Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Slowly, but surely, the striper bite is picking up. It’s all in the backwaters and far from gangbusters, but the bass are biting. Bloodworms are getting the most attention, but soft plastics and small plugs are pulling some fish.
There have been a few reports of winter flounder as well.
The water remains on the chilly side even though we had balmy weather for most of the week. All the melting snow created a lot of runoff, resulting in dirty water in most rivers.
What we’ve got are the usual early season conditions. Be patient, it isn’t even officially spring yet.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World said bloodworms were doing the job in the Passaic and Hackensack rivers for stripers. He said the river water was very murky due to melting snow. Tackle World will be opening at its new location on Route 17 in Paramus on March 21.
Gary Carr from Keyport Bait and Tackle said stripers are hitting worms, plugs, and soft plastics in the Raritan River from Sayreville back to Edison. Again, it’s mostly on bloodworms, but small plugs are hooking some stripers. One of his regular customers, Danny (@beyondthecastnj), landed a big striper on a Yo-Zuri twitch bait in the back of Raritan Bay earlier this week. Keyport Bait and Tackle is now open Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Carr added that he’s running a special on all in-stock Yo-Zuri lures, buy three and get the fourth for free.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said he’s been getting decent reports on bass on bloods around South Amboy and soft plastics working back in the Raritan River. The Tackle Box will be at the NJ Saltwater Expo in Edison this weekend.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said he heard there were bunker up in Raritan Bay, and there were a few reports of stripers caught up that way. He still hasn’t had any reports of stripers caught in the local rivers. Pinto said he’s expecting a delivery of Alberto Knie glide baits from Tactical Anglers very soon.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the striper fishing has been a grind, north and south. He’s had reports of bass up in the back of Raritan Bay and down in the Toms River and Barnegat Bay, but you have to put in the time. Gleason said they will be heading to the NJ Saltwater Expo in Edison with a new tuna popper developed by Tak Waterman in collaboration with Tuna Junkies. Gleason said there will be a limited number available.
Jesse Thomas at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said it has been quiet there. Half a dozen anglers tried for winter flounder by the L Street Pier over the last few days of warm weather, but there wasn’t a bite. The only bass he heard of were down in Toms River. Most of the party boats out of the Belmar Marina will be starting their seasons around April 1, when blackfish season opens.
Ted Imfeld at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there’s a slow pick of bass down in the Toms River. There are also a few white perch being caught, but that’s about it. Bloodworms are doing the trick for perch and bass, while small paddletails are accounting for some stripers.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said it’s a typical spring fishery with backwaters giving up bass on bloodworms and small plugs and plastics. His favorite for this time of year is the X-Rap SXR-10 jerk bait. Tangen says the twitch-twitch pause action works well as the lure will just hang suspended in the water column. Tangen added that the shop will be holding a seminar on Saturday, March 21, presented by Capt. Jeff Warford of Wolf Pack Tackle on a new ballyhoo rigging system. The party boats out of Point Pleasant Beach, including the Norma K III and Mimi VI, will be starting their seasons on April 1.
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Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick reported that the night striper bite is picking up in Barnegat Bay on bloodworms. Small plugs retrieved slowly are catching a few bass as well.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the bass fishing was pretty good in the Toms River until the nice weather arrived. The action, he said, slowed over the weekend, and remained quiet through Wednesday.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said the striper fishing in Barnegat Bay and Toms River has been decent. Bloodworms are the best bet, he said, and added that the fish are starting to move around. He also had reports of a few winter flounder caught in the bay by the Mantoloking Bridge. Kerico said Grumpy’s is heading up to the NJ Saltwater Expo with a lot of show specials, including deals on Grumpy’s factory rods, tackle, lures, and waders from Frogg Toggs.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The best shot at catching a fish this weekend is targeting stripers in the backwaters of Raritan Bay, in the Toms River, and Barnegat Bay. Bloodworms have been outperforming all other baits, but a small percentage of bass have been caught on plugs and soft plastics.
Or you can get your fishing fix at the NJ Saltwater Expo in Edison, which runs from Friday through Sunday. It’s a weekend of seminars presented by the top anglers around, along with hundreds of exhibitors offering deals on rods, reels, tackle, lures, and anything else you might need or want.