Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Now it’s a party.
Anglers welcomed bonito and Spanish mackerel to the hot fluke bite as summer fishing went up a notch. Blackfish are also an option as the one-fish season is now open. There are more mahi-mahi around as well as they are on the pots and have been sighted swimming just off the beaches.
Tuna fishing remains solid at mid-shore and offshore spots for bluefin and yellowfin. And there are blues, triggerfish, a few bass and plenty of crabs, croakers, snappers and spot to fill out the list.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the terrific ocean fluking continues. People aboard the party and charter boats are enjoying all the action and have reported fish up to 10 pounds. He also had good reports from his customers on bluefin tuna at Little Italy and yellowfin in the canyons. Things haven’t changed for freshwater anglers with early morning and evening the best times to target largemouth in the lakes, ponds and reservoirs.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle reported that spot, croakers and crabs are the hot commodities along the Keyport waterfront. He added that fluke fishing out front has been on fire for the boat guys this past week. Shane B. of Holmdel dropped a 7.2-pound on the shop’s scale on Wednesday and now leads the monthly contest. Bluefin are coming in closer, he said, and the yellowfin bite at the Bacardi has been red hot. Keyport B&T stocks rigged and unrigged ballyhoo and flats of butterfish and sardines.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said there are tons of short fluke on the beaches with a few keepers in the mix. The bigger fluke are offshore, he said, with some boats heading dozens of miles out to reefs and wrecks for fish up to 8 pounds. Triggerfish and tog are being caught on the reefs along with the fluke. He’s had bluefin reports at about 20 miles out and the mahi-mahi are within the same range. Sciortino said sharks are all over the place.
Joe Julian at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said there are still big fluke being caught under the Highlands Bridge. Bluefin are in pretty close, he said, but the boats he gets regular reports from are down in Maryland for the White Marlin Open this weekend.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said it’s still all about the fluke in the surf there. Folks are catching mostly shorts but keepers are there if you put the time in. He said loads of bunker are finally showing up off the beaches and crabbing is good in the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers. Pinto said the shop has the new ODM Genesis inshore rods in stock.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the offshore jig and popping bite for yellowfin is just phenomenal. Bluefin in a mix of sizes are in closer, he said, and there is a lot of life around. Bluefish, Spanish mackerel and cobia are all in the mix. The rivers are loaded with peanut bunker that seem to get bigger by the day, he added. Snappers are in there as well. Gleason said he’s very excited about the arrival of Malosi Lures in the shop next week. A high-end maker of stickbaits and poppers from Australia, Gleason said Tak Waterman is likely the only dealer in the United States. He also said that Tak Waterman now carries Scabelly Lures.
There are loads of short fluke in the Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach surf and there were several large bunker pods off the beach at the start of the week.
Jesse Thomas at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said fluking slowed up in the Shark River with mostly shorts being caught. There’s a lot of bait in the river, peanuts and spearing, and that’s brought in blues up to three pounds. Thomas said the party and charter boats out of the marina are all doing well fluking with the advantage going to the charter boats as they can get on the smaller pieces. He’s had reports of fluke up to 10 pounds. Thomas also mentioned that killies are still hard to come by.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported excellent bluefishing on Wednesday with bonito and sea bass in the mix. Falcone said the action was nonstop on jigs. The Big Mohawk and Capt. Cal II out of the marina have been enjoying the hot fluke bite but the east wind kept them at the dock on Thursday. Both will be back out on Friday.
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Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said he’s been catching fluke, bluefish, bonito, chub mackerel and sea bass. There’s a load of life just off the beaches, he said. He’s spotted hammerhead and blacktip sharks and giant bluefin tuna.
Capt. Jay Richardella on Side Job Charters got into the bonito big time this week calling it a bonanza. There were also jumbo sea bass coming over the rail. He said there are plenty of open dates for fluke, sea bass, bonito and tuna trips and he can be contacted through his website.
Liam Kelly at the Reel Seat in Brielle said he had excellent reports of yellowfin about 70 to 80 miles out. Bluefin are much closer from five to 20 miles out. Mahi-mahi are also being caught in inshore waters and fluking has been good at the Axel Carlson Reef. There are still some nice fluke in the Manasquan River as well, he added.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach also reported good fluking in the Manasquan River and northern Barnegat Bay on Gulp jerk shads and shrimp. Fluking out front is still very good with the northern end of the Axel Carlson Reef a hot spot. The Sea Girt Reef is also producing some nice fish. Tangen said he was out chasing tuna on Tuesday and saw bunker from out of the Manasquan Inlet stretching all the way to the north. Big blues, bonito, chub and Spanish mackerel were popping up in all the bait. He also came across lots of mahi-mahi close to the shipping lanes that hit the Yo-Zuri Hydro Monster Shot. Bluefin are at the mid-shore lumps hitting jigs and poppers while yellowfin are going after the same baits farther offshore. Tangen also said it’s time to start looking for wahoo.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the ocean fluking has been very good with the daily pool fish averaging between 5- and 6½-pounds. He’s also been catching sea bass and the occasional bluefish and Saturday night’s trip saw a 6-pound mahi come over the rail. The Norma K III sails for fluke twice daily at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Friday and Saturday nights for blues at 7:30 p.m.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said the fluking is still good in the Manasquan River and it is loaded with peanut bunker and spearing. Mahi-mahi are showing up off the beaches with sightings unusually close to shore, he said. They are on the pots as well and there are also a lot of bonito around. Yellowfin are hitting jigs and poppers about 65 miles out at the Bacardi and Triple Wrecks.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick said fluke fishing has been good around the Mantoloking Bridge and at both ends of the Point Pleasant Canal. Fluke anglers fishing the Manasquan Inlet report the bite is much better on the incoming tide. Offshore, Giacalone said the Axel Carlson is producing better than the Sea Girt Reef. Blackfishing in the canal has been good and the shop has green crabs in stock.
Frankie Z at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said fluke are still biting off the beaches on Gulp and bucktails and croakers and kingfish are being caught at the southern end of Island Beach State Park. Tog and triggerfish are being caught off the Barnegat Inlet jetties and some blues and bass are hitting there at first light. Spot and snappers are in Barnegat Bay and Frankie said the bay crabbing has been really good.
Best Bets for the Weekend
There’s plenty to fish for this weekend with fluke leading the parade. The best chance for keepers is on the offshore reefs and wrecks with party and charter boats all reporting good fishing and pool fish averaging between 4 to 6 pounds. There’s plenty of short action as well.
The surf, rivers and bays are still holding plenty of fish, but shorts outnumber keepers by a wide margin. Bonito and Spanish mackerel have also arrived offshore with bonito in bigger numbers.
Tuna fishing is solid with bluefin in close and yellowfin about 70 miles off. Both are hitting jigs and poppers.