Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Captain Harry Browne of Muscles Magoo Charters (@muscles_magoo) out of Atlantic Highlands reports: “Water temperatures are rising, the bay is heating up. The fish are spread out and you have to put your time in to track them down. You need to change baits often whether it’s soft plastics, glide baits, etc. because the fish aren’t always predictable as to what they want. There are moments when the fishing is outstanding, and then there are times where you’re wondering what you’re doing (or not doing) to get bit. The new moon shows very promising signs of good fishing this week. We have select days available in the upcoming week; reach out to us! We’re ready to fish.”
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Paramus reports: “Raritan Bay is on fire for stripers right now, day and night along the beaches and in the rivers. Swim shads are working great in the rivers and in the bay, and then on the beach, metal lips and live baits are crucial. Blackfish has been slow; with water temps warming up it’s improving, but nothing to talk about. Guys are already getting geared up for sea bass season next month. Also, trout season is in full swing at the moment and the bite is hot.”
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright reports: “Striper fishing has been great since Easter weekend when everything—bait and bass—flooded in. The fish are in the bay and in the river—it’s probably the biggest body of fish I’ve ever seen come into the river at once. The bite was absolutely silly. The fish spread have spread out a bit since, but it’s good, consistent fishing when you’re on them. Happy Shads, paddletails, stick baits, and poppers are all working well.”
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said: “The rivers are still producing bass. Our first wave of fish came in hot, and the main bay has been solid as a result. The open beaches are full of fish too, and there are more bass coming up the coast. Some of the inlets in the area are full of big fish, so we’ll see what this new moon does for the bite locally.”
Willy Abbott of Basslines Sportfishing (@basslines.sportfishing) out of Perth Amboy reports: “The bass fishing this past week has been steady. We have been fishing the flats, where shads and swimming plugs are preforming well for us. Bunker have flooded the bay and are hanging in the channels. With the warm weather and new moon this week, we expect the fishing to get even better.”
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Captain Will Davis of Epic One Charters out of Keansburg said: “There should be very big fish moving in any day now, but the night bite has been solid. This new moon is when things really turn on. I predict that some local bay spots will give up a few giant bass. The bite has been steady on shads and I’m seeing plenty of bunker. That said, the wind keeps changing and the bunker don’t know what to do with themselves; rather than stage in certain spots, they are constantly being blown around the bay.”
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Tim at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar reports: “Blackfish by the inlet is picking up; an 18-inch and 22-inch fish were caught yesterday. Clams and green crabs are the best baits for blackfish right now, but clams seem to be outfishing crabs for the most part. On the party boat side of things, the boats are doing decent on blackfish, and jigs are the preferred choice when they’re in shallow like this. On the bass front, there are plenty of fish in the river and inlet. In the river, heavy shads work best due to the fast current while lighter shads can be used in the inlet. On another note, winter flounder fishing was good for a bit but it appears to be slowing down.”
Sarah Cloos at the Reel Seat in Brielle reports: “The beaches and rivers are on fire with bluefish and bass. The bluefish are a decent size and they just came in this week. There are plenty of 6- to 8-inch bunker around as well, which is the perfect snack for any size bass or blue in the area right now!”
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach reports: “There are bass around the inlets, and the blackfishing is still slow but it’s getting better every day. Shads and topwater plugs are the key for bass in the inlets right now. The fish are happy and sitting mid water column. Fluke opens up at the beginning of May so a lot of people are already looking forward to that.”
Scott Thomas at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park reports: “Bass fishing is heating up in the surf; some guys are even getting them on the fly. The back bay striper fishing has been absolutely epic—the best spring in recent memory. On top of that, the drum fishing is HOT and it’s going to get better; historically, the drum show up in numbers on the mid-April moon. Toss a clam in the bay and hold on tight, because these fish will dump your reel.”
North Jersey Fishing Forecast
Jack here from On The Water! Usually I write the New York report but today, I’m writing the NJ report. I’ve been fishing NJ quite a bit, and this moon has been good to me so far. Two days ago I was tight on a horde of 20- to 25-pound fish in the Raritan that were willing to chew gliders, metal lips, and my new creation, the Surface Freak—an 11-inch topwater lure. On Tuesday, I found these fish nuking bunker on the surface all night in 5 to 10 feet of water. The best part of the night was when I threw my 11-inch Freak, twitched it twice, and began reeling it in straight when a 20-pound fish came up and absolutely smoked it.
This new moon is going to bring in giant fish, no ifs, ands, our buts about it. There are bunker in Raritan Bay, and the water temperatures are climbing every day with this warm front. This is a recipe for the best fishing of the year. With an influx of bunker, don’t be afraid to go HUGE. Pack your largest surface-swimming metal lips, gliders, and soft plastics: it’s giant-hunting time. The night tides will often produce the larger fish. That said, you might have to weed through a few dinks. I expect fish over 30 pounds to invade the usual spots. Make sure your knots are solid, your line is fresh, and your leader strong! It’s go time, people.
If you’re looking for a giant drum, they have just pushed into the bays and giant clam baits are the key. Stick with it, trust the soak, and you’ll be rewarded!