Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Debby is coming to visit and her intentions are less than friendly. She’ll be bringing rain and wind that will only add to the woes of weather-weary anglers.
A relentless south wind has already made for a tough summer. And now this. Forecasters have the storm exiting the area by Saturday and hopefully there won’t to be any lasting effects.
For the most part, fishing is decent but the offshore fluking still isn’t where it should be for this time of year. Inshore bluefin tuna has been a bright spot and reports of mahi-mahi, bonito, and Spanish mackerel have improved in the last week.
The surf has plenty of short fluke, along with some blues and bass, while spot, croakers and snappers are providing plenty of action in the bays. Crabbing in the rivers and bays is probably the best thing going right now.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park reported decent fishing for fluke and cobia on the New York side of Raritan Bay. There are a lot of sharks over there as well, he added. He’s also getting good reports on tuna fishing. The coming rain will be welcome, he said, as the local streams in the area are dry and higher water levels will be needed ahead of the fall trout season.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said some bigger fluke have moved into Raritan Bay following bait. There are some nice ones being taken in the local rivers as well. Ling fishing is still very good offshore and there are loads of spot and small croakers around the bay along with some small weakfish. Snappers are still a bit scarce, he said, but the crabbing is sensational.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said he had reports of cobia taken on live eels in Raritan Bay by Romer Shoal and the Sticks. He, too, reported larger fluke inside the bay with an 8-pounder caught by Leonardo. There are a lot of spot and snappers in the bay as well.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there’s still a lot of short fluke in the surf along with the occasional keeper. There are also a few bass being taken off the beach early in the morning on plugs. Bluefish are also popping up off the beach and showing up in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, where the crabbing is excellent. Pinto said the shop will be getting a shipment of Blitz Bait Monster Tails shortly just in time for the fall run.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the inshore tuna fishing was good again over the weekend but the coming storm will probably shake things up. He said it seems the giant bluefin already started to move out. There were still a lot of recreational-size bluefin around, and he added that there are a lot of bonito, small mahi-mahi and Spanish mackerel moving in closer. Fluke fishing stayed about the same on the beaches with plenty of action on shorts. Gleason added that there are loads of cocktail blues around and the crabbing is very good.
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The terns have been diving on bait along the beaches in Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach where short fluke are abundant. I’ve also pulled a few short blackfish out of the jetties using sand crabs. The limit is one fish at 15 inches.
Tommy Palmisano at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said there are still a lot of fluke in the Shark River and blackfish are being caught at the inlet on green crabs. The party boats out of the marina are doing okay with fluke while catching ling, bluefish and mackerel as well. He also heard of some kingfish caught on the Asbury Park and Belmar beaches.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the fluking was improving through late last week until the south wind returned and slowed the bite. He’s still catching a few fluke but is adding ling, bluefish and whiting to his catches.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported an outstanding day of fishing on Tuesday, jigging 2-pound bluefish with Ava 17s and 27s until the boat got its limit. Then they finished the day catching mackerel and jumbo sea bass. The weather will dictate when the Golden Eagle will sail again so check the website before heading to the dock.
Christiano Rizzo at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the bluefin bite was good over the weekend about 20 miles off Seaside. The giants seemed to have moved off but there were a lot of smaller fish, in the 20- to 40-pound range around. Fluking is still pretty good in the Manasquan River, he said, and there are blues and bass in the Point Pleasant Canal. Live spot has been the bait of choice.
Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the fluking was very good over the weekend at the Sea Girt Reef. He mentioned that there is a problem at the Manasquan Inlet as the constant south wind has led to shoaling along the Point Pleasant side. A dredge is on site but it is unclear how much progress will be made with the storm arriving. Boaters are advised to be cautious entering and exiting the inlet, especially at low tide. The Point Pleasant Canal is giving up blues and bass on live spot and mullet and there are lots of tog in the canal as well. It’s a numbers game to find a keeper. Green crabs on quarter-ounce to three-quarter-ounce tog jigs have been working. Tuna are being caught on the troll and on jigs in inshore waters, but Tanger hasn’t heard much from the canyons as there have been limited weather windows to sail.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the fluking has been good lately with more limits around the boat and an increase in keepers. The morning trips seem to be doing better, he said, before the south wind comes up. He’s also catching ling and sea bass. With Debby’s arrival imminent, Capt. Gregory has cancelled trips through Friday and will post the weekend schedule on the website.
Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the inshore bluefin tuna bite continued to be good over the last week. The shipping lanes, Little Italy, and the Tolten Wreck were the hotspots. False albacore and mahi-mahi have added to the action. The action at the canyons continues to be hot as well, with yellowfin and bigeye being caught. Fluke fishing was getting better before the south wind drove water temps back down again, but good catches were reported at the Red Church and Rattlesnake. The inlet wall continues to provide good action with short fluke and a few keepers being caught each day.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said fluke fishing remains good in Barnegat Bay in the Manasquan River. Blackfishing in the canal has been pretty good and there have also been reports of trigger fish. The local beaches are producing some fluke along with blues and kingfish while Barnegat Bay holds snappers, spot and blowfish. There are also some sheepshead in the bay as Dillon Golom weighed in a 6.2-pounder late last week.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the fishing is fair with fluke and spot in the surf along with a few stripers. The bass are hitting bucktails. He said the bass are still in the Manasquan River, mostly at night, but that bite has slowed somewhat. The Point Pleasant Canal has plenty of life with blues, bass and blackfish. Snappers are in Barnegat Bay and the crabbing is great.
Frankie Z. at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the fluke fishing in the surf is decent with fish up to 4 pounds coming to the scale. He said Lucky Craft Pointer jerk baits are becoming popular among fluke anglers. Barnegat Bay has spot, blowfish and snappers and plenty of crabs. He added that blackfish are being caught at the Barnegat Inlet on crabs.
Best Bets for the Weekend
We should see the last of Debby by Saturday. Until then, opportunities will be limited to rivers and bays and then for only the truly dedicated. The wind will turn west on Saturday and Sunday giving boats a chance to sail and bring anglers back to the beaches. The storm may be just what we need to shake things up and get the fluking back on track.
River, bay and offshore fishing will most likely be undisturbed by the storm but we won’t know for sure until Debby departs and anglers can test the waters. Pick a target and give it a shot.