Southern New Jersey Fishing Report for 6-19-2014

For South Jersey and flounder, prime time has always been when the waters are a bit cooler, usually starting in late April. Since we aren’t allowed to start chasing them now until late May, some of the best fishing opportunities are off the board so you need to work a little bit harder as the waters warm up.  We are approaching that time now so you will need to hone your hunting skills to have a successful day On the Water. Helping you as the conditions change is one of the principal responsibilities for those of us who write these weekly fishing forecasts. We speak to the guys and gals on the front lines, those who deal with it day in and day out.  Typically, conditions move south to north in the spring and knowing what is happening to your south, in my opinion, can only give you a leg up on your future endeavors.

I chatted with Mike Cunningham at Sea Isle Bait and Tackle this morning and he told me that they have had steady action in the area all week. Water temperatures have risen dramatically in the back but the flounder bite is still strong. Best bait in the back is minnows and Mike has had them all season.  Weakfish has slowed down to a night bite and guys using flies, teasers and small plugs are have the best hook up ratio. Since the last moon, the crabbing along the causeway has strengthened considerably. Inshore anglers have been finding thresher sharks mixed in with an abundance of brown sharks. The deep water reefs are starting to give up some nice sea bass and on the deepest holes, some nice cod.  Local fisherman Boon picked up a thirty pound cod while targeting sea bass the other day. You never know.  Fluke are starting to push to the inshore reefs like the TI and OC.

With the moon past us, Captain Bill Hammerstrom of the Carolyn Ann III believes that the moon last week affected the sea bass week a little and things should fall back in line with its passing. Recent pool winners have averaged over 3 pounds. The Carolyn Ann III sails daily from Barnegat Light for 6 hour seas bass trips. Sailing time is 7:00am. The CAIII is also available for private charters and will be doing a 4^th of July Fireworks Cruise. Contact the office or check out their website for details.

I just received this from Bill’s Surf and Tackle in Harvey Cedars:

Free Fluke Seminar: Thursday June 26th starting at 7pm. Presented by Capt. Brett Taylor of Reel Reaction Sportsfishing, and S&S Bucktails. With special guest Nick Frungillo of RH Customs demonstrating a CTS Custom Rod with an S&S Big Eye right here in the bay. Refreshments will be served. Space is limited so please call 609 342-1372 to sign up, or post it on our facebook page. Did I mention it’s free?

In Toms River, Chris at Better Bait and Ice is seeing a marked improvement in both the river and ocean action. If you are looking for some fun time, the snappers are in the area and can be had for the cost of almost any bait or some small metals. Crabbing is good in the Goose Creek Lagoon. Fluking has been best around the Railroad Bridge at Point Pleasant and off the Seaside Amusement Park out front. Best baits for the catch are spearing and Chartreuse Mullet by Gulp.  Weakfish and blowfish are still in hiding according to Big Chris.

If you are fishing or vacationing in the Cape May area, I recommend you stop in to Hand’s Too Bait and Tackle at the foot of the bridge. Nick always has his finger on the pulse of the local action.  He tells me that the flounder activity is best in the back bays still but there has been upswing in activity out front as well.  There have been some reports into the shop that the green light has turned on in both the Old Grounds and Reef Site 11 but they were unconfirmed at the time of this report. The Jetty’s on the Delaware Bay side are still giving up weakfish on crab. Best time to try is the high tide change when the water is clear. There have been some nice Sheephead taken off those Jetties as well.  The blue claw crab catch has been noticeably better in the last week, further back off the main runs.

Joe at Murphy’s Hook House in Toms River informed me that the beach catch has been a little spotty lately but the action in the River and the mouth of the inlet is much better. Fluke up to 25” are being taken on killies and there have also been some weakfish in the mix.  Remember to keep a snag hook in your box as there have been some nice pods of bunker in the area. Stripers up to 25 pounds have been taken close to and off of the beach. Crabbing in the area is finally starting to pick up with the moon change.

Captain Dave Showell at Absecon Bay Sportsmen’s Center is really hyped up on the season this year. The action of the day is the flounder catch and there have been more than a few limits so far this year. Hot baits in the bay are minnows, Gulp (chartreuse mullets and new penny shrimp) and some cut baits. The weakfish bite has slowed down a little but still can be had under the cover of darkness.  Stripers have slowed down off the beaches as the brown sharks are starting to move in.  Crabbing in the area is definitely picking up and looks to be a strong season. Speaking of crabs, Captain Dave is one of the bigger supplier of soft shell crabs and still has some available at the shop for his retail customers. I had some last week and might take the dip again before they run out.  Hot bait at the shop this week – New Penny Shrimp by Gulp.

The Captain Robbins in Ocean City is doing half day fluke and sea bass trips twice daily, Sunday thru Friday. On Saturdays, the Robbins will run deeper for full day wreck fishing. Their new boat, the Miss Ocean City should be operational in the next week or so and will concentrate on bay fishing.

Bill Wiggins at Fin-Atics Marine Supply in Ocean City runs a tight ship and part of that means stockpiling information to give their customers an edge on their outings. The bays are the hot spots for flounder fishing this week with Kennedy Park being one of the better areas.  Drifting minnows or Chartreuse Gulp Swim Mullets on an S&S Rattle Tail is the winning combination.  Vacationers fishing the new piers off the causeway are picking up some nice fish in Rainbow. There are some cocktail blues in the bays as well. On the beaches, Corson’s Inlet remains the best option. Bill tells me there are still weakfish in that area and the best fishing has been at night. Stripers have slowed down a bit. Bill also said crabbing has turned on in the area. Check out the area by the Expressway.

If you are heading to AC for some table action, you may want to consider throwing a fishing rod and tackle box in the car for some added fun. Noel Feliciano, owner of One Stop Bait and Tackle on Atlantic Ave tells me that they have been having one of the best years ever on the beaches and jetties. Flounder up to 6 pounds off the beach and more stripers than you can shake I stick at. Noel tells me that the bunker are still moving in and out Of Absecon Inlet on the tides and that has made for some very exciting fishing. Bluefish and weakfish are also around the inlet after dark.  One Stop is one of the better stocked B&T’s in the area and you would be hard pressed to find a shop with more live bait. Check them out next time you are in the area and be sure to ask Noel for some local “secret” spots.

John at The Dock Outfitters in Seaside Heights tells me that the catch off the docks lately has been limited to blues and crabbing but his rental boats are doing much better with the fluke. The BI Buoy has been the recent hot spot.  On the beach front, there have been nice sized bluefish, some bass chasing bunker and fluke. Anglers are using cut baits, clams and small poppers. John asked me to remind you to pack a snag hook with your tackle as the boaters having the most success are those finding the schools of bunker and live lining underneath of them.  Dock Outfitters sounds like they are finally back 100% from the effects of Sandy. Stop in and check out the place if you get a chance.

Nicole and Dean at Two Chums Bait and Tackle in Sea Isle City took some time from a busy afternoon to take turns giving me a scouting report for the area. The keeper flounder in the bay are the best game in town right now. Dean told me it is minnows or White Gulp Shrimp that are the best baits. The weakfish bite has tailed off but there is still some action in the evenings.  Taylor blues are providing fun for everyone who has a piece of tin in their box. Nicole told me that the crabbing has stepped up to the next level both at the bulkheads along the Sea Isle Causeway and on the rental boats coming back to the shop. The beaches on the ocean side are starting to surrender fluke to anglers using Gulp (Chartreuse) and cut baits. There have been some kingfish in the surf but they aren’t here in strong numbers yet. Soon.   Two Chums has a nice fleet of rental boats and even a couple of bigger pontoon boats if you are looking for a way to get to some of those spots in the bay where the really big fluke and crabs tend to hide.

I finally tracked down Lenny Han of Capt’n Hippos bait and tackle in Toms River. This time of year, Lenny is being pulled in several different directions but always takes the time with customers or people bothering him for a scouting report.  Lenny told me that the cocktail blues heave been providing the best fun on the river lately with crabbing starting to run a close second. There are a few stripers in the mix but mostly small.  Plenty of bait around which usually makes for good fishing activity. Fluking has been best at the BI, BB and Oyster Creek areas. Anglers using squid, spearing and Gulp in white or Chartreuse 4” mullets have been seeing the best results. I asked Lenny about blowfish in the area but he told me that they weren’t around in numbers yet. The water temperatures are just about right so I wouldn’t be surprised if that changed next week.

If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as Ed Berger in my next life. Ed is the GM at Tackle Direct and gets to play with new toys all the time. He just got back from RI where he was “testing” some of the new Shimano Ultegra Long Casting reels matched with some CTS custom Rods.  Both received very high marks from Ed and that isn’t an easy grade to get from someone who fishes as much as he does. In local fishing news, Ed says that there are rumors of a nice tuna report form the southern canyons, especially the Baltimore. Sharks are the main target this time of year and it would seem that there are plenty to go around. Makos, blues and threshers are hanging around the 750 square.  Inshore, the action is still primarily in the bays but there has been some movement towards the deeper reefs. One customer took a ride out to the AC reef and had some decent action.  Ed also confirmed a prior report about action on the AC beach. The night bite close to Absecon Inlet has been off the wall Pluggers sight casting bass on clear evenings.  That is definitely good news.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Weather looks clean with the heat lying down for a while which should make for some nice fishing opportunities. Plenty of flounder action in the bays and fishing the turn of the tide should make for a better outing.  I tried to lock down which baits are working best this week but it is all over the place. Gulps are working and so are minnows, spearing and cut baits.  The quietest are seem to be the beachfront but there are brown sharks moving in for their spawn and reports of kingfish are starting to pick up. Black sea bass are still in the reef mix and you should be able to pair that with some nice fluke. If I was fishing out front this weekend one thing I would definitely have at the ready is a setup for cobia as I have had several sightings.  A bucktail with a long cut bait or squid will do the trick. If you really want to up you odds, they love a drifting eel.  There have also been some nice sheephead caught further south.  I guess what I am saying is that there are plenty of options available so try not to limit yourself.  It has been a little off this year with some species showing up early and other late. Having a plan A, B and C will give you better possibilities of filling the cooler. Whatever you do, stay safe out there. You only get so many days in the game, spend them wisely. See you on the incoming.