Giglio’s Bait and Tackle regular Linas K. with an albie he caught from the beach on Wednesday.
Pockets of albies had been popping up recently but then big schools of the speedsters showed up from Sea Bright to Seaside Heights Tuesday and Wednesday. Mixed in the schools were Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and even some football-sized bluefin. Add that to the solid fluking and sea bass action and you have pretty good fishing for the end of August. Oh, and the offshore tuna bite is still going strong.
Northern Jersey Fishing Report
Rich Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said giant bluefin were being caught off Rockaway and from what he’s hearing, a lot of anglers were underequipped. If you don’t have the right gear, he said, you’re not landing. He’s getting good reports on the fluke bite on reefs and wrecks. Shop regular Eddie Dabon caught a 10.2-pound doormat on the Jamaica II earlier this week. Hebert said the local streams and rivers went from no water to overflowing their banks when Henri passed through. Reservoirs are full and should be good for the fall.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet reported that a 130-pound bluefin was caught in the Sandy Hook Channel this week. Bluefin have been appearing all over the place, he said. Fluking has been good on at Scotland Grounds and the Rattlesnake, he said, and porgies are at Breezy Point.
Mike Pinto, with an assist from Mel Martens, at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright reported the albies appeared off Monmouth Beach on Tuesday afternoon and were in Sea Bright on Wednesday morning. Shop regular Linas K. got into them from the beach. The blues have been in and out of the surf and Pinto continues to get good reports on fluke and tuna. He also said the crabbing is very good in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing reported an outstanding day of fishing on Wednesday with the small boat having a field day with false albacore while the big boat scored well with keeper fluke. He said the albacore were everywhere you looked on Wednesday’s trip and Spanish mackerel and small bluefin were in the mix. Capt. Sykes has open boat bucktail extravaganzas planned for next Monday through Thursday. He’ll be fishing rough bottom for jumbo fluke. Check the website for details.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the fluke and sea bass fishing has been very good for his charters. Porgies and blackfish have also been coming over the rails. He said they’ve been seeing all kinds of life on recent trips, including giant bluefin, false albacore, Spanish mackerel, and thresher sharks.
John Vafiadis at the Reel Seat in Brielle said his customers are catching everything this week. False albacore, Spanish mackerel, and bonito are being caught along the beaches and outside the Manasquan Inlet. The fluking has been really good, he said, on all the local reefs and there have been giant bluefin not too far from shore. There have been a number of southern kingfish caught as well. The canyons, he added, have been giving up bigeye, swordfish, and wahoo. It’s just been crazy, he said.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said if you can’t catch a fish right now, it’s time to take up golf. The fluke fishing is really good, he said, and mentioned that three friends of his caught 140 fluke between them after a day of fishing a local reef earlier this week. He said the albies are everywhere and believes Tropical Storm Henri was responsible for pushing the fish into the area. Small bluefin are in with the false albacore and he knew of a few caught on relatively light spinning gear.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach also reported good fluking. His offshore tuna trips have also been doing well with yellowfin. The Mahi fishing has been a little slow for the Mimi VI, but Capt. Namowitz has been hearing of better catches in recent days.
Capt. Matt Sosnowski of the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said Tuesday’s fluke trip was the first after the weekend blow and the fishing was very good. There were a number of limits around the boat and the pool winner went 6 pounds. He’s been fishing the sticky stuff. The Norma K III is also sailing for blues Friday and Saturday nights.
Owen DeBenedet at Capt. Charlie’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported on the albie onslaught as well and added that there have been giant and smaller bluefin at the Axel Carlson Reef.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported that the fluke fishing in the surf remains good along with bluefish in and out of the wash. Barnegat Bay is holding plenty of snappers and blowfish, especially around the BI and BB buoys. He also heard of football-sized bluefin at the Axel Carlson and added that the Atlantic Princess and Resor Wreck continue to produce yellowfin.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said surf anglers fishing for fluke did well over the weekend despite the storm. The fluke bite off the beach this year has been amazing, Kupper said. He added that the amount of bait around is incredible, including mullet, spearing, rainfish, peanuts, and killies. So far, it’s shaping up for a good fall run. The shop is already preparing for the 11th Annual Surf Turkey Tournament taking place on Thanksgiving Weekend.
Frankie Z at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the fluke fishing in the surf bounced right back after Henri passed through. The shop has seen a steady stream of weigh-ins with fluke up to 4 pounds. Gulp and bucktails continue to catch the fish. The albies showed up there on Wednesday as well and the bluefin have been making sporadic appearances off the beaches.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said it’s been an excellent week for jumbo fluke with biggest of the bunch a 13-pounder caught aboard the Big Mohawk. The Ocean Explorer got a 12 pounder and the Capt. Cal II landed a number of big fish. He said the blues have been chewing their heads off for the party boats with fish up to 12 pounds. The Shark River is also loaded with snappers. Matthews said the false albacore invaded the Shark River Inlet on Wednesday morning providing some red-hot action for jetty anglers. Boats just outside the inlet also did pretty well. Epoxy jigs are the way to go.
Northern Jersey Forecast
The late summer speedsters are here and now it’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Epoxy jigs tied directly to your line or leader are the way to go as false albacore are notoriously tackle shy.
If you’re heading to the beaches, be prepared to cover some ground as the schools don’t stay in one place for long. Chasing them along the sand can be frustrating. Sometimes, a better strategy is to stay put and let them come to you.