Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
The fluking is about as hot as the weather. The ocean bite opened up this week with tons of action and a big jump in the number of keepers.
Tuna fishing remains solid for bluefin and yellowfin in mid- and offshore waters and cobia have become a target for boaters along the beaches. Then there are blues, bass, spot, snappers and crabs. All just good summer fun.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the ocean fluke fishing got red hot this week with loads of shorts and plenty of keepers caught. He fished on Monday down to the south and was one fish shy of a boat limit for three anglers. He added that most of the short fish, and there were a lot of them, were very thick. He also got word of bonito and cobia catches. Tuna reports have also been very good, he added. The heat hasn’t been good for freshwater anglers with walleye biting at night in Greenwood Lake about the best thing going on, Hebert said.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle said snappers and spot are being caught at the Keyport Pier and along the waterfront. Crabbing has also been very good there. The ocean is seeing some very good fluke fishing, he said, with shop regulars Crash and his son, Jayce, catching their limit aboard the Jamaica II over the weekend. Jayce also won the pool with a 25½-inch flattie. Keyport Bait and Tackle offers daily rod and reel and crab trap rentals.
Patrick Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the fluking is really good on the local wrecks and reefs with loads of fish caught. Many are shorts, he said, but there’s plenty of bites and keepers to be had. There are countless spot and croakers being caught around Raritan Bay, he said, along with some snappers. Anglers are also chasing cobia and Sciortino said the fish seem to prefer live bait like eels, spot or bunker over artificials.
Joe Julian at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said a lot of his regulars are out hunting cobia as well. Fluking is good but some folks are grousing about all the shorts. He heard of some keepers caught under the Highlands Bridge on mud-colored Gulp. Snappers are in the marinas and crabbing is good in the rivers. Julian also reported excellent tilefishing. His buddy Phil Pokojni came back to the dock over the weekend with a load of bluelines.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said it’s all about the fluke right now with shorts and keepers in the surf. He also reported snappers in the wash which is good news for folks who liveline them for big fluke. Crabbing is very good in the rivers, he added.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the tuna fishing has been very good at inshore waters for bluefin and offshore for yellowfin. The bluefin have been hitting soft plastics like NLBN straight tails and the yellowfin are being caught on poppers and jigs. Fluke fishing is holding up on the beaches but shorts outnumber keepers. There are tons of peanut bunker in the rivers so Gleason has high hopes for the fall run.
Tim Rizzuto at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the party boats are reporting much better ocean fluking. The Big Mohawk out of the marina had an epic day on Wednesday with a full boat limit of fluke for 43 anglers. The pool winner was about 7 pounds and Capt. Payton Gepp reported a number of 4- and 5-pound fish. Rizzuto said there have been stripers at the Shark River Inlet and in the river along with some bluefish.
Capt. Rich Falcone on The Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported solid fluke and sea bass fishing on their daily trips. Wednesday’s trip was no different with a steady pick of short and keeper fluke with more keepers showing up as the day progressed. The majority of folks got their limit, he reported.
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Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters out of Belmar reported solid tuna fishing in mid-shore and offshore waters for bluefin and yellowfin. He’s got plenty of open dates and can be reached through his website.
Matt Ruggiero at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the fluking is really good out front on the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs. Inshore bluefin has been good on the troll with ballyhoo on hoo heads, and RonZ and NLBN plastics. Offshore yellowfin are hitting jigs and poppers. He’s also had his first reports of bonito in the area.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the fluke bite really turned on this week. He runs two trips a day and reported good fishing on all of the outings with more action and more life. The Axel Carlson Reef has been very productive, he said. The big fish of the week came on Monday when an angler identified only as Joe landed a fluke just a few ounces shy of 10 pounds. Five- and 6-inch white glow, salmon red and pink shine Gulp grubs have been working well. The Norma K III is also seeing nice catches of sea bass. Night bluefish trips on Fridays and Saturdays are also starting to produce with ling adding to the catches of blues.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said there’s a lot of good summer fishing going on now. There are striped bass and bluefish in the Manasquan River and Point Pleasant Canal and still some nice fluke in the river. He added there have been folks bass fishing at night in the river who have dropped fluke baits as well with good results. There are also triggerfish being caught at the inlet on blowfish rigs baited with pieces of clam or FishBites. He, too, reported good fluking out front on the reefs and wrecks. Tangen said clear red flake Gulp is one of his favorite fluke baits. He’s also had positive reports on cobia fishing. And then there is the solid tuna fishing with bluefin in the 40- to 50-inch range around Little Italy. Soft plastics bounced along the bottom and trolling ballyhoo are doing the job. Yellowfin are hitting jigs and poppers at the Triple Wrecks and Bacardi. Tangen fished aboard the Mushin earlier this week with Michael, Nick and Nico Agathis and came back to the dock with seven yellowfin. There was a load of life out there and Tangen said it was best to stay close to the dolphins and whales as the tuna were right with them.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said the solid tuna fishing has drawn a crowd and the attention of the Coast Guard and Fish and Game. He said he was out yesterday near Monster Ledge and a number of boats were checked for safety gear and what they had caught. Flanagan said it wasn’t a successful day for him but he saw a number of tuna landed on neighboring boats. He’s also getting good reports on fluke and sea bass at the Axel Carlson Reef.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said the local wrecks and reefs are producing plenty of fluke with reports from the Axel Carlson especially good. Just make sure you’re on some structure, he advised. If you’re heading offshore, he said, stop at the pots as the mahi bite is on.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the fluke bite in the surf slowed down a bit due to a south wind dropping the water temperature and beach replenishment going on just a few blocks away. There are some blues around, he added, but no blitzes as yet. The bay is still loaded with spot and the snappers are getting bigger.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said the fluking is still good in the surf and they have been joined by lots of critters like rays, dogfish and skates. There are also some bluefish in the surf hitting bait. Crabbing in the bay is amazing, he said, and there are still loads of spot and croakers in there as well.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Good fluke fishing is what every summer angler hopes for and it’s here. This past week saw excellent action on the reefs and wrecks and a significant uptick in the number of keepers landed. There’s a big spread of fluke north to south with the sticky stuff giving up quality fish. Party, charter and private boats are all reporting good fishing. Bucktails with 5- and 6-inch Gulp grubs will get the job done.
There are also blues and bass in the rivers, spot, snappers and croakers in the bays and blue claws in both.