Is Raritan bay dead ?

[AndyS]

I remember years ago it seemed like every other post was about fishing Raritan bay, now I never see any. Years ago my friends would fish the channel edges for fluke in the spring and catch 8 and 10 pounders. Do no party boats fish Raritan bay anymore. Even the reports I have seen posted seemed dismal at best. Is it a spot burning thing that the fishing is actually that good but people don't want to give it away ???
I read a lot of FB posts and it seems Barnegat bay is pretty good and consistent fishing.

[damnyankee]

the amount of boats that fish Raritan bay has definitely diminished over the years. It's been a few seasons since fluking was great in the spring and early summer in the bay. The fish stay in the rivers mostly now.

[reason162]

The days of mindlessly pounding channel edges are long gone. Fish are around but in smaller patches - guys who understand shallow structure and current are still on them but the vast majority of weekend warriors who follow the pros around the bay are hurting.

[bulletbob]

Raritan Bay was a fish bowl years ago.. A lot of the species that called the bay home are greatly diminished everywhere.. Weaks/Blues/Fluke/Winter Flounder... We also had spectacular black fishing in the bay IF you knew where to go.. [we did]. Just as good as the ocean...Only Stripers are doing well these days compared to years ago.. It only makes sense that fewer people fish there, and there are fewer,less optimistic reports... bob

[hammer4reel]

I have friends who never travel more than a mile or two from their marinas .
They catch all the fluke they want .
And nice fish at that

[Detour66]

Flynn's Knoll still holds some decent Fluke. Same with the CG Station area early in the year. There are people catching fish though out the bay but a lot of shorts. The bottom line is finding 18"+ in the bay can be tricky for those not in the know. Back in the day when the bay was fished a lot the size of a keeper was a lot smaller. Now most run out to the rocks or up the rivers to find keeper sized fish! So the bay is not dead but certainly has changed. Tight lines!

[AndyS]

It's just I don't see anyone posting anymore so I guess people don't want to give away a good thing. The spring clamming for striped bass seems to have gone by the way side though. Wasn't sure if it was a water quality issue also.

[Togfather2530]

You can’t even buy a bushel of clams anymore fresh. Anyone that knows where you can buy them please let me know. Sad. There’s a lot of things that aren’t what they used to be.

[Togfather2530]

Originally Posted by Togfather2530

You can’t even buy a bushel of clams anymore fresh. Anyone that knows where you can buy them please let me know. Sad. There’s a lot of things that aren’t what they used to be.

When I say a bushel of clams, I mean a bushel of clams in the shell in a burlap bag

[AndyS]

I thought Spring Lake Freezer had them. I used to go right to boat Skimmer in Point Pleasant and buy a bushel. Also down the road where the commercial boats dock for Campbells soup I used to go back there and pick up a bushel just from discarded clams.