Spring Striper Fishing on the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers

As winter turns to spring, the back bays, rivers, and mud flats of New Jersey come to life. After moving to the area, I became enamored by the often-forgotten Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers, commonly referred to as “the two rivers.” In the shadow of Raritan Bay and Hudson River fishery, they are at the northern range of the Jersey shore and conjoin to flow out between the Highlands and Sandy Hook into the Raritan Bay. 

These two rivers can be a productive fishery year-round, but the months of March, April, and May are truly special for those in search of early season striped bass in shallow water. Almost every creek, bridge, point, flat, tidal rip, and sod bank will have fish. This time of year, many captains choose to run out of the two rivers and into Raritan Bay to join the massive fleet chasing birds and bunker pods as far as the eye can see. I often prefer to stay in the productive backwaters where I have miles of shoreline to myself. 

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While the large spawning fish are out in force around the bay, the two rivers do have quality fish. Over the last few years, I have recorded the lengths of over 300 springtime fish in this backwater system. The striped bass have averaged 28.9 inches, with the biggest of the river fish coming in at about the 37- to 39-inch range every year. I am sure there are larger fish to be found for those who know when and where to look. 

Fishing in both the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers can be a skinny-water game. During high-water phases of the tides, many spots will still be under 4 feet, but I like to push back into the numerous creeks where striped bass are corralling pods of bunker against bulkheads, docks, and sod banks. There are expansive flats and islands that are often high and dry, but they quickly become fish magnets on a flood tide. Many of these creeks and flats are inaccessible by boat on a low tide. During low-water phases of the tide, my strategy is to move out and work channel edges, sunken points, bridges, and rips where the forage fish are getting flushed out by fast-moving water into ambush points. Where the two rivers meet, a series of sandbars causes rips to form. On a falling tide, this stretch of water from the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge all the way to the Highlands Bridge and beyond can be a productive area to poke around and blind-cast on long drifts.

A Cross-Country Migration

The two rivers play an interesting role in the history of striped-bass fishing in the United States. In 1879, striped bass were captured in the Navesink River and put on a train bound for San Francisco, California. Very few people know that the gene pool of fish now populating the San Francisco Bay area, the California coast, and all the way up to Canada are the descendants of these New Jersey river fish.

What to Throw and When

The springtime forage in the two rivers is primarily menhaden, though there is an extremely healthy population of mummichogs, (“killies”) that are beginning their long spawn season. I’ve regularly landed striped bass that regurgitated a mess of these small fish all over the deck of the boat. Other typical two-river forage fish include grass shrimp, alewives, and herring. Given the size difference of these forage fish, I can throw very large offerings or go light and fish very small. This fishery is a great place to try new things and experiment, so don’t be afraid to throw something unusual. 

March

In March when the water is bitterly cold, I tend to focus my plug activity on no-light and low-light situations. The still-frigid water temperature requires painfully slow subsurface retrieves to entice a hit. For this, I typically throw soft-plastic swim shads, metal-lipped divers, and floating Daiwa SP Minnows. During March daylight hours, it can also be productive to drift bloodworms or bait, then wait to rest and recharge for the nightshift. 

April

April is one of my favorite months to fish the two rivers. The catch frequency starts to pick up noticeably as the water warms and the fishery comes alive. Keep an eye out for hovering ospreys that are ready to dive since they will be keyed in on the pods of bunker filling in the rivers on every tide. 

In early April, I stick with subsurface swimmers and gliders until I start to see more consistent surface activity. One new lure in my arsenal this year was the G-Ratt Sneaky Pete Glide Bait. It is a slow-sink bait that allows for a nice pause and is equipped with a rattle. It has a medium to large profile at about 7.5 inches, but the glide it provided was smooth and I appreciated the ability to fish it at different depths by varying my retrieve speed or allowing it to sink. 

There were times when the small-profile IslandX Lures Stinger Minnow was the most productive weapon in my box. The design of this lure allows for a variety of retrieve speeds and cadence, though I found that a medium to slow retrieve, paired with a twitch, caused it to dart erratically and solicited reaction bites when other lures could not. The lure’s body is equipped with a willow blade to provide some flash and vibration, which was extremely helpful when the water clarity was reduced from recent heavy rain and runoff. It was common for bass to follow this lure for a long distance, almost mesmerized, before inhaling and erupting boatside. On any given day when the bite got picky, downsizing to this level was often my ticket to success. 

Later in the month, once the water temperatures begin to climb, topwater action is hard to resist. It can be fast and furious, with two, three or more bass at a time relentlessly attacking topwaters like they have not eaten in months. My topwater lures of choice for late April are the Lil’ Doc Spook and the Hogy Charter Grade Popper.

May

In May, the topwater bite is still alive and well, but the two rivers’ fishery starts to change. Sizeable bluefish invade the river with force and the bass population slowly starts to thin out as some continue their migration north into cooler, bait-rich waters. 

Depending on the year, by mid- to late May, the water temperatures in shallow creeks have increased dramatically to an almost uncomfortable level for the bass. Under the cover of darkness in the cooler nighttime air, creeks and flats off the main rivers can still be productive, but focus around the mouths of the creeks. 

Once we get later into May, drifting eels under numerous bridges at night will still produce, but there are probably three blues for every bass that’s ready to chomp your eel in half. The bigger bass in the river tend to leave first, but strong numbers of schoolies stick around into early June and beyond. May is the month when you have the best chance at a Two River Grand Slam, which consists of catching a striped bass, bluefish, fluke, and weakfish in the same day. In May, I often downsize my offerings to increase the probability of finding rogue weakfish. 

Access and Planning Your Trip

Access to the rivers is plentiful. It is a very forgiving environment for all variations of anglers whether it’s a kayak crew, a wader gang, bridge folk, or someone trailering a boat. There are numerous areas to park, rent a boat, or launch your own. 

For those venturing into the rivers for the first time, be mindful of the ever-changing tidal flats and sandbars. The primary channels have been recently dredged, but they are never the same as the year before, and charts can often be outdated or misleading. It is also worth mentioning that you should be aware of the new boating regulations regarding life preservers in New Jersey. A USCG-approved life jacket is required to be worn at all times when outside of a cabin on a boat under 26 feet during the cold-water months (while in motion) from November 1 to May 1. 

The area around the two rivers is home to a number of tackle shops where you can get the most recent reports and stock up on what you need for the day. Giglio’s Bait & Tackle in Sea Bright, and Tak Waterman in Long Branch are the closest two shops, so be sure to pay them a visit. If you are coming from the north or west, you may find it convenient to stop by the Tackle Box in Hazlet or Julian’s Bait & Tackle in Atlantic Highlands. 

Related Content

South Jersey’s Spring Striper Run

March Strategies for New Jersey Stripers

Spring Striper Fishing on Raritan Bay

Source: https://onthewater.com/spring-stripers-in-new-jerseys-rivers

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