Northern New Jersey Fishing Report- December 7, 2023

Northern New Jersey Fishing Report

Striped bass fishing remains red hot, especially for boaters. Fish of all sizes are hitting shads, flutter spoons and topwater baits from Sandy Hook down to Island Beach State Park.  

Beach anglers continue to catch fish, mostly on sand eel imitations and Ava jigs, but there have been fewer blitzes as the stripers choose to stay offshore. 
 
The bluefin bite is also excellent with giants and regulation-size fish reported caught within just a few miles of shore. Blackfishing has been a little up and down but is showing steady improvement on the wrecks, reefs and rough spots. 

Rick Hebert at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the bluefin bite has been on fire. The better reports are coming from down south. Stripers are all over the place, north and south. with the boats getting the best of the fishing. As for blackfish, he said it’s been inconsistent with good days followed by bad. 

Danny Stolba at Fish Tail Bait and Tackle in Carteret said they’re still catching stripers in the Arthur Kill. Anglers have switched to frozen bunker as fresh has been hard to come by, but the bass don’t seem too picky. The best bite comes when the tide switches to incoming. 

Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said they’re seeing some of the best striper fishing of the year right now. He fished on Monday with his son, Patrick, and reported miles and piles of stripers about a half mile off Sandy Hook. Bass of all sizes, with the biggest up to 25 pounds, were hitting flutter spoons, shads and topwater lures. While the stripers weren’t busting on top, the marks on the fishfinder were incredible, he said. The fish were stacked from the surface down to 60 feet with spoons getting hit long before they reached the bottom. For the holidays, the Tackle Box is offering salt and freshwater gift baskets filled with everything for your favorite angler. 

Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said it’s been quiet on the beaches there with just a pick of fish since last Sunday. He did hear of better beach fishing down by Seaside on Tuesday with plenty of fish caught on sand eel imitations.  

Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said it’s been a pick of bass on the beaches there as well. Avas and teasers were working there and the night bite has been improving. He was out chasing bluefin on Tuesday and said the striper readings under the boat were just remarkable. There are just huge numbers of bass hanging offshore, he said. While Gleason had no luck on Tuesday despite getting a few shots at the tuna, he did say the bluefin fishing has been very good with the fish spread out over a wide area. The surf bite has been slow in the Ocean Grove surf this week, but the boats have been having luck right outside the Shark River Inlet down to the Manasquan Inlet. 

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Johnny O. at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the bass boats out of the marina continue to do well with striped bass but he hasn’t heard much good news about the blackfishing. He also said that winter flounder have been scarce in the Shark River.   

Capt. Pete Sykes of Parker Pete’s Sportfishing out of Belmar said the striper fishing just keeps getting better. High hook on Wednesday’s trip caught 27 stripers with everyone getting their limit, plus bonus fish. He added that bluefin have been blowing up alongside the bass as well. He’s fishing north and south of the Shark River Inlet. There are open boat trips scheduled for Friday and Sunday, but the weather may derail Sunday’s outing. Capt. Sykes is planning a couple of open boat trips for next week as he’s certain the bass will still be around. 

Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker said the striper fishing is still world class with loads of fish pretty much everywhere. He’s been blackfishing as well and doing both on some trips. There have also been some very big bluefish mixed in with the stripers.  

Ted Imfeld at The Reel Seat in Brielle said bluefin are two to six miles from shore and are all over Barnegat Ridge, the Shark River Reef and in the shipping lanes. Imfeld also reported stripers all over the place with the boats getting the best of it. There were fish on the beach to the south of the Manasquan Inlet with Avas, teasers and topwater lures working. Blackfishing on the local reefs has been good, he added, and there’s decent black sea bass fishing way offshore.   

Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the offshore blackfishing has been excellent, especially for the boats that can get on the smaller pieces. Jigs, he said, are outfishing rigs. The togging in the Point Pleasant Canal, however, is slow as the fish are on the way out with the colder water. Striper fishing is still going strong on the beaches and in the boats with fish up to 25 pounds. Big blues are also being caught. Tangen was out tuna fishing earlier this week and said the striper marks filled up the screen. He and his friends got a 53-inch bluefin trolling ballyhoo on a blue-and-white Joe Schute. Most of the bluefin, he said, are between 50 to 65 inches but there are giants around.

Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the inshore bluefin bite has been crazy over the last few days. The fish have been located directly off the Manasquan Inlet to the Manasquan Ridge and down to the lumps. Fish have been caught on poppers, sand eel imitations and trolling rigged ballyhoo. Stripers are still being caught along the beaches. He also reported excellent tog fishing inside the Manasquan Inlet this week, with many keeper-size fish caught on crabs. 

Capt. Kenny Namowitz on the Mimi VI out of Point Pleasant Beach reported that the blackfishing seems to be improving with good catches all week. There are also plenty of stripers still around and they’re catching a few porgies and sea bass as well. Check the website for the schedule of open boat trips. 

Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the blackfishing is getting better and better every day. There were multiple limits caught this week with the highlight an 18½-pound tog caught and released by Mike Glogowski. The Norma K III fishes for blackfish every day leaving at 7:30 a.m. and sails on a 10-hour tog marathon every Monday. The first 18-hour offshore sea bass trip for the Norma K III was leaving Thursday night. 

Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the beach bite for stripers has slowed down since Sunday. There are still fish to be had on Avas, teasers and sand eel imitations, but it’s become a pick. 

Scott Thomas at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said there are still plenty of stripers in the surf there hitting sand eel imitations from Tsunami, Joe Baggs and Bill Hurley. Avas with teasers and needlefish are also working. The fish are a mix of sizes up to 20 pounds. He’s also had excellent reports on bluefin fishing with the Shark River Reef a current hot spot. Grumpy’s will be holding a special Santa Event this weekend featuring Scabelly and Big Rock lures and will raise funds for St. Jude Hospital. The event runs Saturday and Sunday. 

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Best Bets for the Weekend

There are still plenty of stripers to be caught, especially if you’re on a boat. Big schools of bass were reported off the beaches from Sandy Hook down to Seaside. Shads, flutter spoons and sand eel imitations are getting the job done. Saturday looks to be the best day as Sunday’s weather is shaping up to be on the nasty side. 

Blackfishing is also showing steady improvement on the offshore wrecks and reefs while tuna anglers are having plenty of success with bluefin.