Northern New Jersey FIshing Report- December 8, 2022

The terrific fall run continues but there’s been a slight change in the action.  

The last few days have seen fewer blitzes on the beaches and more traditional fall fishing with anglers blind casting to holes and around jetties. The bass are there, with fish up to 40 inches landed, but it’s not the mayhem anglers enjoyed as recently as last weekend.  
 
Metal-lipped swimmers, shads and bucktails continue to catch fish. The boats off the beaches are still doing very well with bass too. And there were reports of better togging on the reefs and wrecks as water temperatures continued to drop. 

Rick Hebert of Tackle World in Rochelle Park had good reports of bass in the ocean opposite the Highlands Bridge and from the Manasquan Inlet on south. He added that toggers are starting to put together some good catches as the blackfishing has picked up on local reefs.

Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the bass action has slowed down in Raritan Bay as the number of fish has thinned out. Several of the party boats that were fishing for stripers in the bay have called it season. From what’s he’s hearing, the better fishing has moved south. He’s also getting better reports on blackfishing as more anglers turn to tog from stripers. Sciortino added that the Tackle Box has just become a dealer for AFTCO, carrying its tackle and clothing lines.  

Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there were blasts of fish on the beach over the weekend but things slowed down at the beginning of the week. There’s still bass and bait in the surf but searching for blitzes has given way to blind casting with fish going for shads, swimming plugs and poppers. There are keepers being caught but Pinto said more smaller fish are showing up.

Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the last couple of days have been a little quiet but there were blitzes on every beach in Long Branch last Friday and Saturday. Bass assassins, bucktails and metal-lipped swimmers were all working. Gleason said the fish were a mix of sizes but there were some 30 pounders caught. The weather took a turn for the worse this week and Gleason said he’s interested in seeing what impact that will have on the bass fishing going forward. The stripers had peanuts pinned against the beach in Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach last Friday afternoon. One rotund bass I caught looked like it would explode if it ate just one more peanut. There haven’t been any blitzes since but clouds of birds were diving off the beach on Tuesday so there’s still plenty of bait around. 

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Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the bass require a little more work right now. Stripers are still chasing bunker but the bait is not as widespread as it was just a few days ago. More casting and less looking is the better approach, he said. Matthews also reported sightings of smaller baits in the area, including sand eels and spearing. He recommended Tsunami sand eels fished with a teaser if the smaller stuff is around. The better fishing lately, he added, has been on the beaches of southern Ocean County.  

Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said this is the best striper fishing he’s ever seen. He was off Spring Lake in the fog on Wednesday catching fish up to 41 inches on shads and flutter spoons. He also reported a solid improvement in the tog fishing with a number of limits caught on last Friday’s trip. 

Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters out of Belmar said the incredible striper fishing just keeps on going. He’s got bass trips scheduled for the next two weeks with a few openings and can be contacted through his website. 

Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing said mechanical troubles have kept the Express at the dock but the smaller boat is available for blackfish and striper trips. He can be contacted through his website. 

Lloyd Bailey at The Reel Seat in Brielle said the striper fishing is still crazy good. He and other members of the Berkeley Striper Club tagged and released more than 600 stripers over the weekend. The bass were caught from boats and in the surf. The bite has been best from the Manasquan Inlet to the south, he said, with Mantoloking a hot spot. He also received good reports on blackfishing with fish of 13 and 9 pounds caught over the weekend. Bailey said there were reports of a few bluefin caught inshore but not a lot of details were provided. 

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Jason Szabo at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the striper fishing remains very reliable. There are occasional small blitzes but blind casting along the beaches is producing fish. He said there are still plenty of bass in the Manasquan River and back through the Point Pleasant Canal hitting soft plastics. Szabo said there has been a definite improvement in the blackfishing, especially in the deeper drops. He also heard of a few bluefin caught in the shipping lanes on popping plugs and RonZ lures. 

Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach had been concentrating on blackfish but when they were uncooperative, he turned to stripers to add some fish to the coolers. The blackfishing, he said, got much better over the last few trips with good catches on Monday and Wednesday. There are several open boat tog trips scheduled and details can be found on the Mimi VI website. 

Chris Parlow at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported epic fishing over the weekend with stripers blitzing from the Manasquan Inlet down to Seaside Heights. He said fish were being caught from the beach to two miles out and were hitting just about anything thrown at them. He also reported that the inshore bluefin tuna bite has opened up with a number of fish caught on poppers and swim jigs. 

Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported that Monday’s 12-hour tog trip was a success with a number of limits around the boat and fish up to 8 pounds. The next 12-hour trip is schedule for Monday, Dec. 12.

Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said Tuesday was another good day of striper fishing on the local beaches. The night bite has been good as well with topwater lures, metal-lip swimmers and shads producing fish. He’s also received reports of sand eels in the area and suggested putting a couple of needlefish in your bag.  

Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said it’s still crazy fishing on the local beaches. He said bass of different sizes are congregating in different spots. Fish in the 25- to 30-inch range were in Mantoloking while bass up to 40 inches were in the Lavallette surf. During the day, anything white – shads, poppers, spooks – were catching fish while blurple and other dark swimming plugs were doing the trick at night. Kupper said that the fish were feeding on cupcake bunker, slightly bigger than peanuts, and squid. 

Scott Thomas at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said it’s been quiet there for last few days as far as blitzes go but the fishing has been good. Anglers working the holes caught bass in a range of sizes up to 40 inches using bucktails, shads, Mag Darters and SP Minnows. Compared to the insanity of recent weeks, Thomas said it’s become more regular fall fishing. The shop will be holding its annual visit with Grumpy’s Santa this Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be pictures with Santa and special deals on tackle, clothing and gift baskets. 

Lastly, reported by NJ Fish and Wildlife, New Jersey has a new albacore tuna record:

“Matthew Florio has broken a New Jersey State Saltwater Fish Record by landing a 78 lb., 2.4 oz. Albacore Tuna in October, breaking the previous 1984 record by 3.4 ounces. Matthew was chunking off the Luna Sea at the east elbow of Hudson Canyon when he reeled in the record fish. This new state record Albacore Tuna measured 48 3/8 inches in length and had a girth of 37 inches. Congratulations, Matthew!”

Best Bets for the Weekend

This has been a fall run for the history books but there are signs that things are slowing down. Boat and beach anglers continue to catch plenty of fish but who knows how long it will last.   

Southern Ocean County appears to have the better bass bite at the moment but anglers are picking up fish on beaches all along the coast. All the usual suspects are working but include sand eel imitations in your arsenal as there have been more reports of sand eels and spearing in the area.