Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
This week brought a hint of fall and a bounty of bonito. The tasty hardtails were found over a wide area mixed in with bluefish and false albacore. There were also reports of albies on the beaches in Long Branch and close to the Manasquan Inlet.
Better fluke fishing was also reported on most of the local reefs and wrecks. High winds and rough seas courtesy of Hurricane Ernesto kept boats tied up for most of last weekend but when they got back out at the beginning of the week, they found keeper fluke biting.
Tuna reports were light as anglers were waiting for better conditions to head back out. The hope is the tuna will be just where they left them biting on the inshore lumps and in the canyons before Ernesto blew by.
Mark Fuduli at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said anglers are catching all the bonito they want. He also reported that the ocean fluking definitely improved since the weekend with a lot more quality fish being caught. He recommended live spot for bait. Stripers are also being caught around the Statue of Liberty drifting live eels and he’s had good reports of good blackfishing on the rockpiles. There’s wasn’t a lot to report on the freshwater side but he did hear of two big muskie, one 38 inches and the other 42, caught at the Monsksville Reservoir.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the current fluke fishing is probably the best of the season. Capt. Ron’s Fishermen and the Sea Tiger II out of Atlantic Highlands are both reporting excellent fishing. Scotland Grounds has been a good spot. He also reported loads of spot and croakers around Raritan Bay and good fluking off the beaches of Sandy Hook.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said he’s been getting good reports on bonito and bluefish off Long Branch. He, too, said the fluking has improved since the weekend and there is a lot of bait in Raritan Bay, especially peanut bunker. Crabbing in the bay and rivers remains excellent, he added.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the surf fluking is heating up with bigger fish in better numbers. John S. landed a 6½-pounder on Gulp and Scott Pullen got a 4½ pounder on BaitFuel. Bluefish up to 5 pounds are showing up in the Rip at Sandy Hook and he said the rivers are loaded with peanuts. Pinto said the new ODM EVO X surf rods will be in stock soon.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said we’re in a good spot right now with bluefin in a range of sizes in close and yellowfin in the deep. There’s also a variety of hardtails around with bonito, false albacore and Spanish mackerel biting. He said the albies and Spanish macks were on the local beaches on Tuesday morning. Mahi-mahi are in close as well. Gleason said he’s fully stocked for fall and there’s a new order of custom plugs due in any day now.
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Tim Rizzuto at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the fluking in the Shark River has been good since the beginning of the week with the rental boats returning with more keepers. Anglers have been using live spot for bait. The party and private boats out of the marina are doing well with blues and bonito. The fluke boats out of the marina, including the Big Mohawk and Capt. Cal II, reported better fishing this week once the seas settled down.
Capt. Rich Falcone of the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported excellent fishing for blues, bonito, false albacore and Spanish mackerel. The best action has been on blues and bonito with limits on the bluefish and buckets of bonito. He’s finding the fish in multiple areas and catching them on two- and three-ounce diamond jigs. Jumbo sea bass are also helping to fill the coolers.
Capt. Steve Spinelli of the Skylarker out of Belmar reported very good fluking on Wednesday with a load of limits around the boat and fish up to 5 pounds. He’s also been catching some blues and bonito and even brought a 42-pound cobia aboard last Friday that hit an Ava 27.
Christiano Rizzo from the Reel Seat in Brielle said bluefin are being caught, mostly on the troll, about 20 miles outside of the Manasquan Inlet. He also heard of a few bigeye out in the canyons. Rizzo said he had good reports on mahi-mahi in the Chicken Canyon. He also reported that the fluke fishing definitely got better on the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs after last weekend’s blow. There’s still loads of short fluke in the Manasquan River and the bass fishing is decent at night at the bridges, he said. There’s a lot of blackfish action in the Point Pleasant Canal, he added, but few are keepers.
Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the bonito bite was outstanding on Wednesday at the Klondike with false albacore also in the mix. Fluke fishing was also good on the reefs and in the Manasquan River as well.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said it’s a bonito bonanza with fish all over the place. There are albies mixed in with them and he said the false albacore hit the beaches around the Manasquan Inlet on Wednesday morning. There was a rush at the shop for epoxy jigs. Mahi-mahi are also in close on the pots and underneath any floating debris. Blues and bass continue to bite in the Point Pleasant Canal, he said, and the best way to catch them is with live spot, which are in the canal as well. Sabiki rigs and small pieces of worm will catch the spot. Fluking is much better at the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs, he added, with quality over quantity. There’s also lots of big sea bass on the reefs. Tangen said it’s going to be a good weekend for tuna fishing with ideal weather in the forecast. With the tuna boats just starting to head back out, reports have been scarce but he believes the bite should pick up right where it left off. In addition to every tuna angler in the area heading out, the 44th Annual Offshore Open starts this Friday and runs through Aug. 31. Tangen said the shop is loaded up with butterfish and ballyhoo and they just got a new shipment of Black Magic fighting harnesses just in time for the tournament.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III also reported a marked improvement in the fluke fishing since last weekend’s blow. The Norma K III is also fishing for blues and bonito and Capt. Gregory said it’s all the bonito you want. The Norma K III sails twice a day at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Capt. Jay Richardella on Side Job Charters out of the Manasquan Inlet has been getting in on the hot bonito bite as well, adding that it’s pretty much non-stop action. He’s also making offshore tuna trips and has open dates through the month of September.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. said blackfishing in the Point Pleasant Canal has been pretty good and there have also been reports of trigger fish. The bridges in the Manasquan River are also producing stripers late at night or early in the morning.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said there are fluke in the surf and if you put your time in, there are keepers to be had. Gulp and bucktails continue to do the job. There are bluefish to be caught from the beach as well on mullet and metal. Kupper said there is an enormous amount of mullet back in the bay which bodes well for fall fishing.
Frankie Z. at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the blues and fluke are in the surf there as well. He, too, reported improved fluking on the local reefs since the beginning of the week. Frankie said the bait back in the bay, including spearing, mullet and peanut bunker, is starting to stage with the arrival of the cooler weather. He mentioned that the Penn Battle III DX reels are on sale online as the shop is making room for the new Battle IV models.
Best Bets for the Weekend
In a word: bonito.
They seem to be everywhere and anglers are catching their fill. And for once it looks like the weather will be on our side. Bluefish, false albacore and Spanish mackerel are mixed in with the bonito. We can also expect these hardtails to be popping up on the beaches.
Better fluking is in the forecast as well, as catches improved this past week on reefs and wrecks and in the surf.