Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
The good bass bite got even better. Striper fishing found another gear with more and bigger fish reported in Raritan Bay, in local rivers and along the beaches. The surf action picked up with clams doing the trick for ocean side bass.
Bluefish made their spring debut in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, in the Manasquan River and Barnegat Bay.
Unfortunately, blackfish season closed on Wednesday with party boats reporting a mixed bag over the last few days. But, as they say, when one door closes, another opens.
Fluke season starts on Sunday and there have already been reports of fluke hitting baits intended for other species in rivers and bays. It’s going to take a while for the ocean to get warm enough for offshore fluke action. Freshwater anglers are also enjoying a good spring with rewarding trout fishing in local lakes, ponds, streams and reservoirs.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said it’s a solid striper bite in Raritan Bay with fish hitting shads, metal-lip swimmers and live bunker. The bunker are concentrated in the back of the bay, he said, so anglers planning to live-line have to get the bait there before heading out into main part of the bay. Hebert said trout fishing is taking center stage for freshwater anglers right now and he’s had good reports on shad fishing in the Delaware River.
Capt. Jay Richardella on Side Job Charters out of South Amboy said it was a way better week of fishing, catching plenty of bass on every trip. He’ll be fishing Raritan Bay for a couple more weeks before heading back to Belmar and he can be contacted through his website.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said there’s a lot of bass all over the place. The Bayshore beaches are giving up fish on artificials and sand and bloodworms and the action has been good at the Keansburg Pier. Sciortino said they will have killies in stock for Sunday’s fluke opener.
Steve at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said there was a bluefish blitz on Sandy Hook on Tuesday. A couple of anglers reported the action when they came into the shop to replace mangled tackle. He said the striper bite is still going strong in the rivers, especially at night.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the fishing went up a notch with bluefish joining all the bass in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. He, too, reported an excellent night bite in the rivers. He also had his first reports of stripers in the Sea Bright surf hitting clams. Pinto said the shop has a full line of Happy Baits shads and paddletails and is all set for the fluke opener with Gulp and bucktails.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said striper reports keep getting better and better with pretty much everything working in the bay and rivers. There’s lots of bunker around and Ben Parker flutter spoons are now accounting for some bass.
The beaches near Asbury Park and Bradley Beach are starting to give up stripers. My first of the season came on Wednesday morning off Ocean Grove with a clam tempting a 30-inch bass.
Tommy Palmisano at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said he had reports of bass in the suds there on clams and bloodworms. A few early, out-of-season fluke have been plucked from the Shark River and returned as well. The Den will have killies for the opener.
Ted Imfeld at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the bluefish are biting at the Manasquan Inlet. He’s also had good reports on bass fishing up in Raritan Bay and the rivers to the north. Pods of bunker popped up in the ocean this week off Bay Head, he said, and the surf fishing for folks soaking clams really picked up. The Reel Seat will have killies ahead of Sunday’s fluke opener along with plenty of Gulp and bucktails.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said blues and bass are in the Manasquan River. They’re not getting much attention, however, as many anglers are spending their time up north striper fishing in Raritan Bay. He heard the bass have moved to the lower part of the bay with fish up to 40 inches hitting shads, metal lips and plugs. The night bite has been especially good. Tangen reported a few weakfish caught on Gulp shrimp nearby and there are stripers and blues in the Point Pleasant Canal. Tangen said the shop is fully stocked for the fluke season opener and the fish are waiting in the Manasquan River.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach closed out the tog season in tough conditions on Wednesday but reported much better fishing at the beginning of the week with a nice mix of keepers and shorts. Before sea bass season opens on May 17, Capt. Wolfe is hoping to chase down some ocean stripers. Check the schedule for updates. Once sea bass opens, he’ll be fishing for them daily at 7:30 a.m. then running afternoon striper trips leaving at 4.p.m.
-
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in New Jersey!
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said bluefish have arrived in the Manasquan River, the Point Pleasant Canal and Barnegat Bay. Striper fishing in the bay remains good on worms, soft plastics and topwater plugs while striper fishing in the canal has picked up on live eels. He’s also had reports of drum in the south end of the bay on clams.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said reports of surf stripers are on the rise with clams catching all the fish. He also reported blues biting in the Manasquan River and bass in the Point Pleasant Canal.
Scott Thomas at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said there are still big drum being caught in Barnegat Bay behind Island Beach State Park on clams but the fishing has slowed down a bit. He also said there are blues in the bay so it’s time to get out the poppers. The striper bite is still going strong in the bay as well on bloodworms and artificials while clams are doing the job in the surf for bass. Thomas added that the Berkeley Striper Club will be holding its 30th Annual Fisherman’s Flea Market this Saturday at the J Steet Marina directly across from Grumpy’s from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Attendees at the Flea Market will also find special discounts at Grumpy’s when they present their wrist band. He also mentioned that Yakkity Yaks Kayaks next door to Grumpy’s will be hosting a seminar on May 10 on kayak fishing for stripers in Raritan Bay. The seminar starts at 6 p.m.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Stripers lead the hit parade with good fishing reported from Raritan Bay down to Barnegat Bay and the rivers in between. Shads, plugs and blood and sandworms are all working They are also biting along the beaches on clams.
Sunday also brings the opening of fluke season. The early bite will be in the rivers and bays on all your fluke favorites, including Gulp, bucktails, killies and squid.
It doesn’t look like the weather will be on our side, so if you don’t mind getting a little wet, neither do the fish.