Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
The fall run went ballistic this week.
Big bass crashed bunker pods from Sandy Hook down to Seaside.
Live-lining bunker was the way to go with boat anglers getting most of the action. Surfcasters got a smaller share of fish on live bunker, glide baits and metal-lipped swimmers.
All of the stripers were jumbos, with some fish hitting the 50-inch mark.
One beneficiary of the barrage of bass was the Kids Striper Classic, an annual family fishing event organized by Capt. Rob Radloff and supported by the local fishing community, tackle shops and manufacturers.
Held last Sunday, the KSC saw an impressive number of large bass caught.
Those anglers not chasing stripers did well with blackfish on the wrecks and reefs and at the inlets. Offshore sea bass fishing also picked up, and bluefin tuna showed up to feed on all the bunker around. Fall trout fishing has also been excellent.
Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Paramus said bunker are thick all along the Jersey Shore and he had solid reports of bass off Sandy Hook and Belmar. The Shark River Inlet was a hot spot Tuesday and Wednesday with bass blowing up on bait just inside and outside the inlet. The schools spread out along the beach in Avon as well. Breaching whales added to the spectacle. Not that many people are paying attention with all the stripers around, but Hebert said the trout fishing has been very good since the fall stocking.
Capt. Dan Mazza of Thin Blue Tide Charters out of Keyport fished with the Melendez Family from Scotch Plains in Raritan Bay on Tuesday and put the first-time striper anglers on trophy bass. The party landed stripers to roughly 40 inches and up. Capt. Mazza has some open dates and can be contacted through his website.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said bass and bunker are now in Raritan Bay. Live-lining is catching the vast majority of the fish and Sciortino said legal snags are a must. He also reported surf anglers are catching some monster bass from the beach live-lining.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said there have been numerous reports of bluefin getting in on all the bunker. The tuna are mostly giants, he said. He’s been flooded with all the bass reports and said all the fish are large. For those electing to go togging, Julian said the fishing has been very good on the rough bottom, at the inlets, and around the bridges.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there have been some very nice bass caught from the beaches. Live-lining has been working best, but metal-lipped swimmers and pencil poppers are catching fish as well. Surfcasters are scouting bunker pods as they walk along the beach. Some hold stripers, others don’t. Pinto said the majority of the bass are in excess of 40-plus inches. There is bunker everywhere, he added, and the stripers are pretty spread out.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the bite was very good on Tuesday on the beach with bass up to 30 pounds. He reported loads of bunker in the area. There’s been a pretty good night bite as well with glide baits and metal lips doing the job. Gleason also reported bluefin in the area, and a few boats have been running and gunning for them.
The boats have been stacked up off Asbury Park, Ocean Grove and Bradley Beach for the last several days. The traffic outside the Shark River Inlet on Wednesday morning looked like the Parkway at rush hour. I did watch as a seemingly bass-less bunker pod turned into a boil in a matter of seconds as a school of big stripers pushed the bait onto the beach. Then they disappeared as quickly as they arrived. Always a thrill.
Jesse Thomas at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said it’s been nuts there for the last few days with many bass in the 40-inch range and up caught on the party boats out of the marina. The Golden Eagle and Big Mohawk reported incredible fishing on Tuesday with good, if not quite as spectacular, action on Wednesday. For those not chasing bass, Thomas said, blackfishing is still very good at the inlet.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said he’s been bottom fishing with good catches of sea bass, porgies and keeper blackfish. He’ll be getting in on the striper bite next week and has some open dates.
Ted Imfeld at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there is definitely fun to be had with all the bass around. The bite has been good from Manasquan down to Seaside, he said. He, too, had reports of giant bluefin feeding on all the bunker.
Brian Flanagan at Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said the fall run is in full swing with absolutely insane fishing on Tuesday from Sea Girt down to Manasquan. He fished by himself on his Boston Whaler and caught 10 bass live-lining with the smallest fish measuring 36 inches. There was a load of boat traffic, but the fish were spread out so it was possible to move and find some open water. Flanagan said he had reports of bluefin at the Mud Hole and Monster Ledge. Togging is also good on the local reefs, he added, and at the Manasquan Inlet and the Point Pleasant Canal.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the bass fishing blew wide open on Tuesday and that got everybody’s attention. Again, all the fish were big and live-lining was the way to go. But, he advised, you don’t need loads of bunker and breaking bass to catch fish. Blind casting metal-lips produced fish up to 37 inches for him off the beach this week in spots that showed little visible activity. Tangen said anglers trolling for tuna at the Manasquan Ridge were having some success. There were also tuna caught casting and trolling at the offshore lumps. He also reported sea bass fishing on the offshore spots has been very good. And if you’re looking for something to do other than chase stripers or tuna, Tangen said the trout fishing has been solid since the fall stocking.
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Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the bass fishing for the last few days has been excellent. Live-lining and flutter spoons have been working for his anglers and all the fish have been huge. He’s sailing for stripers every day at 6:30 a.m.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said the striper bite remains good from right outside the Manasquan inlet down to Lavallette. The local wrecks and reefs have been producing nice-size blackfish while the Point Pleasant Canal has blackfish and stripers.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said folks have been catching some large bass live-lining and on big Tsunami shads. Togging remains good, but it seems everyone is focusing on stripers. The 15th Annual Surf Turkey Striper Tournament is set for Thanksgiving Weekend and full details can be found on Charlie’s Facebook Page.
Bob H. at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said the bass have been chewing pretty good for beach and boat anglers. Plugs and live-lining are both working. He said there’s a big body of fish to the north that’s making its way down. There are also tuna popping up pretty tight to the beach.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Striped bass are the best bet for this weekend with huge fish feeding on enormous amounts of bunker stretched all along the coast. The trick is finding bass and bait together.
Live-lining is outfishing everything else, but fish are being caught on glide baits, metal lips and pencil poppers.
And the togging is very good right now.