Spring has arrived and so have the bass and blues in Raritan Bay.
Granted, the fish aren’t big but they are there, along with a massive amount of bunker. There have even been a few keeper stripers in the mix.
Fishing Report for New Jersey
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet told me anglers have been getting the bass on worms along the bay beaches, with Cliffwood Beach and Union Beach popular spots.
Matthew Calabria of Hazlet landed three keepers along with numerous shorts over the past few nights on bloodworms soaked in Fin-Essence Shedder Crab Oil.
Sciortino said there have been stripers caught in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers as well and those fish hit small swimmers and plastic baits.
The bunker, he said, were thick in the bay but no bass were feeding on them as yet.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright also got reports of bass and blues biting in Raritan Bay over the weekend. The blues were in the 2-pound range and hitting small plugs and plastics.
He added that the bunker were all over the place in the Shrewsbury River. So many, in fact, there was a fish kill in the river and the suspected cause was lack of oxygen due to their numbers. Mel said the shop will be open full time starting the last weekend in March.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the action was improving with reports of bass and bluefish in Raritan Bay and Barnegat Bay along with small bass in the Manasquan and Toms rivers. Unfortunately, he said, the winter flounder fishing has been very slow with only a few fish being caught in the Shark River. More sunshine and warmer water should get that fishery on track. Matthews said the shop has been getting in a lot of freshwater tackle ahead of the opening of trout season on April 6. He also said the Den is carrying a new line of ODM rods.
Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer out of Belmar has been sailing for cod when he can get out and those days have been few and far between with the heavy wind of late. He’ll be chasing blackfish starting April 1.
Eric Bunz at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the bass and white perch continue to bite in the Toms River around Island Heights and he’s had reports of stripers by the Route 70 Bridge in the Manasquan River. The bass there are hitting Fin-S, Kettle Creek and small swimming lures. Nothing big has been reported as yet.
There have been a few winter flounder caught by the Mantoloking Bridge and the bay end of the Point Pleasant Canal. The successful anglers are using lots of chum, he said.
Greg Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said folks are trying for winter flounder with worms and chum logs but it’s been slow. He did hear of a few fish taken from the Bay Head docks.
There wasn’t much action on the offshore boats as the wind and spring maintenance kept them out of action.
Capt. Bob Bogan on the Gambler out of Point Pleasant Beach sailed to the wrecks last week but did not have much luck with cod or ling about 40 miles out. He’ll be making offshore trips as the weather allows.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI, also out of Point Pleasant Beach, will be running special 12-person tog trips every Friday starting in April.
Virginia at Jersey Hooker Outfitters in Brick had some decent reports on flounder fishing with anglers finding fish on the outgoing tide near the Mantoloking Bridge and Pelican Island.
There’s lot of bass in Barnegat Bay, she said, with blood worms and small swimming lures catching fish. Small X-Raps and SP Minnows are doing the trick.
Mario at the Hook House in Toms River said there’s nothing happening on the beaches yet but their customers are doing pretty well with the short bass in the back bay and Toms River. Again, it’s bloodworms and small swimming plugs. Steve Sherman just weighed in the first keeper of the year at the shop on Saturday to claim the $100 gift certificate.
Pete at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the striper fishing remains good in the bay and Toms River but the winter flounder are still finicky. Folks fishing on a sunny day with lots of chum are having the most luck with the flatties.
The bass bite, he said, is better at night and the fish appear to be a bit bigger. Small artificials have been catching the fish.
Pete also reported a few bluefish caught in the bay as well.
Frankie Z at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the bass fishing has been pretty good in the back bay on bait and small swimming plugs. This year has been a bit different, he said, now that the Oyster Creek Power Plant has shut down. The bait and the bass, which used to congregate in the warm water, are now spread out. The plant operated for many years, he said and created an unnatural environment for the fish.
The winter flounder fishing picked up in the last week, Frankie added, but it’s still on the slow side. The shop is fully stocked for the spring and Frank said they just got a new shipment of ODM blanks in.
Liza at Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said the back bay striper action has been good but the numbers on winter flounder aren’t great. Bloodworms, small plugs and poppers are catching the bass. Liza said they will be open full time starting this weekend.
Max at Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom told a similar story about the stripers in Barnegat Bay and the Toms River. He said there’s plenty around hitting small lures like Yozuri Mag Darters and smaller SP Minnows.
Fishing Forecast for New Jersey
The weekend forecast looks like it will offer some relief from the cabin fever epidemic. And there are fish to be caught. Bass and bluefish are biting in Raritan Bay, Barnegat Bay and local rivers. The stripers are the better bet on small plugs and plastics along with blood worms.
The expected sunshine should also get the winter flounder bite going in the Shrewsbury, Navesink and Shark rivers.
The surf is also worth a try with bunker chunks and clams. There haven’t been any reports as yet, but one day soon they’ll be in the suds and you’ll want to be there to meet them.
Thanks for the update.