Southern New Jersey Fishing Report 7-17-14

It has been one wet and wild week and if you factor in the strong winds, one which has certainly made it a challenge to put some fish in the cooler. Water temperatures aren’t helping the situation that much either. We are still hovering in the mid-sixties depending on your location and divers that I know tell me the waters are unusually cool at the bottom for this time of year. Ten days or so of a southern blow will do that to the water temps. Upwelling blow off the warmer top layer allowing the cooler bottom waters to rise to the top. But those same divers also told me that the bottoms are covered with big flounder. So it won’t take much to turn this into a phenomenal fishing year. As it stands now, even with the cooer waters and tough conditions, I have seen more 5+ pound fish than I can ever recall. A recent local flounder tournament that had a five fish creel for weigh in was won by a boat with a 32 pound total. That’s over 6 pounds per fish! And there were several other boats with 5 pound averages. The fish are there kids, you may need to adjust the hunt tactics but they are available for the taking.

Noel Feliciano of One Stop Bait and Tackle in Atlantic City tells me that there are still strong reports of flounder off the beaches there by anglers using minnows. King fish and croakers have also moved into the surf in nice numbers. Blood worms are the preferred baits of those in the know. The jetties and sod banks have also be very active but the greenhead flies have been downright vicious this summer. So don’t forget your bug spray.

I spoke with Mike at Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside Park who told me that the bite in Island Beach State Park had slowed down a bit but there was still an acceptable level of activity. South winds cooled the waters and slowed everything down. Mike believes that a change in the wind will turn things back on with a boom. Fluking off the beach has been decent, even with the colder waters. Mike recommends white or chartreuse Gulp Swim Mullets in the front waters and Mantis Shrimp in the back. There are still bass being caught in the surf mostly on clam or fresh bunker chunks. Blues are mostly of the snapper variety and metal is the main lure. Crabbing in the bay has gotten somewhat better but isn’t at peak levels yet. No croakers or kings worth mentioning yet.

Jason at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach is a wealth of information that you should use if you are in the area and heading out for some fishing. When I reached out to him this week, he told me that the best local action right now was striped bass in the canal up to the 35 and Train Bridge. Most of the fish are in the 18-28 inch range but the action is strong. Fishing a soft plastic like a Finesse is the go-to lure but Mambo Minnows are also getting the job done. Jason tell me there a plenty of fluke in the river but the keeper to throw back ratio is way up. Hot jigs are the Bimini Bay Glass Minnow and SS Bucktail. Tip either with chartreuse Gulp Swim Shad and you should be in the money. Out front, the big flatfish hunters are having good days at the south tip of the Axel Carlson. But water temperatures have slowed things down a bit and when that happens, sea bass and nice ling also come into play. Bluefish are quiet and most being caught in the area are in the 1-3pound range.

Captain Rich Wilkowski of both the Jersey Hooker Bait and Tackle and Charter boat tells me that the fluking in the area has been very good lately if you put the time in. In the back, the edge of the outgoing seems to be the best opportunity for keeper flatfish. Best baits are Red Swim Mullets by Gulp and a good bucktail. I didn’t even know those swim mullets came in that color. Once the water temperatures move up Rich feels the bite will get stronger. That being said, he has had some good days on the ocean this year with at least one trip hitting their limit on flatties. Some Ling and seas bass also thrown in for good measure.

The Gambler Deep Sea Fishing is promoting its Fall Offshore Tuna Fishing schedule right now so if you are thinking about it, now is the time to reserve a spot. These trips are usually limited to 22-24 people on the 90’ Gambler and fill up fast. Check out their website for more details. While you are there, you can see the Gamblers regular schedule. They have been on the fluke lately and searching for blues, squid, cod ling and sea bass on evening trips. With the weather of late, these trips have been tough but productive fishing. The Gambles sails daily form it’s slip in Point Pleasant .

In Manahawkin, stopping in Tony’s on East Bay Ave before a fishing trip is mandatory if you want the latest scouting report. This week, it looks like the flounder are on the move. Bay catch has been decent around the inlets and more fluke are being caught off the local beaches. Blowfish, an LBI staple, are still playing hide and seek. Crabbers are reporting bigger and better catches in their nets. If you are looking for fresh bait, check out the bait board on Tony’s web site. If they don’t have it, most likely no one else has it either.

Captain Dave Showell at Absecon Bay Sportsmen’s Center wanted me to remind everyone that the Tautog season opens again today. Unfortunately the limit is one but hey, that’s better than none. Dave suggests matching that one with a couple of trigger fish or sheephead if you are fishing the jetties so the day won’t be a total waste. Green Crabs are the best baits for all three and AB promises to have them in stock. They are also fully stocked with minnows and are dropping the price since the shortage seems to have eased off. Fishing in the bay remains steady. Black Point has been the hot zone but beware, it also seems to be the greenhead central breeding zone. Absecon Bay carries a full line of the best repellants should you forget to bring some with you. I have seen some pretty tough characters come in crying about this year’s hatch.

Team Tackle Direct is down at ICast in Florida this week and was not available for comments. But check out their site frequently as I am sure they will be uploading videos on all the new products they are playing with in Orlando.

The Captain Robbins in Ocean City runs two ocean fluking trips on weekdays and all day trips on weekends. Lately, the inshore fluking has been good but nothing compared to the all-day deep water trips. Recent trips have had many customers getting their sea bass limits but absolutely slaying the ling. High hook on Sunday had 30+ pounds of filets. Captain Vic tells me they are fishing in 100+’ of water. Everyone on the boat came home with fish. The Miss Ocean City (Vic’s other boat)will be doing three bay trips daily in search of flounder and other back water species.

Lenny Hahn at Capt’n Hippo’s Bait and Tackle in Toms River has snapper blues taking over the local area. The nice thing about fishing for them is that you have a shot no matter how you fish them. Small metals, like Hopkins or Crocs or bait fishing gets the job done. I like putting small top water plugs in front of them purely for the action. Take the belly hook off if you are going that route and if you get into them, it is easier clear the lure from the yellow eyed devils. Lenny says that the crabbing is doing well with more customers coming in with 7 and 8 inch blues claws. Bunker has been the best bait. Water temps in the river are a little warmer and you can find some fluke off the deeper holes. People using Gulp or Spearing on a good bucktail are having the best days. Capt’n Hippo has everything you need to get at them.

The Duke O’Fluke in Somers Point reports that fishing in Greater Egg Harbor remains good. Flounder off Kennedy Park and Ships Channel are the best options. Minnow are the primary bait. The Duke sails twice daily – at 8 and 1. Tell Captain Brooke that I sent you and he will give you a good spot along the rail.

Down in Cape May, the place to stock up (and get the latest info) is Peace Token Bait and Tackle in Cape May Court House. Owner Mike Jung ‘s shop is stocked to the gills and that is a fact. His hand tied rigs are in high demand from one end of the Garden State to the other. Reports from the Cape May area show that while fishing has tailed off a little on the inshore reefs, the back waters are still giving up some nice flounder. The Cape May Canal is loaded with croakers waiting for you to feed them some worm. Delaware Bay is much better than it has been in recent years, 20-25 ft of water seems to be the magic zone. Offshore, the reports are mixed. Bluefin action has been reported at the Hot Dog, Lobster Claw and Elephant Trunk. Further out, there have been some big eye tuna taken at the Wilmington and the yellows seem to be regrouping in that general vicinity. With the strange weather pattern we have been getting, I would think a week of consistent patterns will define things a little better. Tune back in next week for a better read.

Back in Ocean City, Fin-Atics Marine Supply is always my first stop regardless of my fishing plans. They have the gear and more importantly the info on the local action. John at the store tells me that the Ocean City reef is still giving up some very nice flounder. Rumor has it that the winner of the Duke of Fluke last week caught his 10.6 pound trophy there on tan SS Big Eye Bucktail. In the surf, the kingfish have finally decided to move in and are being taken on blood worms and Fish Byte baits. If you are looking for flounder keepers in the back waters, John recommends drifting the deeper holes around the channels like Rainbow and Ships. The drift off Kennedy park remains good. There have been some keeper bass caught on the fishing pier off the Ninth Street Causeway. Now listen up. Those fish were caught on live peanut bunker. Nothing else is appealing to the local bass. You heard it here first. Crabbing in the area is good.

I always love it when I can recommend a shop that I know opens early and closes late. In this case, I’m referring to the Reel Life Bait and Tackle in Point Pleasant Beach. Inshore, offshore or bay fishing, they have you covered. After speaking with Bob there this week, I am a little more optimistic about the season. Cold waters in the area stifled the action a little last week but he told me that the sea bass finally woke up and when you pair them with ling, you can get a good day on the wrecks. Fluking, especially near Manasquan has been decent on some days and great on others. Four to six inch Berkley Gulps in either chartreuse or nuclear chicken have been the best producers. Bob sees plenty of big fluke being caught and more in the near future as the water warms. Offshore, he tells me that the Blue fin bite has been picking up all over the place but singled out the Haskell as the place to hunt. Rigged Ballyhoo is the top bait there. Reel Life opens every morning at 5am and closes the doors at 9pm every day in the season.

Best Bets for the Weekend

It looks as if the weather will give us a good window for getting on the water this weekend. With any luck at all, the winds will be favorable and the waters will warm up a bit. Don’t forget that tautog reopens this week and even though the limit is only one, it is still another club in the bag. If you are wreck fishing or jetty hopping, it won’t hurt to put a couple of crabs in the bait bucket. Flounder in the surf is about as good as it has been in a long time. I suppose the cooler water can be thanked for this. If you are fishing deeper waters, ling is also an unexpected bonus for this time of year and the sea bass bite seem to be finally coming on. Flounder is your best bet this time of year and there have been some monsters taken this year. Make sure you stock up with a load of different baits as they have been a little finicky. Whatever option you choose, stay safe out there. You only get so many days in the game, spend them wisely. See you on the incoming.