Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
In fishing, you have to take the bad with the good. And it was a bad week for tuna anglers.
NOAA shut down the recreational bluefin fishery through the end of the year, announcing quotas had been met. That’s terrible news for tuna anglers and all the businesses that support the fishery.
Other than that, fishing is good. Ocean fluking is holding up, the offshore yellowfin bite is solid and there are tilefish, bonito, mahi-mahi, cobia, Spanish mackerel, stripers and bluefish to be caught.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said it appeared the fluke fishing had slowed down a bit. He went over the weekend to a favorite spot down off Barnegat and couldn’t buy a bite. His crew moved then to deeper water, about 70 feet, and found a lot more life, including a an 8-pounder for Hebert. He’s getting reports of more bonito and Spanish mackerel but hasn’t heard anything about false albacore. Nothing much has changed on the freshwater scene with smallmouth action good in the rivers and lakers down deep in the reservoirs.
Cary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle said crabbing is hot at the Keyport waterfront. Spot, croakers and snappers are also being caught in good numbers right across the street from the shop. Carr wanted to remind everyone that Sept. 13 is Keyport’s free kids Snapper Contest hosted by the Keyport Recreation Committee. Ocean fluking, he said, has been very good from the beach and boat. Shop regular Danny landed a 6½ pounder from the sand. He also reported excellent tilefish and yellowfin fishing offshore. Capt. Fishy and the Quick Draw crew had a boat limit of tiles, a couple of yellowfin and a gaffer mahi.
Paddy Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the ocean fluking has been red hot on rocks, reefs and wrecks. Cobia are also swimming among the bunker pods offshore and there are plenty of sharks around as well. Mahi-mahi fishing is also very good on the inshore pots. Raritan Bay, he added, has spot, croakers and snappers.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said there are a lot of cobia swimming off the beaches. Customer Mark Olivo caught a 50 incher at the Shrewsbury Rocks on a fresh, dead bunker over the weekend. Folks are still catching fluke under the Highlands Bridge and blackfish are hitting green crabs under there as well.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said fluking slowed down there as heavy surf and dirty water made for tough fishing. There are still shorts and a few keepers being caught. He hasn’t seen much in the way of Spanish mackerel or false albacore as yet.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the bluefin closure is a tough pill to swallow just as the 40- to 50- inch fish were coming in closer and in range of the smaller boats. The yellowfin bite has been very good on jigs and poppers but they are about 70 miles out. Boats making the trip are seeing bonito, mahi-mahi and Spanish mackerel. Gleason said the Malosi Studio Lures from Australia should be in the shop by the end of the week.
The fluke bite picked up in the Asbury Park to Bradley Beach surf with the passing of the full moon and the end of the stiff northeast wind. Still not a lot of keepers though. Bunker pods have been off the beach and clouds of birds have been diving on bait.
Jesse Thomas at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said fluking on the party boats slowed up a bit this week, likely due to the full moon and heavy northeast wind. He had better reports from boats down south. The Shark River still has a few keeper fluke but it’s been a lot of shorts lately, he said. Thomas said that Tim Rizzuto from the shop has been catching stripers at night in the river.
Capt. Jay Richardella on Side Job Charters out of Belmar reported excellent yellowfin fishing on Tuesday, trolling about 70 miles out. His crew went 6 for 7 on the tuna. He was out again on Wednesday and put several more yellowfin in the boat. He’s got open dates and can be contacted through his website.
-
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in New Jersey
The party boats out of the Belmar Marina, including the Big Mohawk and Capt. Cal II, reported good fluking this past week.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the fluke fishing has been good in 50- to 60- feet of water with a lot of keepers and fish up to 6½ pounds. He’s also been catching ling, sea bass, bonito and bluefish.
Ted Imfeld at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there’s been a steady yellowfin bite offshore and the mahi-mahi fishing is on fire. The Manasquan River is loaded with bait, Imfeld added, and bass and blues are loading up on it.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said he made an offshore trip on Monday and had a great day catching yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi and golden and blueline tilefish. He was out by the Bacardi and in the Hudson Canyon where the water was clear blue. Ocean fluking is on fire at the Sea Girt Reef, he said, while the bite at the Axel Carlson is hit or miss. The Manasquan River is loaded with snappers and peanut bunker and there are still keeper fluke to be had, he said. There are also bass and blues in the Point Pleasant Canal and blackfish at the Railroad Bridge.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said there is decent striper fishing in the Manasquan River and in the Point Pleasant Canal. The bait in the canal is wall-to-wall and anglers are catching blues and bass on live spot and soft plastics. There are triggerfish and blackfish in the canal as well. Out front, Tangen said there are extra-large bluefish, up to 15 pounds, feeding on all the bunker. Tangen said he went out looking for bluefin on Monday before the closure went into effect but had no luck in the dirty water. But there were loads of small mahi under the pots with some bigger fish in the mix. He had good reports on yellowfin at the Bacardi and southern part of the Chicken Canyon. Ocean fluke fishing was good over the weekend and he said some anglers are catching keepers by anchoring on the edge of a piece and casting around for fish.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the offshore fluking has been very good with the Axel Carlson Reef producing bigger fish than the Sea Girt Reef. Pool winners have been in the 4- to 6-pound range. Wolfe reported good fishing for bluefish on the Friday and Saturday night trips leaving the dock at 7:30. Wolfe also mentioned seeing plenty of cobia cruising along the surface.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported the mahi-mahi bite has been very good at the pots. Giacalone said that despite the painful bluefin closure, there are still yellowfin and bigeye to fish for and the bite has been good in the Hudson Canyon with popping and chunking doing the job. Blackfishing the canal has been good on green crabs and surf is giving up fluke right in the wash.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said beach replenishment, rough seas and dirty water have made for some tough conditions. Surf anglers are still catching a few fluke but not many keepers. There are spot and snappers in Barnegat Bay and the crabbing is good and should get better now that the full moon has passed.
Frankie Z. at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said there are still a lot of fluke in the surf and plenty of sharks at night. Bunker chunks are also working for bluefish off the beach. Ocean fluking is very good, he said, and the crew from Grumpy’s placed second in the Friendly Sons of Shillelagh fluke tournament last Saturday with a 7.1-pounder. Frankie keeps his boat up in the Manasquan River and he said the bait is currently thick in there. He recently found himself surrounded by bass and blues in the river and had them all to himself for about 40 minutes. The shop, he said, has a few limited-edition gold X2 Van Staal reels left in stock.
Best Bets for the Weekend
With the exception of bluefin tuna, there’s plenty to fish for this weekend. Ocean fluking is solid on the reefs and wrecks with a good number of keeper fish reported. Beach fishing has also improved as last week’s rough seas have settled down and the water has cleared up.
Rivers have blues and bass, spot and snappers, and the crabbing is good.
The offshore yellowfin bite is very good, mahi-mahi are on the pots, cobia are swimming with the bunker and there are bonito and Spanish mackerel in the mix.