There were two common themes among the North Jersey tackle shops this week. The first was that fluke season is winding down. The flatfish are moving farther offshore and out of range of many boats. The second, is that the fall run is under way.

Giglio’s Bait & Tackle kicked off this week’s calls, and the word is that the table is set for the fall run. Loads of baitfish are stacked up from Sandy Hook down through Sea Bright with mullet, peanut bunker, adult bunker and even sand eels showing up. So far mostly bluefish, but some bass are joining the party as well. Also in the surf, croakers and spot are biting well. Fluke fishing, however, seems to be drying up.

“The fall run has started!” said Ron at Fisherman’s Supply Co. in Point Pleasant. Mullet are running the surf line and bass and blues are with them. Poppers, jigs and metals are all working for the stripers and bluefish. Fluke fishing, Ron said is better in deeper water, farther off the beach.

Reel Life Bait and Tackle has been hearing of 3- to 8-pound bluefish and small stripers in the surf. Bigger blues are hanging farther off at the Farms and Rattlesnake. Bigger fluke can be found around the humps and bumps in 70 to 75 feet of water.

The Bait Shop in Bradley Beach reported stripers to 30 inches coming from the beach on clams. They also weighed in a 22-inch fluke from the surf and a few 3- to 4-pound bluefish.

Meltzer Sporting Goods in Garfield reports awesome fishing for porgies and ling, making up for the slow fluke fishing. Sea robins have been plentiful too. Though widely regarded as a “trash fish” sea robins are excellent eating. Taking some home and frying them up is the epitome of making lemonade out of lemons.  Try it.

Trolling for bonito and albies is good at Barnegat Ridge according to the crew at the Reel Seat in Brielle. Clark spoons and Japanese feathers have been the ticket. The Manaquan River has numbers of small bass and 3- to 8-pound blues hitting jigs and poppers. Bigger bluefish can be found aboard the party boats. Chunks and jigs are racking and stacking big blues at night. Fluke fishing is winding down, but Manasquan Ridge and the Klondike are still holding keepers. A few flatfish are still being caught in the Manasquan River as well. For fishing the beach, focus efforts around sunrise and sunset.

Monster bluefish, 16- to 18-pounders, are being caught around the Mud Buoy reported Eric at Harry’s Army Navy in Robbinsville. Fluke fishing has slowed to the north, Eric said, but south, in areas like Barnegat Reef and Garden State North, the bite is on fire. Trolling feathers is producing bonito and casting small jigs or live peanut bunker and killies at pots is turning up some chicken mahi.

Offshore

The tuna bite is wide open, came the report from Meltzer’s, and boats are returning to port with big numbers  of tuna in the box. The longfin are hitting on the troll reported the Reel Seat crew, and chunks are beginning to produce yellowfin at night. The bigeye bite is slowing, but the swordfish bite is hot. Many boats fishing through the night are tying into multiple swordfish.

There have even been some tuna popping up mid-range, with yellowfin poking into the waters between Hudson Canyon and the Chicken Canyon. Bluefin have been caught recently, but until the waters cool targeting bluefin will be a little spotty.

Freshwater

The cool nights are putting largemouth bass in a feeding mood reported Eric at Harry’s. Assunpink has been one of the hotspots lately. Even muskies are feeling the need to feed, and a number have been caught recently in Mercer County. Smallmouth fishing on the Delaware River has been hit or miss lately, but catfish and carp are chewing well on the Big D.

Best Bets for the Weekend

I’d be torn between fishing onshore and fishing offshore this weekend.  If you can get to the canyons, go. The tuna fishing is so fickle that the bite could shut off at any minute, plus the fall run is just getting started. Pending any storms, there are still two-and-a-half to three months of good fishing from the surf ahead of us.

If you hit the beach, look for the mullet. They will be easy to spot in the surfline. Throw poppers, swimmers and swim shads. If you can’t find baitfish, you’ll be better off fishing clams on the bottom. Most of the bass caught this week were shorts, but the few keepers reported were taken on bait.

It might be time to start putting away the fluke gear, unless you are fishing to the south. To get your bottom-fishing fix, target porgies and ling for fast action and fine eating.

It’s not specific to the northern part of the State but Tackle Direct has an event at their Brick and Mortar Store on Tilton Road in Egg Harbor Township. Larry Dahlberg is coming Sept 21 and 22 for the grand opening of the Shimano Tech Center and G Loomis Performance Center in the showroom.