It’s hard to believe summer is winding down but August has arrived. At least there’s fluke, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, tuna, snappers, sea bass and blue claw crabs to ease the pain. When the elements cooperate, the fluking has been good from both the beach and the boats. Sea bass are complementing the catches for boat anglers and the one-fish tog season opened on Aug. 1, so they are back on the menu. Offshore, tuna fishing is holding its own at the mid-shore spots and the canyons.
Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said he’s been getting good fluke reports from Long Island to Long Branch. Anglers have to weed through a lot of shorts but there are keepers to be had. Mike Sancetta from the shop got one over 10 pounds fishing aboard the Fish Monger last week. His customers continue to get into bluefin tuna but the action has cooled a bit.
Capt. Phil Sciortino of the Tackle Box in Hazletsaid the fluke fishing has been excellent on rough bottom pretty much everywhere from the Rattlesnake to the Deal Rocks. Cocktail blues are all over the place as well, he said, including the tip of Sandy Hook. Sciortino said porgies are on the rocky spots in Raritan Bay and the folks targeting tog are catching their one fish.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the fluke fishing from the beach has been up and down with fish coming and going. There are, however, plenty of blues in the 2- to 4-pound range. There are loads of spearing and rainfish in the wash, he said. The blues are in the Shrewsbury River as well and the crabbing has been getting better in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. Pinto said triggerfish are being caught around the jetties in Monmouth Beach and while the tuna bite slowed down a bit, his customers are still catching them. Dave Glassberg and his son, Jack, landed a 200-pound bluefin on a Madd Mantis popper last week. The shop carries ODM boat rods and SAME inshore and offshore rods.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said bluefish blitzed the beach on Monday and there were Spanish mackerel in the mix. Diving off the beach earlier this week, Gleason said he saw clouds of spearing, plenty of short fluke along with some keepers and schoolie stripers. He also saw blackfish up to 6 pounds lurking in the rocks. There are still fluke being caught in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers and there are a lot of peanut bunker back there which is always a good sign. The party and charter boats out of the Belmar Marina have been doing well with fluke. Not every day is a home run but the Big Mohawk, Capt. Cal II and Ocean Explorer are reporting plenty of keepers to go along with all the shorts.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Fishing Charters out of Belmar said both boats in the fleet are fluking and, with the exception of Tuesday’s trip when the current was screaming, the fishing has been excellent. Trips earlier in the week resulted in a boat limit on Monday and close to limits over the weekend. Many of the shorts, he said, were just shy of the limit. Capt. Sykes sails open boat for fluke when there isn’t a charter and he has bucktail extravaganzas targeting jumbo fluke on hard bottom throughout August. Check the Parker Pete website for details.
Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters out of Belmar said the tuna have been chewing well for him recently and he’s also been having success inshore with good catches of bluefish, Spanish mackerel, fluke and sea bass. He can be contacted through his website.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on Skylarker Charters out of Belmar reported good catches of fluke, sea bass and bluefish. He’s been booked steadily but has a few open dates next month.
Max Kristiansen at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the bluefin are biting at the mid-shore spots but it’s not the lights out fishing of recent weeks. There are loads of blues at the Manasquan Inlet, he said, and fluke are there and in the river. Spanish mackerel are popping up off the beaches along with bluefish. All in all, he said, the fishing is decent, if not spectacular.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermens Supply Co in Point Pleasant Beach also reported tough fluking on Tuesday in difficult conditions. Up until then, it had been good on all the local reefs and wrecks. He said there is a ton of bluefish in and out of the inlet and the Spanish mackerel are right there with them. Epoxy jigs and slim metals will catch both. Tanger also reported lots of blackfish at the inlet for those after their one fish. Crabs and clams are both working. The mid-shore lumps, he said, are still holding tuna and boat traffic on those spots has eased up a bit. Chunking seems to be outfishing jigs and trolling at the moment.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported that the tuna fishing remains good on the inshore spots and in the canyons. The fluke fishing, he said, is day-to-day depending on conditions.
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Owen DeBenedet at Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said he had a report of bluefin tuna as close as the Axel Carlson Reef. It was a brief visit, he said, and then they were gone. Small mahi-mahi were in close as well.
He also said yellowfin were caught at the Resor on the chunk. The strangest bit of news he had this week was the tarpon taken by a spear fisherman at the Barnegat Inlet. It was one of a dozen the diver spotted.
The fluking has been decent in the Manasquan River, he added, with bigger fluke out on the reefs.
Capt. Matt Sosnowski of the Norma-K III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported that as long as the wind and current cooperated, so did the fluke. The fishing has been good since the weekend with the big fish of the week so far, a 9½ pounder, coming aboard on Monday. Gulp and bucktails are catching most of the fish but squid and spearing are working as well. The Norma K III is also fishing for blues on Friday and Saturday nights. Friday was the better night last weekend with good shots of blues.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said there was a blitz of blues over the weekend with bunker getting pushed right on to the beach. He also reported plenty of fluke in the wash hitting bucktails and Gulp. The bigger specimens are on the reefs and wrecks with the Axel Carlson the best producer at the moment. The blowfish bite has been good at the BI Buoy but he said to make sure you bring a chum pot. Giacalone said the reports from the Point Pleasant Canal on the opening day of blackfish season indicated plenty of fish but mostly all shorts.
Pete Kupper of Charlie’s Bait & Tackle in Normandy Beach said the surf is hot. There have been a lot of keeper fluke in the suds including a 6-pound, 24-incher caught by Lisa Schardien and a 22-incher landed by her sister, Kristen. Beach anglers are also catching blues, Spanish mackerel and even a few bonito. Big cow nose rays are cruising the shoreline so keep an eye on rods in sand spikes. In the bay, the crabbing is very good and the snappers are making for some happy kids.
Scott at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said there are still a lot of nice fluke in the surf there. The fishing is the best he’s seen in many years with the biggest fish of the week coming in at 6 pounds. Gulp and bucktails are all you need. The blues and Spanish mackerel are also frequent visitors to the beaches.
Fishing Forecast for Northern New Jersey
All the summer favorites are in play. Fluke, blues, black sea bass, Spanish mackerel, snappers and crabs. Fluke fishing in the surf has been exceptional this year, especially at Island Beach State Park.
In addition to the fluke, the beaches also offer shots at blues, Spanish mackerel and schoolie-size stripers. Jetties are also holding blackfish.
