New Jersey & Delaware Bay - Northern New Jersey Fishing Reports
NJ/DE Bay Region Fourth of July Forecast
The Fourth of July weekend has arrived, and so too has the July edition of The Fisherman. Get a peek inside the New Jersey, Delaware Bay edition for a tactical approach to topwater yellowfin as well as a deep-dive into plugging bigeye and wahoo on the troll. We have a giant bluefin just under the NOAA “trophy” closure out of Manasquan, while mako shark action is still in place as of this morning due to a slow-moving bureaucracy in DC. Get a comprehensive look at the holiday weekend fluking opportunities with a 12-pounder and at least one other “Dream Boat” fluke from Raritan Bay. Spanish mackerel are snapping along the Delaware Coast, with sheepshead reports intensifying from throughout the South Jersey region. Wherever you may be fishing the New Jersey, Delaware Bay this weekend – or even if you plan on heading out to the Pocono’s – we’ve got you covered in our Independence Day weekend report from The Fisherman Magazine.
Fishing along the northern coast the week before the Fourth of July saw some good catches but fewer fishermen. One observation I got from several people I spoke with was that its a good possibility that some people were saving their fuel for Independence Day activities. Which could well be true as the high price of fuel is taking its toll on most Americans and fishing is no different. When it comes to the fishing fluke got the number one billing with some better numbers of flatties being seen in Raritan Bay and in the ocean. In the bay warmer water temps and bringing in more fish and some of the bigger fluke are moving into the deeper water. As to the ocean most of the better fishing is over rough bottoms in the deeper water. Bluefish also saw some better numbers of cocktails supplying the fishing in the bay and slammers from cocktails to 10 pounds being caught in the ocean. Porgy catches really took a big jump with scup to 17 inches being caught along the north side of the bay and off the Rockaways. The addition of two sea bass a trip is giving bottom fishermen a few more fish for the freezer and crabbing is picking up along the south side of the bay and in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. A big thresher was caught this past week and some stripers are being caught after dark in the back bay waters. Last but not least reports on the tuna were scarce this past week, but rumors of tuna being spotted off the Hook were also heard.
We started of this weeks report with several reports from Akira over at True World Tackle. Akira said some of the best fishing this past week was the porgy action at Breezy Point which served up dec...
We started of this weeks report with several reports from Akira over at True World Tackle. Akira said some of the best fishing this past week was the porgy action at Breezy Point which served up decent numbers of scup to 17 inches. He also mentioned continued good fluke fishing in the harbor with fewer small fish but some nice flatties to 9-plus pounds being taken. Anglers fishing by the light of the moon are pulling a few stripers on eels, chunked bunker and jigs, while pier fishermen are also taking a few bass on the incoming tide and the first part of the outgoing water. More
The word from Larry over at Fairfield Fishing Tackle was better fluke fishing in both Raritan Bay and the ocean down from Sandy Hook. Most of the better fluke fishing is still in the shallow water alo...
The word from Larry over at Fairfield Fishing Tackle was better fluke fishing in both Raritan Bay and the ocean down from Sandy Hook. Most of the better fluke fishing is still in the shallow water along the south side of the bay but some bigger fish are starting to move into the deeper water. In the ocean most of the better catches are being seen over rough bottoms in 20 to 40 feet of water. Larry told me with the addition of the two fish sea bass limit anglers will have a few more fish to take for the table. More
This past week saw more improvement in the fluke fishing in Raritan Bay and in the ocean down from the Hook, reported Mark over at Tackle World. He said most of the better fluke fishing in the bay is ...
This past week saw more improvement in the fluke fishing in Raritan Bay and in the ocean down from the Hook, reported Mark over at Tackle World. He said most of the better fluke fishing in the bay is in the shallows with some bigger fish starting to show up in the deeper 10 to16-feet water. Mark said in addition bluefish are also moving into northern waters in better numbers with party boats getting into 2- to10-pound slammers in the ocean and anglers fishing the bay finding mixed size blues from cocktails to 10-pound fish. More
Improved fluke fishing was also the main topic when we spoke with Don over at Ramsey Outdoors. Don told me the Ramsey will be doing its second fluke trip of the year, which is open to customerss on Mi...
Improved fluke fishing was also the main topic when we spoke with Don over at Ramsey Outdoors. Don told me the Ramsey will be doing its second fluke trip of the year, which is open to customerss on MiJo on July 20. Anglers can contact the store for info on the trip. In addition he said bluefishing has also saw some good action this past week with party boats putting anglers into a good bite of mixed size fish in the ocean and smaller boats also doing well in Raritan Bay. More
Porgy fishing was also at the top of the list when we spoke to our sources over at Dockside Bait and Tackle. They told us while the fluke fishing slowed down towards the end of the week; porgy fishing...
Porgy fishing was also at the top of the list when we spoke to our sources over at Dockside Bait and Tackle. They told us while the fluke fishing slowed down towards the end of the week; porgy fishing was very good along the north side of the bay with Breezy Point and the waters off Rockaway serving up some decent numbers of nice size scup. More
I spoke with Capt. Bob Henn of Ebbtide Fishing Charters. Bob said he expects the repairs on the boats transmission to be done by early this week and expects to be fishing soon their after....
I spoke with Capt. Bob Henn of Ebbtide Fishing Charters. Bob said he expects the repairs on the boats transmission to be done by early this week and expects to be fishing soon their after. More
It was a decent week of fluke fishing for anglers fishing aboard the Keyport Princess. Capt. Victor Hartley said the boat will be starting its porgy fishing with daytime trips on Tuesday and Thursdays...
It was a decent week of fluke fishing for anglers fishing aboard the Keyport Princess. Capt. Victor Hartley said the boat will be starting its porgy fishing with daytime trips on Tuesday and Thursdays and an evening trip on Fridays. For info on the boats trips give them a call at the number in their ad. More
We got a good report on the fluke fishing when we spoke to sources at the Keyport Marine Basin .They told us boats sailing out of the basin saw plenty of limits with most of the fishing being just out...
We got a good report on the fluke fishing when we spoke to sources at the Keyport Marine Basin .They told us boats sailing out of the basin saw plenty of limits with most of the fishing being just outside the basin by the sailboats. If you are looking for some table treats the crabbing is also picking up with some decent catches coming from all along the south side of the bay and in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, we were told. More
Another person that told us it was a slow week was Mike over at Wagners Marina. He said the only boat that did well with the fluke was the Two Thumbs Up which maxed out with fluke in the ocean on Sa...
Another person that told us it was a slow week was Mike over at Wagners Marina. He said the only boat that did well with the fluke was the Two Thumbs Up which maxed out with fluke in the ocean on Saturday. Mike also said there were rumors of tuna off the Hook on Saturday, but no one came back with any Charlies. More
Fluke, blues and a few stripers were on the score card over at Up Front Bait and Tackle. Top flattie to make the scale was a 4-1/2-pound fish caught by Deloris A while fishing with Gary Thompson. Stev...
Fluke, blues and a few stripers were on the score card over at Up Front Bait and Tackle. Top flattie to make the scale was a 4-1/2-pound fish caught by Deloris A while fishing with Gary Thompson. Steve said light tackle fishermen are having fun with he cocktail blues that have moved into the back bay and dark hour fishermen are still scoring some stripers on cut bunker and eels. Lastly we were told porgy numbers are building along the north side of the bay and the scup are starting to spread out through out the bay. More
The big news over at the Tackle Box was the 12-pound flukeasaurus caught by Lucas Gomez while fishing Raritan Bay. Phil told us some of the better fluke catches are starting to come from the deeper wa...
The big news over at the Tackle Box was the 12-pound flukeasaurus caught by Lucas Gomez while fishing Raritan Bay. Phil told us some of the better fluke catches are starting to come from the deeper water and off the rough bottoms in the ocean. Cocktail blues have moved into the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers and the back bay where they are giving light tackle anglers some good action. Porgy fishing turned red hot this past week with good numbers of porgies to 17 inches being caught at Breezy Point and off the Rockaways. Last but not least locals who know the back waters are still picking up some stripers on cut bunker when they can get it. More
It was also a slow week for Capt. Jim Revelli and the crew of Bingo Sportfishing Charters. Dawn said the Little Bingo did well with the fluke on a Friday trip this past week. Dawn told us the bigger b...
It was also a slow week for Capt. Jim Revelli and the crew of Bingo Sportfishing Charters. Dawn said the Little Bingo did well with the fluke on a Friday trip this past week. Dawn told us the bigger boat will be doing porgy trips on Friday and Sunday evenings. More
Another boat captain that told me he saw a slow week was Capt. Joe Baumle of Sour Kraut Sportfishing Joe told me he only got in one porgy trip this past week which found some decent action with jumbo ...
Another boat captain that told me he saw a slow week was Capt. Joe Baumle of Sour Kraut Sportfishing Joe told me he only got in one porgy trip this past week which found some decent action with jumbo porgies to 17 inches. Joe said he has dates open in July for all types of fishing so give him a call if you want to get in on the fishing. More
Five trips aboard the MiJo this past week saw some fluke fishing. Capt. Mike Scardingo said he started the week by putting the Bob Hogart group into a pick of fluke. Next up was the Ken Amiss charter ...
Five trips aboard the MiJo this past week saw some fluke fishing. Capt. Mike Scardingo said he started the week by putting the Bob Hogart group into a pick of fluke. Next up was the Ken Amiss charter who also had a pick of fluke. A mid week trip with a group from an American Legion Post hit a fair pick of flatties, while the Mike Donaly party boated a good bite of fluke. The crew finished up the week by putting the Pete Prosack party into a fair pick of fluke. More
Four trips aboard the Little Hawk put anglers into fluke and porgies. Capt. Joe Occhipinti said he started the week off by putting Jim and his party into a slow pick of fluke on Monday. Tuesday saw Ja...
Four trips aboard the Little Hawk put anglers into fluke and porgies. Capt. Joe Occhipinti said he started the week off by putting Jim and his party into a slow pick of fluke on Monday. Tuesday saw Jake and his group pick away at the porgies, while Wednesdays charter with Phil and group decked some nice scup. Porgy fishing was very good for Juan and his charter on Sunday morning. More
It was a slow week over at the Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor. Lou Fligor told me it was the slowest week since the striper fishing crashed as more and more anglers are cutting back because of th...
It was a slow week over at the Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor. Lou Fligor told me it was the slowest week since the striper fishing crashed as more and more anglers are cutting back because of the price of fuel. He said he expects to see some better numbers of boat launches this coming weekend because of the fireworks this coming weekend. More
Porgies, fluke and bluefish were the main topics over at Julians Bait & Tackle. Steve was another person that told us of excellent porgy fishing along the north side of the bay. Here too the word wa...
Porgies, fluke and bluefish were the main topics over at Julians Bait & Tackle. Steve was another person that told us of excellent porgy fishing along the north side of the bay. Here too the word was jumbo scup and good numbers of them. Slammers from cocktails to 10-pounders were giving anglers some action in the bay and outside. Fluke fishing which has been good of late saw fewer anglers fishing during the week. Steve said the current price of fuel is really starting to take its toll on the fishing. Most anglers are not moving around as much to find the fish and this means certain areas are being depleted quickly and taking longer to repopulate, he said. More
We had very good porgy fishing on all our trips this past week, cited Capt. Pete Wagner of the Hyper Striper. Pete said hopefully the porgies will show up in good numbers this summer and give angl...
We had very good porgy fishing on all our trips this past week, cited Capt. Pete Wagner of the Hyper Striper. Pete said hopefully the porgies will show up in good numbers this summer and give anglers something to add to the fish box. More
It was a week of some decent catches of fluke and a few big stripers, said Capt. Fletcher Chayes of Two Rivers Charters. Fletcher said several of his trips this past week decked flatties to 8 poun...
It was a week of some decent catches of fluke and a few big stripers, said Capt. Fletcher Chayes of Two Rivers Charters. Fletcher said several of his trips this past week decked flatties to 8 pounds. The boat also fished outside on a couple of trips with caught and released bass to 40-plus pounds. Most of the better bass fishing was early in the morning, Fletcher said. More
The super big news over at Twin Lights Marina this past week was a 426-pound thresher that made it to the scale. Wayne said the big set of jaws was caught on the boat Sonny Boy. In addition Wayne said...
The super big news over at Twin Lights Marina this past week was a 426-pound thresher that made it to the scale. Wayne said the big set of jaws was caught on the boat Sonny Boy. In addition Wayne said outside of the big shark, it was a slow week at the marina as far as the number of boats fishing. More
After a solid weekend of bluefishing, Sundays trip aboard the Miss Belmar Princess saw some picky slammer action. The Royal Miss Belmar also found picky fishing on her half-day trip for fluke and bo...
After a solid weekend of bluefishing, Sundays trip aboard the Miss Belmar Princess saw some picky slammer action. The Royal Miss Belmar also found picky fishing on her half-day trip for fluke and bottom fish. Windy conditions and a strong current made drifting tough. Even with the tough conditions a handful of keeper fluke and some nice sea bass, which recycled were caught. Early and mid week fishing, saw mixed results. Wednesdays trip started off slow but finished with good action, while Thursdays trip started off with very good action but ended with slow fishing. Fridays trip started off with some good bluefish action but fizzled, however a switch to bottom fishing served up a good bite to big ling and sea bass. More
It was a good week of fishing for anglers sailing with Nearfall Fishing Charters. Capt. Joe Paton told me he had been targeting fluke on the majority of his trips and finding good fishing with 18-inch...
It was a good week of fishing for anglers sailing with Nearfall Fishing Charters. Capt. Joe Paton told me he had been targeting fluke on the majority of his trips and finding good fishing with 18-inch plus fish and 17-inch fish, along with some decent size sea bass. Joe said some of the better fishing has been jigging over rough bottoms and that is also producing the knuckleheads. A couple of shark trips also served up some good action with duskys and blue sharks. He has also been keeping and eye on the tuna but so far only spotty catches have been reported, he said. More
Capt. Nick Caruso of the Ol Salty II told me he did not fish this past week. Nick said the boat will be doing its first offshore trip this coming Wednesday, July 6 and still has a few spots open. If...
Capt. Nick Caruso of the Ol Salty II told me he did not fish this past week. Nick said the boat will be doing its first offshore trip this coming Wednesday, July 6 and still has a few spots open. If you want to get in on the tuna action give him a call. More
It was a very good week of bluefishing with six out of seven trips enjoying very good fishing, stated Capt. Rich Falcone of the Golden Eagle. Rick told me cocktails dominated the fishing early in ...
It was a very good week of bluefishing with six out of seven trips enjoying very good fishing, stated Capt. Rich Falcone of the Golden Eagle. Rick told me cocktails dominated the fishing early in the week but bigger fish were on the increase as the week progressed and five to 10-pounders dominated the catch late in the week. The boat will be doing its first offshore tuna trip on July 11. More
It was a light week of fishing for the crew of the Skylarker. Capt. Steve Spinelli said he started off a trio of trips with the Henry Screven family charter and put them into a mix of ling and winter ...
It was a light week of fishing for the crew of the Skylarker. Capt. Steve Spinelli said he started off a trio of trips with the Henry Screven family charter and put them into a mix of ling and winter flounder. A mid week trip with the Jim Holmberg party decked ling, cod winter flounder and a couple of lobsters. The Rebecca Carol family was aboard on Saturday for another good pick of ling and cod. More
While fluke fishing started off on the spotty side aboard the Big Mohawk III it got progressively better as the week progressed. The Mark Miller Charter found some tough drifting conditions to start t...
While fluke fishing started off on the spotty side aboard the Big Mohawk III it got progressively better as the week progressed. The Mark Miller Charter found some tough drifting conditions to start the week off. By mid-week the fishing picked back up with Wednesday putting anglers into a good bite of shorts and keepers to 5 pounds with jigs tipped with Gulp scoring best. The fishing continued to improve on Thursdays trip with a good catch of fluke to 9 pounds. Fishing was also very good on Friday with plenty of limits and a 4-pound pool fish. Greg Hueth said fishing over the weekend saw some decent numbers of keepers and good holiday weekend crowds. Greg asked me to remind readers that the boat is now doing evening cruises and whale watching trips. More
Fluke fishing in Shark River and inlet continues to produce some good fishing, stated sources at the Fishermans Den. Rental boat fishermen have been returning to the dock with their 18-inch plus fis...
Fluke fishing in Shark River and inlet continues to produce some good fishing, stated sources at the Fishermans Den. Rental boat fishermen have been returning to the dock with their 18-inch plus fish and two smaller fish on a regular basis. In addition we were told some cocktail blues have been moving in and out of the inlet and some triggerfish are being caught off the rocks at the inlet. Surfcasters are picking up a few stripers in the early moving on sand fleas and sandwoms; however the fishing has been very sporadic. Boats fishing out of the inlet have been reporting good fluke and bluefish catches to the north of the inlet. More
Fluke fishing aboard the Parker Pete Express ended July with some good fluke fishing. Capt. Pete Sykes told me the boat will be doing open boat fluke fishing when not charter in July. The Parker Pete ...
Fluke fishing aboard the Parker Pete Express ended July with some good fluke fishing. Capt. Pete Sykes told me the boat will be doing open boat fluke fishing when not charter in July. The Parker Pete will be doing charters for smaller groups in July. The boats Fluke Fishing Extravaganza trips will be bucktailing rough bottoms for the bigger fluke in July. More
The last couple of trips with Last Lady Fishing Charters enjoyed some good bottom fishing. Capt. Ralph Leyrer said the fishing was a mixed bag of ling and cod. We expect to see a better mix of fish in...
The last couple of trips with Last Lady Fishing Charters enjoyed some good bottom fishing. Capt. Ralph Leyrer said the fishing was a mixed bag of ling and cod. We expect to see a better mix of fish in July with porgies, fluke, bluefish and sea bass mixing in with the catch. Give Ralph a call for info on the boats open boat schedule and charters. More