Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Shorter days and cooler nights have the bait on the move and bluefish, bonito, false albacore and Spanish mackerel are all stuffing themselves.
Boaters are getting the best of the action but shore-based anglers have been getting their shots, especially for the bluefish. The hardtails, as is their habit, continue to tease surfcasters by hanging just out of range. Mullet, spearing, peanut bunker and rainfish are fueling the bite.
End-of-season fluking has been good for both the beach and boat folks with more keepers reported from the surf and on the wrecks and reefs. Don’t delay if you want to get in on this action as there’s a little less than two weeks until fluke shuts down on Sept. 25.
Reports on tuna had been up and down but this week’s fine weather allowed boats to sail. Big bluefin and plenty of yellowfin were the reward.
There are also stripers in the mix, caught off the beach and in the rivers on shads and plugs
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park went ocean fluking on Monday and caught five keepers, a bunch of shorts and some surprise weakfish. What he thought were sea bass grabbing his Gulp were spike weakies. The fluking, he added, has become more consistent, just as the season comes to a close. He also had good reports of yellowfin action in mid-shore waters. Fall trout stocking, he said, might be a little tricky as the local streams and rivers are in desperate need of water.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the boats are having a ball with all the bonito and false albacore around. Surfcasters at the tip of Sandy Hook are picking a few as well. Fluke anglers are also doing well in the Sandy Hook surf with Gulp and bucktails.
Joe Julian at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said there’s a lot of everything around. Fluking has been good for the boats out of Atlantic Highlands and it’s picked up in the Shrewsbury River around the Highlands. There’s still fluke in the Navesink River, too. Albies and bonito are keeping boaters very happy and frustrating surfcasters as they come and go too quickly. Porgy fishing is very good on the rock piles, he said, but not a lot of people are fishing for them. Snappers and spot are also around the marinas and crabbing is still pretty good.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the mullet is on the move along the beaches but he hasn’t seen an increase in bass catches as yet.The beach fluking is definitely getting better and he expects it will improve even more before the season ends. A friend of his got three keepers off the beach of 6½, 5 and 4 pounds. Pinto added that there are a lot of small blues around along with bonito and Spanish mackerel. The shop also received a new batch of Next Level metal-lipped swimmers, Pinto said.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch also reported good fluking in the surf with more keepers landed. He also said there’s been an increase in stripers in the rivers and surf hitting shads and bucktails. There are a lot of bluefish around as well along with bonito and false albacore. The tuna fishing had slowed down during last week’s wind, he said, but more boats were getting out in the better weather. Fresh reports at the beginning of the week said bluefin in the 60-inch range were caught chunking and on jigs. There were yellowfin in the mix as well. Gleason said the shop now has new Swagger Plugs in stock and he’s expecting a new shipment of Back Bay Plugs in the next several weeks. There were bluefish in the Ocean Grove/Bradley Beach surf this week and several keeper bass were landed early in the morning.
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Tim Rizzuto at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said keeper fluke are being caught in the Shark River on mullet and peanut bunker. Bluefish in a mix of sizes are also being caught in the river and at the inlet. The river is also giving up a few stripers on plugs and shads. He also got good reports on the yellowfin bite from boats sailing out of the Shark River Inlet.
Capt. Rich Falcone’s Golden Eagle was one of those boats that reported excellent tuna action. His first canyon trip of the season on Sept. 9 was a huge success with limits of yellowfin, a couple of swordfish, a longfin tuna and mahi-mahi. The Golden Eagle’s next canyon trip is scheduled for Sept. 15 and a few openings remain. The Golden Eagle was back bluefishing on Tuesday and Wednesday and reported plenty of bonito mixed in with all the bluefish.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the fluking has been holding up with more limits recorded around the boat. Tuesday’s trip saw a 7- pounder come over the rail for Wayne Mancini from Wall. Capt. Spinelli said he’s been seeing bonito and false albacore on his daily trips.
Stanley at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there’s still a lot of fluke in the Manasquan River and the keeper ratio has improved. Blackfishing is also good at the inlet and in the Point Pleasant Canal. Stripers are in the canal and being caught on live spot and eels. He had good reports on yellowfin and big bluefin caught in the shipping lanes.
Capt. Danny Gregory of the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported a tremendous day of fluke fishing on Wednesday with multiple limits around the boat and fish up to 6½ pounds. Capt. Gregory said the fluke chewed pretty much the whole day. The Norma K III has gone to one trip a day leaving at 7:30 a.m. and returning at 2:30. Capt. Gregory also reported great bluefish action on his night trips over the weekend. Check the website for the sailing schedule.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said there are now big fluke in the Manasquan River. Anglers fishing live spot in the deep holes are catching some plus-size flatties. Tangen said there are also lot of weakfish being caught in the river. Fish up to 20 inches have been reported. Stripers in the Point Pleasant Canal are also hitting live spot and soft plastics. There are some blues in there as well. The Manasquan Ridge is holding a lot of false albacore, bonito and Spanish mackerel, Tangen said, and anglers are chumming them up with spearing. Folks trolling Clark spoons are also getting fish. Tangen said bluefin in the 60-inch range have been caught on jigs and chunking at the Tolten Lump and BA Buoy. And the Hudson Canyon, he added, has been on fire with yellowfin hitting chunks and jigs. Tangen said the shop now carries pre-cut butterfish. Fishermen’s Supply is also holding an end-of-season closeout sale on Hobie Kayaks.
Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters out of the Manasquan Inlet said there is a very good yellowfin bite at the Hudson Canyon right now. There are also some big yellowfin at the Atlantic Princess. He was in the canyon on Monday and had an excellent day catching them on the troll. He’s still got a few open dates and can be reached at the number listed on the Side Job website.
Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the tuna action was up and down this week. Some days the action has been red hot at places like Little Italy, the Glory Hole and the Atlantic Princess area and other days the bite has been off. Most of the action has been on either chunking butterfish or on the jig. He recommends fishing your butterfish deep in the water column. There are also plenty of false albacore and bonito around to keep the inshore anglers busy. The fluke have started their fall migration out of the Manasquan River and the action has been good along the inlet wall. Killies and spearing have been working the best. For those searching for fluke in the ocean he recommends fishing the edges of wrecks where the fish seem to congregate.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the fluking in the surf has turned up a couple of notches as the mullet start to move along the beach. He also reported several bluefish blitzes just a little to the north over the past week. Bonito have also been coming close to shore mixed in with the blues. Stripers are being caught on plastics and plugs at the Barnegat Inlet and the bay, he said, is loaded with schoolie bass. Barnegat Bay, Kupper added, is chock full of bait and he even had a report of small jack crevalle caught near West Point Island in the bay.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park also reported a ton of bait around including peanut bunker, mullet and anchovies. Bluefish, Spanish mackerel and bonito are all enjoying the feast. Fluke fishing is holding up nicely, Kerico said, with keepers in the surf. Gulp, bucktails and live spot are doing the job. He also said blackfish are biting at the inlet jetties on green crabs.
Best Bets for the Weekend
There’s plenty to fish for and the beautiful September weather is supposed to last through the weekend. Keeper and short fluke are in the surf, bluefish are abundant off the beach and false albacore, bonito and Spanish mackerel are popping up all along the coast.
Rivers and bays are also holding fluke, bluefish, and now some weakfish are in the mix.
And the tuna bite is back on with big bluefin and yellowfin in mid-shore waters and in the Hudson Canyon.