Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Two hurricanes blew out the opening day of black sea bass season. It was a disappointing development for anglers anxious to catch a fish since fluke season closed. They’ll just have to be patient for a day or so as it looks like the ocean will calm down enough for boats to sail by Friday.
In the meantime, blackfishing has been good at the inlets and off the jetties, and there have been blues and bass on the beaches and in the rivers and bays. The yellowfin bite was also good offshore until conditions deteriorated.
A quick reminder, Friday is the last day to submit comments on Atlantic Striped Bass Draft Addendum III. The addendum proposes new management measures to increase the probability of rebuilding the stock by 2029. Among the proposals are a seasonal shutdown and changes to size limits. Full details are at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s website.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said opening day of sea bass was a flop but he believes the fishing will be good when folks do get a shot at them. He said anglers were having a field day with blackfish on the rocks and reefs before the blow and there were big sea bass in the mix, which makes him think the fishing will be good. Blackfishing has also been good at the inlets, he reported, and bunker and live eels have been catching resident bass in the back of Raritan Bay. Hebert said the lack of rain has made for low river levels so he was unsure of what was going to happen with fall trout stocking.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle said things are pretty much the same along the Keyport waterfront with spot, crabs and snappers being caught. That action is bound to taper off soon with cooler weather on the way. He did say stripers are hitting bunker and live eels around South Amboy.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet reported resident bass are being caught in Raritan Bay and along the beaches, along with big fluke that have to be released. He said there’s plenty of bait in the bay and rivers waiting to fuel the fall run.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said there are bluefish biting outside of the Atlantic Highlands Harbor and stripers hitting live eels under the Highlands Bridge. Blackfish are also biting pretty well along the docks, he added, and anglers running out to the Bacardi were doing well with yellowfin before the blow.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said it’s been a bit quiet there with folks catching bluefish off the beach with an occasional striper in the mix. Anglers drifting sandworms in the rivers are also catching weakfish, Pinto added. Everyone is waiting for the fall fishing to start.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said there are plenty of blues in the surf along with some resident stripers. Find the mullet and you’ll find some fish. The yellowfin bite was good offshore on the chunk, he said, but some were taken on poppers and jigs as well. The ocean will have to calm down a bit before anyone heads out for tuna. There’s a lot of bait back in the rivers, Gleason said, and with cooler weather on the way, he expects things will heat up on the bass front in the next couple of weeks.
Blackfish are biting on sand crabs off the local jetties from Asbury Park through Bradley Beach. There’s plenty of action, just not a lot of keepers.
Tommy Palmisano at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the weather kept all boats in the marina tied up on Wednesday. He expects they will be sailing for sea bass on Friday. He added that there are stripers in the Shark River hitting soft plastics and tog anglers are doing pretty well at the Shark River Inlet.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar was finding bluefish on all of his trips before the weather went south. However, they weren’t always biting, and some days, his anglers had to work for them. The fish ranged in size from 2 to 10 pounds. Last Saturday night’s outing was an exception with plenty of blues caught all around the boat. There were also jumbo sea bass in the mix. The Golden Eagle still has a few open spots for this Sunday’s offshore tuna trip. Check the website for details.
Ted Imfeld at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the yellowfin bite was on at the Bacardi and Texas Tower as the bad weather arrived. He also had good reports from the Hudson Canyon on yellowfin, bigeye and white marlin. There are good-sized mahi-mahi out there, too. There is a lot of blackfish action in the Point Pleasant Canal, he added, and the Manasquan Inlet. Stripers are also biting at night in the Manasquan River.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said the Triple Wrecks and Bacardi were attracting a lot of boats before the storm with some doing better than others on yellowfin. The Hudson Canyon offered longfin, bigeye and mahi-mahi. The Manasquan and Metedeconk rivers are loaded with bait and Flanagan said he heard bass crushing it in the Metedeconk earlier this week in the dark. Blackfishing, he added, has been good in the Point Pleasant Canal and at the Manasquan Inlet.
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Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the yellowfin fishing at the Bacardi has been good, if a bit inconsistent. One day the bite is on and the next the fish are scarce. Anglers armed with a good supply of bait, especially live peanut bunker, seem to have the advantage. He said more bass are showing up in the surf feeding on mullet and there are blues mixed in with them. Striper fishing in the Manasquan River, he said, is solid around the bridges on soft plastics. Bass are also biting in the Point Pleasant Canal on soft plastics and live spot, if you can find them. There’s also really good blackfish action at the Manasquan Inlet and in the canal.
Capt. Tom Wolfe of the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said he’ll be sailing for sea bass on Friday after a few days at the dock. Before the blow, Capt. Wolfe took his crew out to the Hudson Canyon for a tuna trip and landed about a dozen yellowfin and a longfin.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick said the Point Pleasant Canal offers good blackfishing with a few keepers mixed in with the many shorts. There are stripers in the canal as well, hitting live spot and eels. He said there are still some blue claw crabs around the docks.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said stripers are biting on soft plastics in Barnegat Bay behind Island Beach State Park. The same lures are working for stripers in the Toms River. Kupper said sign-ups are open for the 14th Annual Surf Turkey Striped Bass Tournament over the Thanksgiving Weekend.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said the mullet run continues out front and it’s attracting a lot of cocktail blues. There is also a night bite for stripers off the beach. Kerico said the tog bite at Barnegat Inlet has been excellent with a lot of keepers along with the many shorts. There’s still a lot of spot in Barnegat Bay, he added, and while crabbing is slowing down, the blue claws still being caught are all very big.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Calmer weather will finally allow the sea bass boats to sail, likely by Friday. There have been solid reports on sea bass catches leading up to the expanded season so good fishing is expected.
Mullet continue to run along the beaches, attracting blues and striped bass. A walk along the shore with your surf rod in hand might be in order for the weekend.
Blackfishing has also been very good on the wrecks and reefs, off the jetties, at the inlets and in the Point Pleasant Canal. Green crabs and sand bugs will get them biting.
And don’t forget to make your voice heard on Draft Addendum III on Striped Bass Management. The deadline for comments is Friday.