Pictured Above: This swordfish was caught aboard Side Job Charters out of Belmar earlier this week.
It’s taken a few days for things to settle down after our brush with Hurricane Dorian. Most of the party and charter boats didn’t get back out until Sunday and it wasn’t until Tuesday and Wednesday that the fluke really began biting again.
Barring any future storms, we should be able enjoy what remains of the fluke season which ends on Sept. 21. Some big fish are usually caught this time of year.
The other good news is that the bait is back in the wash, the blues, Spanish mackerel and false albacore stuck around, the yellowfin tuna are in the canyons and conditions look good for the start of the fall run.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park went fluking earlier in the week when things were still a little stirred up and found it slow going with just a handful of keepers and a couple of dozen shorts. He did say there were still plenty of blues in Raritan Bay and he heard positive reports on the offshore tuna bite.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet reported loads of bluefish being caught at the point of Sandy Hook and in Raritan Bay. He was getting word the fluke fishing was on the rebound just in time for The Triple Challenge Fluke Tournament this weekend. There’s a guaranteed top prize of $5,000 based on 20 boats.
Sciortino said there are small bass in the surf and some bigger ones hitting eels under the Highlands Bridge. They are also being caught on worms in Raritan Bay. He added there’s a good number of blowfish being caught on the bay side of Sandy Hook close to the Coast Guard station.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the beach fluking has slowed down since the storm but it was still very good for Joe Thomas of the Asbury Park Fishing Club. He landed a 9½-fluke from the sand at Sandy Hook earlier this week. Pinto said the false albacore and Spanish mackerel are still around along with small bass in the surf hitting shads and plugs.
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Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the surf there offers lots of blues but the fluking did take a hit from the storm. There were keepers caught prior to the blow but they’ve been scarce since. Dorian didn’t chase the albies, Spanish mackerel or bass from the surf there and Gleason said there are stripers back in the Shrewsbury River as well.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the fluke fishing is plodding along but not at same pace it was before the storm. Still, he reported anglers aboard private boats caught limits up 8 pounds in 40 feet of water off Long Branch on Sunday.
The fluking in the Shark River, he said, is holding up after the blow, but keepers remain a tad elusive. But, he said, you can catch all the snappers you want. Matthews also mentioned the small blues in the surf and added there are blackfish being caught at the inlet.
Bass fishermen, he said, have been doing well at night with fish up to 15 pounds on shads and boaters in the rivers are getting stripers on live eels. Finally, Matthews said Tuesday morning saw plenty of action on bass, blues and Spanish mackerel in the Shark River. The fish were hitting epoxy jigs and jig heads tipped with a 4-inch Zoom baits. The river is loaded with bait and Matthews believes the upcoming full moon should get it on the move.
The party boats out of the inlet are getting back on the fluke and Capt. Bobby Quinn of the Ocean Explorer said the fishing wasn’t bad on Tuesday and it got even better on Wednesday.
Capt. Ron Kish on the Capt. Cal II also reported improved fishing from Tuesday to Wednesday. as the fluke were chewing again.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar will be back at it again on Thursday bucktailing for big fluke. He found some jumbos up to 9½ pounds before the storm hit and expects to find the big ones again before the season closes. He’s still got some open dates in September. He’s also booking trips for fall stripers.
One reason Capt. Sykes wasn’t fishing until Thursday was that his crew went offshore with Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters earlier in the week. The group had an excellent day catching three yellowfin tuna, three swordfish, a white marlin and a number of gaffer mahi-mahi.
Capt. Richardella is running offshore open boats trips for tuna, marlin and mahi-mahi through September. He’s also booking fall striper and sea bass trips.
Dave Arbeitman at the Reel Seat in Brielle also reported good fishing offshore. He said there are yellowfin in the Hudson Canyon along with swordfish, bigeye and longfin tuna. Closer to shore, boats are finding lots of mahi-mahi, false albacore, bonito and Spanish mackerel.
The Manasquan River, he said, is full of bait, blues and small bass. He also reported plenty of blackfish and triggerfish at the Manasquan Inlet but no one seems to be fishing for them.
Greg Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said the fluking hasn’t quite returned to its pre-storm action, but fish are being caught. The Jamaica II had a pretty good day on Tuesday. The Manasquan Inlet has the best fishing right now, he said, with Spanish mackerel, bonito and bluefish.
The Paramount continues to do well with ling and winter flounder and the Big Jamaica has been catching plenty of bluefish, bonito and false albacore.
Capt. Joe Karcich of Joey Tomato’s Fishing Charters out of the Manasquan Inlet reported the fluking was just fine for him after the storm. He sailed Saturday and Sunday and found keeper fluke both days at the Axel Carlson Reef.
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Best bets for the Weekend
Fortunately, Hurricane Dorian’s impact on the fluking was brief and the fish are feeding again. You’ve got a little over a week to catch your trophy for the 2019 season.
And there’s still a lot going on at the beach with blues, bass, Spanish mackerel and false albacore around. Offshore, yellowfin tuna are in the Hudson Canyon and there’s plenty of mahi much closer to shore.