Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Baitfish populations seemed to have exploded this past week. Large amounts of peanut bunker, big spearing, rainfish, small mackerel, and even mullet appeared in the ocean, rivers, and bays.
All this food has fueled the bluefish, bonito, and Spanish mackerel action and added juice to the fluke bite in the rivers and around the jetties.
It’s getting to be that time of year when prey and predators start making a move. Fall is on the way.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Paramus said offshore fluke fishing has been good, especially south of Long Branch. He also received better reports of fluke in the Raritan Bay channels. Bluefish are crashing schools of rainfish off Sandy Hook, he said, early in the morning and later in the afternoon. Bluefin continue to bite in mid-shore waters, but there’s no guarantee as the action has been hit-or-miss.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle reported better offshore fluking. He also reported a growing interest in land-based sharking from his customers, especially the younger ones. Carr said the croaker fishing has slowed down, but there are still loads of snappers and spot around Raritan Bay. He also reported a few weakfish up to 3 pounds were caught. Crabbing is still going strong in the rivers, he added.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said he’s been getting great fluke reports from the Shrewsbury Rocks down to Long Branch. Folks on boats and on the beach arecatching bonito and Spanish mackerel on epoxy lures. There are still stripers around, he added. His son, Paddy, caught a jumbo last Thursday evening. What he used and where he caught it remain a mystery.
Capt. Harry Browne of Muscles Magoo Charters out of Atlantic Highlands reported a productive day of fishing last Saturday, catching approximately 100 fluke off Asbury Park and Long Branch. Only eight turned out to be keepers, but it’s been that kind of season. His crew also caught plenty of blues at the tip of Sandy Hook. Capt. Browne has open dates and can be contacted through his website.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said there are still a lot of fluke in the bay, but they’re mostly shorts. He also reported weakfish hitting small plastics in the Atlantic Highlands Harbor. Bonito and Spanish mackerel are popping up along the beaches, and snappers and spot are in the bay. He’s also hearing about a lot of sharks offshore.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the fluke bite in the surf has been a bit slow, but if you put the time in, you’ll get some keepers. He weighed in a 5-pound, 25-inch fluke for young Jeffrey Guzman caught on Gulp at Sandy Hook. Spanish mackerel, bonito and bluefish have been in and out along the beaches, and crabbing is still good in the rivers. Pinto said the shop just got a new shipment of custom hats and shirts.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said he was amazed at the amount of bait around the jetties. On a recent dive, he said the schools of peanut bunker, rainfish, and spearing were so thick, you couldn’t see through them. And there were loads of fluke hanging around the rockpiles. He shot a 26 incher and his brother got one at 28 inches. He also saw a school of stripers, so they’re still around. All the bait is bringing the blues into the beaches, along with bonito and Spanish mackerel. Gleason said yellowfin have joined bluefin on some of the mid-shore spots, but the tuna are pretty spread out. Jigs have been doing the trick lately.
There’s been a dramatic increase in the amount of bait around the jetties and in the surf in Asbury Park and Bradley Beach. Schools of blues have been popping up just out of reach of surfcasters.
Johnny O. at Fishermen’s Den in Belmar said they’re catching mostly short fluke in the Shark River, but a 28 incher was landed earlier this week. He said the fluke boats out of the marina, including the Big Mohawk and Capt. Cal II, all had a good day on Tuesday. There are blackfish and blues at the Shark River Inlet, and bonito are being caught off the beaches.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported they’ve been catching blues up to 12 pounds every day this week. The only issue was staying with them as the fish would come and go, and the boat would have to find them again. Capt. Falcone also reported a successful Exotics Trip earlier this week, landing mahi-mahi up to 40 pounds and a white marlin that was released. Several tuna were hooked as well but didn’t make it over the rail.
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Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker reported a good weekend of fishing with solid fluking, bluefish between 4 and 6 pounds, sea bass, bonito, Spanish mackerel, and some porgies that had to go back.
Stanley Gola at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there are a lot of fluke offshore, north to south, but you have to weed through a lot of shorts to get the keepers. Gola found a 7-pound keeper that was good for third place in the annual Friendly Sons of the Shilleagh Tournament last weekend. A 7.8-pounder was the winner. There are some keepers in the Manasquan River, he said, and there are blackfish and triggerfish at the inlet. Bonito and Spanish mackerel are popping up offshore, he added, and there’s mahi-mahi on the pots. Tuna fishing is fair.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said he’s been getting good fluke reports from the Manasquan River. There’s loads of peanut bunker in there, from the Point Pleasant Canal out to the Dog Beach. Bass are hitting live peanuts in the canal at night, and weakfish are eating them as well in the river. Spanish mackerel are at the inlet and the jetty pockets on either side. Tangen said the fluke fishing picked up out front on the reefs, with big strip baits accounting for more keepers. Bigger mahi are showing up offshore, he said, and the tuna bite in the canyons is hit-or-miss. Tangen said he expects there will be some wahoo reports in the very near future.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Brielle also had good things to say about fluking in the Manasquan River. It may have something to do with all the bait he’s seeing. There’s peanut bunker, big spearing, small mackerel, and mullet. He’s not exactly sure where the mullet came from, but it’s in the canal. There are also triggerfish, tog, bluefish, and blowfish at the Manasquan Inlet. Offshore fluking is producing more keepers on structure, and there are loads of sea bass around, he said. Folks are having luck with bluefin fishing the lumps with soft plastics like NLBNs. Livelining bluefish and mackerel has been working as well. Tilefishing remains good in the canyons.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the Axel Carlson Reef, which was his go-to spot, suddenly shut down earlier this week. He wasn’t sure what happened but said the very warm water might have had something to do with it. He headed north to bend rods with some keepers mixed in with the shorts. Wolfe said he’s seeing a lot of sharks around, and sea bass are thick at the Klondike. The Norma K III sails Friday and Saturday nights for blues, and he said last weekend’s trips were successful, with fish between 4 and 8 pounds
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the surf is giving up mostly short fluke, with an occasional keeper in the mix. Bonito are popping up along the beach and at the Manasquan Inlet, and snappers, spot and blowfish are biting back in Barnegat Bay. Crabbing back there is still very good.
Bob H. at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said fluking has been hit-or-miss in the surf, but there have been some nice keepers caught. Bonito are popping up off the beach and at the tips of the jetties, and there are loads of sharks around. Barnegat Bay is filled with spot and croakers, and blowfish are biting as well around the BB Buoy.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Finding keeper fluke continues to be an issue, but there are plenty of bites to be had on the wrecks and reefs, in the surf, and in the rivers and bays. Put the time in and eventually there will be a fish for the table. Live peanut bunker, big strip baits and Gulp are all working.
More bonito and Spanish mackerel are showing up off the beaches and at the inlets as the amount of bait around has increased dramatically. Epoxy lures are getting the job done.