Pictured Above: Chuck Manny took top honors in the Battle of the Borders tournament last weekend with this 42.3-pound striper. The bass was released.
Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Even though the weather hasn’t been cooperating, the fish have.
When conditions permit, anglers continue to catch stripers in the bays, rivers and at the beach while big and small bluefish are biting at the inlets, in the rivers and the ocean. The incredible bass action in Raritan Bay slowed some as the fish finally moved into the Hudson River and spread out into the ocean.
Reports surfaced earlier in the week of stripers caught on the troll off Sandy Hook and at the Shrewsbury Rocks. And the best news of the week? Sea bass season opened on Wednesday and, by all reports, it’s off to an excellent start.
Capt. Joe Karcich of Joey Tomatoes Fishing Charters out of Laurence Harbor said Sunday was a washout but the striper bite was excellent on Saturday. His afternoon/evening charter left the dock at 3:30 p.m. and returned at 8 p.m. after catching and releasing 12 big bass all caught on bunker chunks.
Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Fishing Charters out of South Amboy reported challenging conditions on Saturday and he didn’t get the stellar fishing he’s had of late. Still, he managed to put bass in the boat. He’ll be based up in Raritan Bay for another week or so then relocating down to Belmar.
Capt. Jay will be sailing for ocean stripers and then, starting June 15, he’ll be targeting tuna. He’s already had good reports on the bluefin bite and expects a good season on the tuna grounds.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the rain obviously didn’t help but those that fished on Saturday did very well with big stripers on the troll and chunking.
Chuck Manny won the Battle of the Borders One-Day Striper Tournament with a bass of 42.3-pounds that he caught on a bunker chunk. The big striper was released alive after the weigh-in.
Sciortino said the bass are now in the ocean and bunker spoons have been catching fish at the Shrewsbury Rocks.
Mike at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the big blues are biting in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers and up at Sandy Hook on the ocean side. The bluefish were up to 15-pounds and hitting bucktails and SP Minnows.
Mel Martens at the shop also reported a better bass bite from the sand. SP Minnows and clams are catching the small, but plentiful stripers. Martens said there have been some blowfish in the surf hitting the clam baits.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said early morning and late afternoon have been the best times for stripers off the beach. He hasn’t heard of any big fish, but there’s plenty of small ones. Clams, shads and SP Minnows remain the favorite baits. The fishing in the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers has been very good, he said, with lots of bass and blues.
I dunked some clams in the Ocean Grove surf on Saturday and while only two small ones made it to the beach, there were plenty of bites. Keep the rod in your hands as the hits were very light and would have been missed if a sand spike was used.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar reported the monster blues are still in the Shark River, both at the inlet and in the back. He said fish up to 19 pounds have been landed with plugs and metal catching most of the fish. Matthews added there are lots of fluke showing up in the river ahead of the May 24 opener, hitting bucktails and bait. Release them carefully, otherwise they just become food for something else. Matthews also said there are abundant blowfish around, a favorite on my menu.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar will be heading out this weekend looking for ocean stripers. He’s got two spots open on a shared charter for Sunday morning’s trip.
As for sea bass, Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer called the fishing on Wednesday’s opener “spectacular.” A lot of anglers, he said, limited early and easily. There were also ling mixed in with the sea bass.
Capt. Ron Kish on the Cal II out of Belmar also reported an outstanding opening day of sea bass fishing.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar got into both the sea bass and bluefish on Wednesday. The blues were up to 10-pounds and he reported plenty of sea bass with some jumbos in the mix.
Amanda at the Reel Seat in Brielle said folks are still catching big blues at the Manasquan Inlet and back in the river. They’ve been biting pretty good by Clark’s Landing and in the Point Pleasant Canal, especially at night.
The Reel Seat is holding a special Fluke Kickoff Sale this Saturday. There will be special deals on Gulp and bucktails while supplies last.
John Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said the blues are all over the Manasquan River and in the Point Pleasant Canal. The fish are up to 15-pounds and there are a lot of smaller fish in the mix. He also reported small bass at night from the Dog Beach on the Manasquan River. He said the Big Jamaica, Jamaica II and Paramount are all now sailing for sea bass, with the Jamaica II reporting an excellent opening day.
Mark at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the trout fishing remains good despite all the rain. The rivers and streams are running high but there are still a lot of fish being caught. He also reported decent walleye fishing at Lake Hopatcong and Greenwood Lake and good shad and smallmouth action on the Delaware River.
Steve at Garden State Bait in Stockholm said the crappie fishing has been very good at Green Turtle Pond and other local lakes.
The streams are flowing hard, he said, but it hasn’t hurt the trout fishing too much. The fish are just spread out, he said, so the fishing will probably be good for a while.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Stripers, blues and sea bass. As long as the weather cooperates, there’s plenty to fish for this weekend. The ocean bass bite is picking up and the beach fishing for stripers is also gathering steam. The bluefish are pretty much everywhere and the black sea bass season is off to an excellent start.
You can also head to Island Beach State Park for the annual Governor’s Cup Surf Fishing Tournament this Sunday.
Immortality awaits the angler catching the largest fish as their name will be forever enshrined on the cup, which is on permanent display at the park. Registration opens at 5 a.m. and fishing starts at 6:30 a.m. with prizes awarded in numerous categories.
Why does that bass have a Bluefish head?