Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Striper fishing rebounded strongly following last week’s nor’easter. Boats got on them first last Saturday as the ocean calmed down enough to sail. Mostly jumbo bass hit diamond jigs, shads, and live bunker from Raritan Bay on south. Surfcasters finally got a shot at the bass on Tuesday when vast schools of bait appeared off the beaches. There were peanut, cupcake and adult bunker mixed in with sand eels, spearing, rainfish, and tinker mackerel. Jumbo stripers were in the smorgasbord from Sandy Hook down to Seaside. It wasn’t a full-on blitz by any means as the bass moved in and out of range. Still, bait was blowing up in random spots and, numerous bass in the 30-pound range were landed from the sand.
Bluefin tuna couldn’t ignore all the good eats and have been popping up close to shore.
At the same time, excellent tog fishing continues on the wrecks and reefs, in the Point Pleasant Canal, and at the inlets. Sea bass and porgy fishing is also pretty good, but anglers have to travel farther offshore to get to it.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said he received continuous reports of bait up and down the beaches and the solid striper bite that it generated. He’s also getting good reports on blackfishing. Trout fishing has improved, he added, as water levels in the local streams and rivers have gone up.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle said this week saw some solid striper action in Raritan Bay and in the ocean. The local party and charter boats reported livelining, jigging, and shads produced bass during the day, while eeling was the ticket at night. Boats are also getting bass trolling Mojos and umbrella rigs. He said anglers fishing from land along the bay shore are catching bass on bunker chunks, bloodworms, and eels. Blackfishing has also been excellent, both out front and in the bay with green crabs and sand fleas working.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said there are a lot of stripers being caught at the tip of Sandy Hook on diamond jigs. The bass fishing has also been good on the New York side of Raritan Bay. The party boats out of the Atlantic Highlands Marina have been doing well all week. Blackfishing remains good under the Highlands Bridge, he added, and on the rough stuff in Raritan Bay.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there were acres and acres of bait off the beaches on Tuesday. There was a pick of big fish at North Beach on Sandy Hook down to Long Branch on plugs, shads and diamond jigs. Pinto said the shipment of Invincible Shads he was expecting has arrived.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the bait was all over the beach there on Tuesday. He said it stretched to the north and all the way down to Seaside. The beach bite wasn’t crazy, he said, but there was a pick of fish up to 40 inches. The boat people were getting a majority of the fish on jigs, shads, eels and live bunker. Gleason added that bluefin of all sizes are widespread right now, and a lot of folks are enjoying catch-and-release fishing. He also mentioned that the Kids Striper Classic that took place last Sunday out of Sandy Hook Bay Marina was a huge success with plenty of stripers caught by the youngsters. A 50-incher was the biggest.
The bait was thick off Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach on Tuesday with bass sending it skyward from time to time. There were sand eels and spearing in the wash, and peanuts and adults farther out.
The folks at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the party boats, like the Golden Eagle and Big Mohawk, targeting stripers out of the marina have all been doing well with jigs, shads and livelining. Some days are better than others. While there is no shortage of bait, the bass don’t always want to cooperate. They also reported good blackfishing at the Shark River Inlet on green crabs. Some winter flounder have also been taken back by the L Street Pier.
Capt. Jay Richardella on Side Job Charters out of Belmar said it’s been bassing at its finest. Jigging and trolling are putting bass in the boat for his clients, and he still has some open dates in November.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said it’s been a good bite on diamond jigs and he’s had some keeper fish to go along with all the jumbos they’ve been catching.
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Stanley G. at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the bass bite is insane right now with giant schools of bunker and tinker mackerel off the beaches. He also reported tons of bluefin in close and that the blackfishing is really good. Stanley himself caught and released an 11.4-pounder earlier this week.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said that with all of this bait around, he would have expected to see more bass. In addition to the peanut, cupcake and adult bunker schooled up off the beaches, there are bay anchovies, mackerel, sand eels and spearing in the mix. While there are big bass being caught, they can be finicky. Diamond jigs, Tsunami sand eels and livelining are all working, he said, but the boats are still running around looking for the most productive spots. He, too, mentioned the abundant bluefin and said he’s heard of a few bass anglers getting spooled when a tuna grabs their bunker. The tuna range in size from 50 to 100 inches. The Manasquan River, he added, remains packed with bunker, and that blackfishing is very good at the Manasquan Inlet and in the Point Pleasant Canal.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said the bass bite is very good north and south of the Manasquan Inlet. From what he’s hearing, the bite is on sand eels and bunker, and there is a ton of both around. And all that bait has attracted bluefin tuna in a variety of sizes into shallow water. Flanagan has also had good reports on togging at the Manasquan Inlet, along the inlet wall, and in the Point Pleasant Canal.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said they’ve been enjoying a pretty steady jig bite with some keeper bass mixed in with the jumbos. He’s been finding the bass on bunker and sand eels north and south of the Manasquan Inlet. The Norma K III sails for stripers every day at 6:30 a.m.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said bass are being caught off the beach from Sea Girt to Bay Head. Bunker, sand eels and rainfish are schooled up close to shore, so it’s time to hit the surf.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said there was a mile-long school of bunker off the beach there on Tuesday and it was holding bass. He reported a 47-incher caught on a Tsunami shad. There are numerous keeper tog being caught in the Point Pleasant Canal, and stripers are in the Toms River, hitting soft plastics.
Scott Thomas at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park got a couple of hundred yards off the beach in his kayak on Tuesday morning and caught four big stripers livelining bunker. He, too, reported big schools of bunker all along the beaches. Surfcasters picked fish on plugs, diamond jigs and bunker chunks. Thomas said the tog fishing at the Barnegat Inlet is the best he’s ever seen, with a load of keepers caught and many fish in the 4-to 5-pound range.
Best Bets for the Weekend
It’s definitely striper time with fish for boaters and folks on the beaches. A mix of bait, including bunker, sand eels, rainfish and mackerel now stretches from Sandy Hook down to Island Beach State Park and big bass are on the feed.
Raritan Bay has also been giving up loads of fish, with good reports coming from the New York side.
And tog fishing has been exceptional. Green crabs and sand fleas are catching loads of blackfish, including keepers, on the wrecks and reefs, at the inlets, under bridges, and in the Point Pleasant Canal.