Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
That was a different kind of hot we experienced this week. Triple-digit temperatures with humidity to match. But it seemed to have lit a fire under the tuna and got fluke fishing off to a good start for summer. Anglers that could stand the heat caught fish they took back to the kitchen. Forgive me, that is inexcusable.
At any rate, party and charter boats captains hoped for a smooth transition to fluking following an incredible sea bass season. For the most part, that appears to be happening thanks to the warming water. There’s plenty of offshore action if not a whole lot of keepers. Fluke fishing has been good in the rivers since opening day and it’s improving daily in the surf.
As for tuna, reports indicate bluefin, yellowfin and bigeye in the canyons and bluefin in closer at the Triple Wrecks and Atlantic Princess. Plus, there are bass in the surf, bluefish at the inlets and spot and blue claws in the rivers and bays.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said he’s been getting good reports on fluke in the surf. A co-worker picked three keepers out of the suds in Lavallette over the weekend. Ocean fluking is also picking up at the Rattlesnake and Shrewsbury Rocks. Spots along the beaches, he said, are giving up lots of fish but many of them are shorts. Largemouth bass fishing has been good early in the morning and late afternoon at the local lakes and reservoirs. He also reported several muskies caught at Greenwood Lake over the weekend. Trout are deep due to the heat, Hebert said, and they don’t do well when released into the warm water.
Capt. Joe Greco at Chasing Tails Charters out of Sayreville said some nice bass are still being caught at the mouth of the Hudson River.
Capt. John Contello of Just Sayin Sportfishing out of Keyport reported excellent Raritan Bay striped bass fishing this week. They had a full boat limit of slot-size fish and dozens of releases on their most recent trip. There’s been a mixed size of fish from 24 to 48 inches on the last bunch of trips. Live bunker getting the job done. Contello said they will be transitioning over to fluke and tuna in the next few weeks.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the fluking is good at the Shrewsbury Rocks and off Long Branch. He also reported excellent ling fishing offshore.
Steve at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands reported that there are a lot of fluke in the Shrewsbury River. The only problem is that not a lot of them are keepers. Blues are in the rivers there as well, and stripers are being caught in the surf on clams and sand worms.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the fluke fishing has definitely picked up in the surf there. It’s not on fire, he said, but there are keepers to be had and lots of short action. BaitFuel 4-inch grubs have been producing and Pinto said the shop is fully stocked. A few big bass are still in the area as two customers got jumbos last week in the ocean on metal-lip plugs. Pinto also received word on better tuna fishing.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the tuna finally showed up with recreational-size bluefin caught on Hogy paddletails and popping plugs. Without getting into specifics, Gleason said the tuna are still pretty far out. Fluking in the Long Branch surf has been good, Gleason said, with plenty of keepers and fish up to 24 inches. The shop, he added, is ready for summer with all the tuna and fluke gear you’ll need.
The fluke fishing in the Ocean Grove/Bradley Beach surf really picked up in the last week with plenty of fish in the wash. There are also loads of small bait hanging close to the jetties. Bunker schools also appeared off the beaches. “Two-pole” Mike Compoly said the bass fishing on calico crabs and sand bugs was pretty good from the sand before the heat dome settled on us. Calm water is bad for the bite but the front due to come through on Thursday will hopefully churn things up and reboot the fishing.
Tim Rizzuto at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said keeper fluke are still being caught in the Shark River and off the Belmar beaches. Bluefish are also in and out of the Shark River Inlet. Jesse Thomas from the shop said some of the river fish have been up to 27 inches. The party boats out of the marina, such as the Big Mohawk and Capt. Cal II, that are targeting fluke are all catching keepers and finding plenty of short action. Thomas also had his first reports of bonito to the north, which is a good sign as summer gets underway.
Capt. Rich Falcone of the Golden Eagle in Belmar has been sailing for bluefish and while he’s been finding them, getting them to bite hasn’t always been easy. When they won’t cooperate, he’s switching to fluke and putting keepers in the cooler.
Stanley S. at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the fluking is awesome in the Manasquan River, in Barnegat Bay and on the Sea Girt and Axel Carlson reefs. Fluke fishing is also good in the surf, especially to the north in Monmouth Beach and Long Branch. Bluefin are biting in the Hudson Canyon, he said, and the tilefishing is excellent there as well.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said he fished for fluke off Long Branch on Tuesday and while there was plenty of short action, keepers eluded him. There were plenty of boats around and he was certain bigger fish were caught. He had reports of bluefin at the Triple Wrecks, Chicken Canyon and the Hudson Canyon. He, too, had good reports on tilefishing at the Hudson Canyon. Flanagan added that two co-workers and a friend of theirs caught a 176-pound thresher at the Mud Hole.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the tuna are here and they’re spread from canyon to canyon. He’s had reports of bluefin, yellowfin and bigeye from the Hudson Canyon to the Wilmington Canyon. Tangen said the bigeye ranged from 150 to 230 pounds. Fish are being caught on the troll and casting soft plastics and poppers. Ballyhoo rigged with WolfPack ahi heads and 5-inch NLBNs with tuna heads have been doing the job. Yellowfin have also been in mid-shore waters close to the Atlantic Princess. Tangen said boats out ghost hunting are finding tuna feeding on top. Bunker pods are also starting to become more common off the beaches, he said, and there have been several cobia sightings in the schools of bait. Tangen also reported that a 490-pound thresher that was caught in the Mud Hole was weighed in at Hoffman’s Marina earlier this week.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out Point Pleasant Beach reported a steady catch of keepers this week with fluke up to 4½ pounds and plenty of short action. The Norma K III makes two daily trips for fluke and sails for blues on Friday and Saturday nights.
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Pete Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said boats that headed out the Manasquan Inlet did really well with fluke on local wrecks and reefs. Live spot are producing bluefish and stripers in the Point Pleasant Canal and crabbing off local piers and docks has been very good.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said fluke fishing in the surf is very good. A bucktail tipped with Gulp and a teaser retrieved slowly along the bottom is the way to go. The fish are hanging together in the holes so if you locate fish, stick to the area. Clams are still catching bass in the surf and there are some blues around. Barnegat Bay is loaded with spot and the upper bay has plenty of fluke that like them as a snack.
Liz Ribas at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said fluking is very good in the surf there with a load of keepers coming out of the suds. Grumpy’s also reported a cobia caught an angler by surprise when it hit his fluke bait. Ribas also mentioned all the spot in the bay and that blue claw crabs are plentiful.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Fluke fishing is improving steadily in the surf and on the offshore reefs and wrecks. Anglers working the beaches are finding plenty of action and the occasional keeper in the suds from Sandy Hook down to Island Beach State Park. Bucktails with Gulp or BaitFuel and a teaser worked with a slow retrieve along the bottom are catching fish. And there are fluke to be caught in the rivers and bays. The Navesink, Shrewsbury, Shark and Manasquan rivers continue to produce, and Barnegat Bay is giving up keepers on live spot.
Tuna also made a strong showing this past week and are biting in the canyons and mid-shore spots.