Tuna fever gripped Monmouth and Ocean counties this past week.
Giant bluefin popped up close to shore about a week ago and the boats quickly got on the fish. Some very big tuna were caught on the troll, popping plugs, and stick baits.
The story of the week was the 104-inch behemoth caught by Rob Radlof and Gerard Faccone on spinning gear.
NOAA Fisheries determined that the quota for trophy bluefin, 73 inches and above, has been met and the angling category was closed on Tuesday night at 11:30 p.m. and will stay closed through Dec. 31.
Other angling categories for bluefin from 27 inches to less than 73 inches remain open.
While giant bluefin may be off the table for now, there are still plenty of fish to catch.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the bass fishing continues strong in Raritan Bay with a lot of fish in the 20-pound range. The bluefishing fell off a bit, he added, but there are still plenty of them around.
He heard of some bigger bass caught by boaters trolling for tuna. He also heard of a few anglers connecting with bluefin with less than adequate equipment. More than one reel got spooled, he said.
The shop is all set for the opening of sea bass season this Saturday with plenty of clams in stock.
On the freshwater side, Hebert said the final trout stocking took place this week so that should be a plus for the already good trout fishing. He also said the walleye and small mouth fishing has been good in local lakes.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said he’s still getting reports of stripers in the 50-pound range, mostly taken on the troll with Mojos. Sandy Hook Bay and the Navy Pier were two spots producing fish. He, too, heard of big bass hitting tuna baits.
Clams are catching more stripers in the surf at Sandy Hook as well.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the night striper bite really turned on this week in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. Plugs, like Mag Darters and SP Minnows, accounted for most of the fish.
Bigger bass in Raritan Bay are hitting Ben Nichols Spoons and Mojos.
Pinto said there was a 37-inch striper taken in the Sandy Hook surf on clams and there have been blues to 10 pounds in the ocean as well. He also heard of some pre-season fluke catches and expects there to be good fishing once the fishery opens.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman said the bluefin bite had everyone’s attention. He mentioned that his pals Radlof and Faccone had got into some big fish but left it at that, figuring they would want to share the details.
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Inshore, he said the bass fishing has been good in the rivers, both day and night, on shads and plugs. The surf fishing is getting better as well with more stripers showing up in the wash.
He, too, heard of the early fluke and is hoping for a good beach bite this year.
There have been some small bass in the Ocean Grove surf and on Wednesday morning I witnessed much bigger fish busting on pods of bunker.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the blues are still hitting in Shark River with fish up to 10 pounds and the average catch in the 3- to 5-pound range.
SP Minnows, Deadly Dicks and Ava 17s are all working. Stripers are still a bit scarce in the local waters but he said your luck will improve if you head north.
The Den is fully stocked and ready for the sea bass opener on Saturday and the start of fluke season one week later.
Matthews said the Asbury Park Fishing Club won the first striper tournament of the season held by the Spring Lake Liveliners Club. The Shark River Surf Anglers placed second.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters our of Belmar is running special open boat sea bass extravaganzas on the 55-foot Express on May 18, 20, 21 and 22. Space is limited and trips are filling up. Reservations can be made through his website.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said he’s been ling fishing with some days better than other. As of Saturday, he’ll be sea bass fishing, then it will be on to fluke.
Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters is back home in his slip in Belmar and booking sea bass, striper and tuna trips. He can be contacted through his website.
Max Kristiansen at the Reel Seat in Brielle had just heard of the bluefin closure when we spoke on Tuesday. Up to that point, everyone coming into the shop wanted to go giant tuna fishing. They were going to have to change gears.
Kristiansen said there were 20-pound bluefish being caught at the Manasquan Inlet that day and there were some bass in the river as well, hitting plugs and shads.
Some pre-season fluke have been caught in the river, too, and he said one was 22 inches.
John at Fishermen’s Supply in said bluefin mania had their customers in its grip for days. He had reports of a number of giants taken on the troll and with popping plugs and he knew plenty of anglers were planning on trying their luck over the next couple of days.
Unless they can find smaller fish, they’ll have to be satisfied with stripers and blues which are biting in the Manasquan River.
Capt. Matt Sosnowski of the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the ling fishing was good on Tuesday and he’s going to stick with that through Friday. Then it’s sea bass. Reservations are required for all trips.
Capt. Ken Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach has scheduled open boat trips for cod, sea bass and stripers for the rest of the month. Check his website for dates.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. said the bluefish bite remains good in the Manasquan River and Barnegat Bay is still producing plenty of stripers on worms, Kettle Creeks and small lures.
He’s getting better reports of schoolie stripers on the local beaches and he heard of keeper bass caught in the LBI surf.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the fishing is getting better by the day. He said the blues are in and out of the Manasquan Inlet, up through the river, into the Point Pleasant Canal and back into the bay.
On the beach, the bass are getting bigger and more people are turning out to fish for them. He had a report of a 38-inch striper caught on a piece of metal in Seaside Park.
And the crabbing is pretty good in the bay, too, he said.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the beach fishing is gaining strength with stripers being caught on clams and gliders. He also said there are cocktail blues in the surf along with a lot of pre-season fluke.
Kerico also mentioned that the crabbing in Barnegat Bay is very good, which he said is unheard of this early in the season. It has been a crazy year.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
Sea bass fishing opens on Saturday and the fishing is expected to be pretty good as plenty of nice ones have been caught ahead of the opener. Many of the party boats will be targeting them.
The beach bite for bass and blues has been picking up from Sandy Hook to Island Beach Park. The forecast is for perfect May weather so it’s a good time to head to the sand. Have fun.
