New Jersey Fishing Report - March 3, 2022

It looks like we’re off to a good start.

Opening day of striped bass season in rivers and bays saw plenty of fish — keepers and shorts — caught from Raritan Bay down to the Mullica River and lots of spots in between.
 
Soft plastics, small plugs and bloodworms all worked.

At the same time, the white perch bite has been very good in the tidal rivers and the freshwater action keeps getting better and better.

Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park didn’t get any reports from opening day on Tuesday but said that the Hackensack River is holding plenty of bass.

The shop will have bloodworms on Friday and Hebert expects to hear of plenty of fish caught in the Hackensack and Raritan Bay by next week.

Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the Raritan River and the back of Raritan Bay gave up a plenty of bass since Tuesday’s opener. Most of the fish were taken on artificials like SP Minnows and paddle tails.

The majority of the bass were shorts, but Sciortino said there were a few keepers in the mix. The water temperature in the bay was up to 47 degrees.

Bayshore anglers are also out fishing worms from the beaches. He said it seemed like the action picked up right where it left off at the end of December.

Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright had yet to hear of any bass caught in the Navesink or Shrewsbury rivers but he said it’s a safe bet they’re in there.  The shop, he added, is fully stocked with SP Minnows, M.P. Sliders, small plugs and plastics.

Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said he heard the bass fishing was good in the back of Barnegat Bay and the local rivers down south. Again, small plugs and plastics were doing the job.

He expects it will be a couple of weeks before any stripers show up in the surf.

The shop, he said, just received a big shipment of Ben Parker flutter spoons in a wide variety of colors and sizes for when the big bass arrive in Raritan Bay. They’re available online and at the store.

Gleason also reported that the freshwater anglers are doing very well with crappie and largemouth bass.

Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said he’s been getting positive reports of bass farther south in the Toms River and Barnegat Bay.

As far as winter flounder go, he did hear of one short being caught at the bay end of the Point Pleasant Canal but nothing out of the Shark River as yet. Some sunny days, he said, will get that bite going. The outgoing tide is usually best at this time of year.

He, too, reported that a lot of anglers are enjoying the early spring freshwater action for crappie, perch and largemouth bass. The shop has added more freshwater tackle to meet demand.

Steve Thomas at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there are a lot of bass in Barnegat Bay and he got good reports from those fishing the bridges. Paddle tails were working well as were small plugs.

Thomas said he heard of a couple of keepers mixed in with the many shorts.

Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach got out on opening day and was rewarded with about 60 stripers, all shorts. Again, soft plastics were working but Tanger is partial to the X-Rap SXR 10.

He suggests giving it two or three good rips then just let it suspend in the water column. That’s when they hit. Tanger didn’t divulge his spot but said the bass were all over Barnegat Bay and in the local rivers.

Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick reported that opening day of backwater stripers ended up being a good day for anglers. He said blood worms seem to be producing the best and they’re working for white perch as well.

Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the kayakers did very well on opening day in the Toms River. Artificials, especially soft plastics, accounted for most of the fish with Bass Assassins a popular choice.

Again, schoolies dominated the catch, but there were a few keepers in the mix. Shore-based anglers also got in the action.

Kerico said the shop is loaded with new inventory for the spring season.

Bill at Absecon Bay Sportsman in Absecon weighed in two keepers of 31 and 28 inches caught in the Egg Harbor River on opening day. He said there were bass biting in the Mullica River as well.

The white perch bite has been very good, he said, with a lot of big ones coming out of the local rivers. The shop has plenty of blood worms in stock.

Fishing Forecast for New Jersey

The stripers are here. Anglers are doing very well with bass since the season in rivers and bays opened on Tuesday. Most of the action was on soft plastics like paddle tails and Bass Assassins and small plugs. The back of Raritan Bay, Barnegat Bay and the Toms River have all been producing.

There’s also plenty of fun to be had in local ponds and lakes with crappie, carp, largemouth bass and other freshwater species.

Finally, mark you calendars. The Asbury Park Fishing Show is Sunday, March 20 at the Berkely Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury Park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Many of the country’s top plug builders will be on hand.

For a complete list of spring shows, visit our 2022 Sportsmen’s Shows guide.