So far this summer season, we haven’t really had to deal with the sweltering heat that can make fishing conditions a real challenge. Yes, wind has been a problem but not to the point that it has been unfishable. But even with the moderate air temperatures we have been experiencing, water temperatures in the area are at levels we usually don’t see until late July and August. Ocean temps are already in the mid-seventies in many areas and this can drive many of the species we target take to late summer patterns so we as anglers must factor this into our hunt plans. Don’t get me wrong, the fishing is still very good. But in order to be successful, you may need to adjust your tactics to fit the conditions. Warmer waters will affect bait fish first and where go the bait fish, so follows the food fish. But that is why we at On the Water do these reports. Our front line scouts give us the best available information and we pass it down the line. As with everything else in life, there are no guarantees. Our goal is to give you the best odds of putting some fish on your hook. Let’s see what this week brings us.
The charter boat Stray Cat and Captain Mike O’Neil in Seaview Harbor, just outside of Longport, is licensed for 22 and is one of the better charter boats in Atlantic County. Mike tells me he tries to keep charter and open boat action way below what they are certified for to make it a comfortable trip for his passengers. In Atlantic county, there are few boats that can match the Stray Cat in any category. Mike tells me that the inshore bite right now is very good. 3-6 pound flounder are wrapping around most of the area structure. He has two “open boat” days next week, Monday and Thursday. The Cat was out on the grounds last week and did well with Yellow Fin Tuna. Offshore trips on the Stray Cat are charter only but once again, a nicer, more stable platform for any kind of fishing would be rare to come by in the area.
In Point Pleasant Beach, there is a new player at an old location. Gates Bait and Tackle (at the Gates Motel on Ocean Ave) has new owners and big changes are in the works. I spoke with Paul at the shop today and while they are still getting the ship in order, things are looking good. The fluke bite is best in the bays and river in the area with anglers using Gulp New Penny Manta Strip having the best success. Weeds in the inlet and off the beaches have slowed the catch a little but determined anglers are still getting action on bunker and clam. There are some nice bluefish in the area, Paul recommends metal and a wire leader. If you can, the boater action is probably the best for bass and blues. Try trolling spoons but keep a snag hook rod ready for action if you come across pods of bunker. Stop in and give them a play if you are in the area. Tell them Up the Water sent you.
If you are fishing Absecon Bay or the surrounding area, I highly recommend stopping by Absecon Bay Sportsmen’s Center before you wet a line. They have all the baits you can imagine and more artificial baits Like the Gulp line than many big box stores. I live around the corner from them so it’s a no brainer but stop there often just to get the fishing info. Captain Dave Showell is the best when it comes to divulging the hot spots in the area. This week, Kurt at the store said that the flounder bite was in between the inlets, best at Main Marsh and Blackpoint. The hot bait has been minnows and Gulp Manta Shrimp. There are still weakfish in the area as well as some snapper blues. For the weakies, Kurt recommends shedder crab which is available at the store. Mike DeMarie had thirty some striped bass at sunup yesterday, throwing top water plugs along the holes in Little Panama. His favorite, a Stillwater Lures Smack It was top producer. On the beach front, it has been brown sharks everyone is talking about. Water temperatures off the beach are around 74 and as such, there have been some fluke taken in the surf. All of the local inshore structures are fiving up nice fluke.
Ed Berger of Team Tackle Direct sent me a message telling me that the catch at the local reefs has been steadily picking up. Sea bass seem to have moved out to the deep wrecks but the AC and GE reefs are all quite productive. Same thing goes for the Ocean City and TI. Water temperatures are in the mid-seventies just about everywhere which tells me that you need to find the cooler water. Inside, Ed recommends the inlets where the change of tides seems to be the most active time. Sod bacnks at dusk and dawn are still giving up striped bass; plugs are your best bet. Many are school sized bass but still fun to tug at the other end of a line.
In Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island owner Bill Heitzmann of Bill’s Surf and Tackle tells me that there is a strong shark bite off the local beaches. Mostly browns up to 4 ft. Anglers using bunker chunks are having the most fun. Fluking in the bay and off the beaches has seen the catch to throw back ratio go up with the advent of warmer waters. Bill recommends fishing the edges of the deepest holes you can find as the bigger fish are laying in ambush in cooler waters. Top baits on the Island include squid strips, minnows and Gulp Swimming Mullets (White or Chartreuse) and salmon belly. That’s right salmon belly which Bill’s Surf and Tackle has in stock. In fact, they are the only shop I know that carries it. Bill is also having a free fluking seminar tonight with Captain Brett Tailor of the Reel Reaction and Stanley Gola of SS Rattletails. Hopefully you checked you email and are heading over there.
Have you been looking for that custom tied rig that will give you the edge on your next fishing trip? Head down to Peace Token Bait and Tackle on Route 9 in Cape May Court house and look no further. Owner Mike Jung has one of the best stocked local B&T’s in the state and their hand tied rigs are second to none. Mike is relatively new to the NJ scene, having plied his trade in NY for many years and now we have stolen him away. Fishing in the Cape May and the Wildwoods has been very good of late, even with the hot waters. The ICW is the place for flounder, Gulp and Minnows are the prime baits. I would stay away from cut baits if you are fishing the beaches as there have been lots of brown sharks in the area. Unless of course you are targeting them. There have reports of some sheephead being taken at the jetties of Higbees Beach and Cape May Point. If you are going to fish for them remember a smaller chesterfield hook and shrimp, sand fleas and small bits of clam are your best baits. On the ocean side, the Cape May Reef has been the hot spot. Reef Site 11 and the Old Grounds has been spotty so far. One day on the next off. That should change shortly. Delaware Bay has had fluke action in the Brandywine and further up towards Fortescue. That my friends, is good news. Stripers, like most in the area are smallish and hiding along the sod banks and bridges. The night bite has been decent.
Lenny Hahn at Capt’n Hippos Bait and Tackle has been noticing more and more activity in the area of late. Cocktail blue are permeating the river from Island Heights east and make for some fun action. Pieces of spearing or tossing a metal will get you all the action you can handle. The BB Buoy in the bay is the recent hot spot for fluke according to Lenny. Joe Scarangello weighed in a 23.5” -3.5 pound flatfish taken in just that spot. Best baits include spearing, killies and or squid. And yes, Capt’n Hippos has plenty of each. Crabbing in the area is also on the upswing but blowfish have yet to make a strong showing. Lenny said he heard some rumors of some nice catches in the Seaside area but could not confirm it. Don’t worry Len, they will show up in numbers any day now.
There is so much more than table games to do in Atlantic City these days according to Noel Feliciano, owner of One Stop Bait and Tackle there. Beach fishing is the best it has been in years. Five pound flounder off the beach are not uncommon this year. Minnows and Gulp have been the best attractants. On the jetties, there are still bass being taken and the trigger fish have moved in. I would not be surprised to hear of a sheephead or two in the mix. One stop is the best place to stock up on all the equipment and bait for a day of fishing in the Las Vegas of the East. And they open earlier than anyone I know.
At the Dock Outfitters in Seaside Heights, John Yac informs me that there are still some nice bass being picked up in the surf at Island Beach State Park. The bluefish bite is mostly in the bay but you can get fluke on both sides of the island. John suggests cut baits from the surf and spearing, squid or Gulp for jigging fluke in the back. Crabbing has been slow but is picking up according to the numbers coming in on the rental fleet.
The Mimi VI will be running an Open Boat Tuna Safari on July 15th thru July 17th. It leaves the dock (Point Pleasant Beach) at 10pm and returns on the 17th in the evening. Contact Captain Kenny Namowitz at 732-370-8019 as there is a 12 person maximum for this special trip. They will be targeting Tuna, Tile and Swordfish. Cost is $585.00 per angler.
The reports I have been reading form Tony’s Bait and Tackle in Manahawkin tell me that the fishing is getting better and better each week in the area. Andy tells me that the fluke bite has been steady from buoy 109 to 113 and that means the fish are moving towards the inlets and cooler waters. Out front, forty feet of water seems to be the magic number. Spearing, Gulp Mullets and minnows are the top sellers at the shop. There are small blues taking metal in and around the Barnegat Inlet area. Further back and to the south in Little Egg Harbor, there are reports of weakfish and croakers by anglers using shedder crab. Blowfish have yet to make a strong showing in the area.
Its vacation time in Ocean City and that means it’s time to jump on the Duke O’Fluke pontoon boat over on Bay Ave in Somers Point. Their four hour twice daily flounder trips in Greater Egg Harbor Bay are the perfect way to get the kids out on the water where the good fishing is this time of year. Captain Brooke Koenke told me this week that the fishing has been decent with pool winners in the 3-5 pound range. The Duke provides bait but you are welcome to bring your own. This week, the drift along Kennedy Park has been one of the more productive areas. The Duke breaks dock daily at 8 and 1 for its four hour fishing excursions.
The Norma-K III out of Point Pleasant Beach is sailing daily for fluke and also has evening blues trips. Captain’s Ken Keller and Matt Sosnowski are pros at finding the fish and the Norma-K is one of the most comfortable fishing platforms in the state. The crew on the Norma is telling me that the fluking has definitely moved to the next level and that the night blue fishing has been steady with fish up to ten pounds. Green Gulps, Swim Mullets or big Grubs have been the hot baits lately.
John at Fin-Atics Marine Supply in Ocean City tells me the fishing is still going strong in the bay there but the keeper to throwback ratio has definitely gone up. Best Baits are New Penny Manta Shrimp and Swimming Mullets by Gulp. Minnows and squid strips are also catching fish. Corson’s Inlet remains hot with weakfish in the back after and before the sun. Bass are getting to school size but still running there. The OC Beaches have started to show signs of life with flounder and some kingfish being taken off the sand. There has been very good action on the new fishing piers off the 9th street causeway.
Getting on the water from AC or Absecon is as easy as heading over to Gardiners Basin and set sail on the High Roller, a 45’ pontoon boat that does two trips daily. The back waters around Atlantic City and Absecon are always good flounder fishing and Captain Mike Tabasso knows those waters. This season, flatfish up to 5 pounds have not been uncommon and even bigger fish show up on a regular basis. Mike told me that yesterday’s pool winner; Jim Mailin from Roxborough claimed his prize with a 5.25 inch flounder taken in the cans on cut baits. Hot baits this year have been strip baits and Berkeley Gulps, most in the chartreuse pattern. The High Roller goes out twice daily at 8 and 1 seven days a week. Rental rods are available.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Looks like the weather will be decent this weekend and flatfish sems to be the overall best bet. Striper action has calmed down with the warmer waters pulling in but you can still chase them along the sod banks and deeper holes with a top water plug. Blue fish are around but not in big numbers. I predict that the inshore reefs will start getting some harder play in South Jersey even though the water temperatures are starting to come back to normal levels in the 60’s. If you do go out front, there are trigger fish and sheephead around so there should be some cobia as well. Don’t limit yourself, be ready for any and all opportunities. Crabbing is also an option and from what I have been hearing, a very good one. Whatever you opt for, stay safe out there. You only get so many days in the game, spend them wisely. See you on the incoming.