Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
The one positive thing that came out of the dismal Memorial Day Weekend Washout is that warmer water finally pushed in. And that triggered what everybody was hoping for: a better sea bass bite.
Party boats sailing right after the storm found a bounty of sea bass on the local reefs and wrecks. The warmer water also added life to the fluke fishing and brought more bluefish into the picture.
The beach stripers didn’t go anywhere, and stalwart bass anglers landed fish on clams right through the blow.
And we also had our first bluefin of the season caught, jumbo stripers continue to bite at the Shrewsbury Rocks, and there are weakfish in the rivers.
Best of all, better weather is on the way.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Paramus said the party boats found a lot more sea bass after the storm. Reports have been excellent with loads of limit catches reported. He also had good reports on monster stripers at the Shrewsbury Rocks on eels, and keeper fish on the beach for folks using clams. Rivers and streams went from very low to very high over the weekend, he said, and put a crimp in the trout fishing. With drier weather in the forecast, that should bounce back relatively quickly.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle said the striped bass fishing on live eels on the ocean side has been very good. Jumbos up to 45 inches are being caught. He also reported one of the first bluefin catches of the year when a friend of his aboard the Quick Draw out of Brick sent a photo of the 76-inch, 232-pounder caught on Monday. Sea bass turned on, he added, and the fishing is improving daily. Bluefish are starting to show up, and fluking is definitely improving in the shallows. Carr said that crabs are starting to appear around Keyport, and there are reports of spot in Raritan Bay. Keyport Bait and Tackle just got in a new shipment of sandworms. The shop will also be offering its ultimate Family Crabbing package again this year.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said there wasn’t much fishing going on over the weekend. But once the boats got back out, it was game on for sea bass and giant stripers. He also reported gator blues mixed in with the bass. He heard that another body of stripers has moved into Raritan Bay, so folks might get another shot at bay bass. Fluking in the rivers showed a big improvement over the previous week, he said.
Capt. Harry Browne of Muscles Magoo Charters out of Atlantic Highlands said the fishing for giant stripers on eels was very good before the storm, and he expects it to pick up right where he left off. He’s got open dates and can be contacted through his website.
Joe Julian at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said a group of his friends did well with stripers, from slots to 40 inches, at the tip of Sandy Hook on metal-lip plugs. There are also bass being caught in the Shrewsbury River around the bridges. Julian also reported better fluke fishing with keepers caught in the Navesink River on live killies.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said fluking in the rivers and surf has been on the upswing. Dylan, a Giglio’s regular, weighed in a 4-pound fluke he caught in the wash on a Z-Man Diezel Minnow. Pinto said there are still plenty of stripers in the rivers and off the beach. He also reported a 37-inch bluefish caught in the surf. Giglio’s, he added, now has the TA Hybrid Glide Bait in stock.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said there was a bluefish blitz in the local surf earlier this week, and there are still loads of bass off the beach. Gleason said he had heard rumblings of bluefin starting to show, and now that there are bluefish around, he’s sure the herd can’t be far behind. He thinks we’ll know more with the arrival of the full moon.
Stripers are hitting sand crabs in the surf in Bradley Beach. I’ve picked two in the last week.
Tim Rizzuto at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the sea bass boats out of the Belmar Marina, including the Big Mohawk and Captain Cal II, all reported excellent sea bass fishing. The Mohawk had a boat limit for 28 anglers on Wednesday. Rizzuto said fluking is definitely picking up in the Shark River, and there are some small blues in the river as well.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported a tremendous improvement in the sea bass fishing on Wednesday. Falcone said they had great action all around the boat with some anglers catching double, triple, and quadruple headers. There were plenty of limits and non-stop short action.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar also reported a dramatic change in the sea bass with much better action. There were also plenty of ling in the mix.
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Stanley Gola at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the sea bass fishing just exploded in the last few days, with every boat doing well. Jigs and teasers are outfishing bait by a wide margin, and Gola said sand eels are thick offshore. Fluking picked up in the Manasquan River, he said, and there are bluefish in the river as well. Stripers continue to hit clams on the beach, he added.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said fluking turned on in the Manasquan River, with keepers up to 22 inches being landed. Five-inch jerk shads are a popular choice from the inlet back to the Mantoloking Bridge. Stripers are also hitting soft plastics in that same stretch of the river and back through the Point Pleasant Canal. Tangen said there are weakfish, up to 26 inches, in there as well, going after small plastics. You can also add some small blues to the mix. On the beach, it’s clams during the day and plugs at night for stripers. Warmer water lit a fuse under the sea bass, he said, and he’s expecting to get some good news about tuna fishing very soon.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said big bluefish are being caught from just inside the Manasquan Inlet back to Treasure Island. He also reported good striper fishing in the Bay Head surf on clams. Fluke fishing is definitely improving in the Manasquan River, and he’s even heard of weakfish way back in the river. There’s bunker off the beaches, he added, and he’s got his hopes up for tuna in the very near future.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach said the sea bass are just now biting at the depth they should be at for this time of year. He reported excellent fishing on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Capt. Tom Wolfe of the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach will be making his first sea bass trip of the year this Friday and will be sailing for them every day thereafter.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said the sea bass fishing finally picked up on the local wrecks and reefs, with reports of limits being landed. He’s also getting reports of weakfish in the Manasquan River, and added that fluke fishing is improving with the outgoing tide producing best.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said fishing is good despite the bad weekend weather. Bass were caught in the surf on clams, and small blues were caught in Barnegat Bay. Crabs are becoming more plentiful in the bay as well.
Scott Thomas at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said they had folks fishing through the storm, catching stripers on the beach using clams. Bluefish are in the suds as well, hitting bunker chunks. He also reported keeper weakfish in Barnegat Bay on small plastics, and he got his first reports of spot back in the bay.
Best Bets for the Weekend
If you want a lot of action while filling a cooler with tasty fish, jump on a party boat heading out for sea bass. The fishery kicked into high gear after the storm, with plenty of limits reported. Jigs and teasers are doing the trick.
There are also bass, blues, and some fluke in the surf. Clams and sand bugs will work for the bass, bunker chunks for the blues, and Gulp and bucktails for the fluke.
Fluke fishing also picked up in the rivers and bays. Live killies and Gulp jerk shads are getting results.