Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Fishing was excellent until Hurricane Erin crashed the party. High winds and thundering seas have kept boats at the dock since Sunday and the surf is unfishable. What Erin will leave in her wake is the big question.
The fluking was about the best it’s been all season with boats reporting plenty of limit catches and lots of fish in the 4- to 6-pound range. The yellowfin bite was good offshore and Spanish mackerel, bonito, mahi-mahi and false albacore were becoming much more plentiful. Hopefully, the fish haven’t scattered with the wind and waves and we can pick up where we left off. But it will probably be the weekend until things to settle down enough to find out what’s what.
In the meantime, there are still fluke in the rivers and bays along with croakers, spot, snappers and crabs.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said there was not a lot to report since the weekend. Before Erin came knocking the fluke bite was very good with lots action on keepers and shorts. There was a good tuna bite in the canyons as well. When they do sail again, if the fish aren’t where they left them, the boats will have to go on the hunt, Hebert said.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle said they’ve started seeing more fluke show up off the Keyport pier and bulkhead this week. It’s mostly shorts but some keepers have been mixed in. Before the blow, oceanside fluking was on fire, he said. Spot are still around in big numbers with more snappers showing up every day. There are croakers in the mix as well and crabbing continues to be good all along the waterfront. Keyport Bait and Tackle has a special on bunker with five, fresh or frozen, for $5.
Paddy Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said there’s not a lot going on right now but the fluking along the beach was really good before the surf turned angry. There are snappers and croakers in the bay and the crabbing is excellent in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said Capt. Chad Hacker of the Tagged Fish reported getting into loads of Spanish mackerel before the storm arrived. Julian said there were a lot of cocktails blues, croakers, spot and snappers around Raritan Bay.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said it’s been really slow there for the past couple of days with the rough surf. The one bright spot has been crabbing in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. Both, he added, are loaded with bait. Pinto said the shop has a full line of OutCast Lures available ahead of the fall run.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said he had decent reports on yellowfin when the boats could sail and there were a few anglers playing catch and release with bluefin. Gleason sad we’ll have to wait until anglers can sail again to find out the state of the tuna fishery. He did say the rivers have lots of snappers. Beach fluking was very good before the ocean turned wild and hopefully the bite will return when the water calms down. Gleason said the hand-crafted Malosi Studio Lures arrived from Australia and there are still some available at the shop and online.
Tom Palmisano at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said it’s been a bit slow there with the party boats stuck at the dock. The rental boats continue to pick fluke in the Shark River and there have been cocktail blues in the river and at the Shark River Inlet. Anglers are also catching blackfish at the inlet. There have been stripers caught at night in the river as well on soft plastics.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported that on his last trip before the storm, they found bonito and Spanish mackerel. They also caught fluke and jumbo sea bass. Along with the Big Mohawk and Capt. Cal II, the Golden Eagle will be sailing again as soon as Erin exits the area.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the fishing was very good before they were forced to stay at the dock. He was catching lots of keeper fluke, along with bluefish, Spanish mackerel and false albacore.
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Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters reported excellent yellowfin fishing before Erin sidelined the boat at the dock. He was also catching fluke and sea bass on inshore trips. He still has open dates and can be contacted through his website.
Stanley S. at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the yellowfin bite was great at the Bacardi and in the Hudson Canyon pre-Erin and hopefully they are still around. There are big blues in the Point Pleasant Canal, he added, and blackfish at the Manasquan Inlet and in the canal as well.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said Erin has put crimp in the ocean fishing but he’s still hearing good things out of the Manasquan River. Big blues from 10- to 12-pounds were at the inlet and in the Point Pleasant Canal. There were also fluke up to 27 inches caught on live spot in the river. He also had good reports on blackfish at the inlet and in the canal and striper fishing in the river and canal at night has also been productive. He believes it will be the weekend before the boats can get out and there will still be a pretty good heave to deal with then.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the fluke fishing was very good right up until the blow arrived. There were plenty of 5- and 6-pound fluke being caught. Last Saturday’s afternoon trip saw the biggest fluke of the season so far when Steve Boxer landed a 10.12-pounder. Capt. Wolfe hopes to have the Norma K III out again by Saturday.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said it’s been quiet there since the weather went south but prior to that there were yellowfin were 7 to 10 miles east of the Bacardi. The Sea Girt Reef was giving up a lot of nice fluke, cobia were in the bunker pods and mahi-mahi were on the pots. Fluking slowed up in the Manasquan River, he said, but it is loaded with peanuts.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported that the Manasquan River and Barnegat Bay are producing plenty of fluke with good reports around the Mantoloking Bridge and both ends of the Point Pleasant Canal. Blackfishing in the canal has been good though it’s mostly shorts with an occasional keeper. 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 the surf there is pretty much unfishable. There were a lot of fluke off the beach and he just hopes they come back when Erin makes her exit. Crabbing and snapper fishing are very good in Barnegat Bay and there are small stripers to be caught under the lights. And there are bass in in the Toms River as well. Blowfish, he added, have finally showed up in the bay around the BI Buoy.
Scott Thomas at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said they had some welcome southern visitors before Erin’s arrival with several pompano landed from the beach on Gulp and sand fleas. Spanish mackerel also came close to the beach with surfcasters hooking a few. Fluking was also good off the beach and the hope is it bounces back quickly. Thomas mentioned the arrival of blowfish in the bay and the solid crabbing.
Best Bets for the Weekend
With any luck, the ocean will have calmed down enough by the weekend to permit boats to sail. Whether the fish are still around is the big question that won’t be answered until anglers get back out there. The same is true for surfcasters.
Fortunately, rivers and bays are still holding fluke, blues, bass, spot, snappers and crabs.
Blackfish are also being caught at the inlets and in the Point Pleasant Canal and blowfish have finally appeared in Barnegat Bay.