Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Summer flounder, rightfully so, were the highlight of the holiday weekend. Fluke bit in rivers and bays, in the surf and on the reefs and wrecks. As usual, everyone wanted a few more keepers but there weren’t many complaints about the action. Bluefish, ling, spot and sea bass also found their way into coolers.
Tuna anglers had a good weekend as well with bluefin, bigeye and yellowfin in the canyons and mid-shore spots. And, as we head into the heart of the summer, crabbing is improving daily and we got our first reports of snappers.
Gary from Keyport Bait and Tackle reports: “Crabs, spots on lugworms, and snapper blues on small metals have been the story at the Keyport waterfront. Fishing and crabbing off both the bulkhead and the fishing pier has been good. Some fluke are being caught here and there. Captain Justin of the Dark Horse in Atlantic Highlands is reporting better fluke fishing every day with the short-to-keeper ratio starting to improve. The midshore tuna bite is heating up and our “Offshore Garage” is loaded up with all tackle, gear and bait you need to put ’em in the box! We are open 8 AM to 9 PM Monday through Saturday, and 8 AM to 7 PM on Sundays. Our 24-hour bait & tackle vending station is loaded up daily.”
Just Sayin’ Sportfishing in Keyport reported good tuna fishing with a mix of yellowfin and bluefin. Jigging and trolling both produced fish. Inshore, on the Just Sayin’ II, they saw boat limits of fluke over the weekend and more excellent striped bass fishing with boat limits of slot fish and dozens of releases.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said anglers fishing the rough bottom with Gulp and bucktails did very well over the weekend. Ling fishing has also been excellent. The party boats out of Atlantic Highlands are catching fluke on the Rattlesnake and Sandy Hook Reef. Crabbing in the Navesink River, he added, has also been very good.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said fluking was on everybody’s mind over the weekend as he sold every fluke rig in the shop and Gulp was flying out the door. Customers were fishing Raritan Bay, the surf and offshore. Fluke fishing has been very good in the Navesink River, he said, as he caught keepers there on squid and killies. The fish were loaded with baby blue claws. Julian also had good reports from offshore with bluefin, tilefish and mahi-mahi in the mix.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there are loads of fluke to be caught off the beach with keepers in the 18- to 20-inch range. Shop regular Moustache Mike got a 6-pound, 25½-incher off the beach early Thursday morning. Pinto said bucktails from a half- to three-quarters of an ounce with 5- and 6-inch Gulp jerk shads in pearl or glow were working best. Change of tide seemed to offer the best fishing. The shop, he added, is fully stocked with MP Bucktails in those sizes.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said there is still a steady pick of fluke in the surf there but there seemed to be a smaller number of keepers caught in recent days. Fluking on the reefs and wrecks is definitely picking up, he added. The bluefin bite remains good and more yellowfin are showing up in in mid-shore waters. Gleason said the shop is fully loaded with tuna gear and they’ve restocked the shelves with a full line of Tak Waterman sun shirts.
There are plenty of fluke in the surf along Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach with lots of action. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of keepers. I had one unusual bite when a seagull that became entangled in my line took a nice chunk out of my finger. They’re angry birds when wrapped in braid.
Jesse Thomas at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the fluke fishing in the Shark River remains very good with fish up to 8-pounds landed. He also reported a number of fish in the 4- to 6-pound range caught in the river. Thomas said the party boats out of the marina, including the Big Mohawk, Capt. Cal II and Ocean Explorer are all doing well with fluke when conditions are favorable. There have been few days when the dreaded south wind has blown and that usually makes things tough with colder water. Sea bass are still all over the place but the limit is just one.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said he’s been catching fluke, sea bass and ling. The fluke fishing is great, he said, but the keeping isn’t. But if your goal is to have a good time and catch a lot of fish, now’s the time to go.
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Stanley S. at the Reel Seat in Brielle had solid reports on ocean fluking, both in the surf and offshore. Boats are doing well to the north in the Long Branch/Elberon area. He also said the tilefishing is insane offshore and yellowfin are now in the mix with the bluefin in the canyons and mid-shore spots.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said there is very good tuna fishing in the canyons, especially the South Toms Canyon. Anglers are catching yellowfin and bigeye, mainly on the troll with sidetrackers and ballyhoo. The larger bigeye, up to 250 pounds, can be found in the Hudson, he said. He also had reports of yellowfin at the Chicken Canyon and the Triple Wrecks. Tangen said he’s had early solid reports on swordfishing as well. As far as fluke goes, he said the better fishing can still be found in the Manasquan and Shark rivers. The boats on the wrecks and reefs are reporting good fishing overall but it varies from day to day. Anglers who know how to fish the sticky stuff definitely have the edge. The Manasquan River is also producing bass and blues. The night striper fishing has been good around the bridges and live spot are catching blues and bass in the Point Pleasant Canal, he said.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said the fluke fishing has been very good on the Bay Head side of the Point Pleasant Canal. Fish from 4-to 8-pounds have been caught using killies and live spot. He took an offshore trip with a pal last Thursday and reported good yellowfin action in the Toms Canyon on the troll. They also caught blueline and golden tilefish. Mid-shore bluefin fishing is also picking up at Little Italy and the Chicken Canyon, he added.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said overall the fluke fishing has been good when they get the right conditions. As long as we can drift, we’ll catch fish, he said. Wolfe said they have been getting a fair share of keepers with the pool fish in the 6-pound range. There has been no problem getting blues into the slick on weekend night trips but inducing them to bite has been another matter. If the bluefish don’t cooperate, the boat heads to the ling grounds and fills the coolers. The Norma K III makes two fluke trips per day at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. and sails Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick received good reports on the tuna bite from the Atlantic Princess, Triple Wrecks and Hudson Canyon for yellowfin and bluefin. The surf, he said, has fluke right in the wash and the Point Pleasant Canal is holding stripers and blues. Live eels and spot will do the trick for them. Crabbing off the local piers and docks has been very good, he added.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said it was a busy weekend and that he’d never seen so many people in his life. He guessed the crowds didn’t help the fishing as he reported fluking was slow in the surf and there were only a few blues caught from the beach. The crabbing, however, is very good in the bay and he had his first reports of small snappers.
Frankie Z. at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said fluking in the surf is holding up very well with lots of action and keepers up to 4 pounds. The offshore fluke bite continues to improve on the Sea Girt and Axel Carlson reefs and anglers have no problem getting their one sea bass. Barnegat Bay is loaded with spot and croakers and the crabbing continues to get better and better. Frankie also reported snappers in the Manasquan River where he keeps his boat.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Summer flounder are the top target right now and they can be found in all the usual spots. River fishing is still very good. Gulp and bucktails are the popular choice but don’t turn your nose down on killies, squid and spearing.
Tuna fishing is also very good right now with the canyons and mid-shore spots now producing bluefin and yellowfin.