There are fish around. The only problem is no one wants to go out in the crappy weather to catch them.
Three nor’easters inside of three weeks just doesn’t seem fair to itchy anglers suffering indoors.
Those few who have ventured out have been rewarded with short stripers and some winter flounder. But they are a tiny minority.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said anglers found a lot of action on small bass using bloodworms on the Raritan Bay flats last Sunday. The sun was out and the fish were hungry.
Matt Calabria of Hazlet caught a keeper and dozens of other smaller fish. The bunker are already in the bay and moving into the rivers.
Capt. Sciortino said all we need is a few days of sunshine and the fishing should break open.
Mel Martens at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said it will be a few more weeks before the shop is open full time. He, too, heard of the small bass up in the Raritan along with some shorts being caught in the Long Branch surf.
He said there is a lot of bait in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers and he suspects the winter flounder are there as well, but since so few people are fishing, he hasn’t received word on any catches.
Bob Matthews at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the weather has kept people out of the shop and off the docks in Shark River where the winter flounder folks usually gather.
He said the fishing has been dead with the snow and wind making for some uncomfortable conditions.
Matthews did get some reports of bass being caught at spots other than the power plant, including a 19-pounder caught north of Belmar on a chunk. He also said there were small stripers at the Shark River Inlet and in the back bays.
Capt. Bobby Quinn of the Ocean Explorer out of Belmar reported last Sunday was a good day on the water with both the weather and the fish cooperating. He’s been making a tremendous effort to find fish, and after a couple of tough weeks, he finally found them.
He reported a good showing of cod on most drops with high hook catching seven with three keepers among them. Several anglers had two keepers and Capt. Quinn thought most had fish to go home with.
Jigs seemed to be working better than bait and Capt. Quinn said the cod were feeding on herring, mackerel and baby seas bass. He’s hoping to sail again on Friday and definitely the weekend.
Capt. Pete Sykes on Parker Pete’s Sportfishing, also out of Belmar, said he’s been doing some work on the boat but should be ready to sail sometime in April. He will be at the Saltwater Fishing Expo this weekend in Edison at Booth 701.
The folks at the Reel Seat in Brielle said things were still pretty quiet at the shop, but they did get reports of an uptick in the cod fishing. They also had some reports of winter flounder at the bay end of the Point Pleasant Canal but the second nor’easter interrupted that fishing.
The Reel Seat will be at the Saltwater Fishing Expo this weekend as well.
Greg Began at Brielle Bait and Tackle said the Jamaica II had a good trip last Sunday with good catches of cod and ling. It was a vast improvement over the fishing of late and the Jamaica II will be sailing again this weekend.
He also heard of small bass, winter flounder and white perch being caught down in the Toms River, mostly on blood worms.
This nasty weather isn’t helping the freshwater anglers either, but those that are giving it a try are getting a few fish.
Joe at the Newark Sinker Company in Pine Brook reported when the weather held off, anglers were catching walleye and smallmouth bass in the Delaware River. The shop will be over at the show in Edison and Joe said they will be bringing a lot of do-it-yourself molds for sinkers, jig heads and bucktails.
Steve at Garden State Bait and Tackle said the only thing going on right now is the bass fishing in the private lakes in the area. Folks using jerk and spinner baits have been catching some large bass, with several better than five pounds.
He said they have been busy getting ready for two fishing tournaments scheduled for Echo Lake. The Kids Derby is set for May 19 and the adult contest will be on June 19.
Ron at Fins and Furs in Newfoundland said the guys around there are also doing well with big largemouth in local lakes and ponds. He also heard of good walleye action on the Delaware River for anglers casting lures from the shore.
Ken at Tackle and Field in Wanaque said there’s very little fishing going on there with the big problem being all of the snow covering the launching ramps. He’ll have a better handle on what’s biting when the boaters can get out on the water.
Northern New Jersey Fishing Forecast
The sun is expected to make an appearance over the weekend which should help the bass and winter flounder fishing. The Raritan Bay flats have been giving up plenty of small stripers on bloodworms and there might even be a keeper in the mix. The winter flounder fishing in the Shark River will also benefit from some warmer water.
The cod fishing has also shown signs of life and the Ocean Explorer out of Belmar and the Jamaica II and Big Jamaica out of Bogan’s Basin in Brielle will be targeting them this weekend.
You can also visit the Saltwater Expo at the Edison Convention Center. For those who haven’t been there, it’s a big, well-attended show with hundreds of exhibitors, plus seminars and demonstrations. It’s a good place to stock up for the season.