Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
After a brief weather delay, the fall sea bass season got underway last week with a bang. The fish were hitting bait and jigs on reefs and wrecks, with many limits recorded for boats and individual anglers.
Solid yellowfin action continued unabated with chunking, jigging and popping all catching fish. The Bacardi and Triple Wrecks remain the hot spots.
Folks are picking blues and bass in the surf. Everyone is anxiously awaiting the start of the fall run, and the storm in the forecast for this weekend just may jump-start things. More and larger bass were reported in Raritan Bay this week, and that is definitely a good sign.
Blackfishing has also been very good at the inlets, offshore on the rocks, local jetties, and in the Point Pleasant Canal. Green crabs and sand fleas will do the trick.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the sea bass fishing has been very good, and there have been some nice-sized porgies in the mix. Offshore blackfishing has also picked up, and Hebert said more keepers are being reported. With the big blow on the way and cooler weather in store, Hebert thinks conditions are right to set the fall run in motion. He said freshwater anglers are having fun with largemouth bass in local lakes and ponds.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle said that stripers are showing up from the Amboys down through Keansburg. Fresh bunker and worms seem to be doing the trick. Snappers and spot are still along the waterfront. Out front, he said, sea bass fishing has been very good with big porgies and triggers in the mix. The offshore chunk bite for yellowfin is still hot when a weather window opens up. Shop regular Ron, a.k.a Pep, stopped by with a 40-pounder he caught on Monday aboard a friend’s boat.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said some big bass, up to 50 inches, have been caught in Raritan Bay with eels on planer boards. Bunker chunks are also working for stripers at the Keansburg Pier. Kayakers trolling metal-lip swimmers in the bay are catching some big bass as well. There are all kinds of bait out there, he said. Bottom fishing is also very good, Sciortino added, with sea bass, blackfish and porgies biting.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said the boats are crushing the sea bass at the Sandy Hook Reef. Stripers are under the Highlands Bridge, he added, hitting live spot. There are blues around as well, and the bay and rivers are chock full of bait.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said it’s been a bit slow there with everyone waiting for the bass to show up. There has been an occasional bluefish or bass in the surf. Bill Bertsch caught a 38-inch striper off the beach on a bucktail on Monday. Pinto said the shop is all set for fall fishing with a full-line of ODM Evo X surf rods.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said that a new body of stripers moved into Raritan Bay and folks were getting them on metal-lip swimmers. Gleason said the yellowfin are still in the same place out by the Bacardi, while bluefin have been spotted in shallower water. Bluefin are strictly catch-and- release for now. He’s also had excellent reports on sea bass, hitting jigs and bait.
There’s been loads of bait right in the wash in Ocean Grove for the last week, but there didn’t seem to be anything chasing it. Hopefully, that will change soon.
Johnny O. at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the party boats are reporting a lot of sea bass limits in the past week. Blackfishing has also been very good, not only for the boats, but at the Shark River Inlet. More keepers are showing up, and there is plenty of short action. Bluefish are also popping up at the inlet now and then and along the beaches. He’s also waiting for the winter flounder to show up in the Shark River.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the sea bass fishing is very good with plenty of limits. He thinks it’s as good as the spring fishing, which was outstanding. There have also been some nice jumbo porgies in the mix and keeper blackfish.
Nick Prenderville at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the yellowfin bite is still going off at the Bacardi and there’s a steady pick of mahi-mahi going on as well. He, too, noted the excellent sea bass action and the improving tog bite on the offshore spots. Blackfishing is also good at the Manasquan Inlet.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the local rivers are teeming with life. There are peanuts, spearing and spot. Tangen said the togging is solid with more keepers caught in the Point Pleasant Canal, at the Manasquan Inlet and on offshore spots. Bottom fishing is excellent, he said, with sea bass, porgies and triggerfish. He also heard of a few weakfish landed. It was a good week of yellowfin fishing as well, with more consistent action chunking, jigging and popping. There was even word of a spearfishermen getting in on the action. Tangen said there was an uptick in bass caught on the beach and he believes it’s because more anglers are giving it a try.
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Brian Flanagan at Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said it was quiet there on Wednesday with the wind and rain. But before that, sea bassing was outstanding at the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs. Yellowfin fishing was excellent this week, he added, with the Gambler reporting a very successful offshore trip. Flanagan said there is a ton of bait in the Manasquan River, and stripers are hitting soft plastics at night. Bass are also in the Point Pleasant Canal and the blackfishing in there has been steady.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach also reported excellent sea bass fishing but noted that some spots are already feeling the pressure. But, he added, there are still plenty of fish out there to catch. He’s also sailing for blues, sea bass and porgies on Friday and Saturday nights with a new sailing time of 5 p.m. and returning at 10:30 p.m.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said it’s been a little quiet out front with most of the action in the back in the bay. The Point Pleasant Canal is loaded with blackfish, he said, and there was a 16-inch fish taken out of there earlier in the week. Small pieces of green crab seem to work best. Stripers are also being caught in the canal on live eels, and soft plastics are working for bass behind Island Beach State Park.
David Eurell at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said there are blues eating mullet off the beaches, and bass hitting plugs in the surf at night. Togging is very good, he said, off the Barnegat Inlet jetties and in the canal.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The good news is that the fishing is excellent. The bad news is that the weather doesn’t care. A nasty storm is heading our way, and it will start causing trouble by Saturday.
Sea bass and tuna boats should still be able to sail on Friday while Saturday remains a question mark. Togging at the inlets and in the Point Pleasant Canal has been good and is an option. More keepers are showing up among the shorts.
One upside to the blow coming our way, is that it may light a fire under the fall run.