Northern New Jersey Fishing Report- August 17, 2023

As it should be this time of year, fluke are getting all the attention. 

The action picked up on most beaches and offshore spots with plenty of fish caught on Gulp, bucktails and bait. There are keepers mixed in with the many shorts and there is no shortage of bites. 
 
It’s also the month when more southern visitors arrive on the scene with better reports of Spanish mackerel, false albacore and bonito. Mahi-mahi are also gathering under the pots and floating debris. 

Bait is stacking up in the rivers and bays and bass and bluefish are feasting on the abundant food. For anglers, it’s a wonderful time of the year.  

Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the offshore fluke fishing remains good. He said anglers tipping their Gulp with squid are doing better with bigger fish. Bluefin anglers continue to find their target on the squid grounds and he said some folks are drifting squid using big soda bottles as bobbers. Freshwater action on largemouth bass, pike and pickerel has been good at all the favorite haunts with early morning the best time to go. 

Danny Stolba at Fish Tail Bait and Tackle in Carteret said croakers, snappers and dogfish have showed up in the Arthur Kill after a couple of quiet weeks. He’s hoping it’s a sign of better things to come. 

Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said a lot of nice fluke are being caught at the AB Reef and on other rough bottom. There are also blues, bonito and false albacore running around offshore. He and his son, Patrick, found some nice mahi-mahi in relatively close earlier this week, getting them to bite on 3-inch NLBN shads. There are loads of spots and croakers being caught at the Keansburg Pier, he said, and there were even a few reports of grunts, usually found much farther south, being landed. 

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Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the beach fluking really picked up this week with keepers mixed in with the numerous shorts. Gulp on floating jig heads has been working for him. There’s loads of bait in the surf, he added, and the crabbing in the Navesink River is excellent. 

Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said yellowfin action picked up this past week. The fish are scattered, he said, but are hitting poppers if you can find them. He also reported that the bluefin are still biting on the squid grounds, which he found a bit surprising as they’ve been hanging around there for a while. Fluking in the surf has been good with loads of shorts and keepers between 18 and 25 inches reported.  There are also small blues around and the rivers are thick with all kinds of bait. 

Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the fluking has been good for the party boats, including the Big Mohawk and Capt. Cal II, out of the marina. Nice sea bass are filling out the catches. He reported the Golden Eagle has been doing well with bluefish up to 8 pounds along with Spanish mackerel, albies and bonito. The Shark River is also loaded with bait and there are blues in there during the day and stripers at night. 

Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar reported a good day of fluking earlier this week with veterans from American Legion Post 346 from Neptune with a solid mix of keepers and shorts. When conditions cooperate, Capt. Sykes said the fluking has been very good this year. This Sunday is an open boat trip and you can check his website for details.  

Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters out of Belmar reported that while the tuna fishing has been hit or miss, the inshore fluke bite has been terrific. He’s also been catching sea bass and Spanish mackerel. He’s got openings on shared tuna trips coming up on Aug. 23 and 24. Check his Facebook page for details. 

Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the fluke fishing is progressing very well with bigger fish starting to show. He had a7-pounder come over the rail earlier this week. There’s a load of life offshore, he said, with blues, bonito and Spanish mackerel along with tons of bait. 

Matt Heagen at The Reel Seat in Brielle said it was a much-improved yellowfin bite this week with more and bigger fish around. You still had to locate them, but anglers were having much more luck on that front. Triple Wrecks was a popular spot. He also said the bluefin bite was still on at the squid grounds. The offshore fluke bite is excellent, he said, especially when it comes to numbers. Big fish are still a bit scarce but you’ll find plenty of short action and keepers in the 20-inch range. Albies showed up off Barnegat and stripers and blues are in the Manasquan River.  There have been reports of weakfish in there as well. 

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Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the fluking over the weekend was very good with loads of fish caught. Most of the fish were not very big but there were a good number of keepers landed. There were bonito and false albacore at the Sea Girt Reef, he added, and bluefin caught on the squid grounds. He estimates the shop has sold more than 600 squid jigs in the last couple of weeks. The false albacore, he added, are big, between 12 and 15 pounds. On a recent outing Tangen said he found pots loaded with mahi-mahi and was catching them on Yo-Zuri Hydro Monster Shot lures. Bass and blues are busting the in the Manasquan River and he thinks the action will heat up on bonito, albies and Spanish mackerel as the huge amount of rainbait in the river makes its way out the inlet. 

Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported that the fishing has been pretty good. Good fishermen are getting their limits while others are catching one or two keepers. Sea bass and mackerel and are filling out the catches. Monday’s pool winner was a 7-pound fluke.  

Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the bluefin tuna bite continues at the lumps with a number of good-size bluefin being weighed in at the shop. There has also been a few yellowfin and mahi-mahi caught inshore. Fluking over the weekend was up and down, he added. There are plenty of shorts being caught, but the bigger fish have been somewhat elusive. There have also been a few good size weakfish caught inside the Manasquan Inlet. 

Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the fluke fishing keeps getting better as the days go by. Night bluefishing has been good as well and Capt. Gregory has added Thursday nights to the weekend schedule. Check the website for details. 

Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said fluke fishing remains good outside and it seems the Axel Carlson Reef is producing better than the Sea Girt.   All the peanut and spot around are providing anglers with excellent fluke bait. He also reported that the Point Pleasant Canal is producing a mix of keeper and short blackfish on green crabs.   

Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the fluking slowed up just a bit on the beach this week but it picked up back in the bay. There are also spot, snappers and blowfish biting in the back. Crabbing is good there as well and blues and bass are biting in the Point Pleasant Canal. 

Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said it was a better week for fluking on the beach both in size and numbers. Tony Senatore got two off the beach at 4.3 and 3.05 pounds. Crabbing is steady back in the bay and there are tons of spot around, he added. 

Best Bets for the Weekend

Fluke are the number one target with good fishing on the beaches and on the reefs and wrecks. Quantity far surpasses quality but there is plenty of action and loads of fun to be had. 

Keep an eye out for more exotic species as Spanish mackerel, bonito and false albacore are popping up with greater frequency offshore and off the beaches. 

Plus, it’s primetime for crabbing.