Last week saw a terrific start to the fall run. There was an epic bite of big bass all along the coast until a nasty southeast wind came and scattered the bunker and the stripers.
But don’t despair. The good fishing continued this week, if not at the same pace. There are still loads of bass around, off the beaches and up in Raritan Bay. At the same time, the offshore yellowfin bite has been off the charts.
Mark at Tackle World in Rochelle Park reported good trolling for stripers in Raritan Bay with bunker spoons and Mojos. Big fish are also hitting poppers and metal-lipped swimmers in the bay.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said Raritan Bay is loaded with big bass, especially way in the back. Flutter spoons, eels, metal-lipped swimmers, bunker spoons and Mojos are all catching fish. Sciortino said there are some big bass in the Shrewsbury River as well, hitting eels at night. With all of the stripers around, it should make for a successful Hi-Mar Striper Tournament being held this weekend.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said bass in the 20- to 30-pound range hit the beach there on Tuesday morning. The stripers were on peanut bunker and hit poppers, swimmers and metal.
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Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the bass bite quieted down but there are still loads of stripers around. Raritan Bay is chock full of big bass and they’ve been hitting Ben Nichols flutter spoons, Spooks, 9-inch shad and all kinds of plugs. The tuna bite is on fire, he said, and while he’s heard of a few bluefin around, the catch is all yellowfin. The big schools of bunker disappeared from Asbury Park and Bradley Beach, but the bait is still around, just farther offshore. The whales and dolphins continue to chow down.
Bob Matthews at Fishermen’s Den in Belmar said the bass bite slowed after the southeast blow came through at the end of last week but there were still some big fish caught, in excess of 50 inches. He said a few anglers explored other opportunities. Jimmy Murphy caught 12 winter flounder in the Shark River, keeping his limit of two. Heavy chum and sand worms did the trick. Matthews said the tuna bite is still red hot in the canyons with most boats returning with limits of yellowfin. The Golden Eagle out of the marina had 60 fish on its last trip.
Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters out of Belmar has been splitting his time between hunting jumbo stripers and heading offshore for yellowfin tuna. He’s been very successful at both. His last canyon trip saw a limit of yellowfin and he’s been pulling trophy bass over the rail this week. He’s got openings for both and can be contacted through his website.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar will be targeting stripers this Friday on an open boat trip leaving at 6 a.m. with a limited number of passengers. Check his Facebook page for details.
The Big Mohawk out of Belmar will also be sailing for stripers starting this Friday, leaving the dock at 6 a.m. It’s first-come, first-serve with a limited number of anglers allowed. Details are on the website.
Capt. Steve Spinelli of the Skylarker out of Belmar has been sticking with bottom fishing catching blackfish, sea bass, porgies and winter flounder.
Lloyd Bailey at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the offshore chunk bite for yellowfin has been outstanding with whole butterfish doing the job. Bailey said they are solid-sized fish in the 50- to 80-pound range. Bailey said big bass continue to be caught but not at last week’s pace. Boats are doing better than beach guys. He didn’t hear of much else going on as everyone is either chasing tuna or stripers.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the yellowfin fishing is as good as it gets right now. The Voyager’s Tuesday trip got back to the dock early with a full boat limit of yellowfin tuna. There were a few longfin in the mix. Tanger said the bass spread out after the blow but are still being caught. Boats trolling bunker spoons are catching some jumbos. Tanger said the blackfish bite in the Point Pleasant Canal continues strong with plenty of bites, lots of shorts and a few keepers. Sea bass fishing, from what he’s hearing, is decent, with folks weeding through a lot of shorts. The boats have yet to hit the offshore spots.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported doing well last week with sea bass, porgies and winter flounder. He’s posted a bunch of new dates for open-boat striper and bottom fishing trips on his Facebook page.
Pete Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said the striper bite remain good off the surf with some slot fish mixed in with the jumbos. He reported that the Sea Girt and Axel Carlson reefs are producing a mixed bag of short and keeper sea bass. The Manasquan River striper fishing at the Route 35 and the train bridge remains good. He also reported excellent blackfishing at the Point Pleasant Canal.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the big stripers disappeared from the surf there after the weather turned bad. There are still small pods of bait around and the beach anglers are catching smaller bass. Strangely enough, Kupper reported good crabbing in Barnegat Bay. Folks with traps still in the water said they caught plenty of big males over the weekend.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the bass action slowed down in his neck of the woods as well. The big girls appeared to move on and the number of anglers has thinned out, too. The ones still fishing, however, are picking up small and keeper size bass in the surf on plugs.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
The fall run is just getting started, and there are still plenty of bass around after the massive push of fish we saw last week. Raritan Bay is holding a lot of bass, especially in the back, and you never know when they’re going to hit the beaches. Take a stroll along the sand in your favorite spot. The weather is supposed to cooperate.