Tony Cavalier caught this 7-pound fluke aboard the Skylarker out of Belmar this past Tuesday.
The excellent fluke fishing continues as summer heads into the home stretch. There’s just about a month left in the season and anglers are making the most of the fishing with loads of limits and lots of big fish. Boat and beach anglers are both doing well. This past week also saw bluefin tuna in close, popping up all along the coast from 10 miles on in. They’ve been as close as a half-mile off the beach.
Northern Jersey Fishing Report
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the fluking is good pretty much anywhere you go. All the reefs, wrecks and rock piles are giving up keeper fish. The same places have plenty of big sea bass on them as well. Freshwater anglers, he said, continue to find largemouth and walleye in the local ponds and lakes at dawn and dusk.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet called the fluking on hard bottom red hot with numerous fish in excess of 10 pounds this past week. There are also a lot of triggerfish hanging in the rocks. Porgies are biting at the Tin Can Grounds and the marinas around Raritan Bay are loaded with snappers. Anglers are finding bigger blues are biting out front.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the Spanish mackerel returned after a brief hiatus but they are well off the beach. The bluefish are popping in and out of the surf and the fluking has been pretty good in the wash. He also reported stripers are still being caught in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers and there are plenty of crabs in there as well.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch reported blackfish are being taken by anglers and divers on the local jetties. There’s lots of triggers around the rocks as well along with some striped bass. As for tuna, the bite continues. Gleason said the fishing is better when there are fewer boats around. Yellowfin have been at the Atlantic Princess and Resor while the bluefin are popping up a mile or less from the beach. Cow nose rays have made themselves at home in the Ocean Grove and grabbed my fluke rigs on more than one occasion. Keep an eye on any rod in a sand spike.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the fishing is holding up as summer winds down. Fluke fishing on the Big Mohawk, Capt. Cal II and Ocean Explorer has been the best it’s been in several years. Matthews reported plenty of limits with fish in the 5-to 7-pound range every day. He said there’s been plenty of action for anglers targeting blackfish at the Shark River Inlet and Point Pleasant Canal, just not a lot of keepers. Small blues are in and out of the surf with bigger fish farther off shore. Matthews also reported that the tuna bite is still fairly hot with chunking taking the bulk of the fish. The Golden Eagle made a tuna trip Monday night and returned with 10 yellowfin between 80 and 90 pounds.
Capt. Pete Sykes at Parker Pete Sportfishing out of Belmar said his bucktail extravaganzas for fluke have been doing very well as long as the weather cooperates. In addition to fluke and sea bass, Tuesday’s trip also had some bonus bluefin tuna as they popped up on the fluke grounds. Capt. Sykes still has a few openings on upcoming bucktail trips.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the fluke fishing is the best he’s seen in quite a while. There are plenty of limits on each trip and the pool fish averages between 5 and 7 pounds. Tony Cavalier took Tuesday’s pool with a 7 pounder. He, too, reported bluefin breaking around the boat in the past few days while drifting for fluke just three-quarters of a mile off the beach.
Capt. Jay Richardella on Side Job Charters out of Belmar said the inshore fishing right now is as good as it gets. His most recent trip saw a boat limit of sea bass, five southern kingfish to 20 pounds and a bluefin tuna. There are a few open spots on his tuna trip scheduled for Sept. 9. Check the website for details.
Paulie Puccini at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the fishing has been good lately with yellowfin at the Atlantic Princess and Resor, bluefin close to the beach and plenty of fluke to be caught on the beaches and from boats.
Kyle Tangen at Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the Manasquan River is completely loaded with spearing and he expects Spanish mackerel, bonito, and false albacore will be all over it once it moves out through the inlet. In the meantime, the fluking has been pretty good in the river but there’s a lot of shorts to weed through. The bigger fish are on the reefs and rocks offshore. The Axel Carlson has been a good spot and bluefin tuna have popped up there. The bluefin have been in close all week, he said. One was even caught by a kayaker.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported successful black sea bass and ling trips over the past week along with some good tuna fishing mixed in. Last Thursday’s trip saw a nice catch of yellowfin come to the dock. He’s a little disappointed in the lack of mahi-mahi as they were in close at this time last year.
Capt. Matt Sosnowski of the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported a lot of fluke coming over the rail lately. Anglers bouncing Gulp and bucktails are doing best. Last weekend’s night bluefishing trips saw plenty of action with Saturday the best of the two with loads of fish up to 9 pounds.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported that keeper fluke continue to be caught on the beaches right in the wash. The Manasquan River is still producing fluke during the day with stripers on live eels at night at the bridges. The north end of Barnegat Bay offers a mix of short and keeper fluke while there are blowfish at the BI Buoy.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said fishing is good with big fluke being caught at the Axel Carlson Reef. The bluefish are in and out of the surf and being caught on metal and mullet. Spike weakfish are hitting pink plastics in Barnegat Bay and the blowfish bite has been good at the BB Buoy.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the fluking is still decent off the beaches there but the cow nose rays are a nuisance. They are on the baits in a heartbeat, but if you can get through them, the fish are there. He said there are tons of blowfish in the bay hitting clams. Bring along plenty of chum, he added. Kerico also reported bluefin right off the beach feeding on schools of bluefish earlier this week. It was quite a sight, he said.
Owen DeBenedet at Capt. Charlie’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said there are yellowfin up to 100 pounds being caught at the Atlantic Princess while smaller bluefin are in close. There haven’t been many good reports coming from the canyons, he said.
Northern Jersey Forecast
Charter and party boat captains are calling this the best fluking in years, especially in the surf. Jump on a party boat or head to the beach. The boats are getting the bigger fish, but you can’t beat a nice day on the sand. Plus, there’s always a chance for bluefish or Spanish mackerel.
The bays and rivers are also loaded with snappers and crabs. Both will provide kids of any age a terrific time.
Nice reporting John Oswald!