Bass anglers in boats are having all the fun.
The only problem with the big stripers that have been off Monmouth and Ocean counties for the last couple of weeks is that’s where they’ve stayed.
None of the big fish, many in the 30- to 40-pound range, have ventured close to the beach.
Surfcasters can only watch with envy as boats cluster on schools of bunker to snag and drop or troll spoons and Mojos for these jumbo fish. A lot have also been caught on jigs as big sand eels have moved into the area.
The beach guys have been catching some stripers but the vast majority of them are shorts.
The boat folks are also having a good time with sea bass and blackfish. Tog will be getting even more attention as the limit goes up to five fish come Friday.
Hopefully the weather cooperates. High winds and stormy seas have been keeping the boats at the docks for far too many days lately.
Fishing Report for Northern New Jersey
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said that Wednesday’s fishing was among the best of the fall so far. Big bass were gorging on sand eels out front and jigs got their attention.
The weather wasn’t the best but anglers didn’t seem to mind as stripers over 40 pounds were landed.
Capt. Ron Santee on the Fishermen out of Atlantic Highlands reported that he fished in the tough conditions on Wednesday with high winds and strong current but it didn’t matter as they had an excellent striper bite all day.
Capt. Santee said all the fish were caught on heavy jigs and ones with tails had the advantage. Vic Babbin landed the 32-pound pool fish and everyone went home with dinner.
Bass aren’t the only fish biting as reports indicate excellent blackfishing.
Capt. Stan Zagleski on the Elaine B II out of the Highlands reported the tog were biting on Sunday with the west wind and he fished on the same drop all day long.
It was a mix of keepers and shorts with everyone getting their one to take home. A lot of keepers went back, he said, ahead of Friday’s expanded limit.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said it’s mostly small bass in the surf there. The big ones have belonged to the boats and they’re catching them from Sandy Hook down to Bay Head.
The Shrewsbury River still has some small to keeper bass. Martens also mentioned that there are chub mackerel in the Shrewsbury, which is pretty unusual.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the big bass have stayed out of reach for the surfcasters as they continue to catch shorts in the surf. He did find some bass in the mid to low teens feeding on sand eels on a boat trip earlier in the week.
Anglers are finding plenty of short bass in the surf in Asbury Park, Bradley Beach and Avon on swimming plugs and plastics.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the boats found bass from 30 inches to 30 pounds in the cold and wind on Wednesday. Most of the action, he said, was on gold Crocs as the bunker pods weren’t giving up any fish.
Matthews said they got into the bass as well on Monday when snag and drop caught most of the fish. The fish were from 20 to 35 pounds. He hasn’t heard of any big fish on the beach either.
The Shark River, he added, continues to give up winter flounder and anglers at the inlet are catching plenty of blackfish.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar said the fishing has been great when they can get out. The lousy weather has made it tough to put consecutive sailing days together.
The bass have been in the 30-to 40-pound range and he’s been getting them on the troll with bunker spoons and Mojos and snagging and dropping. He’s got open dates and will be sailing for bass through December.
Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer out of Belmar has been sticking with sea bass and reported a good trip on Monday. He said there was a lot of life around the boat with whales and dolphins feeding on all the sand eels.
The catch was more quality than quantity with some big sea bass coming over the rail, just not as many as he’d have liked. He suspects the sea bass are on the way out.
The Ocean Explorer will be targeting tog come Friday as long as the weather cooperates.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar got in on the good striper bite in the bad weather on Wednesday, calling the bass fishing spectacular with loads of keepers. All of the fish were caught on jigs, he said.
Due to the dismal forecast, he doesn’t expect to sail again until Saturday.
The weather has been a problem, said Capt. Steve Spinelli of the Skylarker out of Belmar. When he can sail, he’s been catching sea bass, blackfish and striped bass. But, he said, they’ve been spending way too much time tied up at the dock.
Bob Carracozzo at the Reel Seat in Brielle said that when the boats can sail out of the Manasquan Inlet, they’re finding big bass. He did mention that anglers snagging bunker have been plagued by spiny dogfish lately, getting to the bait before the bass. They’re like piranha, he said.
The blackfishing has been good, he said, at the inlet and on the reefs.
Greg Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said the striper fishing has been good a mile to two miles out with the only limiting factor being the inconsistent weather. There has been good fishing right outside the Manasquan Inlet and to the south, he said, with yellow shad rigs catching a lot of fish.
The blackfishing has slowed up in the Point Pleasant Canal, he said, but it’s still pretty good on the reefs. The bottom boats, he added, are finding bigger sea bass the farther they travel, 14 to 25 miles out.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park reported he had an excellent blackfish trip over the weekend to the Sandy Hook Reef. He and two buddies caught plenty of tog, all on jigs.
A lot of his customers are getting in on the big bass and he also reported stripers being caught at the tip of Sandy Hook on live eels.
The freshwater fishing took a hit with all the rain as rivers and streams are running very high. He anticipates good trout fishing this spring as all of the stocked fish have been left alone.
Steve at Garden State Bow & Reel in Stockholm said the fishing has slowed considerably with the cold and rain. There are some bass being caught at the Oak Ridge Reservoir and crappie and perch at Highland Lakes, he said, but the rivers and streams are running too high for trout fishing.
Cheryl at Newark Sinker Company said she had reports of musky being caught at Monksville Reservoir and pike in the Passaic River, but the inclement weather has kept participation down and water levels up.
Northern New Jersey Fishing Forecast
Once again, anglers are at the mercy of the weather ̶ and it hasn’t been too merciful lately. Hopefully, conditions will improve by Saturday so boaters can go for bass. Be sure to bring jigs with tails as sand eels are now on the striper’s menu.
The more liberal blackfish season arrives on Friday, but the wind will likely make anglers wait a day or two. The tog fishing has been very good on jigs.