New Jersey Fishing Reports

Winds through the weekend and the storm forced sea bass trips to be cancelled Saturday and Sunday with Outcast Charters, Capt. Joe said. More trips will sail Thursday through Sunday, and that includes the opening day of New York’s blackfish season on Thursday. Trips last year picked up decent catches of the tog in the beginning of the season, and although days were sometimes hit or miss, the anglers fished for sea bass when the tog were reluctant to chew, until the blackfishing took over the entire schedule when waters cooled.

Bayonne

With the weekend’s trips weathered out, Capt. Akira from True World Tackle and True World Tackle Charters tried fishing from the mall near the shop that faces the waters on Sunday evening, he said. He landed bluefish on bunker, and also fished lures, but no fish hit the lures. Few people fished from boats in the winds, but when they did get out, they could eel striped bass at usual spots on the Hudson and East rivers, mostly off 23rd Street on the East River, but also at places such as the Verrazano Bridge, buoy 31 and Hells Gate. Patrons on the Brooklyn party boats that sailed for blues also caught false albacore. A friend sailed on a Belmar party boat today for blues, hoped for albies, but landed blues close to shore, before winds caused the trip to return early to port. Sea bass and porgies could be snatched up from the ocean at the Mud Buoy. Weakfishing was slow on the bay, but Akira hopes the fishing will improve.

Atlantic Highlands

Beautiful weather was met on Thursday’s trips, and bottom fishing was a pick, producing a few fish, but not as many as Capt. Tom from the Atlantic Star would like, he said. Trips lately caught mostly porgies, most of them good-sized, with a few shorts. Sea bass, mostly shorts but a few sizeable keepers, also came up, and sometimes anglers brought their own crabs for bait and hooked blackfish, a few around the boat, but the bag limit is only one per angler for now. No triggerfish turned up in the last days. On the trips Thursday, some patrons bagged 12 or 15 fish, and some got a half-dozen, and others boxed three or four. Tom kept the boat docked Friday in forecasts for strong northeast winds. But Saturday’s trips sailed, and he was pleased with the catches. On the afternoon trip sandworms that some anglers brought worked somewhat better for bait than the clams supplied on the boat. Anglers might want to bring sandworms, because the bait can sometimes, not always, have an edge. The fishing was good again on Sunday morning’s trip, and sandworms made no difference. The worms might’ve worked better on Sunday afternoon’s trip, but that was difficult to say. The Atlantic Star is bottom-fishing on two trips daily 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The ride out to the fishing grounds on Saturday was bumpy, but 6- to 10-pound blues, a good catch, were beaten for a couple of hours, Capt. Ron from the Fishermen said in an e-mail that day. The trip ran to the Shrewsbury Rocks to finish out the day, and a handful of blues bit. The forecast for Sunday looked rough with southeast winds and rains when Ron gave the report, but west to northwest winds were predicted to blow afterward, and he hoped that would “cool things off and get us into the October groove!” he said. The trips will switch to striped bass fishing as soon as the linesiders turn on, and will go after other species such as blues and bottom fish until then. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and for blues 3:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Highlands

Striped bass were eeled and wormed at night with Fisher Price Charters, Capt. Derek said. But he wasn’t saying where, and had a spot to himself, was keeping it that way. A bottom-fishing trip on Thursday pummeled a catch of porgies, sea bass, blackfish and a couple of triggerfish. A couple of areas were fished, and they were loaded with life, a ton of action. Plenty of bluefish were around, if anglers wanted to go after them, and false albacore were sometimes mixed in when anglers jigged down the beach. The weather’s been so brutal that Derek might only fish for bluefin tuna by himself instead of on charters whenever a break in the conditions happens now.

Neptune

“Into the fall fishery now,” Capt. Ralph from Last Lady Fishing Charters said in an e-mail. Striped bass began to show up, and blues attacked anything anglers tossed in the waters. Sharks were around, but tuna became elusive, and if tuna appear in any numbers, Ralph will announce a trip for them. Several types of individual-reservation trips are on the books: an offshore cod trip, leaving at 3 a.m. Tuesday, October 13, and the trip should also club big sea bass; an inshore trip for blues, stripers and bottom fish, leaving at 7 a.m. October 14; and blackfish trips that Ralph will attempt to run every time no charter is booked, starting on Monday, November 16, when one of the trips will definitely sail. The bag limit on that day gets increased to six of the tog from the current limit of one. Individual-reservation trips for tog are also scheduled for Tuesday, November 24, and Friday, November 27.

Belmar

Solid catches of bluefish, 10- to 12-pounders with much larger pool-winners, were pounded, great fishing on both day and night trips, said Capt. Greg from the Golden Eagle in an e-mail. False albacore also showed up, and a few more striped bass than before popped up, and striper fishing should improve as waters cool. “Plenty of excellent fishing left this fall,” he said. The Golden Eagle is bluefishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily. Tuna fishing was challenging at the canyons between the weather and slow catches. No tuna were landed on a 36-hour Iron Man Trip to the canyons Monday to Wednesday, but plenty of mahi mahi and some tilefish were boated. The trip began fishing at one of the southern canyons that showed promise, with bait in the waters, the right water temps and tuna readings. But the area looked bleak by the morning, and the boat was steamed to the east wall of Hudson Canyon. The vessel was drifted for tuna and tiles, and tiles and sizeable mahi were caught. Next the trip drifted at Jones Canyon, but no fish turned up. The vessel was run back to the Hudson and anchored for the night, but nothing was doing. “Three canyons in one trip and no bite for the fleet to speak of,” he said. “The tuna bite was not on this week.” See the boat’s Web site for the tuna schedule.

Brielle

Boaters in the ocean jigged blues and false albacore when the weather was calm enough for them to go, said John from The Reel Seat. They sometimes ran across weakfish and striped bass, and surf casters also fought blues, false albacore and a few stripers. Fishing on Manasquan River was sporadic because of runoff from rains. John fished the river Thursday morning, scoring only one bite, a bluefish chomp that cut his rubber bait in two. But previously the river’s anglers tangled with blues, stripers and a handful of weakfish. Tog were supposedly clobbered at the Point Pleasant Canal. Catch the shop’s Columbus Day Weekend Sale featuring discounts on select inshore and offshore tackle.

All trips were forced to stay docked on the Big Kid during the weather in the past days, Capt. Ken said. But he hopes upcoming charters will sail that are slated to chunk and troll for tuna and big game overnight at the canyons Friday to Saturday, fish for bluefin tuna on the inshore ocean on Sunday and sail for sea bass Monday and Tuesday. Another captain who runs the boat battled giant bluefin tuna in Massachusetts, and the year’s been great for the fishing.

On the Jamaica anglers banged out bluefin tuna, skipjacks and false albacore on the inshore ocean on Saturday, an e-mail from the boat said. Two more of the trips, fishing 25 to 50 miles from the coast, were added to the slate for 3 a.m. Wednesday, October 7, and Thursday October 15. Forecasts looked perfect for a Tuna/Tilefish/Mahi Mahi Trip at 7 a.m. Thursday, and canyon tuna trips will run at 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lots of tilefish were boated on a recent trip, and more than 20 yellowfin tuna were iced on the last canyon tuna trip, both covered in the last report. Space is available on all the trips, and visit the Jamaica’s Web site for the full schedule and to be added to the e-mail list for special trips.

Point Pleasant

Tuna fishing got weathered out on the Gambler through the weekend, Capt. Bob said. The last trip, sailing the previous weekend, was good, rounding up about 15 yellowfin tuna 20 to 30 pounds for 20 anglers. The patrons hooked but lost as many, and all the fish were jigged, mostly at night. When the sun came up, some of the customers deep-dropped for tilefish, scoring well. Then the boat was trolled a little with no luck. But afterward it was stopped at lobster pots, and the anglers decked good-sized mahi mahi. Tuna trips are sailing to the canyons through October, and visit the Gambler’s Web site for reservation info. Trips are fishing for bonito, mahi mahi and false albacore 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday, no reservations required. A Columbus Day Cod Trip will run 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, October 12, limited to 30 passengers, and call to reserve.

Large swells on the ocean on Saturday made jigging for blues and false albacore challenging on the boat, an e-mail from the Cock Robin said. So patrons saw mixed results, but those who were able to deal with the swell hooked the fish. The boat stayed tied to the dock in Sunday’s forecasts, but reports about catches were positive from boats that did sail Saturday night through Sunday, and the outlook for the week ahead looked bright. Trips are fishing for blues 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. The season’s second trip for false albacore and bonito will run Wednesday, and the first trip, fishing last Wednesday, was a success, nailing mostly albies, but bonito made an appearance. On Thursday trips, customers can help donate fish to Joan Valentine House, providing meals to people. Starting in October, the crew will accept donations of canned goods and non-perishable items for St. Gregory’s Pantry in Point Pleasant. Captain Jim’s Camp Cock Robin for kids, limited to 12 anglers, featuring a dedicated mate for the youngsters, is under way every holiday.

Seaside

After a few more surf casters fished on Friday, landing a few more fish, anglers were scarce through the weekend, the report on Grumpy’s Tackle’s Web site said. That was apparently because of stiff seas and weather. Seas were even up on Friday, and 8- to 10-ounces of weight was needed to hold bottom in the suds. But widely scattered, short striped bass were clammed or grabbed on small plugs on Friday, and blues, also scattered, were pilfered mostly on bunker, some on mullet, that day. A 12.2-pound blue and a 9.5-pounder were weighed in from those catches. <a href="http://www.grumpystackle.com/fishingreports/" target="_blank"> Click here</a> for updates.

Barnegat Light

Before northeast winds started cranking on Friday, an open-boat trip on Thursday fished with Reel Fantasea Charters with three anglers, Capt. Steve said in an e-mail. They began at Barnegat Inlet, where fish including triggerfish, blackfish, porgies and blues could be caught, finding calm seas and an “even calmer bite,” Steve said. They moved to an ocean wreck, copping drop-and-reel fishing for sea bass stacked thick from 15 to 20 off the bottom. One in 10 or 15 was a keeper, so the anglers had to work and be patient to bag legal fish. The baits could hardly get to the bottom without a bite in a second or two. Schools of false albacore began to chase bait all around the boat, and chumming with live peanut bunker kept them around long enough for one of the anglers to land one on a pitched peanut. A few albies were also missed, and the peanuts ran out, so the boat was trolled to try to hook more. Solid action was expected, but the albies ignored the spread. The anglers ended the day by catching triggers, blackfish, porgies and blues at the inlet. On Friday, the northeast winds created tough fishing conditions, and catching anything was difficult on a trip that sailed. But fall fishing is under way, Steve said, and anglers can hook up with blues, striped bass, albies and fantastic wreck fishing all in one trip. Thursday and Friday are available for open-boat trips or charters. One spot is available for an open trip Thursday, October 29, that will target stripers and blues.

Barnegat

Perfect Drift Sport Fishing will start looking for striped bass in mid October, Capt. John said. At first anglers on board will soak clams or swim live spots for the linesiders in Barnegat Bay. Later they’ll hit the ocean, jigging or trolling for the fish. Currently fishing for blowfish on the bay was the main affair in the local area. But the weather was tough in the past couple of weeks.

Surf City

Kingfish schooled all over the surf, said Barbara from Surf City Bait & Tackle. Some were large, many of them 15 or 16 inches, and she and her husband beached a bunch over the weekend. Croakers were sometimes banked from the suds on the south end of Long Beach Island. Barbara heard about two stripers dragged from the surf, one of them a 20-pounder and the other a 20-inch short. A few other shorts were also plugged on popper lures in the wash. Blackfishing, sometimes for hefty ones, was going well along the rocks at Barnegat Inlet. Crabbing was good, and people often think crabbing ends after Labor Day, but Barbara thinks catches become better, and the blueclaws are big, after growing all summer.

Tuckerton

There was no way trips could sail in the winds and seas in the past days, said Capt. T.J. from Legal Limit Charters. But trips are bottom fishing for sea bass and triggerfish, including on open-boat trips Wednesday and Thursday, and the last trip that T.J. reported cleaned up on the catches. Tuna charters are also slated for the weekend. One of Legal Limits boats will be moved to Cape May in mid October for striped bass fishing like every year. But the other boat will remain in Tuckerton for charters.

Atlantic City

Lots of kingfish filled the surf Saturday, nibbling bloodworms, if anglers could get the baits past the bluefish, said Noel from One Stop Bait & Tackle. Striped bass were occasionally plugged in the suds in the early mornings and evenings, and a couple were landed this morning on black Bombers. Tons of tog lined the jetty rocks, and so did triggerfish, and both will crunch green crab or Hoover in a clam chunk. Noel heard about no croakers in the suds. All the baits mentioned and more, a large variety, are stocked.

Longport

On the Stray Cat anglers mugged up sea bass, including triple headers, on Saturday, Capt. Mike said. The charter came close to limiting out on the lumpheads and also clocked croakers, weakfish, blues and false albacore. Seas were big but perfectly fishable, and winds were under 15 knots. Another trip was out this morning when Mike gave this report over the phone on the waters, and the anglers had already caught sea bass and were starting to fish for croakers in 25-knot winds. Sea bass were really chomping lately, and the trip had already gone through pounds of bait. Open-boat trips are running daily for this type of fishing when no charter is booked, and Mike expects to run open every day this week, even if one angler shows up. He doesn’t want to sit at the dock. “We’re going with or without you,” he said. Coming up, the annual Cast and Blast Trips, a combo of fishing and duck hunting on the ocean, will begin around October 12. Catch blues, stripers and tog in the front of the boat, and gun for sea ducks in the back. Daily, open trips for tog will start November 16, when the bag limit gets hiked up to six of the blackfish from the current limit of one. Blackfishing is the deal on the Stray Cat on South Jersey’s relatively unpressured waters.

Ocean City

Capt. Craig from Fish Tale Charters took a look at the inlet Saturday morning, and seas were a disaster, he said. He watched a 30- or 40-foot boat attempt to run through but turn back. So trips were cancelled during the weekend with Fish Tale because of the weather. But charters are sailing for croakers, blues and weakfish on the ocean, last catching them in 40 to 50 feet. The boat will be moved to Cape May in mid October like every year to begin trips for striped bass that will fish until early December. The stripers will be mostly fished for at the Cape May Rips with live eels, live spots or bucktails. Later in the season stripers are sometimes caught along the ocean off Cape May, like on jigs while trips chase birds working the waters. Dates are being booked.

Sea Isle City

An inshore slam of a false albacore, a bluefish and a striped bass was creamed within 2 hours 42 minutes on the first trip of the season to Montauk on Saturday, said Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service and Gibson’s Tackle. All three of the species tore up the waters, and the fishing was under way. Albies were the objective, so the trip mostly fished for them, and the speedsters, healthy-sized ones probably 7 or 8 pounds, blitzed the waters, crashing on bay anchovies, and got hammered. Albies are never a guaranteed catch, but September and October are likely times to fight them at Montauk, and plenty were battled. But tons of blues, all big fish to 15 pounds, and stripers, good-sized linesiders to 28 inches, swam around, not blitzing, but holding in concentrations under the waters. Some were caught, and the trip could’ve shellacked them if they were the focus. All three species were fly-rodded on the trip. White and chartreuse Clousers were cast to the albies, run-and-gun type of fishing as the fish moved around and surfaced. The type of fly and presentation mattered. The blues and stripers were hooked mostly on big, chartreuse and white Deceivers but sometimes on Clousers, the fly and presentation less important for them. Weather forecasts might’ve looked ominous, but the trip to Montauk is one of the best for providing someplace to get behind a land mass to stay on the lee of winds no matter the wind direction. The waters hold fish from Long Island Sound to the ocean surrounding the port. That’s convenient for the traveling angler, and Joe has learned where to go depending on winds over the years. The trip was the first of weekend trips to Montauk he’s offering on charters, both with conventional tackle or fly rods, through October. If you’ve ever wanted to fish the fall run at Montauk, here’s the chance. Joe will also offer traveling charters on an annual trip to Martha’s Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts for fly-rodding for stripers on Columbus Day weekend. Back at home, high tides this week coincide with dusk, ideal conditions for surface-popper fishing for striped bass on the back bay at Sea Isle. The popper fishing, both with lures and flies, a specialty for Jersey Cape, has been great this season. Joe is sailing on after-work special trips on the back bay from 4 p.m. to dark, a great time to fish, when nobody else is on the waters, and action can be best.
Catches of croakers, blues, weakfish and triggerfish should still be happening that Jersey Cape’s anglers bailed on the ocean last week. Bluefish traveled the surf from time to time around Sea Isle, and were mostly caught on mullet. But a buddy began to see mullet run in the surf, and as the baitfish run busts open in the ocean as the waters cool, blues will then be caught on lures.

Avalon

“Great week!” the report on Over Under Adventures’ Web site said. After fishing at Hudson Canyon two weeks ago, Over Under last week fished the canyons closer to port. From Sunday to Monday last week, a trip ran to Wilmington Canyon, fishing along a break from 71 to 74.5 degrees. Life filled the warm side, and the trip came across “some yellowfins and a great wahoo bite, boating three up to 60 pounds,” the report said. Drifting the area at night produced no fish. Back on the troll in the morning, the anglers “picked another ‘hoo and some yellows to 30 pounds,” it said. A trip Tuesday to Wednesday also began fishing at the Wilmington, but concentrated on swordfish at night. The trip short-drifted the east bite, the captain’s favorite place for swords, and the anglers went 1 for 2 “on some very nice fish,” the report said, boating a 170-pounder. On the troll the next morning the crew looked for the temperature break that was fished on the previous trip, but the waters had moved south toward Baltimore Canyon. The break was found, “(and) we quickly put some yellowfin in the box,” the report said. Afterward last week a trip sailed to Poorman’s Canyon, and a break from 73.5 to 74.7 degrees was found that was littered with white marlin, wahoos, mahi mahi and yellowfins. “Fishing these small breaks that seem to be everywhere is the key,” the report said. The trip never left the 2-mile area. “We had excellent fishing, seeing at least 12 whites and one blue marlin,” it said. The fish were on the colder side of the break this time. “Fishing has drastically improved over the past two weeks with a good mixed bag of fish,” the report said. “The chunk bite has finally started up in the Hudson, and we are hoping it starts filtering down this way.” The weather will keep trips from sailing in the next days, but trips should fish later in the week. Both charters and open-boat trips are fishing the canyons, and see the open schedule on Over Under’s Web site.

Cape May

A trip targeting white marlin with the boat’s owner and associates managed to be squeezed in on Wednesday between rough weather, going 4 for 16 on the fish south of Baltimore Canyon, said Capt. Ray from Jaftica Sportfishing. The trolling spread would get covered by whites, sometimes five at a time, and the anglers would have to choose one to set the hook on. Lots of action—mayhem!—a phenomenal number of the fish. Now was a good time to fish for white marlin, an incredible season for them this year. A daytime trolling trip will try to fish the blue waters this week, probably by Thursday, when forecasts looked like the weather should clear. Ray is waiting to run overnighters for big game whenever they get a weather day. Jaftica will begin striped bass fishing probably by the third week of October. The trips will dunk bunker chunks for bait in Delaware Bay at first. Later the stripers will probably gather at the Cape May Rips, where anglers will fish live bait or bucktails. Toward the end of the season the fishing sometimes becomes best in the ocean near the coast. Anglers on the boat then chase birds working the waters, fishing with jigs or on the troll. That action turned on last year, and does during some years. When stripers depart, Jaftica plans to fish offshore for sea bass and tilefish in winter.

The weather kept the Down Deep from fishing, but lots of sea bass could be socked at the reefs and wrecks, and blues tore around the ocean, Capt. Bob said. Tuna trips are on the schedule, if they ever get the weather to run. The boat’s striped bass fishing will probably start in mid October, bunker-chunking on Delaware Bay at first, then swimming live eels at the Cape May Rips.

Mullet began to school the surf, and a castnetter on Sunday brought in the first batch of the baitfish seen at the shop this season, said Matt from Jim’s Bait & Tackle in a fax. Bluefish 1 to 3 pounds were right in with the mullet, and Matt was sure striped bass must’ve been too, if anglers could get a line past the blues. Stripers, mostly small but a few keepers, were already being hooked in the surf before the mullet showed. Actually, both the linesiders and blues in the surf previously chomped mackerel, clams and frozen mullet before the baitfish began to run. Boaters on the ocean located better-sized sea bass at the wrecks in 80 to 150 feet. Areas closer to shore or at the Old Grounds and Reef 11 held tons of short sea bass with a few keepers mixed in. Cape May Reef was the best spot to pick up healthy-sized croakers. At the offshore grounds white marlin fishing was as good as it gets anywhere. Double-digit shots were the norm for boaters competing in the Cape May Marlin & Tuna Club’s Challenge Cup Tournament two weekends ago. But after the tournament, anglers who fished on that Monday and Tuesday found the fishing better still. The fish were fought at Baltimore and Poorman’s canyons, but the waters seemed to be moving south, so the area from the Poorman’s to the Washington would be the place to start looking.