Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Big bass, bluefish, bunker and bluefin.
If it weren’t for fluke fishing, the previous sentence would suffice for this week’s fishing report. There are trophy stripers arriving from the Chesapeake, bluefish to around 12 pounds filling in nicely in Raritan Bay and the area rivers and inlets, and giant bluefin tuna have been ripping through nearshore bunker pods while large recreational-size fish are feeding on sand eels around the inshore lumps.
There are more bass being caught taken in the surf along with fluke, and while many anglers will continue to pursue flatfish and stripers this weekend, we have the opening of black sea bass season to look forward to on Saturday.
Dan at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the bass fishing out front has been excellent this week with a few guys catching fish in the 50-inch range while trolling eels on planer boards. There are quality bluefish in the rivers, in Raritan Bay, and in the surf, where there has also been a solid clam bite for schoolie to over-slot bass. Fluke fishing is going strong, too, with flatties to 7 pounds coming from the Shrewsbury River. The party boats have been catching plenty of sea bass while sailing for ling and fluke, so he’s hopeful for a solid start to the sea bass season this Saturday.
Captain Joe Greco from Chasing Tails Charters out of Sayreville has been catching bass on everything from metal lips and jigs to flies, depending on the day and the conditions. Late last week, one of his clients had a productive 5-hour trip that began around sunrise, and with slick calm conditions, they were able to boat a handful of healthy schoolies on the fly. Another one of Joe’s charters spent their time casting plugs up shallow which yielded some quality over-slot fish. Later on during that same outing, they found a pile of bass that were slamming Back Bay metal lips and jigs. There are plenty of striped bass still filtering through the bay along with some gator bluefish in the mix! More than enough bunker around as well. There should be another few weeks of good fishing ahead!
Joe Julian at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said there are bluefish everywhere, which has been maddening for guys tossing soft plastics for stripers, but it’s a good problem to have after a mediocre run last year. There are good-sized keeper fluke in the rivers being caught on standard bucktails and Gulp or bucktails tipped with Otter Tail jig trailers by the bridges; spearing, he said, have been pretty stacked up and the fluke seem to be following those concentrated schools in the backwaters. Surfcasters out on Sandy Hook are still producing good results, with the best bass action coming at top of the outgoing tide. Julian said the shop is also stocked up on clams and rigs for anyone interested in catching sea bass this weekend.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there are tons of bunker coming up the beaches, so the ocean bite has picked up big time this week for guys live-lining bunker and throwing metal lips or large shads. In the surf, clams and bunker are both putting fish on the beach, meanwhile, the bluefish bite has slowed in the Navesink River. However, there’s still a mix of bluefish and bass to around 18 pounds being caught on bucktails, SP Minnows and soft plastics like Happy Baits paddletails and swim shads. Fluke fishing, he said, has been slow out in the ocean but the Bay side is fishing well with, Gulp or Bait Fuel grubs and bucktails getting the job done.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the boat crowd is catching big bass on trollers, eels, and flutter spoons, which have all been the key to getting bites out front. Live-lining bunker, he said, has been better in the Raritan, where there are some slightly smaller fish than those trophies from the Chesapeake. The bunker are really starting to fill in down the beach and there are still a fair amount in the bay as well. With the passing of the full moon, bluefin tuna showed up in force; there are rec. fish from the 60- to 70-inch class feeding on sand eels on the inshore grounds while giants crash through the bunker schools just off the beaches. From the surf, Mike said some of their customers are catching keeper fluke to around 19 or 20 inches using bucktails and Gulp, but sand fleas are also a sneaky good bait that will work well for stripers too—just make sure you put them on an inline circle hook for bass. Mike anticipates June to be a great month for fluke fishing off the ocean beaches, as there are already some sand eels in the area which help to fuel the surf bite. Raritan Bay, he added, as well as the river, are both still loaded with bluefish ranging from 6 to 12 pounds.
Tom at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said fluke fishing in the Shark River has been pretty good with a mix of shorts and keepers. There are also cocktail bluefish and small stripers in there with them, intercepting fluke rigs on occasion. The local party boats, he said, did well with ling this week and they’ve been catching plenty of black sea bass too, which are all throwbacks until this Saturday. Out front on the ocean beaches, surf fishermen are picking away at bass on plugs, clams, and now, bunker chunks—although the beach bite hasn’t really lit up yet, there are definitely bass to be caught. The shop is fully stocked for sea bass on Saturday, so swing by if you plan to target sea biscuits this weekend.
Ted Imfeld at the Reel Seat in Brielle said fluking has been good this week with people pulling keepers from the river and the ocean reefs. Stripers have filled in nicely along the beaches from Manasquan down to LBI, and Raritan Bay is still seeing some big bass action after a slight lull late last week—fresh fish have arrived from down south as some of those Raritan bass headed upriver to spawn in the Hudson. Bluefish, he said, are running in and out of the river with the tide, so there is some action to be had closer to the inlet this week. Meanwhile, out front, bluefin tuna are blowing up on the nearshore bunker pods, and that bite should only improve judging by the current abundance of bait. With good fluke fishing on the reefs and the sea bass season opening this weekend, everyone is getting excited for the true start to bottom fishing season. The shop has jigs, Gulp, fluorocarbon, bait, and pre-tied rigs in stock for opening day sea bass.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said there’s been good fluke action in the Manasquan River with lots of larger fish being caught, but they’re getting picked through pretty quickly. Bucktails and Gulp Swimming Mullets/Grubs are doing a majority of the damage, but in shallow, Ned rigs with Gulp Shrimp, Jerk Shads, and the new Dragon Tails have also been putting some solid flatties in the cooler. The bluefish bite has been spotty throughout the river, Tangen said, with better action closer to inlet. The canal, he added, has lots of stripers right now, and large surface plugs are getting looks during the day while live eels and soft plastics are putting up good numbers at night. There are also plenty of stripers out front as big fish continue to march up the coast from the Delaware and Chesapeake, all you have to do is find the bunker schools—there are some to the south, but most of the action is up north closer to Raritan Bay. Deep-diving trollers, heavy Tsunami shads, live-lined bunker, and topwater plugs like the Doc have all been working well. Plus, the shop received word of the first bluefin tuna close to home; a few guys have caught them while casting NLBNs and stickbaits. Tangen said the best approach is to check the inshore lumps and look for whales/sand eels. The shop is also geared up and ready to go for opening day of sea bass season on Saturday, so swing by for all your bait and rigging needs.
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The Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported miles of bunker in the ocean late last week with water temps hovering around 55 to 56 degrees, but the bass fishing was tough. However, with the full moon having just passed, they are planning to finish the week running dual striper/fluke trips as fluke make their way in from the offshore grounds and stripers follow bunker schools up the coast. Starting this Saturday the 17th, the Norma K will be sailing for black sea bass everyday at 7:30am & 4pm. You can book online, or just show up to the dock 30 to 45 minutes prior to departure to secure your spot at the rail.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said surf anglers are catching stripers in good numbers with clams being the bait of choice. Fluke fishing remains good in the rivers and in Barnegat Bay, especially on the outgoing tide. Bucktails tipped with Gulp have been the ticket to some nice keepers. Reports of weakfish in the river and Barnegat Bay have started to trickle in, and there are still quite a few bluefish in the Manasquan, Point Pleasant Canal and in the bay. Metals, SP Minnows and durable soft plastics are all catching bluefish. Striper fishing in the bay remains good on soft plastics and topwater, while the fish in the Canal are showing preference for live eels.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said there’s some good fishing in the surf today so far; stripers are being taken on mostly clams out front, but there are a few bass being caught on plugs at night both on the beaches and in the bay. However, the plug bite has been better in the back for bass while clams are the key on the beach. Bluefish are hitting poppers and SP Minnows in the surf and in the bay; they have been blitzing in the back throughout the week, so look for diving birds and the blues will likely be beneath them. Fluke fishing has been sporadic in the bay; finding warmer water is crucial if you’re looking for steady keeper action. The shop has weighed in several bay-caught fluke over 5 pounds. They’re also being caught in the surf on bucktails and Gulp, which is a bit unexpected due to the colder water temps. In addition to fluke, there are quite a few blowfish on the beaches, so downsize your hooks and tip them with clam if you want to score a few puffers for the table.
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Best Bets for the Weekend
The sea bass grounds will be crowded this weekend, but the early bird gets the worm. It doesn’t take long for the keeper-size fish to get picked over on the reefs, so get out there and strike while the iron is hot. Keep a mix of diamond and epoxy-style jigs, slow-pitch jigs, bucktails and Gulp, and natural baits like clam or squid to cover all your bases.
Trophy class stripers are pulling up out front to feed on bunker. Large trollers, swim shads, flutter spoons, and live eels are all great options for these post-spawn brutes. The surf bite is also improving with clams, bunker chunks, mole crabs, bucktails and plugs catching some quality fish from Sandy Hook down to Island Beach State Park.
Bluefish and fluke are most abundant in the rivers and bays, but there are still some stripers to around 15 pounds kicking around in the back as well, where minnow plugs, eels, bucktails and topwaters are all producing results.
Plus, the bluefin are here. Scope out the inshore grounds and have straight-tail plastics rigged and ready to cast at surface feeds. Bluefin from 60 to 70 inches have been caught over the last week.