It’s the week before Christmas and there are still plenty of creatures stirring in Jersey Shore waters.
Granted, the action is a far cry from this year’s epic fall run, but there were stripers caught, especially on the beaches to the south and the blackfish bite showed a marked improvement. A few boats also managed to get offshore for black sea bass with excellent results. Bad weather for the last couple of weeks has kept that fishery off limits.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the frigid forecast has the ice anglers all excited for an early freeze. Whether the cold snap lasts long enough to make that happen remains to be seen. In the meantime, Hebert said the best thing going on now is the tog fishing. The best reports are coming from south of the Manasquan Inlet in water about 90 feet deep.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said it’s gone very quiet there. There’s been a few bass picked from the surf, but with very few people even giving it a try, there’s not much going on. After Saturday, the shop will be going to winter hours, open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon and by appointment.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said that despite all the bait around — herring, rainfish and shad ̶ stripers are scarce. A few have been picked on the local beaches, but it’s been slow.He said folks continue to chase bluefin inshore and while there have been plenty of sightings, there haven’t been a lot of catches reported. After the holidays, Gleason said they will be getting ready for the winter and spring show season. Surf Day at Brookdale Community College is on Feb. 18 and the Asbury Park Fishing Show will take place on March 19 at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel. There have been gulls working off the beaches in Asbury Park through Bradley Beach and plenty of gannets diving offshore but that’s been about the extent of the action in my neck of the woods.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the year might be coming to an end but the fishing is still going strong. He said there’s been a robust surf bite with bass feeding on sand eels and peanut bunker. He said the action has been best from around 3 p.m. to sundown on sand eel imitations. Matthews believed the fish would stick around through the new year, but this weekend’s dire forecast may change all that. Matthews said the blackfish bite is much improved with the Big Mohawk, Ocean Explorer and Capt. Cal II all reporting better catches. The Big Mohawk landed a released a 13-pound female earlier this week. The Den will be open seven days a week all winter.
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Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the togging was very good this week with quite a few limits and fish up to 8 pounds. He also spotted a few stripers as they followed blackfish jigs to the surface.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing has open dates for blackfish charters through January.
Capt. Jay Richardella on Side Job Charters has pulled the boat for the season but is taking reservations for Raritan Bay striper trips starting in April out of Lockwood Boat Works in South Amboy.
Lloyd Bailey at The Reel Seat in Brielle said it’s been a little quiet with the tog fishing the best thing going on right now. He’s had a number of reports of double-digit fish with the Shrewsbury Rocks and spots off the Red Church holding fish. There are stripers still on the beach, he added, with the night bite having the advantage over the day.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach reported bass in the 20- to 27-inch range hitting plugs with teasers off the beach. There are bass back through the Manasquan River and into the Point Pleasant Canal hitting soft plastics, he added. He, too, has received better news on blackfish with more limits and double-digit fish reported. The togging has been best, he said, from the Axel Carlson Reef down to the south. Tanger said there have been plenty of bluefin sightings near the shipping lanes but not a whole lot of catches reported. The Voyager returned to the Fishermen’s Supply dock on Wednesday with a full boat limit of black sea bass. Unfortunately, Wednesday night’s trip was cancelled due to the impending storm.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported an excellent week of blackfishing with plenty of limits. With the exception of a few days that he’s chartered, Capt. Namowitz will be sailing open boat of blackfish every day through Valentine’s Day.
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Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out Point Pleasant Beach headed south on a 12-hour tog marathon on Monday and found plenty of blackfish with multiple limits and fish up to 7 pounds. Capt. Gregory said he’ll be running 12-hour tog trips every Saturday and Monday weather permitting. He also headed offshore for black sea bass on Tuesday evening and a late report on Wednesday had the Norma K III returning to the dock with a full boat limit. Check the website for the sailing schedule.
Chris Parlow at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported plenty of inshore bluefin sightings on Tuesday but no hookups to go with them. He also heard of a good tog bite at the Axel Carlson Reef.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported that the local beaches are still producing plenty of stripers and bass can be found in the Manasquan River and back in the Point Pleasant Canal.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said it’s been quiet there with just a slow pick of bass on the beach. He hasn’t seen much bait around nor that many anglers. A lot of folks, he said, have put their gear away for the year.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the fall run is now a winter run with a lot of bass still on the beach. Sand eel imitations with a teaser were doing the trick. He said the fish were from Lavallette down through Island Beach State Park. A lot of the action took place during the middle of the day. Kerico also said their Christmas fundraiser for St. Jude’s Hospital was a big success, collecting more than $4,100 in donations.
Best Bets for the Weekend
According to forecasters, Armageddon is on the way. Torrential rain and gale-force winds are to be followed by frigid temperatures, so this may not be the ideal weekend to wet a line.
Conditions are supposed to improve during the holiday week, offering a chance to get in on the solid tog fishing and offshore sea bass. That fishery closes on Dec. 31.
If new surfcasting gear was under the tree, you can also give stripers a shot at your favorite beach. Happy Holidays.