There was better news on the striper front this week as the fall run starts to percolate.
Big bass are hitting live eels and metal-lip swimmers at the Shrewsbury Rocks, while plugs and soft plastics are working along the beaches and in the rivers and bays. The bass fishing is far from hot, but it’s moving in the right direction.
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There’s a load of life off the beaches, with thick clouds of gulls diving on shoals of small baitfish. Those big schools of bait, however, didn’t seem to be holding anything larger. There are bunker around, too, as pods of adults and cupcake bunker have been popping up along the coast.
Party boats continue to report decent sea bass fishing, but consistency is an issue, and some days are better than others. And while the limit is still only one fish, the tog bite has been good off the jetties, at the inlets, and in the Point Pleasant Canal. Tuna have been pretty much absent.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Paramus said jumbo stripers on eels and planer boards were the big news this week. He said sea bass fishing is holding up on the offshore reefs, tog are at the inlets, and bluefish and bonito are being caught at the Windmills.
Hebert added there’s plenty of water in the rivers and streams for fall trout stocking, which starts next Tuesday.
Tackle World is holding the Shimano Talavera Virtual Striper Tournament from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. Cash prizes will go to the three longest bass in both the boat and shore divisions, with a top prize of $5,000. Full details are on the Tackle World website.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet also reported big bass on live eels and metal-lips at the Rocks. He said they’re getting stripers in the back of Raritan Bay as well. Sea bassing has been pretty good, he added, and folks are catching some nice tog.
Sciortino said the shop is getting ready to celebrate the Tackle Box’s 50th anniversary on Oct. 17 with local tackle vendors, the pork roll truck, and a special plaque presentation.
Capt. Harry Browne of Muscles Magoo Charters out of Atlantic Highlands has been fishing eels, and he put Joe Ayres on a 47-inch striper last week.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said there are cupcake bunker around, about three-quarters the size of adults. He heard about the big bass offshore and said smaller ones are being caught in Raritan Bay and the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there are bunker off the beach and in the rivers, but it’s been pretty quiet there. He said not many folks are even trying the beaches. They’re waiting by the phone for word of blitzes instead. The bass bite on eels seems to have everyone’s attention. Pinto said the shop just got a big restock of Super Strike lures.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the boat guys are getting the big bass on eels, while surfcasters are getting schoolies on plugs and shads.
He was on the beach in Long Branch on Tuesday and said it looked like Armageddon, with birds diving on bait everywhere. Boats were buzzing in and out of the chaos, but he saw only one eruption of fish, when a school of albies tore into the rainfish (bay anchovies).
Tuna are scarce, he said, and the fishing has been a disappointment. Fingers are crossed that bluefin make some kind of showing before the water turns cold.
Gleason said the shop now carries GW Custom surf rods. Tak Waterman will be getting a plug drop from Personal Best Lures this Saturday and one from Back Bay Plugs any day now.
Birds were working furiously off Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, and Bradley Beach all week. Large, dark patches of bait were clearly visible under the clouds of gulls, and the frenzy stretched from close to the beach to hundreds of yards offshore. Adult bunker were also in the mix, with pods popping up off the Ocean Grove beaches, and lots of peanut bunker were swimming around the jetties.
Jesse Thomas at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the party boats out of the marina, including the Big Mohawk and Capt. Cal II, have been doing well on sea bass when they can sail. Weather has been a problem.
Thomas said the ton of bait that was in the Shark River has finally moved out. Togging has been good at the Shark River Inlet, and a few bass have been picked off the local beaches.
Capt. Steve Spinelli of the Skylarker out of Belmar said he ran a mid-range trip at the start of the week and caught bonito, sea bass, bluefish, porgies, and triggerfish. He has some open dates and can be reached through his website.
Stanley Gola at The Reel Seat in Brielle said the striper fishing is good from Breezy Point to the Shrewsbury Rocks. Most of the fish, he said, are on live eels and metal-lip swimmers. He’s pretty sure bunker spoons would work, but he hasn’t heard of anyone using them. Gola said tuna fishing is pretty much nonexistent. He also heard of lots of spike weakfish (small weakies) being caught off local beaches.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said it’s been a hard season for tuna anglers, but the Voyager came back from an offshore trip Tuesday night with 15 small yellowfin, limits of mahi-mahi, and a couple of swordfish.
Tangen heard all the good reports of bass at the Shrewsbury Rocks, but he’s also heard encouraging words about stripers around the jetties at night, with fish upward of 20 pounds hitting a variety of plugs. The bass fishing has also been good in the Manasquan River on live eels, plugs, and plastics. Sea bass marks have been improving at the Axel Carlson Reef, he said, and blackfishing has been good at the Manasquan Inlet.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said the Point Pleasant Canal has been producing stripers at night on live eels, both for anglers drifting and for those fishing from the bank. Togging has also been good in the canal and along the Manasquan Inlet wall.
He, too, heard about the solid bass bite on eels at the Shrewsbury Rocks and added that weighted sand eels are also working there. Bass are also hitting soft plastics under the bridges in the Manasquan River.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma-K III out of Point Pleasant Beach came up empty in his search for stripers on Wednesday, but he did manage to put some sea bass and porgies in the box by the end of the day.
Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach said the recent weather made for tough fishing, but they had a good day on the sea bass grounds Tuesday, with several limits and plenty of shorts. A big tog also came over the rail last week.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the current hot spot is the Point Pleasant Canal, with good action on bass and blackfish, including one 17-inch tog. He also reported blowfish at the northern entrance to the canal, and several bass have been caught off the beach on paddletails.
Kupper said the shop is getting ready for the 15th Annual Surf Turkey Tournament over Thanksgiving weekend. Check out the shop’s Facebook page for details.
Frankie Z at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said nice tog are being caught from the Barnegat Inlet jetties, and a few bass and bluefish have been caught in the surf. Barnegat Bay has gone quiet, he added, but a few croakers and blowfish are still being caught.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Jumbo stripers are hitting live eels and metal-lip swimmers on the ocean side, and the Shrewsbury Rocks are a hot spot. Blackfishing is also good at the inlets and in the Point Pleasant Canal.
There’s an enormous amount of bait off the beaches and around the jetties. Given the time of year and the cooling water, it’s time to hit the surf and start casting your favorite plugs.