Winter bared its teeth this past week and took a bite out of the fishing.
The striper bite on the beach, which was hot a week ago, slowed down dramatically. The colder weather may have sent the sand eels packing.
The one fishery that continued to produce was blackfish but that was hit and miss as well.
Saltwater Fishing Report Northern New Jersey
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the beach bite for the small bass just shut down over the past couple of days. He only heard of a few fish being caught from Sandy Hook down through Sea Bright. Sciortino said the blackfishing was spotty when the boats sailed. The were some big ones caught but from what he was hearing it was mostly a pick.
After searching all over the place for striped bass on Wednesday without finding a single one, Capt. Rob Semkewyc on the Sea Hunter has decided to call it a season. He reported lots of bait still around, but the bass were non-existent.
Capt. Ron Santee on the Fishermen in Atlantic Highlands is packing it in for the year as well. It was a slow weekend of striper fishing so he’s decided to wait until the second week of April to chase the bass again.
Mel Marten’s at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright reported that the surf has gone quiet there, too. A few fish have been taken but that’s it. He did say there are some shad and herring in the suds. Giglio’s is beginning its winter hours, open Thursday to Sunday until Christmas, then just Saturdays and Sundays until noon thereafter.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said it’s the same with the bass there. The fishing really slowed down, he said. He’s not sure it’s completely over but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar told the same story about the bass on the beach. He said the small stripers are there but the numbers took a nose dive. It’s maybe one or two an hour as opposed to 20. He’s hoping, like many others, that we’ll see another push of small bass. My only reward fishing for stripers in the surf this week was a 15-inch fluke that hit the teaser. Matthews also reported that folks fishing for blackfish at the Shark River Inlet are having a tougher time. The better bet is to jump on a party boat. The winter flounder fishing is holding up in the Shark River, he added, for the those who can handle the chill.
Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer out of Belmar reported a good day of tog fishing on Tuesday with beautiful conditions and the blackfish chewing away. He called it lock and load fishing with the crabs getting crushed as soon as they hit bottom. There were loads of shorts and keepers up to 8 pounds. Capt. Quinn reported a decent day of fishing again on Wednesday, although the blackfish weren’t as aggressive. The bite was scratchy and patience was the key.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfishing was one of the very few who had success with stripers over the weekend. He was fishing close to the three-mile line and did well on Mojos and jigs. The bigger bass went for the Mojos and the smaller one hit the jigs. He also did a some blackfising earlier in the week bringing a number of keepers over the rail. He’s still got dates open through the end of the year for blackfish and bass.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle said he has ended his striper season as the weather and holiday schedules have kept customers from the dock. If the mackerel show up, he said, he’ll start sailing for them. Otherwise, he’ll be back targeting the bass and blues in the spring.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar sailed offshore on Saturday for black sea bass, cod and ling and reported a good day of fishing. Brandon Hulse, 14, of Middletown, got his limit of sea bass on the trip, including a 5-pounder.
Alex Kondas at the Reel Seat in Belmar reported that the small bass were still biting on the beaches of Manasquan and Bay Head earlier this week, hitting Tsunami and Savage sand eels. Kondas said the fish were 18 to 24 inches, with most on the smaller side of the range. The blackfishing, he reported, has been good on the local reefs and wrecks for boats sailing out of the Manasquan Inlet. Jigs and standard rigs are both working. An S&S jig worked very well for local angler Joe Vezzosi who landed a 17.95-monster earlier this week. The offshore sea bass boats are also doing fairly well, Kondas said, catching cod, ling and pollock along with the sea bass.
The folks at Brielle Bait and Tackle also reported good sea bass, cod and ling fishing for the offshore boats sailing out of Bogan’s Basin.
Ron Tucci at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said he fished the Sandy Hook Reef over the weekend with a pal and caught 50 tog with 10 keepers up to 7 pounds.
There is little going on freshwater-wise, he said, with most of the rivers and streams still too high. One customer did some ice fishing in Roscoe, N.Y. and caught plenty of smallmouth bass.
Larry at Newark Sinker Company in Pine Brook said there is nothing going on there for freshwater anglers in the tough conditions. He did get reports from his customers of good sea bass and ling fishing on the offshore boats.
Dino at Garden State Bow & Reel in Stockholm said the private lakes and ponds in the area are beginning to freeze and he’s been selling bait to ice fishermen. It’s just beginning, he said, but he’s hoping for an early start to the ice fishing season.
Northern Jersey Fishing Forecast
The forecast for the weekend looks warmer, but wet. You can try the beaches and hope the stripers return. The southern end of Monmouth County had fish earlier in the week, so they may show there again.
The most consistent action lately has been on the blackfish boats, with some big fish coming over the rails. However, the togging has been a little spotty as well. As always, it’s in the hands of the fishing gods.
If you’re up for a longer trip, offshore boats have been doing well with sea bass, ling and cod, but prepare for some damp conditions.