Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
Big bass are still the major attraction, but the bite is not quite as brisk as it was last week.
There’s still a lot of bunker along the beaches; just not as many giant stripers in the pods.
Surfcasters also continue to pick away at the bass, but it’s become a bit tougher for them to find fish as well.
More stripers showed up in Raritan Bay in the last few days with some keepers in the mix.
Unfortunately, there is also a plague of dogfish around. Anglers are having some trouble getting live bunker through the pests.
Tuna fishing has become a bright spot with anglers catching bluefin on poppers, stick baits and on the troll. Giant and recreational size bluefin are busting up bunker pods in close and are being caught in the shipping lanes and the Mud Hole.
Blackfishing has been very good, and is picking up on the wrecks and reefs as the tog make their way out to deeper water. This Monday, Nov. 16, marks the start of the five-fish limit at 15 inches.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Paramus said that most folks are still chasing large stripers with the boats getting the best of the action by far. He mentioned the dogfish problem. Offshore sea bass fishing has also been good for boats making the trip, and bluefin are feasting on all the bunker close to shore. Hebert said water levels in rivers and streams are holding up, making trout anglers happy.
Capt. Dan Mazza of Thin Blue Tide Charters out of Keyport fished Raritan Bay on Saturday with a crew from RSO Nation and did well with slot fish and some jumbos in the mix. There is plenty of bait around with large pods holding good numbers of stripers. Mazza did say the doggies were a pain. RSO Nation is a non-profit organization that provides free or low-cost hunting and fishing trips for veterans, wounded veterans, and first responders.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said bunker and stripers are now all over Raritan Bay. He caught a 54-incher in the bay on a live bunker last Wednesday.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said everyone is chasing big bass right now with some having better luck than others. The dogfish are abundant, he added. Julian has hand-made, legal snag rigs available at the shop. There are some small bass in the rivers, he said, and togging is good at the inlets.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said that there is a mix of adult and peanut bunker from Sandy Hook down through Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach and into Long Branch. The bait shows up every morning and moves south. Pinto said beach fishing is a bit of grind, and you have to do a lot of casting. But when you hook up, it’s almost always a good-size fish. Shop regular Bill Bertsch landed a 49 incher earlier this week on a plug. Fish are being caught on Island X pencil poppers, metal lips, and live-lining, Pinto said. He added there has yet to be a big beach blitz, but his feeling is that it’s going to break open any day now.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said aside from a short blitz at the beginning of the week, the last couple of days have been quiet in the surf as far as bass fishing goes. He did say Raritan Bay is now loaded with adult and peanut bunker. Bluefin action picked up in local waters with Hogy paddle tails and Tak Waterman stick baits catching fish. Togging, he said, has been very good. Gleason said the shop will be getting a big restocking on its waterproof jackets in the next week or so and its new layered jacket will be arriving around the same time.
Bunker schools have been off the beaches from Asbury Park to the Shark River Inlet every day for the last week. Boats have been buzzing around the pods but it’s been difficult to tell if a lot of fish have been caught.
Jesse Thomas at Fishermen’s Den in Belmar said the boats targeting stripers out of the marina continue to catch big bass. Thomas said togging is good at the Shark River Inlet. He said sand bugs are proving to be a more productive bait than green crabs. He added that there have been good catches of winter flounder reported in the Shark River for folks using night crawlers.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported a great day of striper fishing on Wednesday. He did some traveling and ended up finding fish and putting together a nice mix of slot fish and throwbacks, with the majority of the stripers caught keepers.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar reported that after a disappointing day chasing bass on Tuesday, he went offshore on Wednesday and did very well with sea bass and porgies.
Stanley Gola at the Reel Seet in Brielle said the stripers are everywhere from inside Sandy Hook down along the beaches. Gola said the legal snag hooks he makes for the Reel Seat and other bait and tackle shops around the state doing the job for jumbo bass. Gola said blackfishing is excellent on the local reefs and there are bluefin tuna from 50 to 600 pounds in close feeding on bunker.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said if you’re livelining a bunker, expect a dogfish. He said there’s a lot of bunker around, but we could us some more stripers in the mix. The dogfish, he said, are getting a much bigger share of the bait. The striper fishing is hit or miss right now, he said, and he’d like to see an influx of smaller bait to bring in more keeper-size bass. Tangen said bluefin, from recreational size to giants, are being caught in the shipping lanes on poppers and stick baits. Togging is very good at the Manasquan Inlet and on the reefs, he added, and trout fishing is solid in the rivers and streams.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said that it seemed to be mostly a morning bite for bass this week, with the action shutting down not long after the sun was up. There’s plenty of bait around, he said, with a mix of baby and adult bunker. Bluefin were blowing up on bunker at the Mud Hole this week, Flanagan said, and the tuna were caught popping and trolling. He, too, reported good togging, with a friend of his pulling a 5 pounder out of the Point Pleasant Canal.
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Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said he had to cover some ground to find fish on Wednesday, traveling all the way up to Raritan Bay. He said he didn’t see much on the way north, but found keepers and jumbos live-lining and on shads once he got into the bay. Dogfish, he added, were a nuisance.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick reported that the wrecks and reefs have been producing some quality-sized blackfish. The Point Pleasant Canal is also seeing action, with both blackfish and stripers being caught. Eels have been the bait of choice for stripers, while shrimp, green crabs, and sand fleas have been producing blackfish.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said surfcasters are picking at the stripers off in the local surf. The bunker and bass, he said, just seem reluctant to come over the sand bar. Folks fishing the beach, he added, are catching a lot of out-of-season fluke, up to 22 inches, on lures. Kupper said they are ready for the Surf Turkey Striper Tournament taking place on Thanksgiving Weekend. Details are on Charlie’s Facebook page.
Bob H. at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said more peanut bunker are mixed in with the adults and surfcasters are getting their share of bass. Glide baits and live-lining are doing the trick. Blackfishing is steady on the Barnegat Inlet jetties, he added.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Weather will be a factor this weekend as high winds might make it impossible for boats to sail. Heavy rain and wind on Friday will be followed by a stiff northwest wind on Saturday and Sunday.
Conditions may give surfcasters the advantage when it comes to stripers with the wind at their backs.
Blackfishing at the inlets, under the bridges and in the Point Pleasant Canal is a good alternative. Fishing has been very good on green crabs and sand fleas.