Mason Ayres, originally from Reading, Pennsylvania, caught a 14-inch fluke off the Bayshore Waterfront Park pier, his first catch in many years. 
Cownosed rays, not suitable for fishing but fun to watch, have been plentiful around Sandy Hook Bay. Photo by Stan Kosinski 
A fisherman on the Skylarker, a charter out of Belmar, caught a keeper flounder off Deal.
By John Spinelli
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – Despite the remnants of Hurricane Debby wreaking havoc on local waters last week, this summer in the Two River area has seen some fishing success. And with the weather forecast showing drier days for the coming week, now is the perfect time to get in some time on the water before summer wanes.
One underrated spot – the Bayshore Waterfront pier in Port Monmouth – has recently seen some action.
Mason Ayres has fished the pier many summers and finally had some success this year. Ayres and his family rent an Airbnb in the Port Monmouth area every summer.
“I finally caught a 14-inch fluke,” Ayres said. “I’m actually from Reading, Pennsylvania, and I’ve come here every summer, so it was nice to catch a fish here.”
He caught the fish around 7 p.m. at high tide, he said. That same night, he saw smaller sharks, mostly dogfish, and cownose rays swarming around the outer portion of the pier.
In Atlantic Highlands, party boats like the Fisherman, Sea Tiger, Prowler 5 and others have been circling Sandy Hook Bay and the ocean. Scott Hillard, captain of the Prowler 5, said his trips the past few weeks have been hit-or-miss.
“Generally, we’ve had good and bad days. We’ve mostly caught summer flounder and sea bass. We’ve tried out by the Atlantic Reach (near Sandy Hook) which has been pretty good,” he said.
At Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright, customers said they have seen success with artificial baits such as “Gulp” and “APWs.”
“It’s the name of the game. A lot of people have been just moving up and down the beach either in Sandy Hook or Sea Bright and have been bringing in a lot of small stripers and fluke,” Giglio’s owner said.
Fishers have been successful on the rivers this summer, too. Steve Remaley of Red Bank Marina said the brackish waters have given up a bounty.
“Crabbing has been very good for the 20 rental boats (from Red Bank Marina) that have gone out thanks to the warm 82-degree water temperatures in the back of the Navesink River,” Remaley said.
“Snapper blues are also being caught along with the crab activity between the train bridge and Highway 35 bridge. Best times are during the incoming tide,” he added, noting “blues and small fluke have appeared in deeper water near Buoy 20. Some keeper fluke was reported further up the river near the Oceanic Bridge.”
Further south, Mike Gleason, the owner of Tak Waterman in Long Branch, shared what his customers have been saying.
“Before all the rain, fishing was really good,” Gleason said. “Boaters have been telling me just to follow the terns (and other marine birds), that they’ve been catching bonito, Spanish mackerel, tuna, etc.” He anticipated better fishing as conditions improve.
“Weather is looking very good this week.”
The article originally appeared in the August 15 – 21, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
