Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Surfcasters tossing tins and epoxy jigs into frothy feeds are playing inshore pelagic roulette this week with bonito, false albacore, Spanish mackerel, small bluefish, and even some chub mackerel in the mix.
Inlets have come to life with schools of spearing and peanut bunker, which are keeping late-summer hardtail populations well fed. In many cases, when the surface action dies down as late morning approaches, shore anglers are slowing their retrieves and putting nice fluke on the beach with those same epoxy jigs and metals, while others opt for a live mullet, or the more traditional rig consisting of a bucktail jig and Gulp teaser.
Fluke fishing also improved over some of the local reefs, where keeper flatties to 8 pounds were reported. Devout fluke anglers are dropping baited hi-lo rigs, bucktails and Gulp, and live spot for fluke over the reefs. At times, bottom fishermen are even coming across blitzing albies and bonito and are cutting them into strip baits to try and box another keeper fluke for the table.
Slowly but surely, the stage is being set for the fall run. Peanuts, silversides, and mullet are schooling in the backwaters, where some smaller bass are already getting in on the action. As air and water temperatures drop throughout the month, the fishing will only continue to improve for the aforementioned species.
Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet reported that a lot of stripers are being taken on eels in NY Harbor this week, and there are some big ones in the mix. They got word of a 50 incher on the Little Hawk out of Atlantic Highliands. Meanwhile, back on the beaches near home, bonito, albies, and Spanish mackerel are out in the surf in numbers. Most anglers are catching them off the rocks on epoxy jigs. Phil also added that the best fluke fishing of the year tends to happen right now, and right on schedule, a 9.5-pound fluke was caught on a bucktail jig and teaser tipped with squid strips by an angler on Captain Ron’s Fishermen.
Joe Julian at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said fluke are mostly concentrated in the river right now, and there are some keepers, but it’s a very high short-to-keeper ratio, about 20:1. He said fishing for porgies and spot is pretty good and should keep everyone busy until stripers and blues move in. Out front on the inshore tuna grounds, there are bluefin tuna from 36 to 40 inches that are being caught on sidetrackers. A popular technique has been to remove the hooks from the sidetrackers and troll a rigged ballyhoo down the middle. There’s no chunk bite going on yet, but he anticipates that to pick up later in the season. Back on the beach, albies and bonito are being pulled from the surf in the early morning and late afternoon when they’re pushing bait in tight to shore, but bass and blues have not returned yet despite the abundance of bait.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said they’ve got a mixed bag locally. Bonito, Spanish mackerel, and some albies and scattered bluefish are dominant in the surf. The blues are mostly 3-5 pounds and are taking the same metals and epoxy jigs as the hardtails, as well as small poppers and walk-the-dog style plugs. Fluking, he said, has also improved; Mike weighed in a 4.5 pounder this week and his buddy got 3 keepers this morning, all around 20 inches. Most of the fluke have been caught on 5-inch Gulp and Bait Fuel grubs. With plenty of peanut bunker, spearing, and now mullet present in the surf, things are shaping up nicely for the end of fluke season and the start of the fall run.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said fluke fishing surf side is great. There are lots of fish to be caught with a fair amount of keepers in the mix. Mike said with this east blow coming, the fluke bite should carry on, as the last sustained easterly winds churned up the surf and got the fluke chewing. And while fluke fishing in the surf holds steady, fluking over the reefs has yielded some bigger keepers. There’s certainly tons of bait around, which bodes well for the bonito, Spanish mackerel, and albies in the area, too— although according to Mike, the albies have been tougher to catch in the surf as they’re moving in and out very quickly. That being said, the boats should be starting to get them pretty good. He ran down the beach yesterday and saw two big schools of albies about 1/4 mile from shore with not even a boat on them. To add to the excitement, there’s also been a good bass and bluefish bite going on locally already; Mike said the shorter days and cooler nights have found those fish blitzing on bait right along the beach. Further out, the yellowfin bite has been hit or miss, but Mike said there are some true studs from 70 to 120 pounds mid shore. Those big yellows are eating jigs and chunks; the chunk bite came together briefly last week and lasted only a few days before the bite died down as the fleet doubled in size. However, the chunk bite has since reignited, and another wave of bluefin, consisting of mostly overs mixed in with giants, moved in to the mid-shore grounds after the new moon as well.
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Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said there have been lots of shorts caught by the guys out fluking over the ocean reefs. Even in the river and in the surf there are lots of shorts, so it has been hard work to get a keeper, although with the recent influx of small bait and an east wind, the surf is your best bet. Most surf fishermen are getting their fluke on very light gear—3/8-ounce jigs with a teaser tipped with Gulp has been the top-producing rig. Additionally, there are some stripers cruising the inlet at night that have been hitting smaller minnow plugs and swim shads, and during the day, bonito fishing has been hot even though the bite slowed a bit yesterday. There are some cocktail bluefish mixed in with the bonito, too, so tie on a slightly heavier leader if you start losing jigs and the fish aren’t being line shy.
Eric at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there are lots of bonito, false albacore, Spanish macks and small bluefish being caught from Monmouth Beach to IBSP with small tins and epoxy jigs, flies, and soft plastics doing the damage. The inshore boat anglers are having similar success, but they’re also catching some big albies on the troll around Little Italy, where anglers are scoring small bluefin while trolling. He added that there’s a fair number of bass being caught in the Manasquan River on eels, small swim shads and bucktails at night, and topwater plugs in the mornings and evenings. Fluke fishing, he said, improved drastically in the surf with some nice fish being taken off Asbury, between Avon and Spring Lake, and south of Manasquan Inlet. Small jigs with Gulp and, if you can get them, small live spot, are responsible for the larger fluke caught this week. Shore fishermen are also catching a good deal of northern kingfish on small bait rigs off IBSP, which pairs nicely as an appetizer to a couple of keeper fluke. Blackfishing has been good in the inlet and in the canal, so it has been easy to get the 1-fish limit, and the blackfish bite will only improve with cooler weather. On the offshore scene, yellowfin tuna are being caught from the shipping lanes to the canyons and from the AP to the Triple Wrecks. Chunking and jigging have been the name of the game, but a few fish have been taken on the troll, with black, purple and pink being the hot colors. Eric also added that there’s a good deal of wahoo being taken mid shore as well.
Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the inshore bluefin bite had been good this week with many fish being caught as close as five miles off the beach. Little Italy on Wednesday was red hot with many fish being caught on the troll and jigs and poppers as well. Fluking was also very good this week along the inlet with a number of keepers being caught each day as the fish start moving out of the Manasquan River. Fluke fishing on the Sea Girt and Axel Carlson Reefs has also been steady. Bonito and false albacore have also been chasing bait in and out of the inlet, where they’re being caught by surfcasters on tins and epoxy jigs.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said there’s some solid bluefish and bass fishing in the Point Pleasant Canal at night on soft plastics and live baits like spot, mullet and peanut bunker—the river is loaded with peanuts right now. He also said there’s good blackfishing in the canal for anglers fishing green crabs on both jigs and rigs, and although there are lots of shorts, keepers are available; there are even a few blackfish to be caught at the inlet. Tangen said the albie fishing has been spotty around the inlet too, but bonito and Spanish mackerel are mixed in and have been more than willing to take epoxy jigs and Deadly Dicks. If you can get down to the beach by first light, he said, surfcasters are also catching the hardtails from sand, but it becomes more of a challenge as the day carries on. Over the weekend, the fluking at Axel Carlson reef was great with fish up to 8 pounds taking 5- to 6-inch Gulp grubs and hi-lo rigs or bucktail jigs tipped with large strip baits. Many devout fluke anglers have been cutting bonito and albies into strip baits for their toughness. Moving further out, Manasquan Ridge also had tons of action from albies and bonito; the bones were caught on the troll with planer boards, but the albies have been very picky and feeding on tiny bait. Small mahi-mahi are being caught around the 5 to 6 mile line on the lobster pots, with live peanut bunker and epoxy jigs doing the trick. Just load up on peanuts in the river and you’ll be set for a day of pot-hopping. Midshore tuna action, Tangen said, has been spotty; he heard of some at the AP wreck but since the chunk bite died off, people are running all over the place looking for fish and there just haven’t been any real solid reports yet.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III reported that his other captain, Tommy, did well with fluke yesterday with the biggest fish going around 6 pounds. They’re getting some nice sea bass as bycatch but of course you can’t keep them. Thankfully, they’ve had lots of short life to keep them busy, too. The skipper had fluke from 3 to 4 pounds today with plenty of throwbacks in the mix—most guys were getting 8 to 12 shorts a piece with a couple keepers in between. The fluke fishing should get better going forward as the east wind and ground swell both die down. Give them a shout to book a trip!
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said they’ve got bluefish, fluke and small bonito in the surf. Fluke are being caught on hi-lo bucktail rigs with a Gulp teaser about 18 inches above the jig. The blues and bonito are small, but they’re being caught on epoxy jigs and metals like the Deadly Dick. When the hardtail fishing slows, surfcasters are slowing their retrieves and bouncing bottom with those casting jigs, and they’re pulling some nice fluke onto the beach as a result. The bluefish are more scattered than the bonito and they’re very small for the most part, with most falling in the 2- to 3-pound range. There are blackfish chewing in the canal, although it’s mostly short action. The top producer has been green crabs on jigs. There are also fluke piled up around the entrance of canal, and stripers are in the river and in the back bays where they’re being caught on flies and small poppers around dusk. There is bait everywhere in the back, including peanuts, spearing, mullet, you name it. Kupper said they’re stating to see more spearing in the inlet, too, so the hardtails should continue to come in close for shore anglers.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said lots of bluefish today, some Spanish mackerel and bonito mixed in. A few fluke still on the beach and in the bay, bucktails and Gulp, live spot and live mullet. Spot invasion is still going strong. Crabbing is starting to tail off, size is generally smaller. Most of bluefish are pretty small, 1-3 lbs on epoxy jigs. The stage is set with loads of bait, just waiting for bass fishing to ramp up.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
Grab your metals and epoxy jigs and head to the beach for first light. There are small bluefish, bonito, albies, and Spanish mackerel within casting range, and fluke are being caught in the surf on the same lures with a slower retrieve. If epoxies and tins aren’t catching fluke, you can bet a bucktail and Gulp or some fresh mullet will do the trick.
Schoolie stripers are also being caught in the inlets, canals, and rivers on eels, swim shads, bucktail jigs, and even small topwater plugs during the low light hours around dusk and dawn.
Fluke fishing on the reefs should hold strong, but if the bite is slow or the tide slacks out, consider trolling deep divers for bonito in the meantime.
There are small bluefin tuna in the 30- to 40-inch range close to home where they’re mixing in with albies at times, and mahi are readily available around the lobster pots within 5 miles or so from shore.