There are signs that the long-awaited fall run is upon us.
Monster bass are showing up in Raritan Bay, close to Breezy Point and off Sandy Hook. Stripers in excess of 50 pounds have been reported.
The stripers haven’t really hit the beaches yet, but fingers are crossed that the big body of fish reported off Long Island will soon head down along the coast.
In the meantime, there are tuna, sea bass, porgies, blues and blackfish to be caught.
Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Rich Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said he had an excellent tuna trip aboard the Big Jamaica to the Triple Wrecks over the weekend with a mix of yellowfin and bluefin.
Hebert said the blackfishing slowed down a bit but there are still plenty being caught. The sea bass fishing remains decent, he said.
Trout fishing in the Ramapo River is good, he said, but the big breeders stocked recently don’t seem full of fight.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said big bass are starting to show up in Raritan Bay near Breezy Point. Jumbo fish have been taken on the troll, on Nichols Spoons and big shads.
Bass anglers are also doing well with eels in the Hudson River.
Porgy fishing is holding up, he said, and folks aren’t having any trouble getting their one blackfish.
Steve at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands in Atlantic Highlands said the striper fishing remains pretty good near the Statue of Liberty.
The party boats out of Atlantic Highlands are doing well on sea bass and porgies and he said the blackfishing has been drop and reel even if you can only keep one.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Seas Bright said with the exception of a random bass or two, the beaches are still quiet. There’s plenty of bait around, just nothing to eat it.
The boats are picking up false albacore off the beaches while the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers continue to produce bass at night on plugs and plastics.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch also reported big bass around with his buddy, Ralph Perdomo, catching a 52-pound striper on a Nichols Spoon.
He said there have been a few more bass in the surf there but it’s still not a real bite yet. There have been albies off the beaches in Long Branch.
From what he’s hearing, the blackfishing is very good.
The surf has been quiet in Ocean Grove. The bait has been thick just off the beach but only a handful of bass have been taken in the last few days. Like everybody else, we’re waiting for the stripers to show in force.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the striper fishing in the backwaters has been good on fish in the 18- to 28-inch range.
Bombers, shads, SP Minnows and poppers are all doing the trick. The fly rodders are also getting in on the action.
Party boats out of the Belmar Marina are doing well with blues and big albies, he said.
The Shark River Inlet has been hot for short and keeper blackfish and the river has also been giving up winter flounder. Matthews said a shop regular got six and kept his two with the biggest going 2½ pounds.
Bass fishing in the surf remains slow, but Matthews is sure it will improve with cooler water on the way.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters said Tuesday’s sea bass extravaganza was a big success with jumbo porgies and winter flounder adding to the catch.
Capt. Sykes also reported that captains Tommy Dudek and Zachary Felder did a scouting trip for stripers earlier in the week and found jumbo fish on the troll. They also brought a nice thresher shark aboard.
Parker Pete’s Sportfishing is currently booking fall stripers trips.
Tommy Freda at the Reel Seat said he’s still getting good reports on tuna fishing at the Triple Wrecks with yellowfin and bluefin on chunks and jigs.
He also had word of big bass showing up off Sandy Hook.
Blackfishing has been decent, he said, but he sea bass bite slowed up somewhat over the past week.
Dylan at Fishermens Supply Co in Point Pleasant Beach reported excellent blackfishing at the Manasquan Inlet on jigs with green crabs or white leggers.
The tog are biting in the Point Pleasant Canal as well along with schoolie and keeper stripers.
He said the sea bass fishing has been pretty good. He and three of his buddies picked up 28 keepers along with loads of shorts earlier in the week.
The tuna are still at the Triple Wrecks, he added, and the swordfishing has been good in the canyons.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported a very successful tuna trip at the beginning of the week catching bluefin and yellowfin.
His sea bass trips have been productive as well. There are a lot of small ones around but still enough keepers are coming over the rail for everyone to go home with dinner. Big porgies are in the mix as well.
Capt. Kenny said he will be running a few open boat striper trips during the week in early November. Check his website for dates. He’ll continue with sea bass until the more generous blackfish season opens on Nov. 16.
Capt. Matt Sosnowski on the Norma-K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the sea bass action was good over the weekend but, as always, he would have liked a few more keepers coming over the rail.
Most were caught on bait and some anglers got their limit along with a few decent size porgies. There was even a pollock in the mix.
Gary at Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said he’s been getting reports of big stripers up to 30 pounds taken on the troll off Monmouth Beach.
As for stripers in his area, the Manasquan River is producing early in the morning and at night on eels and Kettle Creeks. The surf fishing, however, is slow, he said.
The Point Pleasant Canal, he added, has been red hot for blackfish with fish up to 20 inches.
Frank at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick also reported excellent blackfishing in the Point Pleasant Canal on green crabs and sand bugs. The Manasquan Inlet is giving up tog off the rocks and there have been a few reports of weakfish.
There hasn’t been much change in the surf fishing with blues and an occasional striper on metal and epoxy jigs.
He said boaters in the Manasquan River are getting bass at night on eels, SP Minnows and Kettle Creek shads around the bridges. Finally, sea bass fishing remains solid on the wrecks and reefs.
Pete at Charlie’s Bait & Tackle in Normandy Beach said it’s the start of the fall run as more stripers are moving into the area. He said the fish are carrying sea lice which tells him they’re coming in from the open ocean.
There’s a lot of bait off the beaches, he said, and surfers reported small bluefin have been busting in the bunker pods.
The Manasquan River has been good for stripers with eels working at slack tide and plugs and shads when it’s moving.
Billy at Dock Outfitters in Seaside Heights in Seaside Heights said there are false albacore all over the place, getting close enough for shore anglers to have a shot.
He also reported lots of stripers at the Mathis Bridge in Barnegat Bay on plastics. Most of the fish are shorts, but there are some keepers around.
Lenny at Capt’n Hippos in South Toms River said he closing up the shop for good on Nov. 15 and everything in the store, with the exception of bait, is 35 percent off.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said more and more bass are showing up early in the morning. They’re still on the small side hitting paddletails and Avas, which makes him think sand eels have arrived.
The blues are in the surf as well taking metal and bunker chunks.
And there are still crabs around. He had a report of one crabber getting close to 60, all large males.
Francine at Betty and Nick’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said metals and Kettle Creeks are working for schoolie bass at night and early in the morning.
Blackfishing at the Barnegat Inlet is the best thing going on right now, she said, with the fishing very, very good.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
Bottom fishing remains the surest thing with plenty of action and fish to take home for dinner. Sea bass, blackfish and porgies are all in the mix.
This could be the weekend the bass arrive on and off the beaches. You just have to go to find out. Have fun.
Great reporting