Southern New Jersey Fishing Forecast - May 12, 2016

What can I say, “three straight weeks of bluefish,” and it continues as most of our bays and inlets have been inundated with these large choppers.  Metals, plugs, and poppers have been the ticket for the majority of these fish.  The Striped Bass scene has come alive with fish on the bay and ocean fronts.  Mojo jigs and Maja spoons have been the early ticket for trophy Striped Bass as bunker dunkin’ has been effective yet. But, it should start any day.  Things should really heat up over the next few weeks as the ocean temperature warms and more schools of bait and Bass get here.  We are officially down to 10 days until the start of Fluke season and 12 days to the start of Sea Bass.  On a side note, Mary Lee, the OCEARCH tagged great white shark, made her presence known off New Jersey for another season as she surfaced about 40 miles off Atlantic City.

So here is this week’s rundown:

Gates Bait & Tackle of Point Pleasant Beach reported 13- to 15-pound Bluefish as the mainstay with most coming on poppers, metals, and bucktails.  Anglers have continued to hammer Blues in Manasquan Inlet and also in the Point Pleasant Canal.  They are starting to get some Striped Bass before daylight and also picking at Striped Bass on the beach with clam.

Jason from Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported Bluefish at the Manasquan Inlet and noted that schools have moved back toward the Mantaloking Bridge.  Most of the fish have been 10 to 13 pounds.  The Stripers have come alive around the Mantaloking bridge and Route 70 bridge, and Point Pleasant Canal.  Anglers have been very productive with 6- and 8-inch soft plastics. There were even some big tiderunners up to 7 pounds taken around the Route 70 bridge.  Jason did hear of some chatter on trolled Striped Bass off Lavalette on Mojos, so now is the time to get out the trolling gear.

The MIMI VI continues to run open boat Striped Bass trips until Sea Bass opens up.  Capt. Ken suggests calling the boat for details.

The Gambler will run a special trip sponsored by Accurate reels for Striped bass and Blues on Friday, May 13th.  The boat will leave at 7AM and return by 2pm.  Accurate will have products to test and loaner gear to pass out or you can bring your own gear.  Each fisherman will receive a tee shirt and an Accurate sticker and there are rewards for the biggest Striped Bass and Bluefish.  Call or check the boat’s website for details on booking.

The Norma K III reported good ling fishing with Ling coming over the rail on the majority of wrecks.  A bunch of sea bass were caught, but had to be released due to current fishing regulations. The boat will be targeting wreck fish over the next few weeks, and fishing should continue to get better.

Brian from Betty and Nicks Bait and Tackle said the Bluefish bite continues, but the better news is the improved Striped Bass bite from the Island Beach State Park surf.  Anglers are “catching” from Area 21 south to Barnegat Inlet.  Most of the bass were caught on clam and are in the 13 to 16-pound range.  The boats have been catching some Stripers and Blues in the inlet, but the shop hasn’t received any word from boats fishing outside due to recent sea conditions.

Dock Outfitters is still getting good reports of Bluefish on both sides of Island Beach State Park, and there are some Striped Bass in the mix.  Most of the bass are throwbacks with an occasional keeper in the 15-pound range.  Most of the Bluefish have hit anything from metals to poppers, while the bass have taken up clam.  Crabbing in the bay and lagoons has remained slow over the past couple of weeks.

Capt Ted of the Super Chic said he will be up and running Striped Bass and Bluefish trips over the next few weeks.  He recommends calling the boat for details.

Gina of the Carolyn Ann III said the boat is awaiting the opening of Black Sea Bass, occurring May 23rd, and they will be sailing one six hour trip, every day.

Creekside Outfitters reported Striped Bass and Bluefish according to Liza.  The Striped Bass have been very cooperative in Barnegat Bay with anglers hooking up on clam baits and in the ocean on trolled spoons.  The two to three mile off of Seaside produced some Bass in the 20 to 30-pound range.  The Bluefish have been whacking plugs and poppers on the west side of Barnegat Bay and it seems to be an early morning or late evening bite.

Tony’s Bait & Tackle had customers reporting of continuing Bluefish action along Long Beach Island and Barnegat Inlet.  Barnegat bay, especially near the inlet and down in the Little Egg Harbor neck of the woods has been good with lots of Bluefish.  There have been some Stripers caught around the area bridges on soft plastics.  Although the weather and sea conditions haven’t been cooperative, some boats have scored on 30-pound Bass trolling spoons and Mojo’s.

Riptide Bait & Tackle said it has been pretty good action off the Brigantine beaches for Striped Bass.  Anglers are hooking up with clam baits, while bunker chunks have been catching more trash fish.  Tim Daley stopped by on the first day of his “fish-cation” with a beautiful 41-inch 25-pound striper nailed from the beach.

Jay from Absecon Bay Sportsman reported of good Striped Bass and Bluefish action in the Mullica River.  A couple of keepers have been good sized in the 40- to 46-inch range with the owner getting into the action.  Boats anchored with clam and also throwing soft plastics such as the Berkley Nemesis have scored.  Bluefish continue to be scattered throughout the back and guys are still picking at the White Perch.

Noel from One Stop Bait & Tackle said it is hot and heavy for anglers in the Atlantic City area who are bailing good sized Stripers to the 25-pound range.  There are lots of schoolies in the mix, and Nowell can almost guarantee you fish right now.  The usual spots have produced on Bass with the T-jetty and Melrose Avenue being the hotspots.  The shop did have a few dinner-sized White Perch weigh-ins up to 2.2 pounds.

Fin-Atics of Ocean City has plenty of fish in the back according to Andy.  The Bluefish have become more scattered, but the Striped Bass have been much more cooperative especially for guys throwing soft plastics and baited clam.  The weakfish reports are always hush-hush, but there has been some decent sized ones caught around the Route 9 Bridge and Corson’s Inlet.

The surf scene has been relatively quiet do to the wet weather we had over the week, but more guys should be making it out with better weather this week.

The areas from Wildwood to Cape May have seen an increase in Striped Bass and Drum, according to Matt from Jim’s Bait & Tackle. The Drum bite came on this week on the Delaware side at Slaughter Beach.  There were only spotty reports on the Jersey side as it seems better closer to Delaware.  The Striper fishing was pretty good this week in the Delaware Bay with anglers doing best tucked tight to the beach in 4 to 5 feet of water.  Stripers have been taken from the Ferry jetty up into the Cove.  On the surf side, there was some fish beached in the wash.  It wasn’t on fire as conditions weren’t great with the weather and water clarity.  North Cape May beach seems to be the source of most of the good reports.  There have been more Bass starting to be caught from Cape May Point.

Fishing Forecast for Southern New Jersey

Well, I think it is time to go “Bassin” as it provides the shot at fish from boat, beach, jetty or pier.  A good plan would be to hit the beach, dead stick one rod with clam and throw artificials with the other.  Boat anglers should have their best shot at Bass by trolling MOJO’s or MAJA spoons close to the 2- to 3-mile line.  If the night shift is your thing, then try the area’s bridges for Bass on soft plastics.  If these don’t work, you can always fall back on Bluefish as they seem to be inhabiting just about every location.  Good luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines.