We are firmly entrenched in the lazy, hazy days of summer and the fishing remains fairly solid for all the season’s favorites. 

But before getting into the reports, it should be noted that the Asbury Park Fishing Club lost one its most beloved members this week with the passing of Anthony “Motts” Martelli. Club president Joe Pallotto called Motts the best fisherman he’s ever met and also one of the funniest.  A popular figure on the local fishing scene, he will be sorely missed by all who knew him.  

On the water, fluke fishing is holding up in the rivers and on the rocks and reefs. There are blues and bass to be had, along with triggerfish, sheepshead and cobia. 

Tuna are around, but that bite is proving inconsistent. 

Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said fluke are biting in all the usual spots. You just have to weed through the shorts. It was a full day of fishing on Sunday for he and his three friends out of Sandy Hook before they got their limit after catching and releasing dozens of small fish. He had reports of bigger fish on the reefs farther south. There’s little change on the freshwater front with bass and pickerel biting in the morning and evening in most lakes and ponds.  

Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the big fluke are biting. Ken Peters got an 11-pound fluke off the rough bottom using Fishermen’s Choice salmon strips. There are also plenty of bluefish in Raritan Bay and anglers fishing from the Keansburg Pier are catching all the spot they want. Crabbing is good in the Navesink River.

Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said it’s a bit of the summer doldrums there. Hot weather and dirty, warm water slowed the fluking on the beach, he said. He added that the shortage of bait in the surf isn’t helping the situation. There are blues in the Shrewsbury River feeding on peanut bunker, he said, and crabbing is good in both the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. 

Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the ocean fluking has been decent with some days better than others. The water quality in the surf has been off with a green/brown tint to it. He did say one customer reported getting their first Spanish mackerel off the beach. Gleason said tuna fishing has been up and down with bluefin in mid-shore waters. Some days they are nowhere to be found, or you find them and they won’t bite and then there are days it all works. Anglers using live mackerel or squid have been having the better luck lately. 

The water in the Asbury Park/Ocean Grove/Bradley Beach area has been pretty funky for the last week and it seems to be affecting the fishing. There are small blues around, but fluke fishing has fallen off and stripers are scarce. Mike “Two-Pole” Compoly managed to catch a few on sand bugs in the last few days but the fishing is slow. And big cow nose rays have showed up in the surf, so keep an eye on your rod if it’s in a sand spike. 

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Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar reported good fluke fishing in the Shark River with fish over 6 pounds caught this week. The river is loaded with peanut bunker, he added, and there are stripers in the river biting at night as well. The boats out of the marina, including the Big Mohawk and Capt. Cal II have all been finding nice fluke with conditions dictating the quality of the fishing. Blues are biting at the inlet and there are some triggerfish around. 

Captain Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said he’s been catching fluke and sea bass on his trips and everyone has been going home with fish for the table. 

Capt. Jay Richardella of Side Job Charters out of Belmar said the tuna fishing has been hit or miss but he managed to hit them last week putting a 100-pound yellowfin in the boat along with a couple of smaller fish. Richardella said there are spots available on upcoming open boat tuna trips and he can be contacted through his website. 

Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar reported good catches of fluke and sea bass when conditions cooperate. There is an open boat fluke and sea bass trip scheduled for this Sunday. He’s also posted the open boat dates for August. Check the Parker Pete Facebook page for details. 

Matt Haeger at The Reel Seat in Brielle said there’s still good fluking in the Manasquan River with an 8.3-pounder caught earlier this week. There have also been a number of 4- to 6-pound fluke landed. The inshore/mid-shore tuna bite remains spotty but there are bluefin to be caught. Live bait seems to be working best lately. He also reported a better bigeye bite out in the canyons. Haeger said there are rumblings of Spanish mackerel but hasn’t seen a lot of hard evidence. He also reported more cobia catches with NLBN shads doing the trick. He advised keeping a live eel or two on board if you want to target them. 

Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the Manasquan River is absolutely loaded with peanut bunker and the fluking has been very good. There’s a good low-light bluefish and striped bass bite in the Point Pleasant Canal, he added. The one-fish tog season opens on Aug. 1 and he said people fishing for triggers and sheepshead at the inlet are already pulling them up. He, too, reported the discolored ocean water but said it cleared up the farther south you went. Tangen also said live bait has been working best for bluefin with Barnegat Ridge and the shipping lanes yielding fish.  

Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach has been bottom fishing with good catches of fluke, sea bass, ling and winter flounder. Check the Mimi VI Facebook page for the schedule of open boat trips. 

Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that fluke fishing over the weekend was awesome, with many large fluke being caught on the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs. He also reported that the inshore tuna bite has been good one day and off the next. There have been a number of big bluefin tuna brought in. 

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Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach reported good fluking over the past week with fish up to 5 pounds. He added that last Friday night’s bluefish trip was a success with blues up to 9 pounds. 

Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick said he fluke bite remains good at the local wrecks and reefs with reports of shorts and keepers and sea bass mixed in. He also reported plenty of peanut bunker around with blues enjoying themselves at the Manasquan Inlet. There are also triggerfish in the rocks.  

Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the fishing has been very good in the surf with lots of keeper fluke and small bluefish. Barnegat Bay still has some nice fluke along with spot and blowfish. Crabbing is good and snappers are just starting to show. 

Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park also reported plenty of fluke and bluefish in the surf. The only problem is that you have get through the blues to get to fluke as they are attacking everything. Still, he said, they weighed in a bunch of nice fluke this week. A surprise pompano also made it to the scale. Kerico mentioned that the shop is running Christmas in July online only specials offering Grumpy’s Sandstorm rods and Daiwa BG combos at big savings. 

Best Bets for the Weekend

Fluke still hold the top spot with good fishing in the rivers and on the wrecks and reefs. The surf is giving up fish as well but the bite seems better south of the Manasquan Inlet. Gulp, bucktails, squid and spearing are the favorites. 

Tuesday, Aug. 1, brings the opening of porgies and blackfish. It’s a one-fish limit at 15 inches for the tog and 30 fish at 10 inches for porgies.