Pictured Above: Vinnie Bazaz caught this monster 14-pound, 5-ounce fluke aboard the Big Mohawk.
The countdown is on. You have until midnight on Saturday to catch that trophy fluke for 2019.
Big fish are still around. A 14-pound, 5-ounce giant was caught aboard the Big Mohawk out of Belmar last Thursday and a 10-pound-plus doormat was weighed in at Fisherman’s Den on Sunday.
If you’re done with fluke, however, the porgy bite has become red hot and there are bass and blues in the rivers and surf. Mahi-mahi, false albacore and Spanish mackerel can also be found a little farther offshore. Plus, there have been good reports of yellowfin tuna and swordfish in the canyons.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the porgies are all over the place in Raritan Bay. At the other end of the spectrum, he’s also had word of a solid yellowfin bite in the canyons.
As for fluking, he went on Sunday and said it was tough with only nine keepers among four anglers. There were plenty of shorts, he added, but it wasn’t great fishing. He also reported lots of bluefish and Spanish mackerel at the tip of Sandy Hook.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the bluefish are thick at the Sandy Hook Rip. The fish are about 5 pounds and there are some albies in the mix. Sciortino said the porgy bite is red hot in Sandy Hook Bay, on the Tin Can Grounds and in Chapel Hill Channel. As for fluking, the northeast wind has been a problem but he did say some nice fluke were being caught from the Keyport bulkhead. All of the peanut bunker in the area have kept the fluke close. He also said stripers are hitting worms under the Highlands Bridge and eels are catching bass around Raritan Bay.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the wind made surf fishing a bit tough but fluke, mostly shorts, were still being caught.
The bass and blues are in the wash as well and Martens said there are plenty of stripers in the back of the Shrewsbury River. Nate Whitehead, 13, has been having a field day with the bass, up to 26 inches, from his kayak in the river.
Martens also reported on the red-hot porgy bite in Raritan Bay and said some nice ones were being caught off Officers Row on Sandy Hook. And the crabbing in the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers remains very good.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said there are adult and peanut bunker, mullet and spearing on the beach and the striper fishing has been pretty good as a result.
The bass are hitting shads, metal-lipped swimmers and poppers. He reported fish up to 15 pounds have been caught. Small bluefish are still around as are false albacore, although the albies have been a little spotty.
There have been plenty of short fluke in the Ocean Grove surf, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen a keeper. The small bass and blues are in the wash as well. The water is still very warm.
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Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said that while the fluke season is winding down some of the biggest fish of the season are showing up at the scales.
Dan Walker of Levittown, Pa., brought in the 10¾-pound fluke he caught on a private boat.
Matthews said this is the time of year big fluke move into the surf as the bait leaves the estuaries. Hopefully, they’ll get there by Saturday.
He added that the bass and the bait are building up in the rivers and could start moving at any time.
Capt. Bobby Quinn on the Ocean Explorer is bidding farewell to the 2019 fluke season in a big way. He’s running a special trip on Saturday limited to 50 anglers with a fare of $100 and a mandatory pool contribution of $100.
Biggest fluke takes home $5,000. The seasonal pool, which is also close to $5,000, will be awarded on Saturday as well. It could be a big payday for some lucky angler. The Saturday trip is sold out.
On his recent trips, Capt. Quinn reported many quality fish coming over the rail. There just hasn’t been a lot of them. The fish are in deeper water and that’s where he’ll be fishing for the final days of the season.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar fished last Thursday with an all-star crew of bucktailers. They worked hard and put a decent catch together with a couple of fish in the 6- to 7-pound range along with lots of fish that came up just short.
Once the fluke season ends, Capt. Sykes will be targeting blues, porgies and triggerfish and then it will be sea bass when that opens on Oct. 8. He’s also booking fall striper trips.
Capt. Ron Kish on the Capt. Cal II out of Belmar said high winds hampered this week’s fishing but the fluke were chewing their faces off on Sunday’s trip. An 8½ pounder took the pool and there were multiple 5- and 6-pound fish.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar continues to find bluefish on his daily trips. There have also been Spanish mackerel among the catches.
The boat headed offshore at the beginning of the week and while the tuna didn’t cooperate, the crew had all the mahi-mahi they could handle along with a lone swordfish.
Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters reported his last offshore trip yielded three yellowfin, three swordfish, a white marlin and a bunch of big mahi.
Amanda at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there are lots of stripers in the Manasquan River along with a few keeper fluke and loads of bait. There are weakfish in there as well. Spanish mackerel, bonito and false albacore are close to the Manasquan inlet, she added, and have come inside on occasion.
John Bogan at Brielle Bait and Tackle said there’s a bunch of stuff going on right now with keeper fluke inside and out of the Manasquan River.
He also reported false albacore around the inlet along with blues in the 2-pound range. The bass in the river, he said, are biting mostly at night.
The Big Jamaica is getting plenty of mahi, he added, and the ling fishing is still fantastic aboard the Paramount. The boat hasn’t had a bad day yet, he said.
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Best bets for the Weekend
It’s last call for fluke and it looks like the ocean will calm down enough by Saturday to get last licks in. The surf is worth a try as there is plenty of bait in the wash and there has to be a keeper among all those shorts.
The surf also has small bass and blues and there’s always the possibility false albacore and Spanish mackerel will make an appearance. It’s supposed to be a beautiful weekend so get out there.