Southern New Jersey Fishing Report – April 18, 2019

This past week and weekend allowed some anglers to make it out to the area’s reef sites and wrecks. The tog have responded from some warmer water temperatures with keepers to 11 pounds making it into the box. It wasn’t a tremendous bite, but rather a slow pick with patient anglers seeing more quality fish. It definitely pays to be patient. The striped bass bite is going “off”, unfortunately it is north of us in the Raritan. But there is hope as Cape May and the Delaware Bay area have begun to have a bite on chunked bunker over this past week. Most of the bites have been closer to the mouth of the Delaware Bay. Remember, only a few weeks left for the tog season, so get out there.

Fishing Report For Southern New Jersey

Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beachhad good reports of striped bass picking up plugs and swimshads out of the Raritan. Some of the customers have been picking up baits and heading to the “bay” to catch good sized bass. On the local front, there have been some schoolies picking up soft plastics (Kettle Creeks, etc) and baits (clams or bloodworms) from from the Point Pleasant Canal. The surf has been relatively quiet with a few undersized fish caught, but that should get better in the coming weeks.

Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach had some decent blackfish trips with keepers to 9 and 10 pounds with fish hitting both clams and green crabs. The bite has been a little slow, but anglers have to be patient for the big ones to start chewing. The vessel is sailing daily for blackfish until the close of the season at the end of April.

The Gambler out of Point Pleasant Beach reported catching some striped bass, but the weather was a little tough this past week. The boat is sailing Wednesday through Sunday leaving the dock at 7 a.m. sharp.

The MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant has been working hard to find some keepers in the 8 to 9 pound range, but it’s been a slow bite with the water temperatures. The skipper has this some open boat Tog trips which include Green Crab, White Crabs, and Clams.

Jersey Hooker Outfitter in Brick had decent reports of winter flounder from both the north and south end of the Point Pleasant canal and near the Manasquan Inlet. The shop feels the flounder are beginning to stage and some of their customers have boxed winter flatties to 3 pounds. The sunny days are the best with bloodworms or sandworms while heavy chumming with clam. Anglers are still catching striped bass on bloodworms on high-low rigs and also on soft plastics and plugs. Most are in the 15 to 24-inch size, but there has been a few keepers mixed in. The blackfish scene has been slow with only a few limits reported and most have been on clam or green crab from the Axel Carlson reef site.

Charlie’s Bait & Tackle in Normandy Beach reported some short striped bass hitting soft plastics along the Toms River near the mouth and the downtown area. Anglers fishing Crystal Minnows and small SP Minnows have been doing well on schoolie striped bass. The bridges of Mantoloking and Point Pleasant area have been giving up schoolies with an occasional keeper during the night

Grumpy’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported some action from the surf with mostly shorts being caught, but the action was pretty consistent. Anglers using soft plastic artificials and bucktails have been doing the best. Most of the striped bass are in the 18 to 24 inch range and a few anglers reported catching double headers on the teaser.

Jersey Buoyz out of Forked River is awaiting the arrival of the bluefish and the crew has been booking trips for May and June striped bass.

Lacey Marine in Forked River received word of some keeper blackfish from the Garden State North and from some of the wrecks near the Barnegat Ridge. Anglers have been using clam and green crabs, but you have to stay in an area as the bite has been a little slow in the beginning. Striped bass continue to be caught from the west side of the Barnegat Bay and near the Toms River on bloodworms, soft plastics, and small plugs.

Creekside Outfitters in Waretown had some reports of blackfish from wrecks in the 80 to 90 foot range, but the bite has been spotty at best. The Oyster Creek area has some schoolie striped bass hitting near some of the lagoons and mouth of the Forked River. There hasn’t been any word of bluefish yet. Blue crabs are starting to show up around the Oyster Creek and Barnegat area, but the bay water is still pretty cold.

Reel Reaction Charters out of Waretown and Barnegat Light has been busy booking bay fluke trips for June and July. The skipper did make it out over the past week to scout out some area for Tog, but the bite was relatively slow with a few keepers hitting both clams and green crabs. With Spring break next week and school off, the crew plans on running weekday trips 4/22 through 4/26. Once school officially lets out in June, charters are running seven days a week.

Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom reported Graveling Point and the Tuckerton areas producing consistent striped bass on sandworms, bloodworm, and clam. There has also been some drum caught on soaked clam. The mid-island bridges off Long Beach have shown a fair number of schoolie Striped Bass, but most of the action has been in the evening. There has not been any sign of bluefish yet, but that will hopefully change any day. Most of the bigger striped bass action has been coming from the Raritan off Keansburg, Keyport, and near Sandy Hook from guys trolling mojos and working plugs.

Ocean City to Cape May has been consistent for short striped bass from most of the jetties and bridges on soft plastics, small swimshads, Mag-darters, and small plugs. The back channels of Ocean city down Avalon have been showing good numbers of schoolie striped bass and anglers have been working some tidal creeks in the evening. Further south, stripers have started to fire up from boats chunking bunker in the Delaware Bay as it seems alot of the bigger striped bass have arrived. There have been some reports of weakfish being caught off the Cape May beaches along with a few drum. Tautog fishing has been spotty with some shorts and keepers being caught from the 90 to 120-foot depths. There were a few fish between 9 and 11 pounds caught from some of the local party boats. There was word of some bluefish to 10 pounds beginning to show.

Fishing Forecast For Southern New Jersey

The best bet for the weekend will be to fish early or late evening for striped bass, but most of our fish locally are in the schoolie to just keeper size class. If you have the means, a trip to the Raritan would definitely be the ticket to 20 to 40-pound class striped bass. Blackfishing is getting better, but who knows if the weather gods cooperate this weekend. If they do, throw the hook on a few wrecks to box keepers to nine pounds. I have heard from a couple of shops in South Jersey that some of the first bluefish have arrived and they are in the 9 to 10 pound class, so be prepared. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!