The striper fishing in Raritan Bay remains crazy good. More (and bigger) fish moved into the area over the last week, hitting just about anything you throw at them. And while the waters farther to the south can’t match the bass action in the bay, things are picking up. There’s also been an improvement in the blackfish and cod bite.
Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters out of Lockwood Boat Works in South Amboy said the bass fishing is absolutely epic in Raritan Bay, limiting out on his last three trips. His charters have been getting them casting and trolling shads.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the daytime bite on bass in Raritan Bay is mostly on worms while plugs rule the night time action. Either way, the bay is on fire, he said. High water in the rivers and streams didn’t help the trout opener, he added, but the anglers that fished close to the banks and in deeper water had the advantage.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Raritan Bay reported that anglers are just crushing the stripers up in Raritan Bay. Bigger ocean fish moved in this past week, he said, up to 40 pounds and they’re being caught on flutter spoons, NLBN swim baits, metal-lipped swimmers, plugs and Mojos.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the striper fishing is really good up in the bay and in the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers. The night bite on the bay side of Sandy Hook was especially productive this past week with bass caught on shads, SP Minnows, MP Minnows and Yo-Zuri Twitch Baits. Pinto said Giglio’s will soon be carrying NLBN shads and jig heads.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said there are plenty of bass around now and they’re getting bigger. The fish are in the 20- to 30-pound class up in the bay and in local rivers. Anglers fishing in deeper water are doing very well with flutter spoons while metal-lipped swimmers and shads are doing the trick in shallower spots. As good as the fishing was last spring, Gleason said, it’s even better this year. The bass, he added, are feeding on bunker and spearing.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar reported that now that there’s been a little more sun, the fishing is picking up. The party boats are doing well with blackfish with some double-digit fish coming over the rail and cod up to 12 pounds. He’s still waiting for the winter flounder bite to get going and he’s hoping the warmer weather will help. Loads of folks are heading north to get in on the bay bite and Matthews said the local waters are starting to see more life with small stripers. He expects the bluefish will be here shortly. Finally, Matthews said the trout fishing in Spring Lake has been super following the Shark River Surf Anglers kid’s trout contest. The lake was stocked with hundreds of big trout ahead of the event which was won by Ryan Kehrney, 13, with a 9-pound, 14-ounce rainbow.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar is now running open boat trips for Raritan Bay stripers. Check his website for upcoming trips.
Paul Puccini at The Reel Seat in Brielle said the Raritan Bay striper bite is grabbing all the headlines. The blackfishing, however, is showing steady improvement for the party boats with some nice fish being landed. He also reported a good opening day for trout in local streams, ponds and lakes.
Jason Szabo at Fishermen’s Supply Co. in Point Pleasant Beach said the striper fishing is picking up in the Point Pleasant Canal and Manasquan River with fish up to 28 inches. The blackfishing has also been good in the canal with worms and clams working a bit better than green crabs. There have also been a few winter flounder caught at the south end of the canal. As for the beach bite, Szabo said a few small bass have been taken by fly rodders.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz of the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported good blackfishing this past week with more limits. He said the tog seem to be biting in different areas since the season opened. He’ll be sailing open boat for them through April and still has a few open spots on upcoming trips.
Capt. Danny Gregory of the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported a good day blackfishing on Monday with a few limits around the boat and a good number of keepers caught. He was fishing in 60 to 70 feet of water on the Sea Girt Reef with clams producing the better action.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said the blackfish bite remains good in the Point Pleasant Canal with a lot of tog over 17 inches being landed on sand worms and green crabs. He also had a few reports of nice stripers in the canal. The bass are also at the Mantoloking Bridge at night and early morning on Kettle Creek shads and SP Minnows.
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Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the striper bite is gathering steam in Barnegat Bay with bass on worms and soft plastics at the Route 37 Bridge. The bay is loaded with bunker right now, he reported. He also reported anglers doing well in the bay’s coves on poppers with most of the fish in the 24-inch range. He has yet to hear of any bass taken out front.
Scott at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park also reported loads of bunker in Barnegat Bay. Stripers are being caught on shads and SP Minnows at the bridges and sod banks but it’s nothing like the crazy fishing up in Raritan Bay. He said a few small bass have been caught in the surf and he expects the beach fishing to pick in the next few weeks with the warmer water.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Friday April 15 at 11:59 p.m. is the deadline to submit your comment to the ASMFC about how you’d like striped bass to be managed. Learn more here: Speak Up TODAY on Striped Bass Management – On The Water
The striper fishing in Raritan Bay, from boats and the beaches, is red hot right now. Trolling, shads, plugs, flutter spoons and bloodworms are all working so if you can get up there, go. The blackfish bite, in the Point Pleasant Canal and on the local rock piles, also showed steady improvement this past week. Plus, the freshwater action for trout and largemouth bass has been very good and this warm spell will only help matters.