Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Labor Day Weekend is upon us, but summer fishing shows no signs of slowing down. There is a lot of life around and plenty of species to target.
Fluke are thick on the reefs and wrecks, in the surf and in the rivers. The overwhelming number of shorts has been an issue this season, but there are keepers to be caught if persistence is part of the game plan.
Bonito, blues, Spanish mackerel, and false albacore are all along the beaches and offshore. Epoxy lures and small metals are catching them.
Tuna have been a bit tricky lately, but there are reports of bluefin in mid-shore waters, and mahi-mahi are on the pots.
Plus, there are lots of snappers, spot, croakers and crabs in the bays and rivers.
Alex Bari at Tackle World in Paramus said fluke fishing was good off the boats and in the surf, but that the keeping wasn’t. Shorts continue to dominate the action. He said the shop is selling loads of epoxy lures and small metals to customers chasing plentiful bonito, Spanish mackerel, and false albacore. Largemouth fishing has picked up in the lakes, ponds and reservoirs as the cooler water has put some life into the bite. Bari said Craig Gilmore of Brick, the winner of a tuna trip out of Manasquan Inlet aboard Fish Circus, landed a nice bluefin on Monday’s outing.
Gary Carr at Keyport Bait and Tackle said the fishing along the Keyport waterfront has been very good for spot and croakers on lug worms and fish bites. Snappers are hitting small metals and spearing, and squid and Gulp are working for fluke. Crabbing also remains good. Carr added that he’s getting reports of bigger blues around Sandy Hook, and epoxy jigs are catching bonito off the beaches. Ocean fluking has been good, he said, with a lot of action, but the short-to-keeper ratio is high. Carr wanted to remind everyone that the annual free Snapper Contest will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Keyport waterfront with prizes awarded to winners in multiple age groups for kids up to 15 years old.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the bonito are all over the beaches hitting epoxy and metal lures. Crabbing, he added, is still good in the Navesink River.
Capt. Harry Browne of Muscles Magoo Charters out of Atlantic Highlands said he’s still finding some keepers among the many shorts he’s been catching on his charters. Big dogfish are a bit of a nuisance, he added. He’s got some open dates through the end of fluke season, which is Sept. 25.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said bonito and false albacore are chasing rain bait all along the beaches. Epoxy lures are the top offering. Julian said there are too many short fluke around, but there’s little anyone can do about that. There are still loads of snappers around the docks and piers, and crabbing is still very good in the Navesink River back by Red Bank.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there are plenty of Spanish mackerel, bonito, and false albacore showing up along the beaches from Sandy Hook down to Monmouth Beach. There are also some bass around, as shop regular Bill Bertsch got a 39-incher on a popping plug earlier this week. Crabbing is still good in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, and there are lots of small fluke in the wash. The shop, he added, just received a new shipment of its custom-made hats.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said there are loads of bonito along the beach there, but you have to be quick. They pop up, then disappear in just a few seconds. There are also albies in the mix. The surf is also full of short fluke, he said. Tuna fishing is up and down. There are bluefin around, he said, but not always easy to find. The yellowfin bite is also off and not what you’d expect for this time of year. Gleason said the shop will be getting its final delivery of the year of Scabelly Lures this weekend, just in time for the fall run. The shipment will include gliders, poppers, and metal-lip swimmers.
Small bonito have been popping up off Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, and Bradley Beach chasing rain bait. They’ve been appearing all day, every day for the last week. As I’m not so fleet of foot anymore, I’ve learned to wait for them to come to me.
Jesse Thomas at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the Shark River is loaded with fluke, most of them shorts. He fished two days in a row, caught about 50 each day, and there wasn’t a keeper among them. He did mention there were some keepers caught in the back of the river, by the park. The party boats out of the Belmar Marina, including the Big Mohawk and Ocean Explorer, reported more keepers this past week. The Ocean Explorer landed an 8-pounder. Thomas said the river is full of bait, and bonito, false albacore, and Spanish mackerel have been coming in and out of Shark River Inlet. He also reported a few blackfish caught at the inlet.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the fishing has been good, with an impressive variety of fish coming over the rail this week. There were limit catches of fluke, with fish up to 7 pounds, jumbo sea bass, croakers, weakfish, bonito, and even a tiger shark.
Stanley Gola at the Reel Seat in Brielle said fishing on the local reefs has been good, with Spanish mackerel, false albacore and bonito adding to the fluke action. He added there are loads of mahi-mahi on the pots. Tuna fishing, he said, has been a bit weird, with a sporadic bluefin bite. Yellowfin reports from the canyons have not been encouraging.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said slot-sized stripers and gator blues are biting in the Point Pleasant Canal. Plastics and live spot will work for both. There are tons of short fluke in the Manasquan River with a few keepers mixed in. The Dog Beach has been a good spot. Tangen said the Virginia Wreck has been drawing boaters in search of bluefin, but it’s been a grind. Folks jigging and dead sticking bait have had some success. Boats out looking for tuna are finding plentiful bonito, false albacore, and Spanish mackerel. Tangen said those same species are popping up along the beaches.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said the amount of bait in the Manasquan River is incredible, and there’s a mix of keeper and short fluke. The mix is weighted heavily toward the shorts. He had good reports of bluefish off Asbury Park, and Spanish mackerel, bonito, and false albacore are all mixed in with the blues. The bonito along the beach are pretty small, he said, but ones up to 5 pounds are being caught at the Manasquan Ridge and the Seaside Lumps. He had reports of a few wahoo around as well.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said there is plenty of life around. Fluking on the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs has been good, with the Sea Girt Reef holding the advantage. He also mentioned all the bonito and Spanish mackerel at the reefs. The weekend bluefish trips have been going well at the Shrewsbury Rocks and the Mud Buoy, he added. For the last three Wednesdays of fluke season starting Sept. 9, the Norma K III will run High Roller fluke trips from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a mandatory $100 pool. Check the website for details.
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Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported blues, mahi, and bonito being landed on the local wrecks and reefs. There have also been bonito, fluke, and the occasional striper in the surf. The Point Pleasant Canal still has plenty of stripers and blues at night, he said. The stripers are eating live eels and spot; you just have to get your bait down past the blues if you’reafter bass.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said it’s all short fluke in the surf, but there are plenty of them. There are also fluke, even a few keepers, in the northern part of Barnegat Bay. Live spot and killies are getting the bigger fish. He did hear of a 24-inch fluke caught at the Manasquan Inlet. Barnegat Bay is producing spot, snappers, and blowfish, and there are still crabs to be had.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said fluking in the surf has been good, with a few keepers weighed in this past week. He also reported tons of bonito off the beach. Epoxy lures on light tackle is the way to go for them. There are also loads of croakers in the surf, hitting fish bites. Barnegat Bay, Kerico said, still has crabs, plus blowfish, spot and croakers.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Surf fishing is a good bet for the unofficial end of summer. Fluke are biting in the wash on Gulp and bucktails. There’s plenty of action, if not a lot of keepers, but you never know.There are also kingfish and croakers in the surf on fish bites and sandworms.
Bonito, Spanish mackerel, and false albacore are also popping up off the beaches from Sandy Hook south to Island Beach State Park. Bring light tackle, epoxy lures, and small metals.