Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Stripers made a move, fluking remains a bit of a grind, and everybody is pumped for Friday’s black sea bass opener. There were also reports of blues around, black drum in the surf, a few weakfish, and blue claw crabs starting to come out of the mud.
Raritan Bay, normally a striper hot spot this time of year, went quiet. Word has it they headed out to the ocean. There were good reports from the beach on plugs and bait, with clams taking credit for most of the fish. Chunks and sand bugs also captured a few bass. Eels are working for jumbo stripers for boaters out front.
Keeper fluke are being caught in the rivers and bays, with even a few landed in the surf. But it’s far from gangbusters. Chilly water is taking the blame. Warmer weather is on the way, so we can expect to see an improvement on the fluke front.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Paramus said everyone is talking about sea bass season opening on Friday. He guesses the fish will still be pretty deep due to the cold water. He had a decent report of stripers in the back of Raritan Bay and the ocean, but not much from the bay itself. Fluking has been a bit of a struggle, but he heard they were biting over by Coney Island and the other side of the Verrazano Bridge. Hebert said Tackle World will celebrate the official Grand Opening of the new store in Paramus this Saturday with special sales, giveaways and raffles. Doors open at 9 a.m.
Capt. Willy Abbot of Basslines Sportfishing out of Perth Amboy said he had a couple of good trips this past week, fishing with live bait in the back of Raritan Bay. There are still loads of bunker around, he added.
Capt. Dan Mazza of Thin Blue Tide Charters out of Keyport reported several good days on the bass grounds this week, but added that the bite in Raritan Bay certainly fell off. Mazza said there is a lot of bunker in the bay, just no fish on them. He said they still caught plenty of bass, and there were slot fish going in the box. Live lining bunker has been his go-to, and they’ve been able to net bait easily every morning.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle said striper fishing slowed down a bit in the bay late in the week. He said there are still fish being caught on bloodworms, bunker, and clams, but it’s not like last week’s crazy bite. He also heard of a few blues and black drum landed. Fluke are being caught on the flats by land and boat, and he expects the fishing to pick up as the water warms. Carr said they will have shucked clams ahead of Friday’s sea bass opener. Keyport Bait and Tackle will hold its Customer Appreciation Day this Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. with a free barbecue, giveaways, kids’ activities, and great deals throughout the shop.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the stripers moved into the ocean from Raritan Bay, and boats were catching a lot of big ones on live eels and planer boards. Sciortino said there are still some bass back in the rivers, and folks are live-lining for stripers on the New York side of the bay. The Tackle Box is getting ready for Bluff Lure Day at the shop on Saturday, May 23.
Capt. Harry Browne of Muscles Magoo Charters out of Atlantic Highlands said he’s been doing well in the ocean, putting his clients on big trophy bass using live eels and planer boards. He said they’ve been putting the time in and getting rewarded. Browne added that he’ll be fishing with Fins for Freedom this Saturday, a non-profit program for veterans and active-duty military personnel that provides an opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of sportfishing. A number of local captains and boats are involved in this week’s event.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there are a lot of bass on the oceanside now being caught on SP Minnows, metal lips, Hydro Minnows, and shads. Fishing has been good during the day and at night. He said there are still bass in the rivers, but it has slowed a bit. Fluke fishing is hit or miss, he said, with fish in the rivers and out front in the wash.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said there’s a good plug bite off the beach. It’s mostly at night, he said, but there have been some nice fish taken during the day. Metal-lips and swim baits are getting the most attention. Fluke are also biting off the beach, and Gleason said there was a 32-incher landed in the surf. The shop, he added, sold out of the Fish Everything Glide Baits but is expecting another shipment very soon.
Johnny O. at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the fluke fishing picked up a bit in the Shark River, mostly on the outgoing tide. Everyone is excited about sea bass opening this Friday. There’s no telling how the fishing will be, but he was a little concerned that the boats fishing for ling weren’t seeing many sea bass as bycatch. The local beaches, he added, are giving up stripers on clams. All of the party boats out of the Belmar Marina, including the Golden Eagle, Big Mohawk, and Captain Cal II, will be sailing for sea bass on Friday.
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Stanley Gola at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the fishing is pretty good, there just doesn’t seem to be a lot of people making the effort. The bass are biting out front, in the Manasquan River, and in the back of Barnegat Bay. Fluking, he said, is a little slow. As for Friday’s opener, he thinks the sea bass will still be pretty deep with the chilly water temperature.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said anglers are finding stripers in the Manasquan River, in the Point Pleasant Canal, and in Barnegat Bay. Bass are also on the local beaches, with clams producing most of the fish. Fluke, he added, are also being caught along the wall at the Manasquan Inlet on spearing and killies.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said fluking has been a bit of a grind in the Manasquan River. Folks are picking fish here and there, and they have had to scale back on their tackle with smaller Gulp offerings, like 5-inch jerk shads, and lighter gear. Weakfish are also being caught in the river. Tangen said Q8 Super Bait shrimp have accounted for a couple of nice ones up to 26 inches. Stripers are in the canal, with fish from 30 inches up to 45 inches hitting plugs and jigs. Bass fishing with plugs has been good on the beaches during low-light hours with most lures working, including SP Minnows, Mag Darters, Spooks, and shads.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said there are plenty of stripers being landed in the surf, with clams the bait of choice. Fluke fishing is decent in Barnegat Bay and the Manasquan River, but a bit tough at times due to chilly water. Outgoing tide is best. Giacalone reported that a 27-inch, 6.8-pound fluke was weighed in at the shop earlier this week.
Bill Martin at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said bass fishing is very good both in Barnegat Bay and off the beach. Bunker chunks, sand bugs, clams, and bloodworms are working in the surf, and bloodworms, plugs, and soft plastics are doing the job in the bay. He also reported cocktail blues back in the bay, and that blue claw crabs are starting to make their way out of the mud.
Bob Hyrszko at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said it has been one of the best springs for beach stripers. That’s good to hear, as the Governor’s Surf Tournament is taking place this Sunday at Island Beach State Park. There are loads of bass in the surf, he said, and clams are catching most of the fish by far. Plugs are picking a few fish as well. There are also some big black drum around. Fluking is picking up in the bay, he said, and there have been some nice ones caught in the surf as well.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The opening of sea bass season on Friday is the highlight of this weekend. We’ll just have to wait and see how the bite is when the boats get out there.
Beach fishing for bass has been steady with bait and artificials, both scoring fish. Clams are the top choice.
Warmer weather is also on the way, and hopefully that will put some juice in the fluke fishing.