Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Big stripers are here. They’re up in Raritan Bay and out in the ocean. It’s still a pick of smaller fish in the surf, but hopes are high surfcasters will get their shot before too long.
It’s been mostly a sand eel bite with Avas and other sand eel imitations catching the majority of the fish. The action started last Saturday and was solid through the beginning of the week, but slowed down on Wednesday.
Unfortunately, the storm that got the bass biting, pretty much shut down the hot yellowfin action in the Bacardi area. There are evidently loads of bluefin around, however, from 50 inches up to giants. Those fish are strictly for the catch-and-release crowd.
Tog fishing has been a bright spot on the reefs, wrecks and jetties, while sea bass, after a good start to the fall season, has slowed down.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said everyone is talking stripers. He had good reports of bass on sand eels in the ocean hitting Avas. The weekend weather looks favorable and he expects every angler will be chasing bass. The recent rains, Hebert said, did little to bring water levels up in rivers and streams. Still, fall trout stocking went ahead on schedule, so there are trout to be caught.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle reported that stripers are being caught along the beaches of Raritan Bay and up in the rivers. Anglers using bunker, eels and bloodworms are catching fish and the plug guys are starting to get a bigger share of the action. Carr also mentioned the diamond jig bite out in the ocean. Blackfishing in the bay has also been good on rocky bottom using green crabs. Keyport Bait and Tackle has a 24-hour bait and tackle vending machine that is restocked every night for those who can’t wait for the shop to open.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the bass fishing blew up on Saturday in the ocean with big stripers, up to 50 inches, on sand eels. Ava jigs are doing the trick. Eels on planer boards are also scoring jumbos. Sciortino said there are also some big bass in the back of Raritan Bay eating bunker heads. Bottom fishing for porgies, sea bass and tog is decent, he added, but striped bass have everyone’s attention.
Steve G. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said it’s striper time with reports of jumbo bass on sand eels coming into the shop. He hasn’t heard much from the surf as yet. Blackfishing under the Highlands Bridge, he added, has been good on green crabs.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers have been giving up some nice stripers now and then. He’s also had reports of the hot sand eel bite out front. The surf is still just a pick right now, he said, but there is bait in the wash, so fingers are crossed.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the striper fishing is really good for the guys in the boats. Some bass are feeding on bunker and will hit top-water plugs, while other schools are eating sand eels and will go for Avas and other sand eel imitations. The bass are out front and in Raritan Bay, he said. Gleason said there are bluefin tuna offshore from 40 inches to giants, and there are anglers playing catch and release. Tak Waterman will be having a huge sale on Saturday, Nov. 1, that will include plugs, clothing, and tackle and feature the launch of a special craft beer called Fall Run. On Nov. 2, Tak Waterman will be on hand at the Sandy Hook Bay Marina for the Kids Striper Classic. The inaugural event held last year was an enormous success, introducing youngsters to the excitement of striper fishing. For more information and to register, visit www.reeltimeapps.com/live/
Tom Palmisano at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said striped bass fishing is really starting to pick up with good fishing reported in several different areas from Raritan Bay to off the beaches in Long Branch and Deal and into the rivers. He also reported good blackfishing at the Shark River Inlet.
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Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar has been bottom fishing and said it’s been a bit of a grind since the last big blow. He’s been catching a mix of species, including sea bass, porgies, blackfish and bonito. He’ll be switching to stripers, he said, probably by the weekend.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported it was a striped bass bonanza right from the start on Tuesday’s trip with jumbo bass hitting jigs all around the boat. Wednesday’s trip was a different story with fish on the evasive side. Capt. Falcone said they read fish in different locations, but they weren’t biting. They still managed to bring a few big ones over the rail before the end of the day. The Golden Eagle will be sailing every day for stripers.
Sarah Cloos at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the yellowfin bite got blown out by the last storm. Boats that made the trip out looking for tuna took some consolation in the solid tilefish bite. Shop customer Barry sailed on the JMan II and landed a 50-pound golden tilefish. Cloos said they are getting good reports on the sand eel bite and they’ve had word of bass on the beach down at Island Beach State Park.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach found himself in the thick of the striper bite after a sea bass trip to the Shark River Reef last Saturday turned out to be a bust. Flanagan was fishing with his friend, Stan Miszczennski, aboard the Cedar Plug, when they came upon stripers on sand eels from Deal to Asbury Park. All the fish were between 35 to 45 inches. Flanagan said the bass were all over the Tsunami Sand Eels. Striper fishing has also been good in the Point Pleasant Canal on live eels and soft plastics. Togging has been solid in the canal as well and at the Manasquan Inlet.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said yellowfin tuna fishing fell off a cliff after the last blow. But there are bluefin around, from 12 miles out all the way to the Hudson Canyon. The focus now, however, is on stripers. Ocean fishing has been good with bass on bunker and sand eels. All the fish are big, he said, with Raritan Bay holding some triple extra-large specimens. Togging is really good, he said, in the Manasquan River and at the inlet. Sea bassing is so-so on the local spots, but he said boats heading farther offshore are catching a better class of fish.
Capt. Tom Wolfe of the Norma K III reported excellent striper fishing up until Wednesday, when the bass were tough to locate. On Tuesday, the boat was on fish all day long with Avas and shads doing the job. There is a great video on the Norma K III Facebook page of a father and son fighting their stripers together. The Norma K III sails for stripers every day at 6:30 a.m.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said that they are getting good reports of stripers from Raritan Bay down to Long Branch. Hopefully, he said, they will be showing up on local beaches by the weekend. The Point Pleasant Canal is producing a mix of short and keeper blackfish on green crabs.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said folks are picking stripers in the surf. There are bunker off the beaches, but the pods are staying out of reach of surfcasters. Togging at the Barnegat Inlet is hot, he said, and the Point Pleasant Canal is producing keepers. A friend of his pulled a 19-incher from there, and he heard of several other sizable blackfish taken from the canal.
Frankie Z at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said the fall run is starting. Right now, it’s more of a jog as the bite is still gathering steam, but more bass are being caught in the surf, especially at night and early in the morning. SP Minnows and swimming plugs are doing the trick. The Point Pleasant Canal is also giving up stripers on live eels, and there are bluefish to be caught in there as well.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Striped bass will be the target this weekend as reports of big bass on sand eels and bunker have spread among anglers anxiously awaiting the fall run. Boaters will have the advantage as most of the action has been out front within a mile or so of the beach. The stripers could pop anywhere from Sandy Hook on south.
Togging is also a good choice with the inlets, Point Pleasant Canal and jetties along the beaches holding some nice blackfish.