Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
After an upwelling caused ocean water temperatures to crash last week and shut down the bite, summer fishing rebounded over the weekend. Fluking bounced back on the offshore wrecks and reefs, in the surf, and in the rivers and bays. Small blues popped up offshore and inshore.
The surf continues to give up stripers on clams and sand fleas, and the bass bite has been good in the Manasquan River.
Croakers and spot are all over Raritan Bay, and crabbing is off to a hot start. We also had the first reports of snappers.
Those anglers making the run down south are catching bluefin along with a few yellowfin. The big question is when the tuna will head our way.
Mark Fuduli at Tackle World in Paramus said the fishing was tough while the water warmed back up. Sea bass, which is now down to a one-fish limit, were hard to come by, with mostly shorts caught. He had good reports on croakers and ling and said the occasional bluefish showed up. Trout fishing has been very good in the local rivers, he added. Anglers fishing drop shot rigs are also doing well with largemouth bass in local ponds and lakes, and night fishing for walleye has been excellent at the reservoirs.
Capt. Dan Mazza of Thin Blue Tide Charters out of Keyport didn’t have any charters this week, but said he took his kids crabbing around there and caught a load of keepers.
Gary Carr of Keyport Bait and Tackle said the fluking picked up in Raritan Bay and out in the ocean. He also reported the arrival of snappers in the bay around Keyport and that crabbing is also very good.
Dan Picciallo at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said there are loads of croakers and spot around the bay and at the Keansburg Pier. Snappers have shown up there as well. Fluke are being caught in the surf at Sandy Hook on Gulp and bucktails, he said, and clams and sand bugs are producing stripers. The Tackle Box now carries a full line of Tempest Rods.
Capt. Harry Browne of Muscles Magoo Charters out of Atlantic Highlands had a quiet week, but 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.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the fluking in the surf is the best thing going on there. The bite is a bit up and down, but there are keepers to be had among the many shorts. He’s been using a light jig head with pearl, and pink shine Gulp jerk shads. Pinto said the shop is expecting a shipment of new, custom-made hats from the Reel Sam, a local small business.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said beach fluking is what’s going on there. On a recent dive, Gleason shot a 25-incher and saw plenty of fish around the rock pile he was on. He also spotted a bunch of stripers up to 30 inches close to the beach. Gleason said the tuna bite is heating up. Soft plastics and poppers are catching schoolie bluefin down to the south. He said a few giants have been spotted among the smaller fish. Tak Waterman has introduced a new board short at the shop, specifically designed for surfers and anglers.
Ospreys seem to be catching the most fluke in the Ocean Grove surf. They’ve been flying overhead with shorts tucked neatly in their talons for the past couple of days. Stripers are right off the beach, eating sand fleas and Calico crabs. “Two-pole” Mike Compoly from Neptune caught a total of eight up to 39 inches earlier this week on Calicos. There are a lot of crabs around the jetties and Compoly, after taking the claws off, has been floating them in the wash.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported good ling fishing on Tuesday with some jumbo sea bass in the mix. There were also a few cod, some whiting, and blackfish that had to go back. Small blues were also caught on jigs.
The Big Mohawk and Captain Cal II, both out of Belmar, reported good fishing as they began their fluke seasons on Wednesday. Capt. Payton Gepp on the Big Mohawk reported covering a lot of ground, catching keepers and shorts on every stop. A 7.2-pound fluke took the pool. Capt. Ron Kisch of the Capt. Cal II also reported making a lot of moves to put the day’s catch together.
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Captain Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the sea bass bite fizzled out for him at the end of the season, and it was a disappointing spring in general. He’s looking forward to getting back on the fluke grounds this week.
Stanley Gola at the Reel Seat in Brielle said the fluke are really starting to bite on the usual spots in the ocean. Fluke are also biting in the Manasquan River, he said, and there are a lot of cocktail blues in there as well. Gola said the tilefishing in the Hudson Canyon is off the charts, and head south if you’re looking for tuna.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said he caught five fluke fishing from the dock there on Wednesday morning, with one keeper in the mix. Gulp pink shine grubs were doing the trick. Outgoing tide is the best, and the river is loaded with spearing, he said. Fluking has also been good back in the bay between Mantoloking and Bay Head. Flanagan said the tuna are slowly creeping northward, and he heard rumors of activity around Little Italy.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said there are loads of stripers in the Manasquan River, hitting cut bait during the day and shads and plugs at night. Fluking remains solid in the river on Gulp and jig heads, and there are lots of summertime blues, small ones hitting metal and Z-Man plastics. The fluke fishing really turned on at the reefs, Tangen said. The Shrewsbury Rocks, the Axel Carlson, and in front of the Red Church have been producing. The tuna, he said, are still pretty far south. Folks making the 70-mile trip are catching schoolie-size bluefin on the troll, on soft plastics, and popping plugs.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the water temperature dropped 14 degrees last Friday, but rose enough over the weekend to get the fluke biting. He had keepers up to 5½ pounds along with some sea bass up to 4 pounds. The Norma K III sails twice a day for fluke at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the fluking off the beach is on the slow side, with the bite coming back slowly from the shock of the cold water. Fishing has been decent north of the Mantoloking Bridge to the entrance of the Point Pleasant Canal. Crabbing, on the other hand, is very good.
Dave Eurell at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said people are still getting stripers in the surf in the morning on clams and plugs. Fluking continues to improve off the beach on Gulp and bucktails, and shark anglers are starting to fish at night. Eurell added that Barnegat Bay lit up with blue claws.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Fluke, that summer favorite, are starting to bite in earnest. The party boats have reported good early-season fishing at the usual spots; the Shrewsbury Rocks, off Long Branch and Elberon, and at the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs. Good reports are also coming from the Navesink, Shrewsbury, Shark, and Manasquan rivers.
Surf anglers are also finding fluke in the wash, but shorts outnumber keepers by a wide margin.
Striped bass are biting off the beach on clams, sand bugs, and Calico crabs.