It’s fitting that it’s shark week and the shark fishing has been excellent from the surf to the offshore grounds. Surf anglers are hooking up with small and big Brown sharks and these sharks are hitting both day and night. Thresher sharks have been very cooperative for anglers targeting them a few miles to 20 miles offshore. Meanwhile, the fluke bite has been hit or miss depending on which anglers you talk too. The general consensus from most of the shops is that it’s a little slower than last year and spots that typically hold Fluke are not producing as of yet. But that can turn on a change of tide. The reports of Weakfish are getting more numerous and consistent and this is great news for the fishery. Lastly, please have a safe and July 4th weekend.
Gates Bait and Tackle reports that the action continues to heat up in the Manasquan Inlet on 2 to 4-pound Bluefish and Fluke. The Fluke are hitting light bucktails tipped with Gulp jigged close to the bottom. There are still some Striped Bass around Shrewsbury rocks for anglers snagging-n-dropping wee-early in the morning or guys trolling bunker spoons. Again, it’s either super early or a dusk bite. There are some Fluke at the inshore reef sites for anglers eager to drag some baits. The Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs have been the two hottest areas.
Fisherman’s Supply said the inshore Striped Bass bite is still going on, albeit rather slowly. Fish are being picked up on the early morning or late afternoon bite with snag-n-drop or trolling at the Shrewsbury Rocks. Fluke have been a slow pick in the Inlet, but the fish are there just not on the feed according to a local spear fisherman. The Thresher bite continues to be out of this world at a variety of spots from the Axel to Sea Girt to Manasquan Ridge. Offshore has seen some Bluefin Tuna at the Chicken Canyon and Bigeye Tuna, White Marlin, and Yellowfin at the Southern Canyons.
MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant recommends catching one of their open bottom-fishing trips because they are doing a number on the ling, cod, and winter flounder. Capt. Ken has some primo wrecks and they are peppered with fish. The boat has some open dates available, so either call or check their website for details.
The Gambler out of Point Pleasant reports the last few days the Fluke trips having a better percentage of keepers coming over the rails with fish up to 7 pounds. Donna Brown of Bensalem, PA is still the leader of our monthly pool with an 8.5-pound flattie and with only a few days of the month remaining we wish Donna the best of luck. Besides all the keeper size fluke, we have had a lot of action with shorts and other species to keep everyone busy.
The boat has concluded the night Striper fishing for the year, but we will switch over to Wreck fishing on Thursday nights and Bluefish on Friday and Saturday nights. All night trips will be leaving at 7:30 p.m. and returning at 12:30 a.m.
The Norma K III moored in Point Pleasant reported a little improvement in Fluke fishing over the past few days with the morning trips doing a little better than the afternoon trips. There has been some decent sized Fluke making it over the rails. Bob Holloway from Bordentown NJ took over 2nd place in our Monthly Pool with an 8-pound Fluke and one of the trips had a 9.1-pound winner. The boat has been fishing some sticky structure, so be sure to bring extra tackle along with you.
Moving down the coast, Seaside Park based Betty and Nicks Bait and Tackle reported some decent Striped Bass fishing close to Barnegat Inlet and it has been definitely a “when the sun goes down” bite. The shop hasn’t seen many Fluke come through the door, but that doesn’t mean 16-inch Island Beach State Park keepers aren’t being caught. Crabbing and Blowfishing have been very good in Barnegat Bay with both the west and east sides producing.
Dock Outfitters reported that small Bluefish seem to be the only game in town for our area surf anglers. First light and dusk seem to be the prime time. Cut mullet and bunker on the bait side while small metals and poppers will cover most situations on the artificial side. Blue Crabs remains pretty steady from the shop’s dock and the rental boats. Fluke fishing is holding up in the areas of Double Creek and Oyster Creek channels with the drop-offs producing some nice keepers.
Capt’n Hippos in Toms River reported fair Fluking from the BI to BB buoys and also in the Myers hole area on squid and minnow or spearing. There has been some good sized snapper Bluefish frequenting the Toms River and also guys have been netting some 4- to 5-inch Peanut Bunker. Crabbing is still good in the same locations as the prior week: Berkley, Pine Beach, Beachwood, etc.
Super Chic Charters in Barnegat Light has been working on 1- to 3-pound Bluefish for some of his parties, and patiently waiting the re-opening of the Sea Bass 2 fish per person season. The vessel is booking a variety of trip from Fluke to offshore Tuna.
Gina from the Carolyn Ann III in Barnegat Light says that the summer is upon us and the Fluking action has increased on the area’s wrecks. Most of the fish have been caught on bait except for a few of the jigging patrons who brought up fish from 4 to 9 pounds. Color changes each trip with White, Green, and Pink the top choices. As of July 1st, anglers are allowed to keep two Sea Bass per person, so at least some of the “by-catch” will make it home. The boat continues to run two half day trips starting this Friday, so check the website for details.
Evan from Creekside Outfitters in Waretown recommended anglers try for Fluke in either Double Creek, Oyster Creek, or near Barnegat Inlet. The 6-inch Pink Shine Gulp grub tail has been taking some of the keepers. Crabbing continues to be good along the Oyster Creek channels and creek entranceways back in Barnegat. Blowfish are still being landed in crab traps from the Barnegat docks, although it has slowed up since last week. There continues to be 2- to 4-pound Bluefish from the 42 marker to Barnegat Inlet.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle of Manahawkin had some good reports of Fluke fishing in Double Creek channel on the Outgoing tide. Although you have to work through some of the foul-hooked vegetation, there are fish there when your bait is clean. Live Minnows and Spearing-Gulp combinations have been working well. There has been some Sandbar and Brown sharks caught and released off the Long Beach Island surf.
Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine reported Kingfish are pretty good for anglers fishing Bloodworms off the surf. There have been some Fluke landed off the surf, but it is relatively slow on that front. The hottest bite going is the Brown and Sand Tiger sharks which have been accidentally biting baits meant for “Bluefish”.
Absecon Bay Sportsman reported a decent week for anglers fishing the backwaters for Fluke. Anglers jigging bucktails tipped with White or Chartreuse Gulp Nemesis were recorded with some keepers to 6 pounds. There has been an ever-steady Weakfish bite along the deeper backchannels and around the area’s Bridges at night. Pink Fin-S or Gulp soft plastics tipped on a 1/4 to 3/8 ounce jighead has been doing most of the catching. Dave also recommends tipping a jighead with fresh shedder crab.
One Stop Bait & Tackle of Atlantic City has been hot on the Kingfish and Flounder as of late. There are more and more Flounder being caught with a lot of throwbacks, but a good number of keepers in the mix. Anglers have been using Bloodworms at the beaches and jetties for Kings, while using either rigs or bucktails tipped with minnows for the Fluke. There has been a good number of Flounder caught in the backchannels for boaters. Atlantic, Melrose, and Pacific continue to be good “jetty” locations with superb action. On a crabbing note, the banks around Route 30 have been very hot on Blue Claws.
Fin-Atics of Ocean City said that back-bay Flounder has been pretty slow with some keepers being caught in the warmer outgoing tide. The surf has been very solid for Kingfish on Bloodworms or Fishbites. And if you’re up for some toothy critters, then work the nightshift with bunker and wire leader, but make sure all sharks are released. The hush-hush Weakfish bite continues around Kennedy Park and bridges at night with soft plastics. The shop recommends to fish the last hour of incoming to slack through the first hour of outgoing. The offshore season has kicked into full gear with a decent bite of Bluefin Tuna at the Chicken Canyon and Yellowfin at the Baltimore and Wilmington Canyons.
Matt from Jim’s Bait & Tackle said the recent ground swell put a slight damper on the Fluke fishing at the Reefs. The backwater Fluke fishing is pretty slow, even though it should be good in Cape May Harbor and the Intracoastal. Outside there has been some good reports of Bluefin Tuna and Mahi showing up on the troll just outside the 20 Fathom line. The southern canyons have had a lot of small Yellowfins, but plenty of 40 to 50-pound fish mixed in. In the surf, Weakfish are still hanging around the rock piles at The Point and Higbee’s Beach. Bloodworms and Shedder crabs are the best baits to target these fish.
Fishing Forecast for Southern New Jersey
Surf anglers have a great weekend tide to battle big Browns in the surf and also bring those light tackle jigging setups to target Fluke in the wash. The forecast looks promising for inshore and offshore anglers to search for Bluefin, Makos, or Threshers. The Chicken canyon seems the place to be for your best shots at Bluefin Tuna. If you have a hankering for some Blue Claws, target those extreme back-bay locations, especially near tidal creeks as these are producing great results. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines.
Sand tiger sharks are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. They are protected in the United States, Australia, and New Guinea. Fished commercially in all areas of their range, they are being pushed to commercial extinction because of overfishing. what an asshole
Tonkinson, he is letting it go. Catch and release sportfishing keeps people aware.