After a week of hellacious weather, fishing is finally getting back on track.
Sea bass fishing re-opened last Sunday and early reports indicate good, if not spectacular, action. Bass are back biting in the surf and good striper fishing was reported up in Raritan Bay and in the local rivers. There were also good reports on blackfish in the Point Pleasant Canal and at the inlets. And, for the boats that made it out, tuna were waiting.
The good news is there’s a front on the way and the cooler weather it will bring will only help jump start the fall run.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park reports have been spotty as the storm subsided but he did say early sea bass fishing was good for the few boats that got out on Sunday. The fishing held up as the week progressed and Hebert expects it will improve as the effects of the blow diminish.
Danny Stolba at Fish Tail Bait and Tackle in Carteret said the storm kept everyone home but a few stripers, up to 26 inches, were caught in the Arthur Kill earlier in the week on frozen bunker.
Patrick Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said last week looked like the end of the world with the fierce winds and angry ocean. But fishing picked up pretty quickly after Sunday with stripers and big bluefish caught in the Shrewsbury River. Sciortino said the bass fishing bounced back nicely in Raritan Bay with big fish reported on live eels in the back of the Reach Channel and off Staten Island. He heard the bottom fishing has been good for sea bass and blackfish and the porgy bite has been hot at the Bug Light and off Officer’s Row on Sandy Hook. Sciortino also mentioned that friends of his ran into a school of false albacore breaking off the Rockaway Reef earlier in the week. Sciortino said he’s got Oct. 8 circled on his calendar because that’s the day the fall run took off last year. The front moving through this weekend, he said, should get thing’s going.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said anglers are picking scattered bass in the surf and back in the rivers. He also reported good bass fishing in up in Raritan Bay on eels.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the surf bite for bass has been decent since the storm cleared out. There’s mullet and peanut bunker around and bucktails and shads are working best. The tuna fishing rebounded quickly with yellowfin and bluefin being caught. Chunks and popping plugs have been working for both with jigs accounting for some yellowfin. He did say the bluefin were feeding on some big sand eels between 5 and 8 inches and he hopes they make it to the beaches to fuel the fall striper bite. Gleason added that the shop is fully stocked for fall fishing and he’s expecting a big order of Back Bay Plugs any day now.
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The party boats out of the Belmar Marina, including the Big Mohawk, Capt. Cal II and Ocean Explorer, reported a decent start to the sea bass season finding plenty of action with keepers and shorts. Blackfish, winter flounder and porgies have been filling out the catches.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing reported an outstanding day of sea bass fishing on Wednesday’s trip with an early boat limit, lots of double headers and non-stop action all day. He’ll be running open boat sea bass trips next week so check his Facebook page for details.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said he’s been catching sea bass, bluefish and porgies every day he’s been out since the storm passed. The sea bass fishing has been decent, but not as good as he had hoped. His charters have been picking at blackfish as well, but they’ve been mostly shorts. The ocean still needs to calm down a bit more, he added, and then the fishing should improve.
Eric Bunz at The Reel Seat in Brielle said blackfishing is solid in the Point Pleasant Canal and at the local inlets on green crabs. The canal is also giving up some big striped bass on eels and shads with the outgoing tide best. There are also bass at the bridges over the Manasquan River hitting soft plastics and eels. And the stripers are in the surf, hitting bucktails, shads and swimmers at first and last light. He’s been getting good reports on sea bass fishing in 80 to 90 feet of water on the local wrecks and reefs and the boats fishing in shallower water are getting tog along with sea bass. Bunz said tuna anglers are picking up bluefin in the 35-inch range around the Barnegat Ridge while bigger fish up to 50 inches are at the Triple Wrecks. Trolling and chunking are doing the trick. There are also yellowfin in the same vicinity hitting jigs, popping plugs and bait. The Hudson and Toms canyons, he added, are giving up some swordfish along with yellowfin. Bunz also mentioned that, after a long layoff, the Reel Seat is now carrying flats of bait.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said from what he’s hearing sea bass fishing is off to a great start. He, too, mentioned the excellent tog and striper fishing at the canal. Tanger said the lumps are providing a mixed bag of tuna fishing with yellowfin and bluefin being caught on the troll and on chunks, popping plugs and jigs.
Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the yellowfin bite around the Triple Wrecks continues like it was before the big blow. Yellowfin, bluefin and bigeye are all being caught, primarily on bait, he said. He also reported that sea bass fishing this week has been good, with the Axel Carlson Reef being the best bet for inshore fishing. Clams have been working much better than the jigs, he added. Parlow also reported tog are being caught on the reefs and blackfishing has also been very good inside the Manasquan Inlet and in the canal as well.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz of the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported a good day of bottom fishing on Wednesday with a wide assortment of fish coming over the rail. There were sea bass, porgies, bluefish, mackerel, winter flounder, blackfish and triggerfish. Capt. Namowitz has a few open boat trips on the schedule so check his Facebook page for openings.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported finding loads of sea bass on Wednesday with short life outpacing the keepers. Still, there were plenty of them around the boat and Capt. Gregory said he covered a lot of ground to catch them. The Norma K III is sailing for tuna on Thursday night so there won’t be a sea bass trip on Friday. Capt. Gregory said he will be back after the biscuits on Saturday and Sunday.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported that while the storm made the surf unfishable, the bite has been good inside the Manasquan River and Point Pleasant Canal. Bass are at the bridges while blues, stripers and tog are in the canal. Livelining spot and live eels has been working for big stripers in the canal.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said stripers are hitting artificials on the beach. Shads and metal-lipped swimmers are good choices. There are also small blues running through the surf. Blackfishing has also been good at the inlet jetties. The bay still has stripers and there are sheepshead back there as well. Kerico added that the shop is loaded with all you’ll need for the fall run.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
There’s a change in the weather on the way with rain predicted for Friday and Saturday then a big drop in temperatures come Sunday. Coupled with a west wind, it’s a favorable forecast for fall fishing.
There are bass and blues on the beaches, sea bass on the reefs and wrecks, blackfish in the canal and at the inlets and tuna at the Triple Wrecks, among other places. Pick your favorite target and go fishing.