Northern New Jersey Fishing Report- September 19, 2024

Northern New Jersey Fishing Report

In fishing, you take the bad with the good. And a bad wind out of the northeast made for difficult conditions most of the week. It started just before last weekend and will keep blowing through the coming one.  

The timing is unfortunate as this is the last week of fluke season, which closes next Wednesday.  A few boats sailed at the beginning of the week, but all will be stuck at the dock until conditions improve. It’s too bad as the fishing was good, with more and bigger fluke being caught, excellent tuna fishing in mid- and offshore waters and plenty of hardtail action not too far from the beach.  

Conditions did little to dissuade surfcasters from giving it a shot. The wash is loaded with mullet and blues and bass did hit plugs and metal. At the same time, rivers and bays afforded anglers plenty of opportunities to catch some fish. 

Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said this weekend might be better suited for apple picking as the forecast looks bleak. He had nothing but good reports on tuna, porgies, fluke and bonito before the wind picked up. He did hear of stripers hitting eels around the Statue of Liberty and porgy fishing on rock piles is pretty good. Cooler nights have helped the freshwater bite at local reservoirs, like Round Valley, where anglers are catching lake trout. 

Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the howling wind made for a quiet week.  Eels did produce stripers in Raritan Bay and the Shrewsbury River gave up some nice fluke. Sciortino also reported weakfish in the Shrewsbury River feeding on all the peanut bunker and porgy fishing was good by the Coast Guard Station on Sandy Hook. 

Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said loads of bluefish were being caught at Lot A on Sandy Hook despite the rough water. He also reported boaters were catching plenty of keeper fluke in the Shrewsbury River just south of where it meets the Navesink River. Julian said before the wind blew, there were good reports of yellowfin at Little Italy. 

Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the wind pretty much shut things down. The surf was still fishable, he said, and a few bass up to 30 inches were taken on poppers and plugs. The wash is full of mullet. There are blues around as well, both in the ocean and the Shrewsbury River. Pinto said the shop now carries Alan’s Custom Plugs just in time for the fall. 

Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the tuna fishing was excellent before the wind locked boats to the docks. He’s sure it will pick right up once the blow is over. He said there are still plenty of fluke in the Shrewsbury River and there are blues and bass in there with them. And rough surf is just what stripers like and Gleason added that bite will continue to improve. There were plenty of mullet shooting through the foam in the Ocean Grove surf on Wednesday evening but I had no luck raising a striper. 

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Johnny O. at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the Shark River is loaded with peanut bunker and fluke are there to feed on them. There are keepers to be had as long as you work for them. Blues have been running in and out of the river, he said, and there are also stripers in there as well.  Green crabs are working for blackfish at the inlet. The party boats out of the marina haven’t been able to sail for the past couple of days. 

Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported good fishing for blues, bonito and some jumbo porgies until the weather got in the way. He’s been fishing a variety of hills and rock piles. The blues have been up to 8 pounds with all the action on jigs and epoxy lures.    

Duncan Hathaway at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the mid-range tuna fishing was excellent before the wind came and it should pick up where it left off when it goes. He said the bass fishing is picking up on the beaches with all the mullet around. There’s lots of bait in the Manasquan River as well and fluke continue to bite. 

Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the fishing before the northeast wind kicked in was outstanding. The east wall of the Hudson Canyon was red hot with yellowfin, bigeye and very large longfin. The inshore bite produced a number of bluefin and wahoo. The last few days the Manasquan Inlet wall has seen the best fluke fishing of the year. One angler reported catching 70 fluke and a limit of keepers. Blackfishing at the canal has also been good. 

Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said conditions have slowed things down considerably but those who put in the effort are catching fish. There are tons of mullet along the beach and he said friends of his are catching bass in the jetty pockets on fly rods. With all the bait around, Tangen said the bass bite will just keep getting better and better. The Manasquan River also has mullet, along with peanut bunker, spearing, anchovies and spot. He said river anglers are livelining spot to catch weakfish. Before the wind came up, he said the bonito fishing was just nutty with fish all over the place. Tangen said anglers chumming with peanut bunker were getting fish on every drop, sometimes on a bare jig head. Big mahi-mahi were biting as well. The northeast wind is keeping the water warm, so he expects the bonito and false albacore to stick around. The Hobie Kayak clearance sale continues at the shop and Fishermen’s Supply will be hosting a free seminar this Friday presented by Nick Honachefsky who will be sharing his knowledge and experience on fishing the fall run. The seminar starts at 5 p.m. 

Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said ocean fluking was pretty good through the weekend with fish up to 6 pounds landed. He also reported nice catches of blues on the night bluefishing trips over the weekend. Like every body else, he’ll be tied up at the dock until the weather improves. The Norma K III will be sailing for black sea bass when that season opens on Oct. 1. 

Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters out of Manasquan Inlet said the tuna bite was excellent up until the wind made sailing impossible. This being September, he wasn’t surprised by the bad conditions. He expects the tuna to be there when the weather clears and he’s got open dates available. Call the number on his website. 

Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick said blackfishing in the Point Pleasant Canal has been pretty good and the canal is still producing stripers and blues on eels or spot at night. 

Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said surfcasters are still catching bluefish and Spanish mackerel. The blues are hitting mullet and metal and the macks are going for epoxy jigs. There are still some fluke in the wash as well. He also reported an uptick in the striper action with bass hitting plugs in the surf. Crabbing is starting to tail off but there is still a ton of spot in Barnegat Bay. Kerico said new shipments of plugs, rods and reels are coming in daily and Grumpy’s has has all you need for the fall run. 

Best Bets for the Weekend

The wind isn’t going away anytime soon so anglers will have to find their fun in the river, bays, lakes and ponds.  However, don’t discount the beach entirely as bass are being picked from the rough surf on plugs, bucktails and shads. 

Fortunately, there are still fluke in the Shrewsbury, Shark and Manasquan rivers along with blues, bass and weakfish. Snappers and spot can also be found in rivers and bays and around the marinas.