Spring fishing is off to an excellent start.
The striper bite in Raritan Bay is red hot, more bass have moved into the rivers and the action is improving by the day in Barnegat Bay. Blackfishing has been surprisingly good offshore and in the Point Pleasant Canal while Saturday brings the opening of trout season.
The only real blemish has been winter flounder. There haven’t been many caught and not a lot of folks are fishing for them.
Before we get into the report, just a quick reminder that this Saturday, April 8, is the annual Trout Contest for Kids at Spring Lake organized the Shark River Surf Anglers. It’s a tremendous event for the whole family and a great way to introduce youngsters to fishing.
Free to all children 15 and under, the contest awards prizes in four age groups with a grand prize awarded to the heaviest fish caught. Ahead of the contest, the lake been stocked with more than 600 trout up to 10 pounds. Fishing starts at 8 a.m. with awards presented at 2 p.m. Check out the Shark River Surf Anglers website for complete details.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said between the bass, blackfish and trout, there are plenty of species to fish for this weekend. He said the back of Raritan Bay is giving up a lot of stripers on worms, plugs and soft baits. The shop, he added, is fully stocked for this Saturday’s trout opener.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said anglers are crushing the stripers in Raritan Bay. The back bay has been especially productive but fish are being caught throughout the bay. Adult bunker and herring are fueling the bite. Flutter spoons, metal-lipped swimmers, NLBN baits and Tsunami shads are all working. Sciortino said he’s been getting good reports on blackfishing as well but no word on winter flounder. He suspects they’ve become a favorite snack for the seals that have set up shop around Sandy Hook.
Capt. Jay Richardella on Side Job Charters is sailing out of Lockwood Boat Works in South Amboy for the spring striper season and has open spots through the end of the month. Check his Facebook page for details.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the bass fishing is very good in Raritan Bay and the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. A new body of fish have moved in and they’re hitting a variety of baits including Z-Man 7-inch pearl paddle tails and Salty C’s plugs. He has yet to hear of any stripers caught in the surf and winter flounder are pretty much non-existent.
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Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the spring bass season is off to a great start. Stripers are hitting just about everything so you can catch them however you like. The bass are feeding on adult and peanut bunker along with spearing so make your lure selection accordingly. The bass range from 20 inches up to 30 pounds and the night bite has been very good. Bass Assassins, metal-lipped swimmers and flutter spoons have all been working and Gleason mentioned that the shop now carries NLBN shads. Raritan Bay and the local rivers are the hot spots but he hasn’t heard of any surf fish. That bite is just a matter of time.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the opening of blackfish season and Saturday’s trout opener now offer more angling opportunities. Striped bass action is heating up, especially in the backwaters of Monmouth and Ocean counties. Surf fishing, however, remains slow. The party boats are getting blackfish and cod and the Big Mohawk, Capt. Cal II and Ocean Explorer all reported successful early season trips. Matthews said the Den is well stocked with white leggers and green crabs along with clams, worms and anything you’ll need for the trout opener.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said he will be sailing for cod and blackfish starting this Friday.
Matt Haeger at The Reel Seat in Brielle said the fishing has been good lately with Raritan Bay producing plenty of stripers and a solid tog bite in the Point Pleasant Canal. Haeger said green crabs have been working best in the canal but worms and clams are getting their share of fish. There have been some nice keepers and loads of shorts. He mentioned there have been rumblings of bass on the beach, but there’s not a whole lot of action to report as yet.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said it’s full-on bass season and the stripers are spread out all over Raritan Bay and at the bridges in the Manasquan River. The bigger fish are up in the bay hitting flutter spoons and metal-lipped swimmers while small plugs and plastics are working in the river. Tanger also reported good togging at the canal.
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Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported good early season blackfishing with some nice ones coming over the rail. He’s running open boat trips through April, leaving at 6:30 a.m. and returning at 4 p.m.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach also reported early season success with tog and is sailing daily.
Chris Parlow at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that bass anglers putting the time in have been rewarded with some nice catches. There’s been a fairly decent striper bite going on in the northern part of Barnegat Bay, he said, with fish in the 24- to 26-inch range with a few bigger bass mixed in. The bass have been hitting small plugs. Despite the decent bite, Parlow said he hasn’t seen a lot of folks out fishing. He also reported that the winter flounder bite picked up as water temps climbed into the low 50s.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said blackfishing has been good on blood and sandworms in the Point Pleasant Canal and at the Manasquan Inlet, with the canal outperforming the inlet. He added he’s getting reports of winter flounder by the Mantoloking Bridge on bloodworms while striper fishing remains good in the back bay and by the bridges.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the bass fishing has picked up in all the usual spots but you have to move around as that’s what the fish are doing. The bite has been good in the bay behind Seaside Heights, Island Beach State Park and at the bridges. Winter flounder fishing is a challenge, he said, but they are being caught at the Mantoloking Bridge using plenty of chum.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said fishing has turned a corner with better striper action in Barnegat Bay and the beginning of the surf bite. The bay fish are hitting small plugs and plastics while those in the surf hit clams and SP Minnows. The beach stripers are on the small side, but it’s a start. On April 10, Kerico said the shop will go to longer hours, open from 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Take the kids to Spring Lake. The Shark River Surf Angler’s Trout Contest for Kids is one of the highlights of opening day. There’s plenty of trout to catch and rods and bait are provided for those who need them. There’s also face painting, hot dogs, snacks and lots of fun for the whole family.
And for everybody else, the bass are biting in the local bays and rivers, trout season opens and the blackfish are biting offshore and in the Point Pleasant Canal.