Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Everyone should be giving thanks for this incredible striper fishing. It is, in a word, spectacular.
Boat and beach anglers continue to bang out bass from Sandy Hook down to Island Beach State Park. The amount of bait around is mindboggling and stripers of all sizes are on a steady diet of sand eels and adult and peanut bunker. Bluefin tuna fishing is also hot with plenty of fish prowling inshore waters.
Folks are fishing for blackfish, sea bass and porgies, but the stripers have grabbed the spotlight and there’s little talk of anything else
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said it’s stripers, stripers and more stripers. They’re in Raritan Bay, on Sandy Hook and all the way south along the coast. He did hear that bluefin tuna were reported about six miles out and folks targeting blackfish were getting some keepers and catching sea bass as well. He wasn’t hearing much on freshwater as most of the customers were striper fishing. Tackle World will be offering 15 percent off the entire store for Black Friday with the sale lasting through Monday.
Dan Picciallo at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the striper fishing in on fire. He reported fish on the beach on Monday from the north end of Sandy Hook down through Monmouth Beach. The Tackle Box will be offering special discounts and sale items this Black Friday.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said the reports he’s getting indicate the stripers are on the move south, but fish are still being caught at Sandy Hook. The bluefin are in close, he said, as several anglers in the past week have had their bass eaten mid-fight and their reels spooled. Loads of blackfish are being caught under the Highlands Bridge, he said, but not a lot of them are keepers. He’s got green crabs for those who want to go togging over Thanksgiving.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the beach was a bit quiet over the weekend but the bass were back on Sandy Hook on Tuesday. He also had reports of stripers in Monmouth Beach and farther south to Lavallette. Pinto said the shop is expecting a new shipment of Al Gags shads and jig heads and Bill Hurley sand eels.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said croakers and butterfish have joined bunker and sand eels on the striper menu. Bass being caught in that part of Monmouth County range in size from schoolies up to 20 pounds. Gleason said there are still a lot of bluefin in close and there seems to be more keeper-size fish around. There are giants in the mix as well. For Black Friday through Cyber Monday, Tak Waterman will be having sales on rods, new tuna popping plugs and glide baits, clothing, and additional items. Check the shop’s website and Instagram page for more details.
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Stripers have been in the Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach surf for the past week at different times of the day. Tuesday saw a crazy blitz on peanut bunker with fish over 40 inches hitting mostly topwater plugs.
Bill at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the stripers are everywhere and beach fishing is very good. He’s been on them most days and said you just have to move around to find them. There have been blitzes from Sandy Hook to Seaside in recent days. The party boats out of the Belmar Marina, including the Big Mohawk, have all been doing well with stripers. He’s also had good reports of bluefin at Barnegat Ridge. Blackfishing has been pretty good in the Manasquan and Shark rivers at the inlets and under the bridges, he added.
Capt. Rich Falcone of the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported non-stop action all day on Tuesday with striped bass. The bass, he reported, covered a wide area with fish on top and plenty of readings under the boat. The huge spread of stripers made long drifts possible. The fishing was good on Monday as well but it took a little longer to get the bite going. The Golden Eagle has a special Thanksgiving Day trip leaving at 6 a.m.
Capt. Steve Spinelli of the Skylarker out of Belmar took a busman’s holiday on Monday and went striper fishing down by Barnegat Light and caught all the big bass they could handle. His buddy, Bill Ritter, landed a bass in excess of 40 inches. Capt. Spinelli said the Skylarker has been doing well with stripers and reported a successful blackfish trip over the weekend with several limits and tog up to 5 pounds.
Steve at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there’s a lot of striper action from southern Monmouth County to northern Ocean County. Bunker, adults and peanuts, are all over the place and the bass are right with them. Pencil poppers, shads, metal-lip swimmers and Avas are all catching fish. He said the schools are on the move, heading south.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach fished down toward Ortley Beach on Monday from his boat and reported miles of stripers on peanut and adult bunker. He started catching them on Avas jigged just off the bottom and then the bass started breaking on top. He had numerous fish up to 40 inches. It was an absolutely epic bite, he said. Blackfishing, he reported, has been hit or miss for the most part.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach has been having great success on the striper grounds but went blackfishing on Monday. The tog marathon produced multiple limits around the boat, plenty of keepers and lots of short action. He’ll be back striper fishing at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving.
Christian Caparra at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the striper fishing in the surf is excellent right now with bass from the Manasquan Inlet on south. Folks chasing bluefin tuna are also finding plenty of action. Blackfishing got off to a slow start, he said, but seems to be improving daily. For Black Friday, the Reel Seat will have a 20 percent discount storewide. Some exclusions apply.
Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Point Pleasant Beach said the striper fishing is excellent. He’s been limiting the boat out on nearly every trip. This Saturday is his last open boat trip of the season and he’s still got spots available. Check his Facebook page for details.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported stripers on the beach in multiple spots on Monday from Bay Head to Brick. Patience was key as the bass weren’t always in casting range. Boats also did well on Monday right outside the Manasquan Inlet and down to the south. Blackfishing in the Point Pleasant Canal and at the Manasquan Inlet remains good with keepers being landed and limits reported.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the bass hit the beach there last Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday. It was just insane fishing, he said, with bass from 25 to 40 inches. Kupper said the bass were hitting everything that was thrown at them. The timing of all the stripers around could not be better as the annual Surf Turkey Striped Bass Tournament kicks off on Wednesday and runs through Sunday. Cash prizes are awarded in this catch-and-release event.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said the striper fishing is simply epic with big fish hitting a variety of plugs, metal and shads. Most of the beaches in the area, from Lavallette to Island Beach State Park, have been the site of bass blitzes in recent days. Blind casting is also paying off as the fish are not always showing. Blackfising is still good at the inlet jetties, he said, but most of his customers are chasing bass. Kerico said Grumpy’s will be holding a big Black Friday through Cyber Monday sale. Check Instagram and Facebook for details.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
Striped bass are center stage for Thanksgiving Weekend.
The bass are on the move south with sensational fishing reported below the Manasquan Inlet. But there are still plenty of fish being caught to the north on Sandy Hook down to the Shark River Inlet. You just have to move around until you find them.
Boaters are also doing very well with stripers with fish out to the three-mile line. Again, south of the Manasquan Inlet appears to have the better fishing.
Happy Thanksgiving.