Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Not too much has changed since last week. And that’s both good and bad.
Folks are catching fish, but the sense is that fishing should be better by now, with more fluke, bluefish, and tuna being caught. Bait is certainly plentiful. Cold water has to take most of the heat for this situation. But take heart, the ocean temperature jumped about five degrees this past week.
Sea bass fishing remains solid with party boats returning to the docks with coolers full of fish. There are, however, loads of shorts to get through.
Boats targeting stripers are still catching some jumbo bass on eels, but that bite has cooled off a bit.
Fluke fishing has certainly improved, but the bite is not widespread.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Paramus said sea bass fishing is holding up with plenty of action. He did say anglers have to weed through loads of shorts to get to the keepers. The ocean is thick with squid, he added, and several party boats are running night trips so folks can fill their buckets. Eels continue to work for big bass, Hebert said, but that action slowed down this past week. Fluking remains spotty, and everyone is anxious for that fishery to heat up. Hebert said the response to its Virtual Fluke Tournament has been very good. Registration closes this Sunday, June 14, in-store at 7:30 p.m., and online at midnight. The tournament runs from June 15 to Sept 15, with shore and boat divisions. Van Staal reels are the top prizes. Complete tournament details are on the Tackle World website. Ten percent of the $20 entry fee benefits Keep America Fishing.
Capt. Harry Browne of Muscles Magoo Charters out of Atlantic Highlands said he’s still finding big stripers on live eels. He put 13-year-old Lukas Lapitzki on his first striper, a 46-inch jumbo, for his birthday. Muscles Magoo also participated in last Friday’s Manhattan Cup where 49 captains volunteered their boats to take veterans and first responders out for a day of striper fishing. The event produced 69 bass. Capt. Browne will be running special tours of the Tall Ships when they arrive for the Fourth of July. He has several trips planned for July 3, and a 6-hour excursion is available on July 4. Complete details are posted on his website.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said he had received good reports of fluke in the Shrewsbury River and the flats around Leonardo. Gulp and killies are working. Julian said there are some schoolie bass in the Raritan Bay, and blues are popping up in random spots around the bay and on the beach.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the surf is starting to produce some fluke with a few keepers among the shorts. Gulp jerk shads on a light jighead is a good choice. He caught six fish Thursday morning, with two keepers in the mix. The striper bite in the rivers kind of petered out, he said, but there’s a pick of fish on plugs at night off the beach. There have also been a few blues caught from the sand. Pinto said he is expecting the new SP Minnow Longshot in the shop in the next couple of weeks.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch reported seeing a lot of fluke around the local jetties on his last dive. A number of them were keepers, he said. Your chances of catching them will improve if you stay mobile. Gleason said they seem to be constantly on the move. There are stripers in the ocean for the boat folks fishing live eels and trolling plugs. Gleason has heard rumblings of tuna from down south, and he expects the bite to start soon. With all the squid, sand eels, and mackerel around, the buffet is set. The shop, he added, has a few Shimano giant tuna rods on hand.
The striper bite on sand bugs off Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach has been a bit of a struggle so far this season, but I managed to pick two at the end of last week. Tried for fluke as well with no success.
Jesse Thomas at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said that there are enough fish around that everybody is catching. Fluke fishing picked up in the Shark River with some keepers mixed in with the many shorts. One angler landed a 6-pound, 3-ounce fluke at the concrete pier at the marina. Live killies are outfishing Gulp, he said. The party boats out of the marina targeting sea bass are all doing well. Thomas said the Captain Cal II, Ocean Explorer, and the Big Mohawk all reported good fishing. Jigs and teasers have been doing the heavy lifting. Thomas also said there were encouraging reports on fluke from the Klondike, Sea Girt Reef, and Shrewsbury Rocks.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported a solid sea bass day on Tuesday. The boat started off inshore, then headed out to the hills for most of the day. They finished up on a wreck that provided the best action of the day. The trip also produced a nice helping of ling. Jigs worked best, accounting for the majority of the better fish.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the sea bass fishing has been decent. He’s also catching short cod, and is starting to see more porgies and fluke in the mix. He added that they’re catching a lot of nice blackfish that have to go back.
Stanley Gola at the Reel Seat in Brielle said fluking in the Manasquan River has been okay, but it’s very tough in the backwaters of Barnegat Bay. For whatever reason, the bites are just not there, he said. He’s had good reports on sea bass, but has heard nothing on the tuna front.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the fluking is okay in the Manasquan River. The edges along the channels have been productive. Bluefish are biting over by the Dog Beach on metal, and striped bass are all over the river, hitting cut bait, clams, and soft plastics. Stripers are also on the beaches, eating clams and hitting artificials like glide baits and metal lip swimmers. Offshore, the sea bass fishing is decent at the Axel Carlson Reef, the Klondike, and the Farms. He also said more fluke are showing up in those same spots.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported better fluking in the Manasquan River. He picked a couple off the dock there on Wednesday morning on the outgoing tide. He also had good fluke reports from Barnegat Bay just south of the Point Pleasant Canal. Flanagan said sea bass fishing gets better every day, but there are lot of shorts coming up. He hasn’t heard anything about tuna but reported that tile fishing in the Hudson Canyon is very good.
Capt. Tom Wolfe of the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the sea bass fishing has been good, but he’s reading a lot more fish than they are catching. While jigs and teasers were doing most of the catching, Wolfe said Wednesday’s trip saw an even split between jigs and bait doing the job. He also commented that there’s a lot more life moving in closer to shore. Ling and a few pollock are adding to the sea bass catches. He added that folks are catching fluke from the boat before it departs for the day’s fishing.
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Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach said the sea bass bite has been good overall, with a few ups and downs in the mix. Jigs are working best when the sand eels are around, but bait is doing the job when they’re not.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach reported a good weekend of striper fishing on the beach with fresh clams. Kupper said the stripers could be seen swimming right in the cut, and multiple bass were caught up to 36 inches. Blues are being caught off the beach as well, but fluking has been slow, both on the beach and back in the bay.
Frankie Z at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said it’s a mix of bass, blues and drum in the surf there. Fresh and salted clams are working for the stripers while the blues hit bunker chunks and mullet. Fluke and spot are biting in Barnegat Bay. He’s also had good reports on the sea bass fishing on offshore reefs.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Hopping on a party boat for sea bass or heading to the beach for stripers are two good choices for the weekend. The bass bite on clams has been very good, especially on the southern beaches.
Stripers are also hitting plugs off the sand, mainly at night.
Fluking has yet to take off, but warmer water has helped heat up the bite. Keepers and shorts are biting in the rivers on Gulp and killies, and the surf is giving up fish as well on Gulp and light jig heads.