We’re at that awkward stage.
It’s that time between the close of fluke season, the start of sea bass fishing and the fall run. The massive amount of bait staged in the rivers and bays has yet to make its move out to the ocean, while sea bass season doesn’t start until October 7th. Don’t despair, there’s still plenty of fish to catch. Big porgies are on the rough stuff, there’s bass and blues, along with Spanish mackerel and false albacore, on the beaches. And anglers continue to find yellowfin, bluefin and mahi-mahi on the mid-shore and offshore spots.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said stripers are being caught by the Statue of Liberty and in the Hudson River. The bass are coming in a range of sizes, he said, from schoolies to over 35 inches. Hebert said Mark from the shop headed to the Point Pleasant Canal over the weekend and had non-stop action on blackfish using green crabs. Trout fishing is picking up as water levels have risen in the streams and cooler weather has arrived. Fall trout stocking is set to start on October 11.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said big porgies are being caught around Raritan Bay on local rock piles. There’s triggerfish to be had as well. Blues, albies and bonito are also popping up off the beaches and the tip of Sandy Hook. Live eels, he said, are the ticket for stripers at night in the Shrewsbury River and at the Rip.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said beach anglers have been getting shots of bluefish for the last week with the fish on the small side. There’s also been an increase in the number of stripers caught in the surf. Shads and swimmers have been effective. Pinto said there is so much bait around it can’t be long before the fishing picks up.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said more bass came out of the surf this past week. First light has been the most productive and he said there is bait everywhere. Poppers and other topwater lures have been catching the fish and there are still a lot of stripers back in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. There are also a lot of bluefish around along with false albacore and Spanish mackerel. The blues have been closer to shore while the albies and Spanish mackerel are staying farther out. Gleason said the tuna bite has been decent with yellowfin and bluefin hitting jigs, poppers and bait. The ocean from Asbury Park to Bradley Beach is brimming with bait and the blues, false albacore and Spanish mackerel have been feeding on it all week. Only the bluefish have come withing casting range.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said now that fluke season is over, a few party boats from the marina will be switching to porgies, blackfish and other bottom dwellers. Others will continue to target blues. Most will be targeting sea bass when that season open on October 7. More bass are showing up on the beach, he said, as the fall run gets off to a stuttering start. There’s an enormous amount of bait back in the rivers and bays and once that starts to move out, things should pick up.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar said he will now turn his attention to stripers and black sea bass.
Lloyd Bailey at The Reel Seat in Brielle said with fluke off the table, everyone is getting ready for stripers, sea bass and blackfish. He said blackfishing in the Point Pleasant Canal has been very good with a lot of action and keepers among the many shorts. The shop has green crabs. The Manasquan River, he said, is choked with bait including peanut and adult bunker, spearing and mullet. Anglers are pulling stripers out the river and out of surf. Plugs and soft plastics are working in both spots.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the mahi-mahi fishing has been good lately at the pots in the Mud Hole and Glory Hole. The fish, which had been a bit tentative when it came to attacking bait, have become much more aggressive, he said. The inshore tuna bite has been a bit spotty of late, but there are some yellowfin and bluefin being caught. The yellowfin action has been better at the Hudson Canyon, he said. Porgy fishing has been good on local reefs and there were some big sea bass caught in the closing days of fluke season and he expects that fishing will get off to a good start when that opens. Stripers continue to be caught in the Manasquan River on plugs and plastics but the bigger fish that were there last week seem to have moved on. The weather is expected to take a turn for the worse this weekend with a northeast wind and Tanger believes that will shake things up for the better.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said it was a bit of a pick for his last fluke trip of the season. He has a couple of tuna trips scheduled for Oct. 4 and Oct. 7 and there are still a few spots left. Check the website for details. The Norma K III will also be sailing for sea bass and blackfish.
Chris Parlow at Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said the fluke fishing remained very good up until the season closed on Tuesday. A number of customers came in with their limits and keepers were caught at the Manasquan Inlet. The porgy fishing, he added, heated up on the reefs and other rough bottom spots. Parlow said the offshore grounds are producing excellent bigeye fishing and the yellowfin bite is happening off Long Island. He also reported a mix of tuna, mahi and false albacore being caught on the inshore spots.
Pete Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick said most of the anglers he spoke to said they had a decent fluke season. As for now, the blowfish bite continues strong at the BI and BB buoys in Barnegat Bay. Reports remain the same as last week on the local beaches with blues on mullet, metal and epoxy lures. Some schoolie stripers are showing up as well. He also reported good blackfishing in the Point Pleasant Canal with plenty of keepers landed.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said there’s bait all over the place and all that’s needed are some fish to come and eat it. As of now, there are bluefish being caught off the beach. False albacore are around as well but continue to stay out of casting range. Canal blackfishing is excellent and there are stripers and bluefish in there as well at night. He, too, reported on the hot blowfish bite in the bay but said the crabbing is slowing down. Registration is open at the shop for the annual Surf Turkey Tournament taking place over the Thanksgiving Day weekend. Also, there’s still time to sign up for the Barrier Island Beach Brawl hosted by Nick Honachefsky’s Saltwater Underground taking place Oct. 7 and 8. Check the website for details.
Frankie Z at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the mullet were thick running down the beach on Monday, he said, and there’s peanut and adult bunker, spearing and rainfish in the mix. Bluefish and small bass are being caught on the beach and the last day of fluke season saw a nice redfish landed from the surf. Blowfish, he added, are going crazy in the bay.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
Looks like the remnants of Ian are heading our way, bringing windy and wet weather Saturday and Sunday. The beaches may be tough to fish and the party boats will likely be stuck at the dock, but there are stripers in the Shrewsbury, Navesink, Manasquan and Toms rivers. Blues are in the rivers as well.
The nasty weather might also help kick the fall run into high gear.