Northern New Jersey Fishing Forecast- November 30, 2023

Northern New Jersey Fishing Report

This fall run may last well into winter. Boats had no trouble finding stripers right up until last Sunday’s storm and then again when the ocean calmed down. And while beach anglers north of the Manasquan Inlet saw things go quiet, there were plenty of blitzes to the south.

Seaside beaches down to Island Beach State Park saw some of the best fishing of the year.
 
Inshore bluefin fishing has been exceptional and, while the tog bite has been sluggish, there are signs it’s improving.

Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said from what he’s hearing, the better bass fishing has moved south. Raritan Bay has gone a little quiet with the better fishing taking place on the New York side. He’s also been getting good reports on bluefin in close with boats trolling ballyhoo having plenty of success. Blackfishing, he said, has been inconsistent at best.

Danny Stolba at Fish Tail Bait and Tackle in Carteret said the gang fishing the pier continue to do well catching stripers in the Arthur Kill. A bunch of bass were caught his past week up to 37 inches. Bunker chunks have been getting all of the fish.

Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said there are still plenty of bass being caught in Raritan Bay but the action has been better closer to the New York side. There are more sand eels around, he said, and Avas and other sand eel imitations are working off the beach. The surf is holding mostly small fish but the boats are still finding good numbers of bigger bass. Blackfishing has picked up at the Rattlesnake and other rough bottom spots, he added.

Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said things slowed way down in his neck of the woods.  Folks blind casting are still finding stripers but it’s a far cry from the recent insanity. Pinto doesn’t think it’s over just yet as he’s heard of fish over on the New York side. And to prove it, he just stocked the shop with a new shipment of 6-inch Blitz Baits in multiple colors. 

Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the striper fishing has gone a little quiet but there are fish to be had in the surf blind casting. Sand eel imitations have been the ticket. He thinks we may get another shot of fish as long as the body of bass up north take the coastal route down south and don’t stay offshore. Gleason said the bluefin bite is wild with a good mix of fish from 50 inchers to giants. Casting soft plastics like Hogy paddle tails and NLBN shads has been productive.

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

Things have been quiet in the Asbury Park/Bradley Beach area since the storm and heavy surf but there was bait and a few small bass in the wash on Wednesday night. Party boats out of the Belmar Marina targeting stripers, like the Big Mohawk and Golden Eagle, are having no trouble getting on fish. Both reported good fishing this week. The Big Mohawk will be getting back to blackfishing this weekend.

Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the stripers were thick just off the pier in Ocean Grove on Wednesday morning when he had the Belmar Fishing Club out on a charter. The boat limited out early. Capt. Spinelli also said that he did some blackfishing over the weekend and while it wasn’t great, it does seem to be getting better.

Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar has been having a field day with stripers every trip out. He’ll be sailing open boat this Friday and Sunday and reservations can be made through his website.

Ted Imfeld at The Reel Seat in Brielle said the striper fishing was hampered by the storm and swell but the fish were back biting on Wednesday from Manasquan down to Island Beach State Park. He had reports of fish up to 42 inches. He also reported good togging on the offshore spots and the bluefin bite has been crazy in the shipping lanes. Poppers and Hogy paddle tails are popular baits.

Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the bass fishing has become a bit inconsistent since Sunday’s storm and the big heave in the surf. It improved as the swell subsided and the water cleaned up. This week, he said, the fishing was better in the afternoon on the incoming tide with the boats having better luck than the beach anglers. Togging has been good for the smaller boats in shallow water but shorts outnumber keepers by a good margin. You just have to weed through them, he said. The bluefin bite has been red hot in close. The giants, he said, seem to be north of the Manasaquan Inlet while the smaller bluefin are down to the south. Paddle tails and poppers are working and while those trolling horse ballyhoo are finding more consistent action. Tanger said the Voyager out of Point Pleasant Beach had a successful offshore sea bass trip this week with the added bonus of about 50 pollock. And, he suggested, if you’re looking for a change from saltwater, freshwater action has been good in local ponds for newly stocked trout and panfish.

Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that a number of bluefin tuna have been caught in recent days close to shore, within seven miles. Most of the fish have been on poppers or trolling rigged ballyhoo. He also reported that the fall striper run continued over the weekend, with fish blitzing the local beaches each day. Tog fishing also remains good in the canal and on the local rough spots.

Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach said the blackfishing has finally started to get good. This past week’s trips saw several limits and a lot of keepers. Check his website for availability on open boat tog trips.

Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach also reported better togging lately with the big fish of the week over 10 pounds. In addition to daily blackfish trips, Capt. Gregory is running a tog marathon leaving the dock at 6 a.m. every Monday. Check the website for more details.

Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported that Brick beach blew up Tuesday morning with stripers gorging on peanut and adult bunker along with sand eels. Avas with teasers were getting the job done. Boaters have been getting into bass from Manasquan down to Seaside Park using shads, livelining, trolling and flutter spoons. He also reported bluefin in close. 

Peter Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the beach bite was just insane last Friday and Saturday which was perfect for the Annual Surf Turkey Tournament held over the Thanksgiving weekend. The action lasted all day on Saturday with blitzes in multiple places. The winner of the catch-and-release tournament with the longest fish was Eric Keating with a bass of 34½ inches.  George Brown came in second with a 34 incher and Ryan Jago came in third with a 5-bass stringer of 147½ inches. Kupper said the bass were still biting through the beginning of the week.

Scott Thomas at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park said it’s been going off for days down there from the local beaches all the way into Island Beach State Park. The blitz on Monday afternoon, he said, was the best fishing of the fall with bass up to 38 inches. Adult and peanut bunker, sand eels, mullet and butterfish were all fueling the frenzy. Shads, swimmers, Avas and other sand eel imitations were all working. Added teasers made for a number of double-headers. Thomas said the blackfishing has been just okay but the bluefin bite has been exceptional. He’s had reports of tuna caught in 25 feet of water and good action at the Barnegat Light Reef. 

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

Best Bets for the Weekend

Head south for stripers. The Ocean County beaches saw a lot of bass this past week and they were still biting as of Wednesday. Shads, Ava jigs and other sand eel imitations are all working. Tog fishing, which got off to a slow start, seems to be gathering steam on the local reefs and wrecks. 

Bluefin tuna are also in close for those willing to chase them down. Trolling ballyhoo has also been very effective.