We’ve got sea bass, stripers, fluke, bluefish, blowfish, weakfish and giant bluefin.
Fishing, in a word, is terrific.
All you have to do is get out there.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said all the reports indicate tremendous sea bass fishing. Jigs and bait are working with jigs, along with teasers, getting most of the fish. Striped bass fishing in Raritan Bay and out front remains very good on live bunker and Mojos and the fluking has picked up nicely in the bay by the Bug Light and Navy Pier. Freshwater anglers are doing well with trout in the rivers and streams and Hebert added that a record 17-pound hybrid striped bass was pulled out of Monksville Reservoir this week.
Danny Stolba at Fish Tale Bait and Tackle in Carteret said the fluke fishing is picking up in the Arthur Kill. Stolba got an 18-incher from the Carteret Pier earlier this week and more were taken closer to Perth Amboy. There have been some small bass and blues around as well.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the holiday weekend saw a cornucopia of species caught. Sciortino said stripers up to 50 pounds were caught out front trolling eels and casting metal-lipped swimmers. He also had good reports on fluking in Raritan Bay. The sea bass fishing, he said, is just incredible with jigs doing most of the damage. And the blues are everywhere around the bay, in the rivers and on the beach.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said bass fishing in the surf has been good on SP Minnows, shads and metal-lipped swimmers in the morning and evening. There are schoolies in the rivers on twitch baits and the blues are in there, too, hitting metal and topwater plugs. Pinto said there is a lot more bunker showing up off the beach, which is always a good sign.
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Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the ocean striper fishing has been very good on metal-lipped swimmers and live bait. The smallest fish reported was around 30 pounds. Gleason said fluking has been good in the surf and decent in the rivers. Giant bluefin are being caught on the troll and Gleason said their smaller brethren should be showing up soon. To catch them, Gleason is expecting a new shipment of Hogy Protails in 6½- and 9-inch sizes. There are bass and fluke in the surf from Asbury through Avon eating sand bugs and Gulp. Bunker pods are all along the shore.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the fishing has been exceptional. Sea bass fishing is off the charts, he said, with many of the local captains calling it the best they have ever seen. Fluke fishing, he said, is holding up in the rivers and bays. The Den weighed in a 6-pounder caught by Jimmy Murphy in the Shark River earlier this week and some shop regulars are reporting good fluke fishing in the local surf. He added that there have been many large bass in the 40- to 50-inch class taken offshore on live eels and by trolling spoons and Mojos.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar said the sea bass fishing is excellent with boat limits on every trip. Capt. Sykes said they will be fishing for sea bass through the closing on June 19 and he will be posting upcoming open boat dates on his website.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the sea bassing has been the same for him with limits every day. There are also ling and fluke mixed in with the sea bass. He’s booked through the end of sea bass season but has open dates after June 19.
Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters said it’s been good sea bass and striper fishing. Once the sea bass season closes, he said it will be time to turn his attention to tuna. There have been giant bluefin caught on the troll and he’s looking forward to some canyon fishing.
Matt Haeger at The Reel Seat in Brielle also reported outstanding fishing with loads of sea bass on all the local reefs and wrecks. Fluking remains good in the Manasquan River and bass and blues are in there as well. He, too, reported giant bluefin taken on the troll and there’s been a lot of boats trying to hook one. So many, Haeger said, that lines are being crossed and props getting fouled.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said big bass, up to 50 pounds, are off the beaches hitting live bunker and the Tsunami 9-inch shads. Anglers are also getting bass and blues in the surf on plugs and bucktails. He said the blues have been non-stop in the Manasquan River and weakfish are being caught on Gulp and D.O.A. shrimp. Sea bass fishing on the Axel Carlson has been absolutely phenomenal, he added, with jigs doing the job. The sea bass are on sand eels so jigs and teasers are bringing up fish two at a time. Tuna are being taken on the troll at the Farms and in the Mudhole. He also reported a few threshers, one at 350 pounds, caught in recent days.
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Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported very good sea bassing over the holiday weekend with many boat limits. There were also winter flounder mixed in with the sea bass.
Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported excellent fishing over the weekend for all species. Sea bass fishing remains hot on all the local reefs and wrecks and jumbo stripers are being caught on plugs and on the troll. Rigged ballyhoo are catching giant bluefin in inshore waters and blues are in and out of the Manasquan Inlet. He also said ocean fluke fishing has been getting better every day.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III said there have been plenty of sea bass limits around the boat since the season opened. The Norma K III is sailing every day for sea bass from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. except on Mondays when it’s 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are also Family Fun Day afternoon trips from 4 to 8 p.m. Check the website for details.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported that anglers fishing the wall at the Manasquan Inlet are catching fluke and having fun with all the bluefish that have been moving in and out of the inlet. The Manasquan River has been producing plenty of fluke from land or by boat with blues and stripers mixed in.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said it was a good weekend of surf fishing with bass caught on clams and blues on mullet. He said fluke are biting in Barnegat Bay north of the Mantoloking Bridge and there are bass and blues back there as well. The blues are biting on metal and plugs during the day and the bass at night on plugs and soft plastics. Crabbing slowed down some, he added, but should pick up again with the next full moon.
Scott Thomas at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said beach anglers are catching a lot of black drum on clams. The biggest one tipped the scales at 49 pounds. The bay has fluke, blues and bass and loads of blowfish by the Mantoloking Bridge. Sea bass fishing is off the charts down there as well.
Best Bets for the Weekend
While there are no guarantees in fishing, sea bass are about as close as you can get. The action has been off the charts with limit catches very much the norm. Jigs and teasers are the ticket, but bait will catch fish as well.
Then there are jumbo bass offshore, stripers, blues and fluke in the surf, the same are in the rivers and bays and trout are in the streams and lakes. Just go.