Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
You can’t hurry love. And, evidently, you can’t hurry striped bass.
It’s like waiting for Christmas morning. You know it’s coming but there’s nothing you can do to rush it. Everyone is preaching patience but it’s hard to practice when it comes to spring stripers. The bait is in place, boats are marking fish and there’s a steady pick of bass on worms and plastic. The question is: when will it break open? We just have to wait until the bass are ready.
In the meantime, blackfish season opened, freshwater fishing in general is good and trout season opens on Saturday. Opening day offers an excellent opportunity to introduce kids to the fun of fishing.
One such offering is the annual Trout Contest for Kids at Spring Lake sponsored by the Shark River Surf Anglers. Open to children 15 and under, the free event awards prizes in four age groups with a grand prize going to the heaviest fish. And there are some big trout in that lake. The Surf Anglers have stocked it with about 700 rainbow, brown, brook and golden trout, some over eight pounds. The contest starts at 8 a.m.
Another is the Long Branch PBA Youth Fishing Derby at Lake Takanassee in Long Branch. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and fishing starts at 9 a.m.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said people are picking away at stripers in the back of Raritan Bay and in the Raritan River. Everything is in place for the bite to take off, he said. It’s just a matter of time. Hebert said the shop is all stocked for the trout opener and anything else you’ll need for freshwater, including licenses.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the bass bite has gone picky with fish all the way up in the river. Bunker are all over Raritan Bay but there doesn’t seem to be anything bothering them. He thinks the season is two weeks behind. Sciortino is getting ready for Bluff Day on April 12 where the shop will be showcasing Bluff Lures, an innovative combination of soft and hard swim baits. There will also be barbecue available from the Hog Heaven food truck.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said not much has changed since last week with stripers being caught in the back of the bay on bloodworms. Things are still quiet over by the Oceanic Bridge and, while a few people tried the surf in the nice weather last Saturday, there was nothing to report.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright is playing the waiting game along with everybody else. The bait is all over the place, in the bay and the rivers, and the boats are marking fish. They just won’t bite. It’s any day now, he said. The shop is fully stocked for spring, he added, with loads of Tsunami shads and minnows.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch also said it’s still slow pick on the striper front and folks are anxious for things to pick up. He advised keeping the freshwater gear handy until things change. Tak Waterman is one of the sponsors of the Kids Fishing Derby at Lake Takanassee on Saturday and Gleason said he hopes everyone comes out for the fun.
Jesse Thomas at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the opening of blackfish season was pretty quiet with the Capt. Cal II the only boat sailing out of the marina. A few guys tried the Shark River Inlet with green crabs for tog, but he didn’t get any reports back. Winter flounder have been caught locally but he hasn’t heard of any bass in the Shark River as yet. He said the striper bite is picking up in the Toms River.
Capt. Rich Falcone of the Golden Eagle out of Belmar will be sailing for blackfish, ling and cod this Friday and every day thereafter until the stripers arrive.
Jimbo at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the striper bite has been good in the Toms River, Barnegat Bay and the back of the Manasquan River. Toggers tried the Manasquan Inlet on opening day and while he didn’t get a report, he’s sure blackfish are there and in the Point Pleasant Canal. He added that the Gambler out of Point Pleasant Beach is sailing for tilefish on Thursday nights through the end of April. The Reel Seat is kicking off spring with a special sale starting this Friday through Sunday offering 15 percent off storewide and 20 percent off on apparel.
The Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach made its first blackfish trip of the season on Wednesday and found life in some spots while others were quiet. Tog were caught on clams and crabs. The Norma K III will be sailing again on Friday at 7:30 a.m. for blackfish.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said bass anglers should just remain calm. There are a lot of fish around, he said, but they just aren’t eating yet. He suspects there are blackfish at the Manasquan Inlet and in the canal but no reports have made their way to the shop. He’s also heard of winter flounder caught at the southern end of the Point Pleasant Canal. Tangen said the shop will be holding a special seminar on Saturday, April 26, with Gold Coast Ballyhoo and Wolfpack Tackle on rigging techniques and strategies for offshore gamefish. Seminars begin at noon. Check the shop’s Facebook page for details.
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Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said it was a good start to the opening of blackfish season as the Point Pleasant Canal was producing. The striper bite in Barnegat Bay is picking up every day, he added, with the outgoing tide the best. Bloodworms and soft plastics are still the way to go.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said folks are picking bass all over Barnegat Bay with some bigger fish showing up in the last week. He also said there are some bass back in the Manasquan River. Bloodworms and topwater lures are working. Kupper thinks it will be Tax Day when the striper fishing really gets started.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said bloodworms continue to catch most of the bass in Barnegat Bay but soft plastics are accounting for a few fish. He also reported more winter flounder being caught in the bay on worms. Kerico said that a few people tried out front with salted clams over the weekend, but didn’t have any luck. He’ll be getting fresh clams next week, he said, and expects a bass to be caught in the suds very soon.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Trout season opens this Saturday at 8 a.m. and the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife has stocked lakes and ponds all over the state. The division’s website can provide exact locations of stocked waters.
The annual Trout Contest for Kids at Spring Lake is a great chance to introduce kids and grandchildren to fishing. The Shark River Surf Anglers have put around 700 trout into the lake in addition to what the state has stocked. The club also provides bait, tackle and hot dogs.
The Long Branch PBA is also holding a Kids Fishing Derby at Lake Takanassee with registration at 8 a.m. and fishing at 9 a.m.
Then there are striped bass hitting worms and small plugs in the back bays and rivers.