As I write this column, we’ve just been through the coldest winter in about six years, and it was an actual winter with snow and frozen ponds all across the state which we haven’t seen in quite some time. That has kept the back bay water temps lower than average as of early March the temps are around 40 to 41 degrees, but that hasn’t stopped the first stripers from being reported. Once April hits, we should be well underway with the striper run in the backwaters and even migrating out front. Winter flounder season has also reopened for the year, and the chew should be going pretty well this month. Blackfish season is reopened from April 1 to April 30 with a four-fish limit and 15-inch minimum size. There’s always the opportunity to target the first bluefin tuna to move close to shore, so be on the lookout anytime you are out bassing or bottomfishing. Let’s get started.
RARITAN BAY
Strangely, last year’s striper run inside Raritan Bay was very lackluster as there was never a super steady bite of bass but more like sporadic shots of fish that pushed in and out of the bay. Hopefully, this year will be different with the more normal sustained run of stripers moving in and out of the bay as they go to spawn up the Hudson and Raritan Rivers. The good news is that by early March, fish were already caught in the Raritan River and off the beaches in south Amboy, Cliffwood and Morgan Creek areas. Bloodworms are best baits for shorebound casters while rubber paddletail jigs and swimming plugs can get strikes for boaters working any areas where you can mark some fish in the way back area. Coney Island and Romer Shoal had fish last year at this time and it all depends on if you can find the bunker schools. By the end of April, stripers should be around just about everywhere inside Raritan Bay, pushing past the Highlands Bridge on the backside of Sandy Hook and into the Shrewsbury and Navesink River systems. If you’re looking for some different fare, try chumming up some winter flounder as I know there has to be flounder hanging around at the old haunts like Morgan Creek and Keyport Flats, it’s just that nobody ever tries for them so much anymore as the two fish limit at 12 inches doesn’t compute with the math and cost to go out and target them. It’s always worth a shot though if you combo up a striper/flounder bloodworming trip.
NORTHERN COAST
Let’s hope this spring push of stripers is nothing like last year’s dearth of all bass inside the northern river systems. It was probably the worst I’ve ever seen in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers as I did not see even one, ONE, bunker back there all April long and I had only caught one fish in 20 outings, then gave up. Hopefully, that will not happen this year as April is usually the best month to fish the rivers with white Mag Darters, Shads, and swimming plugs. The Oceanic Bridge is a good spot to try but it might take all month of March and early April to warm up the waters into the mid to high 50s. We can hope that bluefish will move into the rivers this April and they did make a quick push last year with some 4 to 8-pounders rolling through. Off the coastline, stripers should be moving past Asbury Park, Spring Lake and the Highlands around the Shrewsbury Rocks and bunker schools should be hanging around to attract them. Jigs and plugs will get hit as will livelined bunker if they are fickle on the bite. Down in Shark River, winter flounder pounders will be casting from the L Street and Concrete Piers to try and hook some floundies while cartoppers will put boats out off the gas dock and in the channel edges to chum and anchor up pulling on flounder. Blackfish should also be staging inside the Shark River Inlet area as they prepare to spawn out, be sure to release most of your blackfish so they can keep the generations coming. Every now and then you hear of bluefish making their way past the train bridge in the river but mainly they are caught inside the inlet and off the north jetty rocks on poppers and metals.
CENTRAL COAST
Look for linesiders in the backwaters throughout the whole month. The Manasquan River system, Barnegat Bay and Toms River areas generally have stripers on the chew in the morning and night hours. You can opt for bloodworm baits or tossing small shads, bucktails, swimming plugs and darters, with white usually being the go-to color in the darker waters of the rivers. This stretch of coast from Bay Head down through Island Beach is where surf anglers have their best shot at actually catching surf side stripers as fresh clam baits or slowly drawn shads and plugs can hang the first migratory bass as they push up the coastline. If you’re lucky, you could see some bunker schools getting worked by bass close enough to cast to. Bluefish should also be on the menu, not only off the beaches but all over the Barnegat Bay and Manasquan River systems. Choppers ranging up to 10 pounds are the usual fare, though it all depends on whether we get a steady east wind over a few days to push them inside the inlets and keep them corralled in the backwaters. Use cheap plugs with single hooks or cast metals like ava jigs to take the beating from the blues. A big attraction this month will be blackfish as they move inshore to spawn. Tog will stage on the nearshore reef sites in 50 to 75 feet of water at Sea Girt Reef, Klondike, Rattlesnake and the Axel Carlson Reef and will even push all the way back inside the Squan Inlet, Barney Inlet and backwater docks and bridges. If fishing the backwaters and inlets, it’s easiest to go with 1 to 2-ounce tog jigs tipped with half a green crab for minimal snags. Be sure to fish around the slack tides when fish are feeding the most aggressively. Winter flounder fishing is usually hopping down in this area especially at spots like the Mantoloking Bridge, Point Canal, and on the west side of the Manasquan River. Chum heavy and often to get them chewing and then send down bloodworm bits and bounce them around to start hanging fish.
OFFSHORE
Last year was an odd year for tuna fishing as it truly seemed hit or miss anytime you went out. It was either glory or no story and many of the tuna seemed to be on the heavier side of fish as in 100 to 200 pounds with not as many smaller 28”– 42” fish. That’s not to say there weren’t that class of fish around, but larger BFT seemed to dominate the catches with true giants of 500 to 900 pounds being trolled up on live bluefish, bunker, or ballyhoo baits, though it was mostly one hit all day and looking for the right one. Many of those horses were caught only a few miles off the beachfront until the quota was reached and the season shut down. Keep an eye on the regs day to day for bluefin tuna. Keep your eyes and ears open for any tuna bite as it’s tough to write about as it truly happens day by day. My bet is that it will happen, but it will be kept quiet for a few weeks until the word gets out.
Enjoy the first official month of fairly consistent warmer weather! Get out and hit the salt.