Northern New Jersey Fishing Report- May 9, 2024

Northern New Jersey Fishing Report

Things are heating up with the recent spat of unseasonably warm weather. Temperatures reached the 80s this week right around the time of the new moon, which set things in motion for large migratory bass coming up the coast from Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay. Those fish are stationed off the beaches, where boat fishermen are catching on eels, deep-diving metal lips, and even a few XL topwater lures when bunker are in the area.

Fluke fishing started off strong, and the rivers seem to be loaded with flatties willing to take Gulp and bucktails, while the ocean front fluking slowly improves. If fluke aren’t biting on the beaches, that’s okay, because 40-inch-class stripers are taking clams in the surf, and big bluefish are venturing in and out of the inlets, smashing poppers, tins and minnow plugs.
 
Phil Sciortino from the Tackle Box in Hazlet said big bass showed up on the ocean front this week, and most guys are crushing them by trolling eels with planer boards. Chuck Tyman was out on Tuesday and they had 22 fish over 35 pounds up to 48 pounds, which just arrived from either the Chesapeake or Delaware. We’re hearing of some solid fish being caught on deep-diving metal lips too. The Rarity Bay bite is good for those anglers trolling mojos and fishing with live bunker, if you can find enough to net or snag. Fluking started out good off of Sandy Hook with fish up to 25 inches, and they’re being caught on spearing, killies, and bucktails tipped with Gulp. There are also a fair amount of bluefish around being caught on just about anything, including chunks, metals, poppers and minnow plugs.

Joe Julian at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said anglers have been doing pretty good with keeper fluke around Bug Light on squid, spearing and live killies. He also said there are some big stripers out front, although they are mostly over slot, so look to the bays for keeper size fish. There are loads of bluefish around Manasquan Inlet being taken on metals and topwaters, he added, but they’re waiting for some more warm weather and southwest winds to push the blues up their way.

Mike at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there are plenty of fish out front biting on clams and bloodworms, and that there are more keeper size fish in the mix now than in weeks past. The plug bite, he said, seems to be more productive in the surf at night, and there are some bigger, over-slot fish being caught on swimming plugs after dark. However, there is a healthy mix of gator blues in the surf and in the rivers, and they’re hitting mostly minnow plugs like SP Minnows and Mag Darters, so boost your leader strength to avoid losing lures to yellow-eyed demons.

Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said there are some trophy class fish filtering in this week, and guys are catching them on eels or trolling deep-diving metal lips. Mike said the better action has been on the troll, but the fishing is decent for those who are casting them, but the action is scattered and sort of unreliable. The bay is fishing okay, but there are still not a lot of adult bunker around which has presented a challenge to the boat crowd in the Raritan. Even in the surf, Mike said there should be schools of bunker pulling up around the inlets, but it’s just not happening yet. However, he did say is friends to the south are catching trophy class fish that recently left the Chesapeake, and there were bass blitzing on bunker schools of of New York and Long Island on Tuesday. The silver lining to the current lack of bunker in NJ is that the surf fishing is picking up, and there are cow bass on the way. This week, surfcasters are catching on swim shads, bucktails and on plugs here and there, and that should only improve going forward. Fluke fishing started off good for opening week, a few were caught in the surf and there’s good action.

Tommy at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said that anglers fishing the Shark River are getting keeper-size fluke, and the party boats are getting them too, only with more short fish mixed in. Most of the keeper fluke are hitting live killies or 4-inch Gulp jerk shads and swimming mullets. There have been a ton of bluefish around the rivers and the bays too, with some big ones up to 12 pounds taking SP Minnows and similar minnow-stye swimming plugs in Shark River and in the ocean surf.

Ted at The Reel Seat in Brielle said fluke fishing has been steady in the river and out front since the season opener. He also said bigger stripers are moving in from the south around Shark River, while the Raritan and Shrewsbury areas are starting to see some larger fish as well. The bulk of the bunch fall within the 29- to 31-inch range right now. Ted also mentioned that it has been a pleasure having the bluefish around, and noted that most of the action has been on large minnow plugs and topwater plugs like pencil poppers. The blues have been picky at times, he added, and when they’re getting finicky, the key has been to throw smaller lures like 1- to 1.5-ounce Kastmasters.

Jason at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said in the river, fluke fishing was off to a slower start but anglers picked away at keepers, and the keeper to short ratio was pretty good despite slower action. He said blues and stripers are in thick from the mouth of inlet to the mouth of the Point Pleasant Canal and all in between, where they ‘re being caught on topwater and swimming plugs. Meanwhile in the Canal, soft plastics and bucktails fished low and slow are catching bass and blues. They saw a good run of big ocean stripers this week, with customers catching fish to 49 inches on metal lips, swing shads and topwater plugs. Jason also added that they have a lot of people anxious and gearing up for the black sea bass season opener on May 17th, so swing by for your bottom fishing or bass fishing needs this weekend.

Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that fluke fishing inside the Manasquan Inlet and the river has been outstanding the last few days with many anglers reporting limits and some very big fish being caught. Spearing and killies have been working well, along with Gulp jerk shads and shrimp. Captain Bob on the Gambler reported that he did well on his overnight tilefish trip over the weekend with the pool winning fish well over 40 pounds. The bluefish bite inside the river, he said, has been hit or miss over the last few days.

Pete at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said out front they’re seeing more and bigger bass caught on clams in the surf, with fish up to 48 inches. There were also a couple keeper fluke caught in the surf this morning on a Gulp and bucktail rig, while in the back, blues are running around behind Island Beach State Park. There are also a fair amount of bluefish and bass in the Manasquan River, where fluke fishing has been red hot since last week with keepers up to 23 inches. Gulp and bucktails seem to be outfishing natural baits of squid strips and spearing. Pete said they need a little bit more sun to keep things warm and get people out and about, which should happen as bass and fluke fishing continue to improve and sea bass season opening on the 17th.

Scott Thomas at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said that the surf bite has picked up this week especially for anglers who are “throwing the snot” as they say. Fresh clams are putting some better fish on the beach, including some over-slot size bass, and along with bucktail jigs and swim shads, clams been effectively weeding out the bluefish, which are making their presence known in the area. There are plenty of big blues in the surf and in the bay, he said, but they’re more inclined to feed on bigger, more active baits fished higher in the water column, like floating minnow plugs.

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Best Bets for the Weekend

Go down to the beach, seek out some sandy structure, or keep an eye out for tailing bluefish, and start chucking pencils and minnow plugs. If those don’t do the trick and the blues seem picky, tins are your next best option. In the rivers, minnow plugs will be your best friend.

There’s going to be some rain prior to the weekend, and with it there will be a significant drop in air temperatures, which may find striped bass more inclined to feed after a couple days of mild weather. Toss fresh clams, bucktails, and soft plastics off the beaches, or ply the back bays for some potential topwater striper action. And if you’re in search of a true trophy fish, stick to deep-diving metal lips out front.

Fluke fishing should remain good through the weekend, although there is a coastal flood watch for some parts of the Jersey coast. If there’s a lot of rain, there will likely be some stained water in and around the rivers, so lean toward using bright-colored Gulp and jigs to help your baits get noticed.