Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Tuna fishing got hot this past week with bluefin and yellowfin biting at inshore and mid-shore spots and in the canyons.
Fluke fishing on the wrecks and reefs was much improved as well with more keepers showing up among the many shorts. Sea bass are thick on the rock piles and anglers are having no trouble getting their one-fish limit. Fluking continued to hold up in the rivers but seemed to hit the pause button along the beaches in the latter part of the week. Not sure if it was the south wind or just time to move offshore.
Crabbing has been very good in all the usual spots and that other summer favorite, snapper blues, are starting to show along the bulkheads and in the marinas.
The other, not-so-favorite summer species, cownose rays, have also arrived in big numbers. Be vigilant with rods in sand spikes or they will disappear.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said that anglers are complaining about sea bass are getting to their baits before the fluke have a chance. When the fluke do beat the sea bass, Hebert said, the majority of them are short. Patience will be rewarded, he added, as there are keepers to be had. He’s had good reports of bluefin in close and yellowfin in the canyons as well. Freshwater anglers are adjusting to the warmer water by fishing deeper for lake trout at the reservoirs. Hybrid stripers and walleye are biting in those same waters at night. Largemouth bass can be found lurking in shady spots.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle reported some crazy weigh-ins over the weekend with Joe F. catching a 10½-pound doormat on Saturday aboard Fatties & Flatties. The next day, Gary “Sandals” came in with an 11-pound fluke caught aboard Lil Texas. The monster fluke was kept alive, and after it was weighed, released in Raritan Bay. Later that same day, Bill J. stopped by with the 42-pound cobia he caught on his boat, Wet Willy. Carr added that the Keyport waterfront has great spot fishing and crabbing is in full swing off the bulkhead and the fishing pier. Cocktail blues have also been coming through on pods of bait. Fluke are showing up here and there in the bay, he said, but the better fishing is in the ocean. He mentioned that the shop has added packages of Gulp to its 24-hour vending station this week in addition to fresh bunker, squid strips, lug worms, rigs and more.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said fluking is good at the Rattlesnake and Shrewsbury Rocks but there are a lot of shorts to get through. It’s mostly shorts off the beach as well. He said the occasional striper is being caught on worms, bunker and eels. Ling fishing, Sciortino added, is still going strong.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said fluke anglers are finding sea bass everywhere they go. They’re also finding a lot of short fluke. Another species that’s all over the place are the cownose rays that have invaded Raritan Bay and the local rivers. Julian said the hungry rays are eating everything on the bottom, including blue claws. There are lot of spot and peanut bunker in the bay and rivers as well, he added.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said folks continue to catch fluke in the surf there with most of the keepers in the 18- to 19-inch range. He also had a report of big blues, up to 10 pounds, on Sandy Hook on Tuesday. Crabbing is good in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers and he mentioned the big rays roaming around in both. The shop is now carrying the new Yo-Zuri Mag Pencil in all colors.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the inshore tuna fishing is very good for bluefin with RonZ and NLBN soft plastics catching a mix of sizes, from rec fish to giants. Offshore, there’s good action on yellowfin with fish taken on poppers, jigs and on the troll. Fluking has picked up on the reefs and wrecks in deeper water while it has slowed up in the surf, he said. Gleason added that the shop just reloaded with a new batch of RonZ Lures. The surf went quiet for me in the Ocean Grove/Bradley Beach area. Loads of bites over the weekend turned into nothing. It seemed like the fish hopped a bus for the Catskills, but it’s more likely they just moved offshore. The water off the beach is very warm.
The folks over at Fishermen’s Den in Belmar said there are more shorts than keepers in the Shark River but the ocean fishing for the party boats is definitely getting better. Capt. Payton Gepp on the Big Mohawk out of Belmar said the ocean fluking has improved significantly over the past two weeks with a lot more keepers coming over the rail. There’s plenty of short action as well and loads of sea bass.
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Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters out of Belmar reported bluefin tuna as close as 16 miles out. He’s also found yellowfin, mahi-mahi and white marlin on longer trips. Capt. Jay has open dates and can be contacted through his website. Dean Visone at the Reel Seat in Brielle said he’s had good reports on keeper fluke at the Sea Girt Reef. Visone said the tuna fishing went pretty crazy this week with schoolie and giant bluefin hitting soft plastics in mid-shore waters. The fish were within 40 miles, he said, and there are also bigeye and yellowfin in the canyons.
Captain dan mazza of Thin Blue Tide Charters out of keyport NJ sent it offshore and reports “Ran East out of shark river over the weekend lookin for the midshore tuna bite. After first light we found large areas of whales, birds, and dolphins feeding and had excellent bait marks. After putting out our spread, we spent the morning picking through descent yellowfins ranging from 40-60lbs. We even had some small blue fin hitting the deck. Excellent trip overall”
Brian Flanagan at Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said he had much better fluking reports from the Sea Girt Reef this week. The Manasquan River, on the other hand, has slowed up on fluke with way more shorts than keepers. Tuna fishing got very good, he added, with bluefin near the Mud Hole. There are tons of sand eels around and anglers bouncing soft plastics along the bottom are being rewarded. He also reported yellowfin in the Toms Canyon and tilefishing remains very good offshore. Captain Bill’s Landing is one of the weigh stations for the Point Pleasant Elks and Jersey Coast Shark Anglers fluke tournaments taking place this Saturday.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said he’s catching more keeper fluke closer to home. He’d been sailing north but the bite has gotten much better on the Sea Girt Reef. Wednesday’s trip saw a 6½ pounder come over the rail and there’s been plenty of action on shorts and sea bass. Wolfe added that fishing on the Axel Carlson Reef has been slow and he fears the beach replenishment going on nearby is having a negative impact.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said there’s still solid fishing in the Manasquan River with keeper fluke up to 24 inches, small blues over by the Dog Beach and stripers hitting soft plastics at night under the lights. Tangen said the bluefin bite was good on the Southern Lumps, Little Italy and the Mud Hole. There’s loads of life around with fish are being caught on the troll and soft plastics. Sand eels are thick along the bottom and Tangen said anglers are deadsticking NLBNs and RonZ Lures with success. Tangen also reported yellowfin in the Toms Canyon and bigeye in the Hudson Canyon. There’s mahi-mahi out there as well.
Frankie Z. at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said there is typical summer stuff going on with fluke in the surf and Barnegat Bay and spot and crabs in the bay. The surf is slowing down a bit but the shop did weigh in a 7.2-pound fluke Dan Douglas caught off the beach last Friday. Crabbing, he said, is good in the bay and there are a lot of little snappers back there as well.
Best Bets for the Weekend
If you have a chance to go tuna fishing, take it. Bluefin are in fairly close and being caught on soft plastics, poppers and the troll. Yellowfin are biting in the canyons, especially the Toms.
Fluke fishing on the offshore spots has greatly improved with keepers on the reefs and wrecks. Be prepared to weed through lots of shorts. There are also plenty of nice sea bass in the mix.