Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
We’re shifting into summer mode as fluking picks up and sea bass winds down. Bluefish seem to be everywhere and stripers continue to bite offshore close to the 3-mile line, and in the surf.
A nice surprise has been the amount of whiting going into coolers for anglers targeting sea bass. Ling are also in the mix as well and there have been reports of bonito hitting sea bass jigs. And there are signs that the tuna fishing is revving up.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the sea bass fishing is good for some folks and not so good for others. Jigs are working best as there are a lot of sand eels around. There’s just about a week left in the season as it closes June 19. Fluke fishing has been very good, he said, and there are still some big stripers being caught offshore. Customers are also starting to show interest in shark fishing and he heard of a thresher caught off Long Beach Island. The recent cool nights have helped the trout fishing, he added, but warmer weather is on the way. Bass anglers are still pulling largemouth off the beds.
Danny Stolba at Fish Tail Bait and Tackle in Carteret said blues and bass have been biting in the Arthur Kill on frozen and fresh bunker. On Wednesday, fluke joined the party. He reported bluefish up to 37 inches and stripers up to 36.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said fluke fishing in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers has been good on killies and Gulp. Bluefish are all over the Shrewsbury as well. Big stripers are still hitting eels on the troll but that fishery seems to be slowing down. Sciortino did say that a 60-pound striper won this year’s Manhattan Cup held on June 7. Folks are still catching sea bass and ling at the Farms and Rattlesnake and there have been good shots of whiting in there as well. He also reported spot caught at the local piers.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the early fluking was up and down but it was certainly up for shop regular Don P. when he caught a 28-inch, 6.8-pound fluke in the surf. The fish hit Gulp on a bucktail teaser. He said there are blues and bass in the early morning surf on plugs. Plugs are also working in the rivers for both. Pinto said the ODM 7’6” DNA inshore rod is the perfect choice for all the fishing that’s going on now whether it’s on a boat or in the surf and he’s got them in stock.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said there’s a lot of action to be had with stripers and fluke in the surf. Diving off the local beaches, Gleason said he’s seeing loads of both. Stripers are hitting plugs like Mag Darters in the dark. Fluke are eating Gulp and bucktail teasers. There are lot of shorts but there are keepers to be had. Big bass can also be found offshore in bunker schools. Metal lips are working for them. He’s heard of bluefin offshore with a few catches reported but that fishery has yet to really get going. The shop is expecting shipments of new poppers and stick baits any day and there are special Father’s Day tuna and striper gift bundles for sale.
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After last week’s hot start, the sand bug bite cooled off in Ocean Grove this week until Wednesday when I picked a couple of bass in the middle of the afternoon. Two-pole Mike Compoly has been doing well lately on the bugs and small calico crabs.
Johnny O. at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said there are a ton of fluke in the Shark River, providing plenty of action but not a lot of keepers. Bluefish are in an out of the river every day and there are bass coming off the beach. He said he’s selling loads of eels so he’s guessing the striper fishing offshore has been good. The party boats out of the marina are still catching sea bass but it’s becoming more of a grind to get keepers and limits.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said he’s been plugging away with black sea bass and it has been tougher to put a catch together. He is, however, grateful for the ling and whiting that are filling out the catches. Spinelli is especially happy to see whiting again.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar partnered with Jersey Girl Charters this spring and has been sea bass fishing. Capt. Sykes said the sea bassing has been up and down, but the ling fishing has been good and the whiting an added bonus. He has spots available for this Father’s Day open boat trip and he’ll start fluking when sea bass closes.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle said they picked short and keeper sea bass, some ling, small blues and even bonito on Wednesday’s trip. He said there are openings for both the morning and afternoon trips this Father’s Day.
Lloyd at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the Manasquan River is absolutely paved with fluke and if you want to have fun with the kids catching fish, that’s the place to go. Just don’t count on a lot of keepers. The usual spots off Riverfront Park and Clark’s Landing are holding lots of fluke. Folks continue to catch sea bass, he said, but it is slowing down. The Farms is a good spot for whiting, he added, and fluking in the surf has been decent.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach also reported loads of fluke in the Manasquan River with good fishing in the channels. He said the blues have been running in and out of the inlet and down the river. Stripers are still biting in the river as well at night on plugs. Ocean fluking showed an improvement this week with party boats reporting decent catches on bucktails and Gulp jerk shads on sandy bottom. Sea bass fishing, he said, was very good over the weekend on jigs but has slowed down since. Plentiful sand eels fueled the bite and there were some bonito in the mix. He, too, reported the increase in whiting catches. Tanger had reports of big bluefin caught in the shipping lanes east of the Klondike and at the BA Buoy by the commercial guys. He added that tilefishing was good in the Hudson. Tanger said the shop now carries the full line of Yo-Zuri lures in all the new colors.
Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that he fished the ocean fluke grounds last week and had a decent catch of keeper-size fluke and a lot of shorts. It was the Red Church area on Saturday and just inshore of the Axel Carlson Reef on Tuesday. Gulp tipped with squid was the bait of choice. The Manasquan River is still producing large numbers of short fluke, but there are larger fish in the mix. Spearing seems to be the preferred bait. The bluefin bite is getting better each day with fish concentrating on schools of sand eels. The last week of sea bass fishing should still produce very good results, he said, as there are still plenty of sea bass on the Axel Carlson and the Shark River reefs.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the sea bass fishing over the weekend was red hot on jigs but has since cooled down. He opted to try for fluke on Tuesday and landed some nice keepers up to 4 pounds. He’ll be fishing for sea bass and fluke so bring jigs, Gulp and bucktails.
Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters out of the Manasquan Inlet has been splitting his time between catching sea bass and monster stripers. He’s caught plenty of both but said the sea bass fishing has gotten tougher and the striper fishing is beginning to slow down. It’s been a weird year, he added. Capt. Richardella is currently booking trips for stripers, sea bass, fluke and tuna and can be reached through his website.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the fishing has been really good with bluefish caught from the beach throughout the day on poppers. He said stripers can be seen swimming through the trough just off the beach feeding on sand bugs. Fishing with bait is producing more bass that artificials. Kupper said he got his first good report on crabbing this week from Barnegat Bay and fluking has been solid in the northern part of the bay and in the Manasquan River.
Connor Thompson at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said stripers in the surf are hitting clams and bunker chunks. There are blues as well hitting top water plugs at sunrise and sunset and mullet during the day. Fluking is on the upswing in the surf, he added, on Gulp and bucktails. Killies are a better bet in Barnegat Bay.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
It’s the last weekend for sea bass fishing and while the bite has slowed down some, there are still fish to be caught. Jigs are getting the most attention and ling and whiting are filling out the catches. There are reports that bonito are hitting the jigs as well.
Fluking is showing steady improvement in the ocean both in the surf and on the boats. Gulp, bucktails, squid and spearing are all working. Local rivers are also loaded with fluke offering plenty of action if not a lot of keepers.
Bluefish are in the rivers and surf as well, hitting plugs, metal and mullet. Sand bugs, clams and bunker are catching surf stripers and poppers and plugs are working for them as well early in the morning and at night.