Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Enjoy what’s left of summer fishing as change is on the way. There are still plenty of fish around, but who knows how long that will last.
Fluke are biting, but starting to move out. Although it’s been a season dominated by shorts, there are still some nice fish to be had. Fluking ends in just about two weeks on Sept. 25.
The southern guests have arrived in good numbers, but all it takes is one good storm to send the bonito, Spanish mackerel, and false albacore scurrying.
We do have the opening of sea bass on Sept.23 to look forward to, with the daily limit going to 10 fish.
But before you know it, the huge amount of bait choking the rivers and bays will soon make its way out into the ocean, and the fall run will commence. Let’s just hope it’s a good one.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Paramus said the small bonito that were so plentiful along the beaches have grown scarce. Bigger ones have replaced them offshore, with false albacore mixed in. Hebert said folks hunting for bluefin are finding them feeding on schools of blues at first light. Once boat traffic picks up, the bite is over. Freshwater fishing continues to improve as the water cools. Largemouth action has been picking up along the edges of local lakes and ponds.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle said spot, short fluke with an occasional keeper, sand sharks, and snappers are all being caught along the Keyport waterfront. Crabbing is still good, he said, and they are getting a few reports of short bass being caught in the bay. On the ocean side, bonito, false albacore, and bluefish are being caught in good numbers. This Saturday is the free Snapper Contest at the Keyport waterfront with prizes awarded to winners in multiple age groups for kids up to 15 years old. Registration opens at 9 a.m., and the contest runs from 10 a.m. until noon.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet reported mostly short fluke in the surf and spot, and croakers at the Keansburg Pier. He’s also had good reports of sheepshead caught farther south on rough bottom.
Capt. Harry Browne of Muscles Magoo Charters out of Atlantic Highlands said he’s catching loads of fluke, but most are shorts. He fished last Friday and had just a handful of keepers out of dozens of fluke. Browne said he has plenty of open dates for black sea bass and striper trips. He can be contacted through the website.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said a lot of big blues, some up to 12 pounds, were caught over the weekend at the tip of Sandy Hook. False albacore were in the mix as well. He also had reports of mahi-mahi in close on the pots. Fluke anglers continue to moan about all the shorts, he said, and there are lots of spot, croakers, and snappers around Raritan Bay.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said false albacore have been in and out of the surf in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach. There have been plenty of reports, but few pictures, he said. Fluking has been slow in the surf, with mostly shorts being caught. He did say there were a few bass in the rivers. The shop, he added, just received deliveries of two new products from Game On Lures, X-Chop Glide Baits and EXO Jigs.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said beach fluking slowed up significantly. He’s not sure as to the cause, as there is plenty of bait around and the water remains warm. Blues in the 2- to 4-pound range have been blitzing the local beaches in the last week on a regular basis. There are also reports of albies around. Tuna fishing, he said, has been inconsistent. Folks are putting in a lot miles chasing bluefin with mixed results, and the yellowfin bite has been even tougher. Gleason said that his final Scabelly Lures delivery of the year is now available online. The lures are fall favorites, including gliders, poppers, and metal-lip swimmers.
Except for a random fish here and there, the small bonito that were a constant presence along the shore in Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, and Bradley Beach have disappeared. Schools of bigger fish, bonito or albies, have been breaking offshore, but out of reach of surfcasters. Fluking in the surf has also cooled off, but I did fish in Spring Lake over the weekend, and my fellow angler, Mark Teti, landed an 18½-incher.
Jesse Thomas at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said there are still plenty of fluke in the Shark River, but most are shorts. Small blowfish are in there, too, biting the tails off everyone’s Gulp. The fluke boats out of the marina are catching some keepers along with the shorts, and Thomas said a pal of his limited out at the Red Church. The Golden Eagle, he added, has been doing well with bluefish, and there are Spanish mackerel and bonito mixed in with the blues.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said his charters have been enjoying good fishing with a mix of fluke, black sea bass, bluefish, and bonito.
Stanley Gola at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there are fluke to be had in the Manasquan River, but as has been the case all season, keepers are hard to come by. The Manasquan and Shark rivers, he said, are absolutely loaded with bait. There are more keepers on the reefs, and Gola reported an 8-pounder caught earlier this week off the Red Church. Tuna fishing, he said, is spotty at best, and tilefishing finally slowed down. On a more positive note, he said there are plenty of false albacore, bonito, and mahi-mahi around.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said things are pretty much the same this week as last, but there is even more bait in the Manasquan River. The river’s surface looks like it’s raining, he said, and he anticipates a feeding frenzy when all the peanuts and rainfish head out the inlet. The Point Pleasant Canal has bass and blues first thing in the morning. There are fluke on the reefs, along with bonito, false albacore, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel. There are also some football bluefin in the mix, Tangen said. The offshore tuna bite has been disappointing, but the truly dedicated are logging lots of miles in search of yellowfin.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said that, in an encouraging sign, he spotted pods of bunker off Asbury Park while bluefishing last Sunday. He also said the Manasquan River was thick with bait. Party boats are catching fluke on the reefs along with some nice sea bass. Flanagan said he’s looking forward to Sept. 23 when the limit goes from 1 to 10 fish. There are plenty of false albacore at the Manasquan Ridge and Seaside Lump and schoolie bluefin are mixed in with schools of albies. Blackfish are biting in the Point Pleasant Canal, Flanagan added, and there are triggers and tog at the Manasquan Inlet.
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Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said he’s finding better life down to the south. He ran the first of three High Roller fluke trips on Wednesday with a mandatory $100 pool. A 5.1-pound fluke took home $3,100. There will be two more High Roller fluke trips on Sept. 16 and 23. Wolfe said last weekend’s bluefish trips were very successful, with fish up to 10 pounds caught mostly on bait.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick reported bonito and blues on the local wrecks and reefs, and the Point Pleasant Canal still has plenty of stripers and blues at night.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait Tackle in Normandy Beach said that folks are catching bonito and fluke in the surf, and a few kingfish have been caught as well. Bass and blues are biting in the Point Pleasant Canal, and some keeper fluke have been landed in upper Barnegat Bay at the mouth of the canal. The bay is loaded with bait, and Kupper said anglers are catching weakfish under the lights on single hooks baited with pieces of spearing.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said anglers are catching fluke and small bonito off the beach. There are also loads of croakers in the surf and there are some stripers as well as one hit a Gulp jerk shad earlier this week. Tog are being caught off the Barnegat Inlet jetties, and the crabbing remains good back in the bay.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Schools of blues, with false albacore and bonito mixed in, can be found along the beaches from Sandy Hook down to Island Beach State Park. Metal and epoxy lures will catch them all if you’re in the right place at the right time.
Boaters are also finding those same species offshore on the wrecks and reefs.
Fluke continue to bite in the surf and on the wrecks and reefs. Better reports have been coming in on the spots south of the Shark River Inlet.