Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Striper fishing is back on track after a slight dip in the action last week. Bass of all sizes are being caught from Raritan Bay down to Island Beach State Park. The ocean, rivers, and bays all hold fish.
This week also saw the arrival of bluefish and the opening of fluke season. The blues popped up alongside the bass while fluking got off to a decent, if unspectacular start. There was also word of weakfish in the Manasquan River.
All in all, fishing is very good. The only downside has been the wind, which has made conditions less than ideal. But it’s nothing anglers aren’t used to this time of year.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Paramus said the stripers are now in plenty of different areas and chewing again after keeping their traps shut around the full moon. Glide baits are the hot lure right now, but Hebert said just about everything seems to be working, including shads, plugs and live bunker. The Sandy Hook beaches and spots all around Raritan Bay are giving up bass. It was a slow opener for fluke, he said, but the Shrewsbury and Manasquan rivers gave up some keepers as did the shallow waters around Coney Island. Trout fishing has been very good in stocked areas, and anglers are pulling largemouth off the beds.
Capt. Willy Abbot of BassLines Sportfishing out of Perth Amboy said wind proved to be a problem lately, but he managed to get out on Sunday morning, catching bass on live bunker in the rivers. The stripers were in shallow water, he added.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle said the striper fishing has been incredible along the Bayshore, with all the regular spots producing. Bloodworms, bunker chunks, and clams are all working. Tides don’t seem to matter, but evenings and cloudy days have the advantage. Saturday, May 16, will be Customer Appreciation Day at Keyport Bait and Tackle. From 10 a.m. to 4 p. m., there will be free barbecue, plug drops from Back Bay and MS Plugs, giveaways, discounts, and more.
Capt. Dan Mazza of Thin Blue Tide Charters out of Keyport reported a pretty steady week with stripers. He said there are loads of bunker around and finding bait hasn’t been a problem. The week’s trips had a nice mix of overs, unders, and slot fish. Mazza suspects bluefish are now in the area, as they experienced several clean break-offs while bringing fish to the boat.
Capt. Harry Browne of Muscles Magoo Charters out of Atlantic Highlands said the bass turned back on and the fish have moved around Raritan Bay. He also reported stripers along Staten Island. Browne said he made his first ocean trip of the season and put his trust in the eel, catching jumbo bass up to 46 inches on live eels on planer boards. Muscles Magoo Charters has open dates and can be contacted through the website.
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Capt. Will Davis of Epic 1 Charters out of Keansburg said the striper fishing has been excellent, adding that the night bite on eels, and live and cut bunker has been very good in the bay and ocean. He fished eels out front last week and landed several giant bass.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said keeper and short fluke are being caught in Raritan Bay by Officers Row and in the local rivers. He also reported big bass hitting eels on planer boards in the ocean. Stripers are in the surf as well, eating clams and chunks.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said fluke fishing started slowly, but some keeper fluke were caught in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. There was also action reported out at the Bug Light. Striped bass are around there as well, and Julian said metal lip swimmers and Mag Darters produced fish off the beaches just south of the shop.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the fishing is as good as it gets. The rivers lit up this week, and big bass are being caught off the beach. SP Minnows, glide baits, Joe Baggs Swarters, and bloodworms were all working. MP Bucktails, Ruthless Tackle 9-inch Candy soft baits and paddletail shads were doing the job in the river. Pinto said they are expecting a shipment of JYG chubby shads any day now. He also reported fluke in the rivers and even a few caught in the surf.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the surf bite is going strong on bottle plugs and glide baits with most bass in the 15- to 18-pound range and some much bigger fish in the mix. Anglers are still getting bass in the local rivers, and Gleason said there were a few fluke taken out of them since opening day. It’s a big week for plug drops at Tak Waterman with the shop receiving shipments from Scabelly Lures and glide baits from Fish Everything and G-Ratt Baits.
Tim Rizzuto at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said fluking was off to a slow start in the Shark River, but he did hear of a few keepers caught up to 24 inches along with lots of shorts. Stripers are biting in the surf on sand worms and clams, he added. As for the party boats out of the marina, Rizzuto said they haven’t been going lately due to the weather.
Stanley Gola at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there are loads of stripers in the river, hitting plugs and soft plastics. There are bass on the beach as well, and from what he’s hearing, its’s strictly a clam bite. He said fluke fishing is off to a good start in the Manasquan River on Gulp, and he added that bluefish have shown up in the river. They’re long, he added, but very skinny.
Jason Szabo at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the river is holding lots of bass. Soft plastics, topwater plugs, and glide baits are all working. He said the stripers range in size from 28 to 42 inches. Fluking in the Manasquan River got off to a slow start, but he did hear of a few keepers caught. There were also a few weakfish reported, hitting Gulp shrimp and jerk shads. The beaches are giving up stripers, too, with bottle plugs, shads, clams, and bunker chunks doing the trick.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said it was a quiet fluke opener from what he heard. There were catches reported of fish up to 20 inches by the mouth of the Point Pleasant Canal. The striper bite is good in the canal at night on live eels, he added.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said he had good reports on fluke fishing from the north end of the Point Pleasant Canal and Manasquan River. Bucktails and Gulp jerk shads, along with killies, are getting the job done. He also had solid reports of stripers on the beaches from Manasquan Inlet down to Island Beach State Park. Clams, bunker chunks, and lures are all working.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach reported good fishing in Barnegat Bay and out front on the beaches. Bass fishing at night under the lights in the bay has been very good with fish around bridges and docks hitting SP Minnows and paddletails. In the surf, stripers are hitting clams and bluefish are eating bunker chunks. Kupper said the first bluefish appeared this week.
David Eurell at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said the striper fishing off the beach there is pretty good on clams, and a few fish have been taken on lures. There are keepers along with some pretty big bass in the mix. Fluking back in the bay was decent with fish up to 23 inches. Gulp, bucktails, and killies caught fish.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Striped bass are everywhere, from Raritan Bay down to Island Beach State Park. Pick your favorite place to fish and take a shot. The beaches have been very productive over the past week, on clams, bunker chunks, and plugs. Bass up to 44 inches have been caught in the suds.
There are also fluke in the rivers, bays, and even the surf. Fishing for them will continue to improve as the water warms. Blues are starting to bite as well.