Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Striper fishing remains red hot despite the freezing temperatures. Boats are having no trouble getting their limits and bonus fish while surfcasters continue to pick bass all along the coast.
Bluefin tuna seem unaffected by the chill as well as reports have them popping up all over the place.
And there’s been an improvement with blackfishing at the inlets and on the wrecks, reefs and rock piles. More keepers and limits have been reported, including a 17-pound tog caught by Kevin Lyons on the Sea Owl.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said there are still plenty of stripers around and blackfishing is getting better. He fished for both aboard the Hyper Striper out of Highlands last week and the crew got their limit of bass and landed more than 25 keeper tog. Hebert also reported good trout fishing as winter stocking has been completed. Check the New Jersey Div. of Fish and Wildlife website for a list of stocked waters.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said stripers are still the story with an epic bite going on right now in the ocean. Diamond jigs continue to catch most of the fish. He also reported a few very big bluefish caught in the last week. Anglers are picking fish off the beaches of Sandy Hook and big hickory shad are now in the mix. He said the shad are usually as sign that striper fishing is about to slow down. Sciortino said there are big bluefin around as well with NLBN straight tails accounting for some fish. Blackfishing is on the upswing with good reports coming from the Rattlesnake and 17 Fathom.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the bass were on the beach in Long Branch on Tuesday and there are still loads of bass in the area. Peanut and adult bunker are keeping them around.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said striper fishing is still going strong with bass being caught off the beach there earlier this week. If you’re in a boat, he said, you can’t miss them. They’re on sand eels and peanut and adult bunker all along the coast. There are also plenty of bluefin tuna around. He and his friends boated a 70-inch fish last week and had another pull a hook on Monday’s trip.
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The bass were just out of casting range in Ocean Grove on Tuesday as they looked to be on sand eels. Blind casting is also yielding fish on Avas and other sand eel imitations.
Tim Rizzuto at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said those anglers who are giving it a try are picking some winter flounder in the Shark River. As for stripers on the beach, he said it’s a matter of being at the right place at the right time. Boats are having an easier time of it as they are having no trouble finding bass offshore in the last few days.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported excellent striper fishing every day since the beginning of the month. Once boat limits were reached, everyone played catch-and-release until it was time to go home. The weather will keep the Golden Eagle at the dock on Thursday but Capt. Falcone will be back sailing for stripers on Friday.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said this past week saw some of the best striper fishing of the year. The boat was limited out by 8:30 or 9 a.m. every day and then it was catch-and-release fishing. He also reported decent blackfishing with plenty of bites and short action. There aren’t as many keepers as he’d like to see but some anglers managed to get their five-fish limit.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported a good tog marathon last Monday with several limits and near limits aboard the boat and lots of short action to keep everyone busy. He’s also reported an excellent striper bite last weekend.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said he’s been getting solid reports on bluefin with fish at Barnegat Ridge and the Sea Girt Reef. On Wednesday, he weighed in a 178-pound bluefin caught by Hayden Grecsek and Ryan Tracy at Little Italy using a pink 4-ounce RonZ. The pair were fishing aboard an 18-foot Hydra Sport center console. He, too, said the striper fishing has been holding up very well, especially for boaters.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the number of bluefin around is incredible. It’s just stupid, he said. Once you get to about four miles out, he said, they’re everywhere and they range in size from about 60- to 100-plus inches. The tuna are mainly on sand eels but bunker are on the menu as well. Anglers are catching them trolling ballyhoo, casting plastics and some fish have been caught on poppers. Tangen also reported lots of striped bass in the Manasquan River and out of the inlet. He said there is still a load of peanut bunker in the river. There are still plenty of stripers in the ocean, he said, with boats fishing feeds about a mile off the beach. Diamond jigs, shads and topwater plugs are all working. Blackfishing, he added, seems to be improving with some folks doing better than others. The Manasquan Inlet was a little quiet but he heard toggers were crushing them at the Shark River Inlet.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick reported that despite the cold temperatures, surf fishing remains good. He had reports of stripers at Brick and Lavallette beaches. Topwater plugs, metal lips and Avas are all working. He also reported good sea bass and blackfishing at the local reefs with togging picking up at the Axel Carlson.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the stripers were very cooperative for the 13 Annual Surf Turkey Catch-and-Release Striped Bass Tournament held over the Thanksgiving Weekend. Graig Serrao took first place with a 50-inch striper, the largest ever recorded for the tournament while Lisa Schardien took second with a 38 incher. Lisa is the first woman to place in the event. Mike DeMarco had the longest five-fish string with a total of 175 inches. Luke Sperduto, Dominic Salvatore and Stone Keating all won the tournament’s youth appreciation awards. Kupper said there is still plenty of bait around and the bass have been feeding on sand eels, peanut bunker, spot and mackerel. Bluefin, he added, were feeding right off the beach over the weekend.
Scott Thomas at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said they have had bass on the beach there every day. Some days are better than others but the bass are there and the fish are nice and chunky, Thomas said. Avas, pencil poppers and other topwater plugs are all catching fish. He also reported bluefin in close, about a mile off the beach. Tuna reports have also been good at Barnegat Ridge. Togging is pretty good as well, he added, on the local reefs.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
Who knows how long this crazy striper bite will last, so get on a boat or head to the beaches before it’s all over. Boaters have the distinct advantage with big schools of stripers reported within a mile of shore all along the coast.
Surfcasters will have to do some searching but beach reports have been good, especially to the south of the Manasquan Inlet.
Then there are all the bluefin around. The tuna are in close and being caught by anglers trolling ballyhoo or casting NLBN and RonZ soft plastics.