Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
It was another wild week for striper fishing along the Jersey Shore. Blitzes were reported from Sandy Hook down to Island Beach State Park.
Being in the right place at the right time dictated who got into the fish and not every spot along the coast saw stripers. The bass were feeding on sand eels and adult and peanut bunker. The boats also continued to do well but a tough wind on Tuesday and Wednesday kept a majority of them tied to the dock. The stripers have spread out a bit so finding them is not always a simple matter.
Reports on the bluefin action were equally positive with giants and recreational-size tuna spotted and caught in inshore and mid-shore waters. The wind put a slight kink in that fishing. And for the few anglers who aren’t chasing stripers or tuna, there are blackfish, sea bass and porgies to catch. The five-fish tog season opens this Saturday, Nov. 16.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park reported excellent striper fishing along the northern beaches of Monmouth County over the weekend. More keepers were being caught, he said, as smaller fish moved into the area. On the freshwater side, trout fishing has been good in the deeper pools. Hebert said low water levels and lack of rain are a cause of concern as winter stocking dates approach.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the stripers are all over the place. Blitzes were reported over the weekend and at the start of the week on Sandy Hook. Fishing is great for both the boats and the beach anglers with diamond jigs, shads and topwater plugs all working.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said Sandy Hook has been a hot spot over the last week. He reported stripers in the Rip on Tuesday morning and blitzes last Thursday and Friday. Bluefin are also in close as a couple of customers got spooled by tuna that ate the stripers at the end of their lines. Julian also reported lots of blackfish around the Highlands Bridge. He’ll be stocked with crabs for Saturday’s opener.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said it was epic fishing last Friday from Sandy Hook down to Monmouth Beach, all on bunker. The bass were in front of him for four hours, he said, hitting topwater plugs, metal-lips, shads and SP Minnows. Fish up to 40 pounds were caught. The bass were back on Saturday morning as well. Pencil poppers were working especially well, he said, and the shop has plenty in stock.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the bass were on the beach on Tuesday from Sandy Hook down to Long Branch. The fish by Long Branch were on peanuts and hitting just about anything thrown at them – including topwater plugs, pencil poppers and shads. To the north, the bass were on sand eels and diamond jigs did the job. The bass were on the move, he said, so you had to be mobile if you wanted to keep up with the action. Gleason also reported a good bluefin bite. There are still a lot of giants around but plenty of recreational-size fish as well. NLBN straight tails are accounting for a lot of bites.
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The stripers have been staying out of range on the beaches between Asbury Park and Bradley Beach but there’s plenty of bait around and the boats are enjoying a steady pick of fish.
Johnny O. at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the wind kept the party boats at the dock at the beginning of the week but they would be sailing again on Thursday. The boats targeting stripers have been doing very well. Togging is also good on the jetties and at the Shark River Inlet.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar was doing well with stripers before the wind came up. He’s been reporting a steady run of good fishing with an especially good day last Friday. He’s sailing for stripers every day. Check the website for departure times.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar reported getting good catches of porgies, sea bass, blackfish and stripers. He’ll be concentrating on blackfish starting Saturday. Capt. Spinelli says he still has a few open dates available through December.
Cristiano Rizzo at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the striper bite off the beaches has been good with bass on bunker. More keeper-size fish are being found north of the Manasquan Inlet. Rizzo reported that the inshore and mid-shore bluefin bite has been very good. He and his pals got into them on jigs on Sunday around the AP. He also said the Hudson Canyon is on fire with yellowfin on jigs and poppers. The Manasquan River is still holding stripers, he added, and blackfishing is good at the inlet.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said there are a lot of bluefin around between four and 10 miles out. He was out chasing them on Sunday and while he saw plenty, they wouldn’t bite. They were feeding on big sand eels. He also saw plenty of stripers on bunker offshore. Blackfish, he added, are biting in the Point Pleasant Canal and in Manasquan River.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III said they absolutely crushed the stripers on Tuesday’s trip. The day started off a little slow, but then Capt. Gregory made a move to a different spot and it was lights-out fishing. He’s sailing for stripers every day at 7:30.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Point Pleasant Beach called the current striper fishing just amazing. He’ll be sailing open boat this Sunday leaving the dock at Spike’s Marina at 6 a.m.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach there’s a lot of good fishing going on right now. Togging is solid in the Manasquan River and at the inlet with more keepers at the inlet. Bass fishing out front is good from Sandy Hook down to Lavallette. You just have to keep moving around until you find them. Sand eels or adult and peanut bunker are what they’re feeding on so pick your lures accordingly. Surface lures will work best if they’re on peanuts. The bluefin bite is getting better, and trolling ballyhoo or casting stick baits or NLBN straight tails into feeds are accounting for fish. Tangen advises casting baits that will punch through the wind and sink quickly.
Capt. Jay Richardella on Side Job Charters out of the Manasquan Inlet said the striper fishing is as good as it gets. He had a banner day on Wednesday with a boat limit and loads of releases. He’s got open dates and can be contacted through his website.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick expects a new wave of fish should be in the area by the weekend as they move from north to south. He recommends throwing bucktails in the northeast wind. Giacalone also mentioned that dogfish have become a big problem hitting topwater lures. He reported bluefin right off Seaside from three to seven miles out with good reports from the shipping lanes.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said there were two, all-out epic blitzes there last Friday and Saturday. Big stripers, all over slot, had bunker pinned to the shore line and were hitting mostly topwater lures. Kupper said the dogfish moved in there and were going after plugs along with the bass. The Toms River is holding a lot of smaller fish, he added, that are hitting soft plastics on jigsheads. Registration for the annual Surf Turkey Striped Bass Tournament over the Thanksgiving weekend continues at the shop. Cash prizes are awarded in this catch-and-release event.
Scott Thomas at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the striper fishing was absolutely crazy there on Saturday. The bass were on bunker and sand eels and hitting pencil poppers, metal lips and Avas. The insanity ended after the weekend but the shop reported another shot of fish moved in Wednesday afternoon hitting plugs and Avas. Dogfish have become a nuisance along the beach there as well. Thomas said togging has been good at the inlet jetties and the shop is all set for the blackfish opener on Saturday.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
It’s the fall run everyone was hoping for. Stripers are spread out all along the coast with boaters and surfcasters getting in on the action.
More beach blitzes have been reported from Sandy Hook to Long Branch but last weekend saw fish in the suds from Normandy Beach down to Island Beach State Park and beyond. Be prepared to move around to find them and bring a good selection of topwater plugs and sand eel imitations.
Blackfishing has also been good at the inlets and under the bridges and the five-fish season opens on Saturday.