Well, we are officially ending July with this week’s report, and August should bring the arrival of nearshore species within range of most mid-sized vessels. Pelagic species such as Bluefin, Mahi, Wahoo, even Cobia will make their way following bait and clean water, and all we need is a few days of Easterly directed winds to light up the nearshore waters. The fluke should be initiating their long easterly migration by starting to stage near the regions’ inlets and will pack on the calories for transit and the fall spawn. The arrival of August makes it the time to target your area’s snags and reefs to put the doormats on board. The bait in the back is everywhere!! We got peanuts, snappers, good-sized spearing, finger mullet and this should all make for a great August bite.
Starting off our region’s fishing intel was Greg from Brielle Bait & Tackle who said the local reefs are the locations for boaters to go for summer flounder. The Sea Girt and Axel Carlson have been consistent for the bite through most of July and it should get even better as the fluke make their way out. Snapper fishing has picked up in the back and by the way – make amazing fluke bait. Deepwater wrecks have been giving up “lots of ling” as Greg put it.
Jason from Fisherman’s Supply said the sharks and rays have been from Bayhead down to LBI off the surf. The Manasquan River has seen an influx of snapper bluefish and still has plenty of short fluke action. The shop has also witnessed triggerfish from the jetties and wrecks, but the big news has been the offshore bite. The deep-blue areas such as the 100 square have been on-fire for Bigeye tuna and Yellowfin tuna, as he describes, “it’s been red-hot.”
The fishing vessels berthed out of Point Pleasant have been reporting better action with the fish, but they still have to work hard to find the keepers. The Gambler has been picking at the fluke with a “whole-lot-of” shorts, but when keepers are pulled they have been beauties along with some nice-sized sea bass. The boat will be targeting bluefish on Saturday night, but the jumbos aren’t here yet. Most blues have been between 1 to 3 pounds. The big ones are a few days overdue, but should be here real soon, said the skipper.
Capt. Ken of the MIMI VI has been targeting fluke at the inshore snags and putting anglers on the meat. But he said you have to pick through the shorts to get to quality fish. The boat’s recent offshore trips have yielded tilefish and mahi. The boat has some trips available, but call ahead to check with the captain.
The Norma K III has been picking at the keeper fluke with plenty of action to keep anglers and deckhands busy. Most keepers are being caught on Berkley Gulp six inch grubs in either white or pink shine. The Gulp seemed to account for most keepers this past week. Bluefish trips have been catching lots of blues in the 1-2lb range along with mackerel.
Jersey Hooker Outfitters reported that the fluking has been “so-so” at the reef sites with fish over 18inches and the short to keeper ratio is approaching 20 to 1. White glow and pink shine gulp has been the ticket on the reefs. The offshore action has been simply unbelievable with most boats being able to hook up with some type of pelagic species. There has been an outstanding night chunk tuna bite at the canyons, especially north of the Lindenkohl.
Brian from Betty and Nicks Bait & Tackle reported fluke off the beach with anglers being easy to find their 2 keeper limit of 16 inch fish. Snappers and blowfish are all over the bay, with no specific areas to target. The shark bite is still going strong at night from the suds with mostly browns and sand tigers hitting the sands.
Dock Outfitters reported keeper fluke off Island Beach State Park mostly in the 2 to 4lb range, and 2 to 5lb bluefish on the backside of the island. Crabbing has been steady with most crabbers having to weed through the short blue claws. Snappers have made their presence known in the back and are plentiful enough to keep everyone busy.
Moving our reports south from Toms River to Barnegat area, Lenny from Capt n Hippos reports snappers all over most area docks and crabbing in the bay continues to be good. Most keeper blueclaws are being caught in areas adjacent to the marshes in 4-6 feet of water. No reports of striped bass, weakfish, or puffers. Fluke fishing is excellent at the Barnegat Lighthouse and most successful anglers are fishing close to the edge of the rocks.
The Barnegat Light headboats had a successful week on the fish with some nice sized doormats hitting the decks. Gina from the Carolyn Ann III phoned in a nice report of the boat catching plenty of shorts with some nice keepers mixed in, it all depends on the drifting conditions. When it’s good, we whack’em. Recently, patron David Frost boxed a nice 8.01 lb fluke that is good enough for the lead in the boat’s fluke tournament. The boat is running two 4hr trips per day.
Meanwhile, the Super Chic has been on the fish running combo trips for sea bass, blues, and fluke, which turn to fluke and blue trips once the sea bass season closes on July 31st. Fluking has been quite good with most keepers stretching over the 20 inch mark.
Moving across Barnegat Bay to Waretown, Creekside Outfitters reported good fluking this past week off Island Beach State Park’s bathing beach in 40 to 50ft of water. Liza said most fish that hit the scales were between 3 and 8 pounds. Blowfishing has slowed up, but there has been some chatter of anglers getting them off the Barnegat docks. Brown sharks are still being caught from the sands to a few miles out. Offshore action has included Bigeyes, Yellowfins, and Marlin at the canyons.
The Long Beach island area has had some decent fishing from both ends reports Andy from Tony’s Bait & Tackle. Fluke have been caught around the 110 marker on the ICW across from Beach Haven and also off the bathing beach off IBSP. Local, fresh spearing seem to be making the difference in the catch of keepers. The reef sites have been really quiet as of late reports the shop. Crabbing is still good along the lagoons and creek entrances.
The sands of Brigantine continue to give up Brown sharks and the kings remain very spotty reports Andy from Riptide Bait & Tackle. Regarding fluke fishing, some guys get keepers while others get frustrated. No word on tog from the area jetties, but triggers are up and down the jetties easily targeted with small clam on small sea bass hooks.
Dave Showell from Absecon Bay Sportsman reports of awesome Bigeye tuna action in the offshore canyons mainly Hudson, and the inshore bite near the 30 fathom line has had a mix of Yellowfin, Bluefin, and Mahi. The shop is getting a lot of reports of Cobia a few miles off the beach to up to 10 miles off. The key to finding them is to look for wreck flags, bunker pods, and sting rays. The backwaters are giving up a mix of weakfish at there normal haunts, while schoolie bass have been hitting artificials mainly at night.
The Atlantic City region has boasted some nice fishing and it seems the main game in town is not the gambling, but fluke fishing from the area jetties. Nowell from One Stop Bait & Tackle reports fluke to 6lbs from the jetty rocks and recommends anglers fish right at the base of the rocks. Kingfish and triggerfish are spotty, but the beaches are still getting browns in the dark. Some of his boat anglers have reported Cobia and Mahi within 10 miles of the beach.
Capt. Mike from Stray Cat Charters reported some nice fishing the past week with quality pelagics less than 12 miles from the shore, and the offshore trips have been providing nice mahi, bonita, and occasional marlin. Inshore trips have been producing a steady pick of sea bass and fluke. He said he has some dates available and to phone him for details.
The team at Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor reported outstanding offshore action on both the troll and the chunk. Yellowfin, Bigeyes, and some white marlin were taken this past week with the Wilmington and Hudson being hot on these. On a flatty note, it has been the reef sites from Ocean City to Wildwood where anglers have been picking up their share of keepers.
Fin-Atics of Ocean City reported a variety of fisheries are “popping” with fluking being pretty good in the OC area. There are lots of snapper blues and short fluke around the backwaters, while the inlet and inshore reef sites have been producing better keeper to short ratios. There are pockets of kingfish from OC to Stone Harbor, but they are very sporadic with no good concentration of them. The brownies are still patrolling the surf zone for anglers fishing early morning or late evening. The Great Egg and Atlantic City reef sites turned on a few days ago and should still hot over the next couple of weeks.
As we move southward to Sea Isle City, Mike from Sea Isle Bait & Tackle reports of the typical summer fishery: fluke, sharks in the surf, and offshore aciton. But the big news this past week has been the outstanding schoolie striper bite going on around the sod banks from Corson’s inlet down through Stone Harbor. Anglers have been wacking them in the evening or early morning on Rapala Skitter Pop and Mirr-O-Lure Popadogs. Local sharpies are catching up to 10 fish an evening, while beginners are able to wax 2 to 3 fish. Mike mentioned that the fluke fishing has been good on the Ocean City reef site, but you have to work those edges.
And to round out our Cape May county report is Matt from Jim’s Bait & Tackle who had Yellowfin at the 19 fathom lump on the chunk, and there are some big bluefish showing up out there. There are still tuna being caught at the Hot Dog and Elephant trunk continues to have good numbers of Wahoo. Reef site #11 had the best keeper fluke action compared to the other reef sites. On a canyon note, north of the Lindy has had the best action on Tuna with both White and Blue Marlin showing. The surf has been moving at a snails pace with the best action still being catch & release shark. There has been confirmed word of kingfish showing up in Hereford inlet along the beach, and bloodworms is the bait of choice to target these.
Best Bet for the Weekend
Boy, there are so many choices – I don’t know where to start. Fluking has been hot & cold with most needed to put up some time to be dialed in. If you have the opportunity, now is the time to jump offshore and catch some pelagics, as it seems that every angler who ventures out to the deep blue are being rewarded with either tuna, mahi, wahoo, or marlin. My personal choice would be to work the sod banks in the early morning hours or evening for the surefire way to get your summer striper fix. You also have a chance at waxing some weakfish especially on soft plastics worked deeper. There is nothing like the tranquility of fishing a sod bank or deep-water marsh when there is literally no boat traffic; it’s just you, the birds, the current, and hopefully some fish. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines.