Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
High winds and rough seas have kept many charters and headboats docked since the weekend, leaving anglers to target fluke, bluefish, tautog, and resident stripers in the rivers and the surf. Thankfully, fluke fishing has held up well enough to be worth the effort, with keepers mixed in among shorts in the suds.
Bluefish are taking metals and fresh or frozen mullet off the beaches as finger mullet begin to pour out of places like the Shark and Manasquan rivers, but most of the striper action has been reserved to the backwaters. Live spot and eels along with swim shads and soft plastics are duping resident bass in hotspots like the Point Pleasant Canal, and in the rivers there have even been some weakfish in the mix.
With the end of fluke season just over a week away, and the fall run slowly but surely picking up steam, surfcasters are hopeful that the hot hardtail action on Long Island will trickle over to New Jersey as north winds turn into east winds heading into the weekend.
Gary Carr of Keyport Bait and Tackle said good fluke fishing continued out front this week. Patrick S. (Tripp) had a bang-up day on the Lil’ Texas out of Keyport with Mike R. (The Gulp Guy) and crew getting their 4-man limit of flatties, along with a couple of tog and a bonito. At the Keyport waterfront, crabbing was a little slow last weekend, and the snapper blues seem to come and go. Spot are still around in good numbers and fluke are being caught here and there. Out at the Mud Hole, there’s some lights-out bluefish action consisting of mostly 3 to 8 pounders with some gators in the mix. They’re also seeing some bass caught in the rivers on eels lately and are hoping more stripers show up locally as cooler nights prevail and lead to more favorable fishing conditions.
Patrick Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet reported that fluke are still chewing on the beaches, but boats fishing the Shrewsbury Rocks and reef sites seem to be doing better when conditions allow them to sail. Snapper blues, he said, are all over the place but they are very small, and fishing for spots and croakers is slowing down. Porgy season has been open for a couple weeks and while some boats are catching them, the bite seems better off Long Island. There are a few resident holdover stripers stirring in the backwaters, but water temps are still in the low 70s, so bass fishing should improve as temps drop into the 60s. Everyone is out looking for albies and bonito from shore, and with great hardtail action off the south shore of Long Island, it’s just a waiting game for the surf crowd. Before the north winds, a lot of boats were running for midshore yellowfin and near-shore mahi were being plucked from pots within 12 miles from shore, and around the new windmill pilings.
Joe Julian at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said there are still some fluke chewing in the surf off Sandy Hook, which is just about the best thing going right now. The river, he added, is loaded with crabs. Some weakfish moved in this week as well, and if you can get enough spot to live line, you have a good chance at catching a couple nice weakies. There are a few stripers being caught locally too, but the fall run is not in full swing yet. The shop has mostly been busy filling orders for butterfish as anglers head out to the canyons to chunk for yellowfin and bigeye tuna.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said fishing is a little on slow side, but early signs of the fall run in motion are promising. There are bluefish of all sizes in the rivers with some striped bass mixed in, meanwhile, anglers fishing the surf are finding some fluke—although the bite was better before the foul weather moved in. There are also scattered bluefish on the beaches, but finding them requires covering ground. Pinto said they are starting to see mullet coming down the beaches, so if you can locate them, the blues shouldn’t be too far behind. For fluke in the surf, Gulp and bucktails continue to produce some nice fish, and if you can get your hands on some live mullet, you’re likely to find a nice mixed bag of fluke, bluefish, and potentially some bass.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said resident bass have shown a willingness to chew in the foul weather this week; bait is loaded in the rivers and the ocean in the form of peanut bunker, which bodes well for the fall run. Fishing for albies was good before the conditions went south, and he’s hopeful that bite will resume in the coming days. In fresh water, largemouth bass fishing has been on fire, so that’s been keeping a fair amount of anglers entertained in the meantime and should hold up until more migratory bass move into the area. Gleason added that the shop just received a new order of Back Bay Plugs, and they’ll go quickly, so swing by and grab a couple while they have them in stock.
Tim Rizzuto at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said there are a lot of blackfish being caught at the inlet despite the wind. People are still buying crabs and they’re catching their 1-fish limits from the rocks. A lot of customers are also buying peanuts and killies to try for fluke in the suds, and while it’s yielding mostly short fish, there are enough keepers around to make it worthwhile. Anglers that are going out to the reef sites when the weather permits are fluking in 100 feet of water or more and have been struggling to catch, and the party boats haven’t sailed in a few days now, so if you’re looking to nab a couple keeper fluke before the season’s end, head to the beaches or the inlet. Small bluefish and bass, he added, are being caught in the surf at sunrise and sunset on minnow plugs, white swim shads, clams, and frozen mullet; there are some mullet in Shark River and by the inlet, which bodes well for the surf crowd. There were also some reports of hardtails being caught on sand up north, he added, but nothing from the inlet or adjacent beaches (yet).
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said fishing was good over the weekend and they had decent numbers of fluke coming over the rail. Their trip on Monday was full of throwback sea bass, along with good numbers of porgies and lots of triggerfish to 5 pounds in the mix. Once the fluke season ends, the skipper is taking a week off before they begin bottom fishing for porgy, blackfish, sea bass, and bluefish on October 1. They’ll begin fishing for striped bass again come November, so head over to their website for rates and info on upcoming trips to get in on the fall bottom fishing action.
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Bill at the Reel Seat in Brielle said anglers heading out to Hudson Canyon on overnight trips were catching big yellowfin around the squid boats after dark. Before the blow, the Bacardi and lumps east of the Triple Wrecks also had some solid action. Inshore fishing has been kind of slow along the beaches as the fluke season winds down, but there are still a few keepers being caught here and there. There are bass in the Manasquan River and the Point Pleasant Canal, he added, and most anglers are live-lining spot at night around the bridges to catch them. Bluefish, he said, are around in force as mullet have just begun to pour out of the Canal and into the inlet over the past couple of days. There has also been some steady bluefish action off Sandy Hook.
Spencer at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said most of the action this week has been from shore and surf fishermen. There are still fluke biting in Manasquan River; the fishing has actually been decent as we approach the end of the season, with shorts and keepers coming from both the river and the beaches. Blues and bass, he said, are also biting in the river and there are some smaller bass active in the Point Pleasant Canal, as well. Small swim shads and soft plastics on jigheads are doing the trick. Blackfishing with green crabs has produced solid results in the Canal too, and it should only get better as fall progresses and water temperatures drop. The big news this week is that mullet have shown in the backwaters, but they have yet to push out into the surf. Once the wind and weather settles down a bit, the mullet should take it as a cue to head out, and he anticipates surfcasting for striped bass will improve as a result.
The Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported that they last sailed on Sunday for fluke and relayed that they found life in some areas while others were completely barren. The skipper said they lost their drift early on and while it made for some challenging fishing, quality fish to nearly 9 pounds came over the rail. The Norma K will continue to sail daily for fluke (when conditions allow) until the end of the season, so give them a ring or check out their Facebook page for available dates and rates.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick reported that the local wrecks and reefs are producing fluke when boats have had a chance to sail, and there are still mahi being caught on the pots off the Axel Carlson Reef. The bay, rivers, and the mouth of the canal are also producing fluke; anglers fishing the inlet and inside Manasquan River have been weeding through short fish to get keepers. There are also reports of fluke and blowfish at the south end of the bay by the BB and BI buoys. The Point Pleasant Canal is giving up stripers and blues around the bridges on live eels and spot, but the blackfish bite has also been very good; short fish are abundant and there are some keepers in the mix. The surf continues to yield decent results for fluke fishermen, with most of the fish hitting jigs right in the wash. Meanwhile, anglers heading offshore reported good numbers of yellowfin and bigeye tuna at Hudson Canyon with more mahi on the pots on the way in from the canyons.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said despite the foul weather, there’s still plenty of good fishing happening locally. Out front, there are bluefish and fluke in the surf, although the fluke on the beaches are mostly shorts. The bluefish are showing a preference for mullet as they start to head out of the backwaters. The surf was pretty rough until today, so the fluke have been feeding right in the wash. Surfcasters are catching them on ball jigs and bucktails tipped with Gulp, with a teaser (also tipped with Gulp) above the main jig. The Manasquan River is still giving up keeper fluke and some bluefish, along with striped bass at night. The Point Pleasant Canal has also been fishing well for stripers and keeper fluke. Bill from the shop caught 21- and 23-inch fluke on south side of the Canal this morning, and even landed a 15-inch pompano out at Island Beach State Park a few days ago. The bay, Kupper said, is full of just about everything—spot, croaker, fluke, snapper and cocktail blues, blackfish, and sea bass—but they’re all small for the most part. If you’re planning to fish the bay this weekend, FishBites or spearing are the go-to baits. It’s a great time of year to bring the young ones out to bend a rod in the bay with some manageable species. Schoolie stripers and weakfish have also been chewing along dock lights at night; pitching 3-inch soft plastics and casting small flies along the shadow lines will do the trick. Crabbing, he added, has been excellent all week. With inshore pelagics around and keeper fluke still staging in the river, the Canal, and near the inlet, this weekend should be an interesting one.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said it’s been pretty quiet locally this week, but the bright spot is that the mullet run is in full force. A lot mullet are pouring out of inlet and have started to hit the beaches, although there are no bass on them just yet. The shop is selling a lot of fresh mullet, but so far, only bluefish to around 3 pounds are taking mullet in the surf when it’s calm enough to fish. However, fluke action remains steady on the beaches; the short-to-keeper ratio is high, but the keepers they’re seeing have been respectable fish.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Weekend weather looks excellent with plenty of sunshine, although we’re in for some easterly winds on Saturday and Sunday. While that’s not exactly ideal for the boat crowd, those east winds could push in some hardtails, giving surfcasters their shots at Spanish mackerel, albies, and bonito. Plus, with mullet exiting the rivers and bays, we can expect steady action from bluefish in the surf to continue; and with cooler overnight temperatures coinciding with the mullet run, there will likely be a noticeable improvement in striped bass action around the inlets and their adjacent beaches. Hit the sand just before first light or after dark to search for stripers and blues following those mullet schools.
The reef and wreck sites had a nice break from fishing pressure since early in the week, and before the stormy weather, there were big porgies and triggerfish caught in addition to some hit-or-miss action for keeper fluke. For anglers looking to stick a few more flatties before the season closes, skip the bay spots and hit the rivers and inlets; there seem to be plenty of 20-inch-plus fluke picking off bait on their way out.