Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Sea bass, stripers, blues, fluke and bluefin tuna all made for solid fishing over the Memorial Day Weekend. Some species bit better than others, but by and large, it was a good start to the summer season.
The sea bass bite was the most reliable while the good bluefin action was the big surprise. Fluke anglers found a good number of fish, but the majority were on the short side, which is not unexpected this early in the season. Big blues tore up tackle on the beaches at Sandy Hook and in the rivers and inlets. Plus, after taking a bit of a breather last week, the stripers returned for an encore performance in Raritan Bay while expanding their presence offshore. All this happened under sunny skies, which may have been the biggest surprise of all.
Capt. Joe Karcich of Joe Tomato’s Fishing Charters said there are still tons of bass in Raritan Bay. The boat went out a short trip on Sunday afternoon and caught 30 stripers on the chunk. After the weekend, he moved the boat to Clark’s Landing on the Manasquan River and will be fishing for stripers, sea bass, fluke or whatever species looks promising.
Capt. Jay Richard Ella of Side Job Charters said the fishing was a little slow over the weekend but he still found stripers up to 40 pounds in the bay mostly on the troll. He fished the ocean on Tuesday at the Shrewsbury Rocks and, while he called the fishing spotty, big bass were there. He’s relocated the boat to Belmar from South Amboy will be fishing for tuna starting June 5. He’s anxious to get in on the good bluefin bite.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the stripers came back with a vengeance in Raritan Bay over the weekend with fish up to 40 pounds caught on the troll, chunking and plugs. The big blues also showed up at the Keansburg Pier over the weekend and on the beaches of Sandy Hook. Fluke were biting on the beaches as well, he said, feeding on sand crabs. Warmer, shallow water produced the most fish. Sciortino also reported the sea bass bite for charter boats out of Keyport, Atlantic Highlands and Highlands was off the charts.
Mike at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said fishing is definitely heating up around there. Larry Gyo weighed in a 6-pound, 6-ounce fluke he caught in the Shrewsbury River and the shop also weighed in a 21-pound bass taken in there as well. Mike reported a lot of small bass in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers and blues from 4 to 18 pounds are also scattered throughout both rivers. Offshore, Mel Martens at Giglio’s said a buddy of his came upon loads of bluefin breaking on small bait just 10 miles out. They wouldn’t touch anything thrown at them, but evidently they were a sight to see.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said he’s been getting more reports of big bass in Raritan Bay and keeper fluke in the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers. The striper bite is still hit or miss on the beaches but the fishing is picking up as the water warms.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the great weather over the weekend was a big help in bringing out the crowds. The fluke were biting but keepers are still at a premium this early in the season. The sea bass fishing, he said, remains red hot with most anglers getting their limits according to party boat captains. Matthews added that the striped bass fishing has opened up a bit offshore, mostly on bunker spoons. His friend, John Reilly, of the Hooked Café in Belmar had three bass to 38 pounds trolling spoons off Monmouth Beach.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing in Belmar said the offshore striper fishing has been up and down, but when he finds them, the fish are all big. He’s been getting most of his fish, 40 pounds and over, on the troll. Once he locates them, they’ve been picking up a few on jigs.
Capt. Sykes expects next week’s new moon should help the bite. Parker Pete’s Sportfishing has plenty of open dates in June for day charters and magic hour trips. Matthews said the blues are still hanging around the Shark River Inlet and some of the party boats have been catching them as well. The surf fishing for stripers remains fair to spotty with bait catching most of the fish.
Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer has been having a field day with the sea bass with plenty of boat limits and big fish. If it’s sea bass you want, don’t delay. The season closes on June 22. It opens again on July 1, but the limit drops from 10 fish to two.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar has been targeting blues and stripers with more luck on the bluefish. When neither can be located, he turns to sea bass and has been filling buckets with those.
Bob Carracozzo at the Reel Seat in Brielle reported a few fluke were caught in the ocean over the weekend but they were mostly shorts. The better action was in the Manasquan River. He reported bluefin tuna caught over the weekend as close as the Manasquan Ridge and big bluefish at night on Long Beach Island and Island Beach State Park. The striped bass action picked up in the ocean off Monmouth Beach with some jumbo fish taken on the troll. The beach bite for stripers, he said, has been on the slow side with not much to report of late. The sea bass fishing is just the opposite with the party boats out of Manasquan Inlet finding plenty of limits.
John Bogan Jr. at Brielle Bait and Tackle reported the same on sea bass with the local reefs loaded with fish. The Jamaica II and Paramount out of Bogan’s Basin have both been doing very well.
The fluke fishing in the Manasquan River is decent, he said, with way more shorts than keepers.
Ron Tucci at Tackle World in Rochelle Park reported there were big blues at Sandy Hook over the weekend along with short fluke in the surf. His colleague at the shop, Rick Hebert, did very well with sea bass at the Mud Hole on jigs and clams. The trout fishing remains decent in the rivers and streams despite all the rain and high water. The fish, he said, are spread out so a little searching is required.
Steve at Garden State Bait and Tackle in reported good bass fishing in the reservoirs. Stocked trout continue to bite in the rivers and streams. Overall, freshwater bite has been good with the only issue a shortage of shiners due to the heavy rains in the Midwest.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Black sea bass are biting the best with party and private boats getting limit catches on clams and jigs.
Although it was mostly shorts for fluke anglers after the opening, there were keepers caught in the rivers and it’s bound to get better as the water warms.
The stripers made a big comeback in Raritan Bay so that’s worth a try and more big bass moved into the ocean. Trolling bunkers spoons accounted for most of the catches.
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