch.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said big fluke continue to come to the scales almost daily as the season starts to wind down.
Tom Sunris of Neptune brought in an 11-pound, 2-ounce fluke he caught off Monmouth Beach; 9-year-old Noah Pokojni of Easton, Pa., weighed in a 10-pound, 1-ounce fluke; and Myra and Harris Reevey each got a fluke in the Shark River over 5½ pounds.
Matthews said that small blues have invaded the Shark River and surrounding beaches. Boats heading offshore, he said, are also doing very well with tuna and mahi-mahi.
The surf guys are all hoping that the massive amount of bait in the rivers and bays heads out soon and attracts some striped bass.
Capt. Bobby Quinn on The Ocean Explorer out of Belmar has been having a good week on the fluke grounds with numerous fish in the 4-to 7-pound range. He’s been hitting the rocks and wrecks targeting the bigger fish.
Wednesday’s trip was a bit more difficult with hardly any drift. Still, he said, the guys worked at it, picking off fish on most spots until the drift improved later in the day. There were quite a few limits with fish up to 7 pounds.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfishing reported good fishing of late with a number of fluke up to 9 pounds. He’s been bucktailing on the rough stuff and said there are plenty of big fish around. A couple of monsters in excess of 10 pounds have been hooked, he said, but evaded the net at the last second.
He’s only got one open date left, Sept. 10, before the fluke season ends. There are also some shared charter dates available. He’ll be fishing for blues and false albacore once the fluke season closes until the stripers show up.
Capt. Ron Kish on the Capt. Cal II out of Belmar also reported good fluking with fish up to 9 pounds. Fishing was a little tough the last couple of days with a slow drift. He said he’s been fishing in some deeper water, up to 90 feet.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar has been finding more consistent bluefishing lately with fish up to 6 pounds and plenty of anglers getting their limit of 15 fish.
He’s also been catching bonito and Spanish mackerel along with the bluefish.
He recommends anglers bring their spinning gear when they come down for the bluefish trips as it outfishes conventional equipment.
John Vafiadis at the Reel Seat in Brielle reported all kinds of action. The inshore bluefin and yellowfin bite has been outstanding on poppers, jigs and on the troll. Jigs and poppers, he said, are getting most of the fish.
He also said the white marlin bite in the Hudson Canyon has been off the charts with boats reporting a dozen or more releases.
Big fluke are biting at the Axel Carlson and Sea Girts reefs while there are plenty of smaller ones in the Manasquan River. He also reported false albacore, bonito and even some mahi inside the Manasquan Inlet by the Dog Beach earlier this week.
The mahi-mahi, bonito and albies are also around the reefs and the pots. Trolling feathers, small metal and spearing are all working for the mahi, he said, with some guys even tossing Whopper Poppers.
John Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said the fishing is good for big fluke at the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs with a lot of fish in the 5- to 9-pound range reported. There’s plenty of small ones in the Manasquan River as well.
The Big Jamaica out of Bogan’s Basin, he said, has been catching a variety of fish on its daily trips including bonito, false albacore, mahi-mahi, Spanish, chub and king mackerel and cobia. The pool winner on Tuesday’s trip was a 10-pound cero mackerel.
Capt. Ryan Bogan on The Jamaica II has been doing well with big fluke reporting two fish well over 8 pounds caught on Wednesday, with an 8.4 pounder on the morning trip and an 8.8 pounder in the afternoon.
Ron at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said he’s been getting nothing but good reports on the fluke fishing and inshore tuna and mahi-mahi bite.
On the freshwater side, most of the action he’s heard of is the good pike fishing at Canistear Reservoir. The bass fishing is holding up he said, but the water is pretty warm right now.
Timmy at Tackle & Field in Wanaque said he’s hearing of a lot of white perch being caught at Greenwood Lake and Monksville Reservoir. The bass fishing, he said, has slowed done due to the high temperatures.
Steve at Garden State Bow & Reel said it’s all bass fishing right now in the reservoir chain and private lakes.
He did say there are walleye being caught at Canistear Reservoir by anglers drifting herring and folks are fishing for catfish in the Delaware River and Lake Hopatcong with good success.
Cheryl at Newark Sinker Company in Pine Brook said the Passaic River has returned to normal levels and the fishing has been pretty good for catfish and large and smallmouth bass. The heat is a bit of a problem, but she thinks it’s mostly for the fishermen and not the fish.
Northern New Jersey Fishing Forecast
The good fluke bite looks like it will take a hit this weekend with rain and wind in the forecast beginning Saturday. Weathermen have been known to be wrong, however, so if you’re still looking for that big one before the season closes, be ready to go. The rivers and bays are still holding some nice fluke, along with plenty of shorts, so that’s also an option.
There are also plenty of snappers and crabs in the rivers.
You can also head to the beach where fluke, bluefish and stripers are waiting in the surf.
Was out Thursday by Sandy Hook. Channel, flats, inside and outside. Bunker all over yet nothing that I could catch below them.