Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Bunker were the big news this week as pods of adult fish stretched from Sandy Hook down to Island Beach State Park. The arrival of all the bait, in a year in which bunker have been scarce, brightened the hearts of anglers hoping for a solid fall.
Now all that has to happen is for more bass to show up.
A big temperature drop expected over the weekend just might be what’s needed to flip the switch on the striper bite.
There are a few bass being caught on live eels offshore, and some taken in the pods live-lining and on shads. Stripers are also hitting plugs and plastics in the surf at night, and in the rivers and up in Raritan Bay.
Sea bass fishing has been a bit of a struggle lately with some days better than others.
Togging, on the other hand, has been good at the inlets and on the wrecks and reefs.
Tuna are still a challenge, but there was word of some bluefin showing up inshore chasing the bunker.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Paramus said the arrival of big bunker has everyone excited. He mentioned that friends of his were bass fishing at the Shrewsbury Rocks on Wednesday and had caught several bass on shads. Hebert said they were dropping them straight to the bottom and making them wobble a bit. He’s had mixed reports on sea bass, but heard of better action on blackfish at the inlets. Fall trout stocking is underway and Hebert said there is plenty of water in the rivers and streams.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said bass were being caught at the Shrewsbury Rocks on Tuesday on live eels and shads. The Tackle Box will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with local vendors, plug builders and special deals.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said eels are accounting for a lot of the bass in the ocean. A buddy of his was bringing a striper to the boat on Monday when a thresher came along and made the bass its lunch. Folks who can get out there are catching tog from the Navy Pier and blackfish are biting at the inlets. He also mentioned a couple of brief bass blitzes on Sandy Hook.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there are acres and acres of bait off the beach there, a mix of bunker and rainfish. Pinto said all he pulled out of it was two small bluefish. He did get a few reports of bass caught off the beach at night. Pinto said that the shop now carries Tactical Angler Glide Baits in ghost white.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the bait is all spread out along the beaches there and there are bass in it up to 20 pounds. One was caught on a legal snag on Wednesday. Gleason said he has high hopes that the expected weather change will kick off the fall run. Tak Waterman has Back Bay Plugs in stock.
The bunker have been thick off the beach in Ocean Grove, Bradley Beach and Asbury Park since Sunday’s storm. I’ve witnessed a few blowups in the bait and the boats have been buzzing in an out of the pods.
Jesse Thomas at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar heard that the bass were in the surf on Tuesday in Monmouth Beach. Thomas said a couple of party boats out of the marina are now targeting stripers. The Golden Eagle will be spending its mornings looking for bass, then going for sea bass if the stripers can’t be found. The Big Mohawk will start striped bass fishing this Sunday. Thomas said the blackfishing has been good at the Shark River Inlet and there have been some stripers in the river.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar reported an excellent day of sea bass fishing on Wednesday not too far from home. There were a number of limits recorded, along with big porgies and several keeper blackfish. Spinelli said he has some open dates in the next several weeks.
Stanley Gola at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there are loads of bunker around and most of the bass being caught are to the north of the Shark River Inlet. Live eels and metal lips are doing the job for the stripers. He did hear of bluefin coming in close to feed on the bunker. Sea bass fishing is just fair, he said, but the blackfishing is excellent.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach also had good reports on tog, from the Manasquan Inlet and the Point Pleasant Canal. Stripers are also biting in the Manasquan River at night under the bridges and by the docks on plugs and soft plastics. Eels are working for bass in the canal. Tangen said the better reports on sea bass have been coming from the Shark River Reef and there are big porgies being caught there as well. Then there is all the bunker around. Tangen said he’s had scattered reports on bluefin feeding on all the bait. He believes the front coming through this weekend will help get things started on the bass front. Tangen added that not much is happening offshore, with the exception of mahi-mahi and a good swordfish bite.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said he heard of a few stripers caught right outside the Manasquan Inlet and the bass fishing in the Point Pleasant Canal is on fire. Live spot are working during the day and it’s eels at night. Togging is also good in the canal and at the Manasquan Inlet. Sea bass fishing is hit or miss, he added. Flanagan didn’t have much to report on tuna except to say the boats out of Montauk are crushing them.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach started targeting stripers this week and put several big fish in the boat on Tuesday, with some in the 30-pound range. Six-inch shads were working the best, Wolfe said. He fished in all the bait and said there were loads of small weakfish along with the bunker. The bite, he added, seemed better when the weakies were present.
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Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported that they are still catching sea bass and porgies, and that bigger porgies are starting to show up. A few more keeper blackfish also came over the rail this past week. Namowitz also reported that stripers started to show up along the beach, but he won’t be sailing open boat for them for a couple of weeks.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said that despite all the bait around, it’s been pretty quiet there this week. A few blues are all that’s been reported along the beach. Stripers are hitting eels in the Point Pleasant Canal and the lagoons in Barnegat Bay are still full of peanut bunker. Kupper added that registration is open for the 15th Annual Surf Turkey Tournament over the Thanksgiving Weekend. Full details are on the shop’s Facebook page.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said the stage is set with all of the bunker around. The bass should be on the move as the temperatures will drop over the weekend. There are some bass being caught off the beach as Jay Drizzle (Jenni Ackerman) got a nice one Wednesday morning. Togging, he added, has been good at the Barnegat Inlet jetties and in the Point Pleasant Canal. Kerico said the shop is fully stocked for the fall run.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Everything is in place to get the fall run off and running.
Bunker pods are stretched out along the coastline from Sandy Hook down to Island Beach Park and bass are busting in the bait in some places.
Much cooler weather is on the way so it’s time to prowl the beaches or hop on a boat and go find some bass. Better reports on stripers are already coming in from the surf at night.
And blackfishing has been good. It’s still a one-fish limit, but there has been plenty of action reported on the reefs and wrecks, at the inlets and in the Point Pleasant Canal.