Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
It’s not over, but the fat lady is warming up. Bass continue to be caught off the beach and from the boats, but things are definitely slowing down. Fewer anglers are chasing fish, and many people have hung up their gear for the season.
We’re slipping into winter, and the increasingly chilly weather has become a factor. Boaters are having better luck with stripers as the fish are still on bunker. The trick is finding the bait. Surfcasters are picking at bass along the coast, but there’s no consistency to the action. Anglers on the southern beaches seem to be having most of the luck on shads and sand eel imitations.
Togging is on the upswing, with plenty of action and a decent number of keepers reported.
Bluefin are still around, and the commercial window that opened on Dec. 1 is now closed. There are still a handful of die-hard catch-and-release tuna chasers out there on the hunt.
Offshore sea bass fishing remains excellent with pollock and porgies in the mix.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said blackfishing improved this week on spots to the north of Long Branch. More keepers were reported, including several double-digit fish up to 15 pounds. Striped bass fishing, however, was better to the south with party boats reporting good catches off Seaside. Freshwater anglers, he said, welcomed the colder weather with hopes of ice in the next few weeks.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the boats are still jigging a few small bass, but tog seem to be the top target now. The shop, he said, is all set for its Holiday Bass Bazaar this Saturday and Sunday with sales on gift buckets, jigs, Buff Lures, reels, rods, specials on gift cards, and a visit from Santa.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said it has been a bit quiet, but there are still bass offshore, and still out of reach of surfcasters. He did get word of a blitz down in Point Pleasant Beach earlier this week, and added that the togging is getting better.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said participation has fallen off a cliff with hardly anybody fishing. The truly dedicated are picking a fish here and there, but that’s been about it. The only positive news he had was on blackfishing.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the boat guys are still doing well with stripers. He said the fish were stacked up in spots 100 yards off the beach between the Highlands Bridge and Monmouth Beach, but they weren’t showing. If you weren’t checking your screen, he said, you’d miss them. He, too, commented on the improved blackfishing. Tak Waterman will be stocking new lines of clothing just in time for the holidays.
It’s been quiet along the beach from Asbury Park to Bradley Beach. My daily visits to the surf haven’t yielded a bite all week, and there are no signs of bait around.
Johnny O. at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said all the party boats out of the marina are done with stripers and have switched to blackfish. The weather, he added, hasn’t been a big help lately. He said a few tog are still being caught at the Shark River Inlet.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported an excellent offshore sea bass trip last weekend. The boat landed its sea bass limit with fish up to 7 pounds, with triple and double headers coming over the rail. There were also porgies, bluefish, ling and pollock caught. The Golden Eagle will be sailing for sea bass again this Saturday. Check the website for details.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the tog fishing was very good for him last Friday and Saturday. He also got a boat limit of stripers on Sunday, so the bass are definitely still here. Capt. Spinelli said he had open dates for the second half of December and the first half of January.
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Capt. Payton Gepp on the Big Mohawk out of Belmar reported decent blackfishing over the last week with some nice keepers and lots of short action. The bite hasn’t been easy with anglers having to work for their fish.
Ted Imfeld at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the catch-and-release bluefin anglers were still getting shots at the tuna. There are a lot of bass in the back of Barnegat Bay, he said, hitting small baits. They’re still in the ocean as well, but definitely not as thick as just a few weeks ago. Togging has been good on local wrecks and reefs, and he’s had reports of double-digit fish.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the striper fishing for folks in the boats was excellent last weekend. He reported anglers fishing the ocean with big, 9-inch shads were catching stripers like it was October. The exact location remained confidential. He also reported on the abundance of stripers back in the Manasquan River and Barnegat Bay going after small plugs and plastics. Blackfishing, Tangen said, is excellent, especially down to the south, with a lot of keepers in the 5- to 8-pound range. A 22.8-pound tog was weighed in at Fishermen’s Headquarters on Long Beach Island.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that he and three friends did well togging last Saturday, catching their limits using white legger crabs. Flanagan said they were the preferred bait. The north end of the Axel Carlson, he added, looked to be a favorite spot for blackfish last weekend. Flanagan said there are still stripers around, with most of the better reports coming from down south.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said he found plenty of life on Tuesday’s tog trip with a mix of keepers and shorts coming over the rail. He’s sailing for tog every day from 7:30 a.m.to 2:30 p.m., with a special trip on Wednesdays with a Super $100 pool, departing at 6:30 a.m.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported that the back of the Toms River is producing plenty of bass on the outgoing tide on small artificials. The surf is still hit or miss for stripers, he said, with luck and timing the key factors.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said folks are still picking the occasional striper in the surf, but it has been slow. There are more bass in the Toms River, he said, hitting small baits.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said there are still fish to be had in the surf with sand eel imitations working the best. Kerico said there is still time to sign up for Grumpy’s First Annual Free Catch-and-Release Polar Striper Plunge. Fame and a gift card await the winners. The deadline to enter is Dec. 14, and the tournament runs from Dec. 15 to the end of the month. You must sign up at the store, and this Saturday is the perfect time to visit as it is The Tom Hansen Memorial Christmas at Grumpy’s Fundraiser to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital. There will be photos with Santa, plug raffles, a bake sale, in-store specials, and much more. Check Grumpy’s Facebook page for full details.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Blackfish are the best bet for the weekend as all reports indicate an improvement in the fishing. Jigs on spinning rods are proving more popular than rigs, with white leggers having the advantage over green crabs.
And there are still bass around. Surfcasters are picking fish on shads and sand eel imitations, while big shads and livelining are working for folks in boats.