Both the weather and the fishing were excellent this past holiday weekend. Trophy stripers, jumbo sea bass and keeper fluke made for a lot of happy anglers. Big bass in the 50-pound range were off the Monmouth County beaches hitting eels, Mojos and plugs while smaller versions took bait and artificials in the surf
Sea bass fishing was very good on the reefs and rockpiles and catches of ling, cod and pollock added to the action. Ocean fluking remains a bit slow as the water is still on the chilly side but rivers and bays are giving up a lot of keepers and limits.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the striper fishing is producing a lot of jumbos for folks trolling eels out front. Sea bass fishing on the local reefs continues to get rave reviews. Freshwater anglers are catching walleye at night at Greenwood Lake and Lake Hopatcong on herring.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at The Tackle Box in Hazlet said trolling eels on planer boards has become the favored technique for catching monster bass in the ocean. There have been a few 50 pounders, he said, and plenty in the 40-pound range. Fluking is good in Sandy Hook Bay, he added, and there are cocktail blues around.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright reported good numbers of bass taken on the beach on plugs and bait. Pencil poppers, spooks and swimmers accounted for some while clams and sand crabs got their fair share. Boats trolling about a quarter mile off the beach are getting jumbo bass. Pinto isn’t exactly sure what they’re feeding on as not a lot of bunker have been spotted lately. There are still bass and some blues in the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers, he said, but the fishing there has slowed down.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the bass fishing has been really good in the surf on bait and artificials. He also reported fluke in the wash on bucktails and Gulp. Just offshore, folks are catching the big girls on 9-inch shads, eels and plugs. The bass continue to bite in Raritan Bay as well, he said. Gleason said there is bunker around but it is scattered. He’s anxious to see what June brings as it’s traditionally a good month for stripers in the ocean. Sand bugs are working in the Ocean Grove/Bradley Beach surf for stripers. There was an explosion in the number of the little crustaceans along the beach over the last few days and the stripers showed up to feed.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said it was a great weekend of fishing. The shop did a brisk business and the rental boats did very well for fluke in the Shark River with good keeper ratios. Live killies were the bait of choice. The charter and party boat fleet out of the marina reported exceptional sea bass fishing with ling and cod mixed in. Matthews also reported on the giant stripers being taken off the coast of Monmouth County. Bunker spoons, Mojos and live eels are accounting for most of the fish with bass up to 50 inches. He said the surf guys are doing well on stripers using clams and fresh bunker.
Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters out of Belmar is putting his parties on jumbo stripers trolling at the Shrewsbury Rocks. A 55-pounder was the week’s biggest catch. Capt. Jay said he’s seen big bluefin busting at the Rocks and he’s heard of a couple being caught. He’s going to keep fishing for stripers while making time to try for tuna both inshore and in the canyons. Side Job Charters is also available for sea bass trips.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing said his big boat, the Express, has been crushing the sea bass while the six-pack boat has been trolling trophy stripers. He, too, said there haven’t been a lot of bunker around but the big bass are still here. He’s also seen bluefin on the inshore spots. The Express is sailing open boat every day there isn’t a charter and Capt. Sykes said there are openings Sunday through Thursday.
Jake at The Reel Seat in Brielle said the striper bite at the Shrewsbury Rocks has been hot for those drifting eels, trolling spoons and Mojos and casting plugs. The sea bassing is crazy, he added, and the fluking in the Manasquan River has been good, especially at the start of the incoming tide. Jake said he’s heard of bluefin in the canyons and a few inshore spots.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply Co. in Point Pleasant Beach said the sea bass fishing has been excellent on the reefs with the Shark River Reef one of the better spots. He’s heard of a few fluke in the surf, but the better fluking is still in the Manasquan River, from the mouth of the inlet back to the Mantaloking Bridge. The Voyager, he said, has been doing really well on its recent tilefish trips and he’s had tuna reports from the Rockaways and the Bacardi. Tanger added that sand fleas and plugs and have been working well for bass anglers on the beach.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported phenomenal black sea bass fishing. He’s been moving around a bit and adding winter flounder, ling, cod and pollock to the day’s catches. There are openings at the end of June and early July for open boat trips on the Mimi VI.
Chris Parlow at Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said the sea bass fishing remains very good at the Axel Carlson Reef, the Farms and Shrewsbury Rocks. He said the tuna fishing is hit or miss with some bluefin caught in the canyons. The reports have been better on tilefish. Boat traffic made for tough fluke fishing in the Manasquan River over the weekend but he said it remains fair.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach has been sailing twice daily for fluke and said the fishing has been getting better as the water warms. Sea bass are helping to fill the coolers. Rough seas and an easterly wind kept the Norma K III in the Manasquan River on Wednesday but anglers still managed fluke limits with fish up to 22 inches. Sailing times are 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. every day.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the fish cooperated over the weekend with a lot of bass and a few blues in the surf. Most of the stripers were taken on bait while the blues hit plugs. He said there were fluke caught in the surf at Island Beach State Park and crabs are starting to show up in the traps placed in Barnegat Bay.
Jenni Ackerman at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the great clam bite for bass in the surf continues. Big stripers, up to 40 inches, have been caught, in the last week along with a lot of keeper-size fish. The stripers have started to hit plugs off the beach as well, especially at night. She said Barnegat Bay hasn’t been getting a lot of attention with the excellent beach bite going on, but anglers are getting blues and bass on topwater plugs.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
There’s plenty to pick from for the weekend. The beach bite for stripers continues to be good with plugs, clams and sand bugs all working well. There are have been more reports of fluke in the surf but the better bet for them is still the rivers and bays; Gulp and bucktails are the ticket. Black sea bass fishing has been on fire with jumbo fish and plenty of limits.