Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
The dreaded south wind returned this week and it brought a friend — heavy fog. The beaches were socked in for days. This unusual summer weather is affecting the fishing, especially fluke, the season’s favorite target.
The water has definitely warmed up from its earlier chill but the bite has yet to really get in gear. Fluke are being caught but not at the pace or size anglers associate with this time of year. Fortunately, there’s lots of ling, spot and croakers around. It was also a good weekend for tuna anglers. And blues and bass continue to be caught in the rivers and surf.
And summer’s other favorite, blue claw crabs, are in the bays and rivers in big numbers.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said fluking has been so-so but he heard of some decent catches on the Knoll and over by Coney Island. There are also lots of short fluke in the Sandy Hook surf. Ling has been the savior for the party boats, he said, filling up the coolers. He also reported excellent croaker and spot fishing around Raritan Bay. Snappers are starting to show in the marinas as well. The crabbing, Sciortino added, is phenomenal around Keyport and in the Navesink River.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said the fluking has been up and down but croakers, spot and porgies are keeping inshore anglers busy. The offshore folks were also busy over the weekend. Julian said a friend of his fished out at the 100 Square and caught 10 bigeye, 20 yellowfin and a couple of bluefin. He also had reports of short stripers hitting plugs and poppers in the surf before sunrise. Once daylight hits, it’s over. Julian also reported boaters catching cobia on live bunker and eels.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there are plenty of fluke in the surf. It’s just that nearly all are small. There are keepers to be had and shop regular, Joe A., caught a good one when he landed a 7½-pounder off the beach. Pinto also reported short bass in the surf before daybreak on poppers. The blues are biting in the Shrewsbury River and the crabbing is excellent in both the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the tuna fishing really picked up over the weekend. Yellowfin and bluefin in a variety of sizes were all mixed together in mid-shore waters. Recreational-size bluefin were in with giants and yellowfin up to 90 pounds were around as well. Jigs, poppers and soft plastics were all working. Gleason said there are a lot of fluke in the surf and even a few keepers among the shorts. He also reported kingfish off the beach along with stripers hitting plugs and poppers early in the day. Gleason said the shop is fully stocked for summer, especially with tuna gear, including rods, reels and poppers.
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The beaches of Ocean Grove/Bradley Beach have looked a little eerie this week with all the fog, but there are plenty of short fluke in the surf. There’s a keeper in there somewhere with my name on it.
Bill at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said there are loads of fluke around, both offshore and in the Shark and Manasquan rivers. It’s the keepers that are hard to come by. He said the party boats out of the marina reported better fluking over the weekend. The Big Mohawk had a good day on Sunday with a better catch of keepers, plenty of bites and the pool fish around 6 pounds. He also had good tuna reports within 50 miles of shore.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar said he decided to bottom fish on Wednesday due to the heavy south wind and found a good pick of ling and jumbo sea bass. Everyone, he said, went home with plenty of fillets. Sunday’s trip saw limit catches of small blues all around the boat with chub mackerel and bonito in the mix. Diamond jigs, plain and with tails, did the trick.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said between the wind and fog, it was a tough week. Still, he said, they managed to pick away at fluke, ling, whiting and black sea bass. Capt. Spinelli said he has some open dates at the end of August.
Matt Heagen at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the mid-shore tuna fishing was excellent over the weekend with plenty of action on bluefin and yellowfin with anglers catching them however they wanted. Heagen got into the fun on Monday when a nice yellowfin hit a green RonZ he was fishing. The bigeye bite, he said, is still going strong out in the Hudson. The Manasquan River has loads of fluke, he added, and more limit catches are being reported.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said fluking has been a bit on the slow side, but he’s seeing a steady improvement as the water continues to warm. There have been limits caught with pool winners in the 5-pound range. He’s glad for all the ling and big sea bass that are coming over the rail and filling coolers.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said there’s a solid bigeye bite out in the Hudson Canyon. He got a report from one customer that he went 10-for-10 on the tuna over the weekend. He also reported a mix of yellowfin and bluefin in mid-shore waters caught on poppers and jigs. Tanger said the 150-gram UVT jigs have become a popular choice. Cobia, he said, are showing up in pods of bunker as are bluefin tuna. Mahi-mahi have also appeared on the pots. Fluking is not great, he said, but the ling fishing is. And while you can only keep one, he said, the sea bass are the large, hump-head variety. The Manasquan River has lots of fluke, Tanger added, along with stripers at the bridges hitting plugs and plastics. On Thursday, July 11, the shop is holding a special Bajio sunglass event between 4 and 7 p.m. There will be special deals on the glasses, giveaways and refreshments.
Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the tuna bite was outstanding over the weekend and into Monday. Bluefin, yellowfin and bigeye were being caught from inshore locations like the Glory Hole out to the Hudson Canyon. Fish have been caught on poppers, jigs and on the troll. Fluke fishing on the reefs slowed up this week, but places like the Rattlesnake seem to be holding better fish. Plenty of fluke are still being caught along the Manasquan Inlet wall and one customer came in with a 25-inch fluke.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said fog and wind made for a tough week on the beach. There wasn’t much to speak of in terms of fluke, or anything else for that matter, in the surf. Fluking was better back in Barnegat Bay, but not a lot of keepers. Crabbing is very good in the bay, he said, and there are spot and snappers in there as well.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park put it bluntly — the fishing is screwed up. The south wind has created a lot of upwelling and it has affected the fluke bite. He did say there are bluefish being caught in the surf on mullet and bass are hitting bucktails. Most of the fun is being had back in the bay with loads of crabs, spot and blowfish.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
The fog cleared out by Wednesday afternoon but the south wind remained. And it looks like it will stay with us through the weekend, along with the heat and humidity. What impact it will have on the fishing is anybody’s guess and the only way to find out for sure is to go.
There are loads of fluke offshore and in the rivers and bays. You just have to weed through the shorts to find the keepers. There are also spot, croakers, snappers and blowfish around. Crabbing is outstanding in both the Raritan and Barnegat bays and the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers.
Tuna anglers will be hoping for favorable weather windows to sail for bigeye in the Hudson, and bluefin and yellowfin in mid-shore waters.