New Jersey Fishing Reports

Striped bass jumped all over lines in the surf at Monmouth Beach on Wednesday, said Joe from Julian’s Bait & Tackle. They were small or 18 inches, but they were there, and the waters were alive with herring and sand eels. Surface lures nailed the hits early in the morning, and the fish will swipe all kinds of things then. Boaters mopped up good blackfishing. Farther from shore they scored well on ling and cod. Jimmy from the shop was fishing for ling and cod this morning when Joe gave this report over the phone. Forecasts called for calm weather for boating today. Shucked clams, worms and green crabs are stocked. The shop’s whole-clam supplier was crabbing, crushing plenty of big Jimmies.

“Looks like we will try to fish on Saturday,” Capt. Ron from the party boat Fishermen said in a report on the boat’s Web site. Weather forecasts look good, “and hopefully some stripers are still around,” he said. The angling “will be like starting all over again,” he said, because nobody fished the past several days. “Will give it hell and see what happens!” he said. The Fishermen is sailing for striped bass 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

None of the daily blackfish trips sailed in the rough weather Monday to Wednesday, said Capt. Tom from the party boat Atlantic Star. The cold apparently kept anglers from showing up for today’s trip, though the weather improved. But Friday’s forecast looks good, and the weekend’s conditions sound okay, and trips will try to sail all those days. The tog fishing is good -- come on down! Tom said. The Atlantic Star is blackfishing 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. ***Update, Friday, 12/10:*** Some sizeable blackfish were already bagged, and today’s trip was off to a good start, Capt. Tom said in a phone call on the outing at 9:30 a.m. “It’s a nice day, and the fish are biting,” he said. “If the angling stays this way,” he said, the trip will be a good one.

Highlands

The boat was docked since Saturday, and the weather was tough, said Capt. Derek from Fisher Price Charters. Vessels farther south toward Belmar sailed Wednesday, but no local boats headed out that day and since the weekend. But the weather was improving, and a trip was supposed to fish today, and more are slated through the weekend. Fisher Price is blackfishing, and open-boat trips will target them Saturday and Sunday. A couple of spots are available for both days, and call to climb aboard. The trips will be the last of the season on the vessel. But Derek next week will start running another vessel from Point Pleasant on charters and open trips for blackfish. Trips might also push out for cod.

Few fished because of the weather and time of year, said Wayne from Twin Lights Marina. But one of the charter boats from the docks kept blackfishing, and catching, and the vessel was out today. A charter on the boat Wednesday bailed a load of the tog. Gene Graham, the marina’s expert striped bass angler, hung it up for the year, stopped fishing for the linesiders. Almost all the boats that are kept at the marina year-round are shrink wrapped and winterized. Twin Lights’ owner still had his boat in the waters, and planned to fish this weekend, probably for stripers, Wayne believed. The marina, including the fuel dock, is open all year. The tackle shop is closed, but anglers this time of year just go to the marina’s front desk for frozen bait or supplies.

Neptune

Capt. Ralph from Last Lady Fishing Charters saw only two other boats besides his sail Wednesday from Shark River Inlet, he said. The two others were party boats, and the tog bit their heads off with Last Lady, and the trip returned early by 1 p.m. The trips on the other boats also seemed to clobber blacks. Winds weren’t that awful on Last Lady’s outing, and the weather was cold, but that’s fishing this time of year. Winds weathered out the rest of the week. Blackfishing’s been great, and individual-reservation trips for blackfish are running, and are filling up fast. If anglers hesitate to book, they’re going to miss out on spaces. Trips with openings include: December 15, 18, 22, 24 (Christmas Eve), 26, 30 and 31 (New Year’s Eve); New Year’s Day; the next day, a Sunday, January 2; and all weekends in January. ***Update:*** A few spots are available for blackfishing on Saturday, because several anglers dropped out from a charter. ***Update, Friday, 12/10:*** The trip filled on Saturday, but space opened up for a blackfish outing Sunday. Contact Ralph to get in on the great blackfishing, he said.

Belmar

Everyone limited out on blackfish, a great catch, on Wednesday on the party boat Big Mohawk, and the trip returned to port early by 2 p.m., Capt. Chris said. Winds weathered out Tuesday’s trip. Some 10- and 11-pounders, not huge, but all right, were bagged on the boat lately. One really big one was hauled in last week. Chris didn’t want to guess the size for this report, didn’t remember. But the hog made him notice. Green crabs, white leggers and tiger crabs all had their moments as best baits. Green crabs are supplied, and white leggers are available for sale onboard. The Big Mohawk is blackfishing 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Mackerel trips are set to begin fishing daily next week on Friday on the party boat Miss Belmar Princess, Capt. Alan said. The vessel is tied to the cleats and will go into the boat yard for maintenance this week, splashed back in the slip next week to begin the trips. Trips last fished during the weekend, trying for striped bass and blues, but the angling was slow, and most of the fish are gone, migrating way south.

Trips were bailing striped bass on the ocean through the last charter for the fish Friday with On a Mission Fishing Adventures, Capt. Eric said. The four anglers limited out on the bass, jigging the fish 2 miles from shore. Tog fishing was super when charters got the weather to sail. Lots of limits were lambasted when conditions were right. On a Mission will keep fishing as long as the fish keep biting.

Capt. Tom from the Nan Sea J was traveling to Hatteras, North Carolina, this week to fish for tuna, he said. But open-boat trips for blackfish are slated for Saturday and Sunday on the vessel. Space is available, and anglers can call Tom about future open trips for the tog. The angling was mostly good on the boat recently, and many of the anglers limited out on the slipperies to 10 pounds on the last couple of trips around the weekend, covered in the last report.

Surf anglers whaled 18- to 20-inch striped bass, said Bob from Fisherman’s Den. The fish were small but abundant, and Bob heard about keepers to 10 or 12 pounds landed, but saw none. He saw 18- to 20-inchers, probably up to 24-inchers. Almost all the fish were walloped on teasers, because of sand eels in the waters. Anglers mostly fished the teasers on metal. Blackfishing was great on the party boats, when trips could sail in the weather, and the vessels were out today. Party boats that were fishing for striped bass mostly stopped chasing them and will probably switch to mackerel and cod soon. That’s the usual progression. Lots of herring filled Shark River Inlet, and anglers caught plenty with no problem. Some bagged them to pickle, and some caught them to fillet and freeze for bait. Anglers could also catch and release the tough fighters for fun. Most who targeted them fished with Sabiki rigs, so they could sometimes hook multiple herring at a time. But anglers could use a small jig with a rubber grub to hook one at a time.

Brielle

Fishing was weathered out for charters on the Big Kid, Capt. Ken said. But the trips are blackfishing on the ocean, and the boat will sail all winter.

Point Pleasant Beach

Fierce winds forced Tuesday’s trip to be cancelled, but the vessel sailed on the ocean the rest of the week, said Capt. Butch from the party boat Dauntless. The weather was breezy on Wednesday, but the boat sailed, but stayed close to shore, 6 to 7 miles from the coast, targeting blackfish, because of the blow. Trips now predominantly fished for ling farther from shore, 15 miles out, at the Mudhole, when the weather allowed. Otherwise the outings hugged tighter to the coast, fishing for blackfish. On Wednesday’s trip the blackfishing wasn’t great, but some were bucketed. Ling fishing was fairly good on recent trips, and a few cod were mixed in. So were occasional big sea bass, but sea bass were almost gone, moving to deeper waters for winter. Bluefish were also gone on the trips, migrated south, but Butch heard about some landed close to shore. Trips soon should mix in mackerel fishing when the Bostons migrate through, trekking south. Part of the trips chase macks, and the anglers bottom fish the rest of the day. The mackerel fishing could pick up any time, and in recent years enough of them to target showed up starting the week before Christmas. Years ago macks would already be in. The Dauntless is bottom fishing 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

Carl LaManna, owner of Canyon River Club Marina, returned this week from fishing from South Beach, Florida, he said. He keeps his C-Annamal there in winter, traveling back and forth between there and the marina through the season. At his marina, boats were blackfishing and wreck fishing, and one of the charter boats headed out today. That might’ve been the first vessel to sail since the weather this week. A few boats were arriving at the marina soon for slips for wreck fishing through winter, and the marina is open all year. More on the marina in a moment. First, the fishing in Florida. The ocean at South Beach was 77 to 80 degrees, and deep-drop bottom fishing turned up consistent catches of mutton snappers and a few strawberry groupers. Live pilchards and greenies are sent down to 120- to 240-feet for the hook ups. Spanish mackerel and cero mackerel swam close to shore, pouncing on the live baits. Trips leave early in the mornings before sunrise to castnet the bait for the livewell. Three 20-pound skipjacks, huge ones, were landed on his vessel on Monday. Many people are unaware that skipjacks taste great, including making terrific sushi. Carl fishes on his boat from South Beach to the Bahamas through the season. Daytime swordfishing is one cool trip. Though swords are caught at night off New Jersey, they can be angled during the day from Florida, because waters are deep. The daytime trips sink bait – giant squid or rigged skipjack or bonito bellies – to 1,800 feet, between Miami and Bahama Bank. A high-quality strobe light that can stand up to the depths is attached to the line near the bait, and light sticks would implode. The fishing is an art, and only one rod is fished. The angling takes work, keeping the bow into the current – running at almost 4 knots from the north in that location – and the line is kept straight down. The boat cannot circle the line in the depths without messing up the line. A Daiwa 3000 electric reel is used because of the depth, and Carl usually uses an 80-pound-class rod, lighter than the 130-pound rod usually used, because the lighter rod helps the angler see the hits. When a 130-pound rod is fished, a light-tipped one is used. Carl plans a trip from South Beach to Grand Bahama Island and Bimini soon, mostly fishing for wahoos, mahi mahi and blackfin tuna. Carl’s Canyon River Club Marina, located on Manasquan River, features all the amenities in a convenient location, with no bridges before Manasquan Inlet. As was mentioned above, the marina is open all year, and some boats were already arriving for the winter for slips for wreck fishing.

Toms River

Skim ice was seen in the lagoons this morning, and Barnegat Bay now was practically in “lock down,” said Dennis from Murphy’s Hook House. But a customer this morning headed to the bay to fish for striped bass along the sod banks with bunker chunks, saying the trip would be his last of the season there. Stripers, mostly shorts, an occasional keeper in the teens, were banked from the surf. Clams caught more than bunker did. Artificial eels like Tsunamis and teasers started working best for anglers fishing with lures in the surf, because of cold waters. One customer on Tuesday fished the suds north of the Seaside Heights Casino Pier, landing two shorts. He saw no other fish reeled in. Boaters should catch stripers on the ocean if they fish this weekend. Trolling should hook more than jigging, because of cold. The ocean was 49 or 50 degrees. Trolling closer to the bottom to reach warmer waters, like with Stretch plugs, will probably connect. Blackfish mostly moved offshore, but a handful were nabbed along the jetties. The tog mostly departed the Point Pleasant Canal for the season. Fresh clams and live green crabs are stocked. Catch the shop’s ***Holiday Sale*** featuring mostly 25 percent off selected items until Christmas.

Forked River

At Grizz’s Forked River Bait & Tackle Dave had been away from the shop until today, and no customers talked about fishing today, and anglers were probably scarce in the weather this week, he said. He heard about nobody who attempted to fish. It’s that time of year, and weather sometimes closes in. But the shop is open, and fresh clams, green crabs, eels and worms are stocked. No fresh bunker is on hand, but frozen bunker is.

Mystic Island

Windy, cold weather seemed to keep customers from fishing, said Scott from Scott’s Bait & Tackle. Some who telephoned either asked if green crabs would be stocked for tog fishing or whether the shop would be open for the weekend. The answer was yes: Green crabs are stocked, and the shop is open. Anglers had the weather to fish like a half-day both Saturday and Sunday, before the weather deteriorated. Anyone who knew what he or she was doing limited out on tog, including sizeable ones 4 or 5 pounds to 10 pounds, on the ocean. A few striped bass were trolled on the ocean both days of the weekend, though the boaters covered lots of waters, between Harvey Cedars and Brandt Beach, to land a handful of fish. Fresh, shucked clams will be stocked today or Friday, and that will probably be the last batch of the season, if anglers wanted to clam for stripers at Little Egg Inlet or elsewhere. No customers fished for white perch in the brackish rivers, but the cold weather is a healthy time for perch fishing, because the slabs then congregate in the warmer pockets of waters, easier to target. Participation in fishing shut right down during the week’s weather, like 30 m.p.h. winds. Plus deer season was under way this week, and some people probably pulled boats from the waters for the season or were busy preparing for the holidays, and so on. The weather was forecast to be calmer for a moment now. No striper run ever developed for shore anglers at Graveling Point this fall, and that was unusual. The fish bit for about one day. But striper fishing at Little Egg Inlet was good this year, and plenty of stripers were hooked in the Mullica River, and sometimes the fish were trolled or jigged on the ocean. Only 11 weeks remain until striper season opens in the bays and rivers on March 1, Scott reminded! That’s traditionally the start of the new fishing season. Striper season is currently open in bays and rivers but closes there at the beginning of the year.

Absecon

Winds were blowing, and angling was finally slowing down, said Capt. Dave from Absecon Bay Sportsman Center. He heard about anglers who planned to return to the waters Friday, and seemed effort would be put in through the weekend. Then the shop’s crew should hear about the fishing. The shop is open and loaded with bait. Nobody reported fishing in the past days. Dave’s new <a href="http://www.fishguatemala.com/FishGuatemala/fishguatemala.htm" target="_blank">Guatemala charter service</a> is ready for a winter of fishing! The boat is in ship shape, and fishing seemed promising for the season. Good catches of sailfish and big mahi mahi were already boated within 20 miles from shore. During the previous year La Nina caused the fish to swim farther from shore. Seemed promising they’d now stay in waters closer to the coast. If anglers are looking for a trip, give Dave a call, and he can help. The weather’s lots warmer!

Brigantine

The weather was blowing, and was freezing, and one striped bass, a 16-pounder was checked in from the surf on Saturday, and another bass, an 11-pounder was weighed in that was boated on the back bay, said Capt. Andy from Riptide Bait & Tackle. Andy thought that bass was decked around Broad Creek. Those were the two fish seen at the shop since the weather began this week. But the shop will be open until Christmas, including this weekend, and the weather is supposed to be improved through the weekend, and fresh clams will arrive Friday. A few spots remain in the livewell, and no fresh bunker is on hand. Catch the current ***Huge Sale*** featuring 10- to 50-percent discounts at the shop. The Riptide Striped Bass Derby is ongoing, lasting until the end of the year, and Steve DiGiacomo holds the lead with a 46-1/2-pound 51-incher. The first three places remained unchanged recently. Andy added an additional prize, a sweatshirt, for the entrant with the biggest striper the first two weeks of December, lasting through the Sunday of the second week. Nobody was in contention for the prize yet. Here are the rest of the prizes and how the contest works. Entrants win cash awards for the biggest stripers caught from the surf along Brigantine’s front beach. First place wins $750, and 2nd cops $400, and 3rd earns $150. The entrant with the biggest bass each month wins $25. The rest of the proceeds are donated to charity, and the event donated more than $13,000 to charity since the tournament began, Andy said. The entry fee for the tournament is $20, and entry must be accompanied by a Brigantine beach buggy permit. That way all entrants get to drive the beach to fish.

Longport

Winds kept trips docked quite a few days now, said Capt. Mike from the Stray Cat. Wintry weather was closing in but is forecast to break Friday and Saturday, and Sunday is questionable. Open-boat trips are fishing for striped bass and blackfish, including on Friday and Saturday, and, if possible, Sunday. Friday’s weather looks perfect, and space is available that day. A couple of spots are open Saturday, and room is on tap Sunday. Anglers should jump on the trips if they want to fish for the species, because what will happen with the weather next week is unknown, and a couple of days next week are forecast to be cold. Blackfishing should be “slammer, bammer,” Mike said, in the next days, and big ones should be around. A few more shots at stripers should show up in the ocean this year, and always do, before the last stripers migrate south for the season. A shot always even shows up the week after Christmas. Open-boat trips are probably going to end in the next days. Then the boat’s fishing will be by call-list, because of the season’s weather. The weather then won’t allow anglers to reserve a date with confidence the weather will allow fishing that day. So instead anglers now call to get on the call list. Anglers should call Mike and give him the date or dates they can fish. When a window of weather opens up, Mike calls the call list, and if you can go on the date, you go, and if not, he moves on to the next phone call. Anglers should start calling now. The call-list trips will run to the wrecks 40 to 60 miles from shore for cod and bottom fish. Bookings for deep-water sea bass charters had been offered, but the weather will make the charters impractical for the same reason: a reserved date could likely be weathered out. Reservations will no longer be the way to go, and the call list will be the way to fish.

Ocean City

Anglers who fished Wednesday were the first to fish since Saturday that were heard about, because of winds and cold, said Ed from Fin-Atics. A few stripers were beached from the surf that day along the island’s south end on clams and bunker. Anglers on three or four boats jigged stripers, not many, but some, near the bell buoy on the ocean that day. No bluefish were heard about among the bass anywhere. Nothing was heard about sea bass fishing because of seas. Nothing was heard about tog, either. But the weather is forecast to moderate a moment in the next days, though a frigid snap is supposed to hit next week. The temp was 23 degrees this morning.

Sea Isle City

Fishing for striped bass on the ocean was still a possibility, once this weather cleared out, said Capt. Joe Hughes from Jersey Cape Guide Service and Gibson’s Tackle. He couldn’t know whether the fish were affected by the winds and cold, and trips in recent years kept catching them for some time yet. This year could be different from the sustained winds and cold weather, but anglers would get back out and see. Jersey Cape fishes for the bass with jigs, bucktails, metal and flies. Joe’s flats boat, one of three vessels he runs, is already in Florida, ready for annual charters from the Keys this winter. The weekend getaways offer anglers to arrive at the islands Friday evening, fish all day Saturday and part of Sunday, and return home that day. The trips can catch a wide variety of species, including redfish, speckled sea trout, snook, tarpon, king mackerel, blackfin tuna, ladyfish, sharks, Spanish mackerel and mangrove snappers. See <a href="http://www.gibsonstackle.com/page6.html" target="_blank">Jersey Cape’s Traveling Charters Web page</a>.

Cape May

The Heavy Hitter was kept in port during the windy weather this week, Capt. George said, and no local boats seemed to sail. Trips are slated to fish for striped bass this weekend. Charters will keep sailing for stripers as long as the fish are around. When stripers are gone, charters can hunt blackfish as long as the tog keep biting. Call if interested in a trip.