Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Giant bluefin, monster blues and stripers in the surf kept anglers busy this week.
The tuna bite, all big fish, has been so good, an imminent close to the fishery is expected. Caught mostly on the troll, the fish are relatively close to shore.
Gator blues have set up shop in Raritan Bay and the coastal rivers with the Manasquan River holding some big ones. Good catches were also reported at the Oceanic Bridge. There was a definite uptick in the bass bite in the surf this week with plenty of fish landed from Sandy Hook down to Island Beach State Park. Fresh clams were the ticket.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the striper bite picked up in Raritan Bay with the bass hitting swim shads with more consistency. Mojos were working as well. He also had good reports on ling and cod fishing and the final report on the spring blackfish season was very good. The streams and rivers are at good levels and trout anglers are enjoying excellent fishing. He’s also had good reports on shad in the Delaware River. Hebert said Shimano Day at the shop last Sunday was a big success and he wanted to thank all who came out.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said more bunker showed up in Raritan Bay and the folks fishing from the Keansburg Pier did well with stripers using chunks. Boaters, he said, saw better action trolling Mojos and jigging shads and flutter spoons. Some very big bass were taken on eels and planer boards. Sciortino said fluke are in the rivers waiting for opening day on Saturday and there are giant mutant bluefish around.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said things are pretty good with bass biting on clams at North Beach on Sandy Hook and big bluefish in the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers. The shop, he said, is all set for the fluke opener.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the bass bite on the beach really picked up with a 44-incher reported caught on clams. The river striper bite has also improved, especially at night on bucktails with paddle tails. He also had reports of big blues in the Cliffwood Beach area. Pinto added that the shop just got a shipment of chartreuse Next Level spooks.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the striper fishing is getting better with more bait pushing into the area. The Raritan Bay plug bite is picking up and the stripers are increasing in size. The beach bite for bass has heated up there on clams as well. He said the tuna currently being caught are behemoths. Most are being taken on the troll favoring rigged ballyhoo. Gleason said they just received a shipment of jigging and popping rods from Zack’s Custom Rods.
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Stripers are in the Ocean Grove surf and one was kind enough to hit my clam and get me off the schneid for the 2024 season.
Jesse Thomas at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said fluke are in the Shark River and the Den has rental boats ready to go for Saturday’s opener. The shop is stocked with killies and Gulp along with clams, worms and eels. He said big bluefish are coming in and out of the river and it’s the same in the Manasquan River where they’ve been caught back by the Route 70 Bridge. Thomas also had reports of bluefin from the Klondike to the Sea Girt Reef.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of the Belmar is after stripers out front. He found some bunker last Saturday and after a slow morning the bass were biting in the afternoon. Shads along with live bunker caught bass with most of the fish too big to keep. All overs were safely released and there were some keepers in the mix for the table. He’s going to keep striper fishing for the next couple of weeks.
Stanley S. at the Reel Seat in Brielle said it’s all good with stripers hitting bunker in Raritan Bay, tuna close to shore being caught on the troll and big blues in the Manasquan River.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said giant blues are all over the Manasquan River hitting just about everything. He said Z-Man plastics are a good choice because they hold up best against the marauding blues. There are bass in the river as well going after small plugs such as Hydro Minnows. Early morning has been the best time. There have been a few weakfish reported as well. The bass are out front on clams and there have been reports of plugs catching stripers in the surf at night, he added. Tanger said all the tuna reports he received are of giants from the Rattlesnake to Barnegat Ridge three to five miles out. With all the bluefin caught, he was surprised the fishery was still open. Tanger said the shop is all stocked up for fluke and the freshwater action has been very good with a lot of trout being caught.
Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that fishing inside the Manasquan Inlet has been good the last few days. Big blues have been hitting in a number of places like the mouth of the Point Pleasant Canal, the Dog Beach and the Route 70 Bridge. Fluke have been caught ahead of Saturday’s opener in the upper reaches of the Manasquan River as well. Bluefin tuna are still being caught, mostly on rigged ballyhoo, and the offshore wrecks have been producing nice catches of cod, pollock and ling.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said they caught a good number of ling and some keeper blackfish on Monday’s trip. He has a few tilefish trips scheduled before the sea bass start and there are openings for the sailings on May 8 and 10. He’s also got a few ling trips planned. Check his website for the schedule.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick reported that the bluefish bite remains red hot in the Manasquan River, The Point Pleasant Canal and Barnegat Bay. The action in the surf is kicking up as well with plenty of stripers being landed on clams.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the clam bite for bass in the surf was on fire last Friday and Saturday with anglers getting multiple fish. He also had a report of a surf striper taken on a blurple Bomber. Bass and blues are in the Manasquan River but the bass bite in Barnegat Bay has slowed down a bit, he added.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said it’s a really good clam bite in the surf there right now. Tide does not seem to be a factor and there have even been a few fluke caught as bycatch in the suds. He said there are some blues being caught in the ocean as well. Kerico added that the Berkeley Striper Club will be holding its annual Fishing Flea Market this Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Seaside Park Marina directly across the street from Grumpy’s. Flea market attendees will also get a special discount at Grumpy’s.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
The weekend brings choices as fluke season opens on Saturday, big blues are roaming the rivers and bays, stripers are in the surf hitting clams and freshwater fishing has been good for trout, largemouth, pickerel and panfish.
Coastal rivers offer the best shot at fluke with warmer water. It will be a few weeks for the ocean bite to get going. Killies and Gulp-tipped bucktails and jig heads are proven baits. As always, the big question is the weather.