Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Is there any light at the end of this wind tunnel? The seemingly perpetual south wind that has brought cold water, and slow fluke fishing continued this week.
But there is a break in sight. If forecasters are to be believed, a front is due to come through on Thursday and reset conditions. A few party boat captains have already noticed an uptick in the action as warmer water has arrived. There are some keeper fluke being caught from boats and in the surf, big sea bass are coming over the rails and ling and winter flounder are taking up the slack.
Plus, the tuna bite is gaining momentum in close and in the canyons.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the south wind has been the chief complaint from fluke anglers. He did say that the better reports were coming from around the Verrazzano Bridge. He said the shark fishing was good off Rockaway and the crabbing reports have been terrific. The heat has pretty much put an end to freshwater fishing for the time being, Hebert said.
But other anglers, like Jude Avery Burke, are still plying the freshwater ponds for whatever bites. Despite the heat, Jude recently caught and released a hefty 25-inch chain pickerel in Lake Hopatcong.
Danny Stolba at Fish Tails Bait and Tackle in Carteret said the hot weather has kept most folks away from the pier. Stolba said he gave the Arther Kill a shot on Wednesday but the catch was limited to dogfish and spot.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the fluking is slow but some boats were doing better fishing the rough stuff at the Rattlesnake and Shrewsbury Rocks. Spot and croakers are at the Keansburg Pier, he said, and the crabbing is great in Keyport.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands reported black drum in Raritan Bay and that some keeper fluke were taken on killies in the bay as well. He, too, reported spot and croakers around the bay and that the crabbing is spectacular in the Navesink River.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said that things are a bit quiet but there are loads of short fluke in the wash. There are some keepers in the surf as Scotty Pullen of Lex Lures showed up at the shop with his limit, all caught on Bait Fuel grubs. Pinto reported that shop regular Tom Stahl got six short bass throwing a popper in the surf early in the morning. He also said there are a few blues being caught off the beach and the crabbing in the rivers is excellent. Pinto said the shop is carrying Bait Fuel grubs in 5- and 6-inch sizes.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said it was more of the same this week with plenty of short fluke in the surf with an occasional keeper mixed in. The tuna fishing is holding up with a new body of fish moving in offshore. There were a lot of school-size bluefin caught mostly on jigs but a few were taken on poppers. There are some giant bluefin mixed in, he said, so you never know what’s going to hit. There are yellowfin around as well, Gleason said, both in mid-shore waters and in the canyons. The shop, he added, is fully stocked with UVT jigs and Kiba poppers.
-
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in New Jersey!
Johnny O. at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said things are slow as the heat has had an effect on participation. The Shark River has loads of short fluke. He said Jesse Thomas from the shop fished the river on Monday and caught 60 fish but not one keeper. There are short stripers in the river at night hitting plugs and plastics. Peanut bunker are thick in the river, he added.
Capt. Steve Spinelli of the Skylarker out of Belmar reported a big improvement on the fluke fishing on Wednesday with a lot more keepers coming over the rail. A few anglers had their limits and everyone went home with a fluke. Capt. Spinelli said the water has been starting to warm and he’s been doing well with ling, winter flounder and sea bass. The Big Mohawk out of Belmar also reported a turnaround in fluke fishing on Tuesday with much better fishing. There were many limits around the boat with a nice sprinkling of sea bass and ling to go along with the fluke.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar has been catching some fluke along with ling, winter flounder and giant sea bass on his daily trips. He’s been searching for bluefish every day as well and finding them more often than not. Jigs have been working for them.
Matt Heagen at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the tuna fishing has been good with a lot of smaller bluefin mixed in with some giants. The yellowfin have thinned out a bit but they are being caught. He also said that mahi-mahi are showing up on the pots and the billfishing is starting to pick up with white marlin catches reported. His friend, Jim Sweeney, caught a nice swordfish late last week. Heagen said the fluking is definitely improving, especially for the six-pack charters, with boat limits reported.
Capt. Danny Gregory of the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported a decent fluke bite on Tuesday’s trip with action all around the boat. The Norma K III sails two trips every day at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the Manasquan River is loaded with fluke and the fishing is excellent if you want action but not a lot of keepers. Stripers are still biting in the Manasquan River at night close to the bridges on plugs and plastics. There’s a lot of bait swimming around Barnegat Bay and the bluefishing, he said, has been good close to the drop offs around sand bars. Tanger had good reports of bluefin at the Lillian and in the Chicken Canyon with fish ranging in size from schoolies to giants. Yellowfin catches have been more sporadic, he said. Tilefishing has also been very good, he added.
Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the inshore tuna bite picked up over the weekend. A number of anglers reported a good bluefin bite at places like Little Italy, the Atlantic Princess and the Triple Wrecks. There was also some yellowfin in the mix. The Hudson Canyon has also been producing a more consistent bite of yellowfin and bluefin. Fluke fishing in the ocean continues to be a tough go with water temperatures still extremely cold for this time of year. The best fluke fishing of the week has been on the Manasquan Inlet seawall with consistent action and a few good-size keepers being caught each day.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported that fluke fishing remains decent at the Manasquan Inlet, in the river, and in Barnegat Bay. Shorts outnumber keepers by a very wide margin. The Point Pleasant Canal is producing plenty of stripers and blues on live eels and spot. Snapper fishing in the bay lagoons has picked up and crabbing is very good.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said he’s never seen anything like this relentless south wind. The best thing going on, he said, is the crabbing in Barnegat Bay, which is excellent. He did add that, despite the wind, the fishing is staring to bounce back with a few keeper fluke and plenty of shorts caught in the surf. Some blues have been caught from the beach on mullet as well. There are spot and blowfish being caught from docks along the bay and the blowfish are around the BA and BI buoys.
-
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in New Jersey!
Best Bets for the Weekend
By all accounts, the fluke fishing is improving as we head toward weekend. An expected change in the weather and wind direction wind can only help matters. There is plenty of short action on the boats and in the surf. A few more keepers are all that’s needed.
Bottom fishing is very good with plenty of ling around and, while just one is the current limit, black sea bass are big and biting.
Snappers are starting to show along the docks and in the marinas and crabbing is excellent in the rivers and bays.
Tuna fishing is getting better in the inshore and mid-shore waters and there are mahi-mahi and bonito around as well.