Fluke season ends on Saturday but a nasty forecast makes it unlikely anglers will be able to fish until the final gun. It’s too bad because, by all accounts, it’s been a good one with a lot of big fish caught in recent weeks.
On the plus side, the mullet run is on and more stripers and bigger bluefish are showing up along the beaches.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle said his fluke trip last week at the Axel Carlson Reef and off Lavallette was a big success with everyone getting their limit with fish up to nearly 9 pounds.
The tuna bite was still going strong before the heavy wind hit and he suspects it will pick up where it left off.
On the freshwater side, Hebert said the hybrid striped bass bite at Lake Hopatcong has caught fire.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the fishing has been excellent with bass and blues chowing down on the plentiful bait in the surf. The bass fishing has also been good up in the Hudson River and at the Verrazano Bridge on live eels.
Porgy fishing, he added, remains good at the Tin Can Grounds and keeper fluke are being caught at the Keansburg Pier.
Steve at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said it was a last-minute rush at the shop for fluke gear on Thursday morning as bad weather looks like it will bring a premature end to the season.
He’s also getting reports of dinner-plate size porgies on the rock piles.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there have been blues and bass in the surf the last few days. He also reported a bluefish blitz at North Beach on Sandy Hook earlier in the week.
The blues also popped up in the Shrewsbury River. The surf has been a little rough lately and Pinto said the albie action has been mostly for the boat guys.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the fishing has been decent in the last week with stripers caught in the surf and in the rivers. There have been false albacore and Spanish mackerel around, but, again, the boats are getting the best of the action.
Folks are still getting small fluke off the beach with an occasional keeper here and there.
The yellowfin bite was still going strong on jigs and chunks, Gleason said, until the wind at the start of the week kept boats at the dock. Hopefully, when the weather clears, the fish will still be hungry
The mullet run is definitely under way as there were bass and blues feeding on them in the Ocean Grove surf on Wednesday morning. Multiple stripers were caught in the surf along with blues up to 5 pounds.
There are still plenty of short fluke in the wash as well. I’m just not sure they’re going to get much bigger by Saturday.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said this fluke season will probably go down as one of the best in the last several years with plenty of quality fish caught.
There is a nice assortment of bait moving along the beaches, he said, and bass are hitting most plugs, including Mag Darters, SP Minnows, Bombers and poppers.
Matthews also reported good bluefishing aboard the party boats out of the marina that are targeting them.
Barring any major storms, he believes the fall fishery looks very promising.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar said the season’s final bucktail extravaganza on Wednesday saw a lot of nice fluke come over the rail.
The Express fished wrecks to the south of the Shark River Inlet with a majority of the keepers in the 4-to 5-pound range.
Now that they’re done with fluking, Sykes will be looking to chase some tuna weather permitting. They will also be sailing for tog and then sea bass when that season reopens on Oct. 8.
John Vafiadis at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the fluke fishing has been very good on the local reefs as long as the boats can sail. There’s been a steady improvement in the size of the fish.
Small blues, bass, false albacore, Spanish mackerel and a variety of other fish turned up during the week. Vafiadis said shop regular, Jeff Nuel, even got into some almoco jacks.
Vafiadis said before the wind picked up the canyon tuna bite was excellent and he had reports from white marlin anglers that the tuna were becoming a nuisance getting into the spread ahead of the marlin.
The Manasquan River, he added, is still holding keeper fluke and stripers and is currently loaded with hickory shad that are a lot of fun on light tackle.
Dylan at Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the tuna bite slowed down due to the weather with fewer boats sailing.
Stripers, he said, are in the Manasquan River at night on eels and shads and on the beaches with plugs and poppers.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach had a decent tuna trip last weekend with about a dozen yellowfin coming aboard. There was also the added bonus of a 95-pound wahoo.
Capt. Matt Sosnowski on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported last Monday’s trip saw decent life with short and keeper fluke up to 8 pounds.
The fish were on the rough stuff as well as open bottom.
The Norma K III has been sailing for blues on Friday and Saturday nights but with the weather a question for the weekend the schedule may change.
Gary at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said the mullet are definitely on the move along the beaches. He also had a good report on Wednesday of tuna at the Triple Wrecks.
The Point Pleasant Canal is giving up a lot of keeper blackfish, up to 21 inches, and the stripers are hitting eels at night under the bridges in the Manasquan River.
Frank at Gabriel Tackle in Brick said Thursday looked to be the last fishable day for fluke thanks to Mother Nature.
The blues are biting in the surf on mullet, metal and epoxy jigs. The fluke are there as well on Gulp and bucktails.
The Manasquan Inlet offers blackfish off the rocks and the wall at the inlet is also still producing some nice fluke. A 9 pounder was caught there on Wednesday.
Pete at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the fishing has been really good with fluke, blues, bass and kingfish in the surf.
False albacore and Spanish mackerel are a little far out for surfcasters but the boats have been getting plenty of them, he said.
He’s now taking entries for the Annual Surf Turkey Tournament, a catch-and-release event awarding cash prizes and held over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.
Lenny at Capt’n Hippo Bait and Tackle in South Toms River said things have slowed down since the Labor Day Weekend but folks are still catching fluke, blowfish and snappers in Barnegat Bay.
Phil at Dock Outfitters in Seaside Heights said the surf has been a little roughed up the past couple of days so he hasn’t heard much from the beach. The bay, however, still has crabs to catch.
He also reported a snapper fisherman had a 7½-pound fluke grab the spearing floating under his bobber.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the mullet are pouring out of Barnegat Inlet and there’s been more stripers in the surf at dawn and dusk.
Fluking has been so-so off the sand, he said, and there are small blues to be had by surfcasters.
Francine at Betty and Nick’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park also said the rough surf hampered fishing but it hasn’t seemed to bother the kingfish. They’ve been hitting Fishbites like crazy and she personally has been having a blast with them.
The blues off the beach are getting bigger, she added, and more bass are showing up in the early morning.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
Looks like bad weather is going to crash the end of fluke season, especially for the boats. Rivers and bays will probably offer the best chance at a keeper. The rivers and bays are also holding small bass and bluefish.
The surf will be a little torn up as well, but bass don’t mind rough water. If you can stand the wind and rain, you might just find a striper in the foam. Good luck.