Northern New Jersey Fishing Report- July 20, 2023

It was a weird week starting with hot, steamy weather, a sizable ocean heave and a constant, sticky southeast wind.  

There were reports that angler participation was down and the fish were less than cooperative in some locations. 
 
By Wednesday, however, the ocean had calmed down and summer fishing was back on track with fluke biting offshore and in the surf. Fluke fishing in the rivers, especially the Shark and Manasquan, remained solid. 

And crabbing is good in all the usual spots. 

Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said he received reports of a lot of fluke around but keepers have been a bit hard to come by. The tip of Sandy Hook is producing good numbers of fish, just not many to take home. He also had a report of mahi-mahi hanging around the pots. Largemouth bass fishing is good at Lake Hopatcong and in most lakes and ponds throughout the state. 

Danny Stolba at Fish Tails Bait and Tackle in Carteret said fluke and bluefish are being caught from the pier there. The bass are still around as he caught and released a short striper late last week that hit a squid strip on a porgy rig. 

Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the week got off to a slow start with a big swell on the ocean and a drop in participation. The soggy, hot and humid weather played a role in that. The fluke are still biting in the surf and offshore, he said, adding that spot and croakers are keeping anglers at the Keansburg Pier busy. 

Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said fluke fishing was a bit slow there this week but more bait in the way of rainfish have showed up in the surf so that should get the bite back on track. Striper fishing has been decent at night in the rivers on bucktails. Crabbing in the Navesink River has also been very good. He also mentioned that the shop is now carrying Hyperplastics’ new 6-inch roll shad just introduced this year at ICAST. 

Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said things are pretty much the same as last week except that there is a lot more rainfish in the surf.  The beach fluking, he said, is still good. Bluefin tuna continue to be caught in mid-shore waters, he said, but the bite is inconsistent. When you manage to find them, jigs and poppers will work but they’re still finicky. The surf was quiet and a strange color in Ocean Grove this week. It might have been the heat or the incessant southeast wind, but the water turned an unpleasant shade of greenish brown. The fish didn’t seem to care for it as fluking slowed down and the stripers disappeared.  A short blackfish that hit my sand crabs among the rocks was caught and released. 

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Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar reported that the fluke fishing is strong both in back waters and offshore. The rental boats and bulkhead fishermen in Shark River have been doing very well with a mix of keepers and throw backs. He said the oppressive heat has slowed participation somewhat but those going are being rewarded. The Big Mohawk and Capt. Cal II are both reporting good catches. The fluke fishermen are also taking their one legal seabass. The Miss Belmar and Golden Eagle have been doing well with mackerel and blues. The surf fishermen, he said, are nailing fluke, blues and bass and an occasional kingfish. On the freshwater side, Matthews added, the largemouth bass fishing is red hot in local lakes and some very large catfish are being caught as well.  

Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar reported good fluke fishing lately with plenty of short action and several limits around the boat. Last Friday’s trip saw a 6½-pound fluke come over the rail. There are also some nice big sea bass being caught. He also reported spotting his first Spanish mackerel of the season. 

Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar said the fluking was a little up and down this week with the big heave at the start of the week and the constant southeast wind. But, he said, it bounced back nicely on Wednesday and he’s got an open boat trip scheduled for Sunday. He’s also sailing weekend nights for blues and mackerel Check the website for details. 

Matt Haeger at The Reel Seat in Brielle said the fluking is extremely good, especially in the Manasquan River.  He also reported a bigger class of fluke showing up on the offshore reefs and wrecks. He said a lot of peanut bunker have showed up in the river and at the Manasquan Inlet attracting bluefish and bass. The striper bite has been good at night. Haeger also reported an increase in the number of cobia caught. Monday was an especially good day with fish from 27 to 40 inches landed.  Cobia will hit a lot of offerings but he said NLBN shads were working. Tuna fishing has been decent, he said, with more sightings than landings. The bluefin are still picky but they’re closer than the yellowfin that are in the canyons. 

Kyle Tangen at Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the bluefin bite picked up over the weekend but it’s still hit or miss. The fish are around but you just have to take a shot and hope you find them. Jigs are working when the fish are located, he said, and sand eel colors are a good choice. Boats making the trip are catching more cobia. Soft plastics, plugs and bucktails have been effective for them. Fluking is still good in the Manasquan River, Tangen said, and there are a lot of peanut bunker around. 

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in New Jersey!

Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the inshore tuna bite continued this week with a number of good size bluefins caught. There were also kingfish and cobia mixed in with the tuna. Fluke fishing was a little bit slower this week on the local reefs, but a number of big fish were boated. The Manasquan River remains a very good option for fluke and medium to large bluefish have been coming in and out of the river. 

Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K. III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported better fluking on Wednesday after the big swell from earlier in the week calmed down. Several limits were caught along with plenty of nice sea bass. The night bluefish trips over the weekend also saw good catches of blues and mackerel. 

Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick reported that the local wrecks and reefs are producing plenty of fluke with a mix of shorts and keepers. Fluking has also been good in the Manasquan River and the north end of Barnegat Bay. Spearing has been producing a lot of fish, he said.  

Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the fluking in the surf remains very good with Gulp and bucktails catching keepers and shorts. Kupper said more bait is showing up out front with a mix of bay anchovies and sand eels. Triggerfish are at the Manasquan Inlet and the bay has spot and blowfish. Crabbing is also getting better by the day. 

Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said beach fishing for fluke is holding up nicely with a bunch of weigh-ins at the shop. The are also some blues in the surf hitting metal, bunker and mullet. Crabbing is good in the bay as is the fishing for spot and blowfish. 

Best Bets for the Weekend

Fluke remain the top target in the rivers, on the beach and at the reefs and wrecks. Gulp on jig heads and bucktails will do the trick but killies, spearing and squid are also good choices. 

Snappers are also starting to show in the in the rivers and bays and crabbing, one of summer’s great pleasures, continues to improve.