New Jersey Fishing Report
And we’re off. Backwater striper season opened last Friday, and while it hasn’t been a wild start, there was a respectable amount of action in rivers and bays.
Bass are being caught in the usual places with more activity down to the south. Bloodworms account for most of the fish but some are being caught on small plastics and plugs. There have been a few keepers among the mostly small fish. And white perch continue to bite on bloodworms in the backwaters as well.
Last Friday was also the opener for winter flounder but reports on them have been scarce. Sadly, that fishery is not what it once was.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said there have been a number of river bass caught, all on bloodworms. The Raritan and Hackensack rivers gave up stripers and he’s had positive reports from the spots farther south.
Patrick Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said stripers are hitting bloodworms and 5-inch paddle tails in the back of Raritan Bay by Edison and South Amboy. He hasn’t heard of any fish out in the bay as yet, but that’s just a matter of time. Sciortino said the biggest bass reported so far has been 37 inches.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said he’s heard of a few bass taken by boats in the Navesink River. Nothing crazy yet, he added, but it’s just getting started. Bloodworms and small plastic and plugs are doing the trick right now. Giglio’s is now fully stocked for spring, including a wide variety of Blitz Baits. Blitz Baits, a hand-poured shad available exclusively at Giglio’s, proved very popular during last year’s fall run. Pinto said the shop will be open full time starting Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch has been getting similar reports from the usual spots with most of the stripers in the 20- to 25-inch range. Gleason said the shop just received a new shipment of Personal Best lures and a big order of Back Bay Plugs is due in the next week. Tak Waterman is now offering five custom plug builders in the store, including Maine Fishing Co. TAK Waterman will be at the Saltwater Expo in Edison, March 15 to 17.
Tommy Palmisano at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said he hasn’t heard much since the opening but he’s sure the bass are in the Shark River. He’s not so sure about winter flounder as that’s been slow for the last couple of years and the few anglers that have tried so far have nothing to report. The usual spots where they should be gathering in the river are badly in need of dredging, he said.
Ted Imfeld at The Reel Seat in Brielle said there’s bass in the Manasquan River, in the back of Barnegat Bay and the Toms River. Again, it’s bloodworms and small plastics and plugs doing the job.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the bass are in all the usual spring spots but the fishing is far from on fire. The weather hasn’t been much help with the exception of last Sunday and not a lot of people are giving it a try. Folks fishing the Metedeconk and Toms rivers and the back of Barnegat Bay and under the bridges are doing okay with small plastics and suspending plugs like X-Raps. Anglers fishing after dark are catching fish as well, he said. Fishermen’s Supply will be holding two free seminars this Saturday presented by Tom Novak of TN Tackle. The first at 11 a.m. will be on targeting wahoo and the second at 1 p.m. will be trolling for tuna.
Capt. Danny Gregory of the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said he still has a few spots available for this Friday’s tilefish trip. Full details are on the Norma K III website.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick said the backwaters are producing plenty of action with stripers landed on bloodworms. He’s also had reports of winter flounder and white perch in the bay.
Dennis Palmatier at the Hook House in Toms River said the opener was pretty good in the Toms River at Huddy Park and by Ocean Gate and Island Heights. Bloodworms got most of the bass but Palmatier said a few boats and kayaks caught fish on NLBN shads and other small plastics and plugs. He also said the white perch bite got a little better in the Toms River. The Hook House is now open full time.
Frankie Z at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park also heard of a solid striper opening in the Toms River and the back of Barnegat Bay. Bloodworms are doing most of the catching, he said, for both bass and white perch. Grumpy’s will also be at the Saltwater Expo in Edison.
Jared at Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom said it was a good opener for them as well with plenty of bass caught in the back bay and local rivers on worms and small artificials. He also said the white perch bite has been good in the Mullica River.
Chris at Tackle Direct in Somers Point said there were early bass biting down there with good fishing reported in the Great Egg Harbor River. Again, bloodworms are leading the charge.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
The forecast doesn’t look all that promising but there are fish to be caught in the backwaters of most local rivers and bays if you don’t mind getting a little damp. Bloodworms are working best right now, but small paddletail shads and plugs are getting their share of stripers. Most reports indicated an improvement in the white perch bite as well, also on bloodworms. Local ponds and lakes are also a good bet for largemouth, crappie and pickerel.
Wtf. Maryland is cutting back on rockfish and you get to start fishing now. This is not right.