Southern New Jersey Fishing Report - July 21, 2016

It’s been all about Fluke this past week as both the inshore reef sites and bays have been producing some nice fish. Bucktailing with Gulp has been the best way to put a catch of keepers together based on all of the shops and boats reports. The lack of windage had allowed anglers to get away with 1 to 1 1/2 oz bucktails in the ocean, but you had to power drift to cover ground. There are some small Striped Bass around the area’s bridges for anglers working soft plastics during the nightshift. Although most of the bass are in the 16 to 22 inch range, the sheer quantity of fish surely makes up for the size as most anglers have been able to catch 12 to 25 fish per night.

So here is this week’s rundown:

The crew at Gates Bait & Tackle in Point Pleasant Beach said that Fluke fishing has been good to red hot on the reef sites, especially the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs. Most of the fluke coming in the shop have been in the 3 to 5 pound range and many boats are able to pick up a quick limit of Sea Bass. There hasn’t been much activity on Blackfish with the 1 per day season just opening, but the Manasquan Inlet is loaded with them. There were some spotty reports of Bluefin Tuna at the Triple wrecks and Yellowfin Tuna at the Spencer.

Jason from Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant received great reports on Fluke out front on the Axel Carlson reef. He recommends to fish the South to Southeast corner and use Pink shine Gulp grubs tipped on bucktail. There have been some limits of fish to 6 and 7 pounds, and there are definitely some Sea Bass mixed in. Offshore has seen some decent action with Bluefin biting at the Triple wrecks on Ballyhoo fished way back. There has also been some Wahoo mixed in to 60 pounds. Shore-based anglers have been doing well at the Point Pleasant canal on schoolie Striped Bass. There are a ton of small fish which keeps the rod bent and some anglers have been catching 15 to 20 a night.

Capt. Ken from the MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant has been fishing the bottoms around the Mudhole for big Ling, Winter Flounder, and Sea Bass. The boat has been working a variety of spots to get anglers a bag of meat. The boat has some prime dates available for full charter and it is best to give the captain a ring as all species are in play and the boat is willing to taylor it toward your fishing needs.

The Gambler out of Point Pleasant had mixed results on Fluke the last few days with some days being much better than others. “It all depends on the wind”, says the crew. Keeper Sea Bass are being caught for the quick 2 fish limit. Pool winners have been averaging around 4 to 5 pounds, and some beautiful sea bass up to 4 pounds. There are still plenty of fish around and plenty of action to keep the rod bent. The night wrecking trip last Thursday was fair with some nice sized Ling coming over the rail along with some keeper Sea Bass and Bluefish.

The Norma K out of Point Pleasant reported that Fluke fishing is decent when the conditions are right. Anglers using Nuclear Chicken Gulp have been doing better than standard green or white. We did have a few anglers that caught their limit using bucktail and Gulp combinations over the past few days. Most of the fish we caught were on the open bottom this week. On the Bluefish front, it has improved with anglers getting 1 to 3 pounders, and some Mackerel invaded the boat during the past trip.

Betty and Nicks of Seaside Park reported a slow fishing week so far for anglers plying the suds. There are good numbers of Brown and Sand Tiger sharks around for nighttime anglers. Crabbing remains exceptional around the 6th and 16th Avenue and Fluke are still iffy off the beach. Blowfish are starting to pickup and should increase with this past Full moon.

Dock Outfitters in Seaside Park reported a good number of Fluke being taken as it is the number one target right now for surf anglers fishing Island Beach State Park. There have been some Blues landed on chunks of bunker. Shark fishing at night along IBSP is still going strong. A reminder to beach buggies that the A 23 beach access road to the inlet remains closed until the first week in August. Crabbing in the bay remains good while the boats are out producing the dock. Shore bound crabbers are still putting nice catches together when the put in a little time and Snapper blues are showing up around the big bridge area.

Capt. Hippos of Toms River reported Snapper Bluefish up and down the Toms River. Crabbing is still hot with the western parts of the bay producing better quantity of keepers. Fluke fishing remains solid if you are willing to work a good number of spots in the Bay. Areas from the BI to BB to Inlet have been producing the largest numbers of keepers.

Capt. Ted White of the Super Chic had been out bottom fishing for Fluke, Sea Bass, and Ling with most of the Fluke weighing 2 to 4 pounds. The crew recommends jigging bucktails tipped with Gulp to produce most of the keeper Fluke. The boat has some weekday dates available for charter and is already starting to book for offshore October tuna trips, so give them a ring.

The Carolyn Ann III out of Barnegat Light has been putting some quality keepers on the deck, but it has been a slower pick the last few days with a few keepers to 6 pounds landed on squid and spearing combinations. A few days with lack of winds have made it tough due to the lack of drift. Gina recommends hopping onboard when you see 10-15 knot winds in the forecast as there are a decent amount of fish on open bottom and the boat is able to get decent drifts to cover those areas.

Creekside Outfitters in Waretown has been seeing some nice Fluke make it onto the shops scales with fish up to 8 pounds being landed both in Barnegat Bay and the nearby reef sites. Liza mentioned that she is seeing better ratios in terms of shorts to keepers for some of the local sharpies and there were a few 7 to 10 fish catches. The Blueclaw scene remains very good with a bunch of #1’s being harvested, but the trick is staying as close as possible to the marshes and tidal creeks. There are a few blowfish being landed, but this remains pretty spotty.

Tony’s Bait & Tackle of Manahawkin reported of some positive fluke reports in the channels close to the inlet and fishing are biting on both sides of the tide. There are Bluefish up to two pounds still being harvested in Barnegat Inlet and also small Bluefish and Spanish Mackerel reported in Beach Haven Inlet.  The Long Beach Island surf has been producing big Cow Nose Rays, Fluke, Bluefish, and some Spanish Mackerel. The usual “pick” on the reef sites with Garden State South having the most recent positive reports. Crabbing in our bays is pretty darn good, but work areas close to or back in Beach Haven West.

Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine reported great action along the Brigantine beaches with plenty of Kingfish, sharks, and rays being landed consistently. There has bee some nice Fluke taken both on the the reef sites and in the inlet areas both north and south of Brigantine. If you have a small boat, then the back bays are the place to be as the backwaters have been giving up plenty of keeper flounder with some 7 to 8 pounders mixed in.

Absecon Bay Sportsman reported that the Flounder fishing keeps getting better each week, but shop-owner Dave Showell is seeing less and less people on the water. The shop had some nice fish weighed in this past week ranging from 4 to over 7 pounds. Dave recommends fishing water in the 10 to 20 foot ranges and fish around the high tide. The beaches from Brigantine to Ocean City have been giving up some Flounder and Kingfish with the occasional shark or ray. There has been a pick of Weakfish for anglers fishing late at night around the area’s bridges.

One Stop Bait & Tackle in Atlantic City had Kingfish, Flounder and some nice Tog hit the shops scales over the past few days. The T-jetty to Caspian Avenue have been the hottest areas for feeding fish and there has been some nice variety with Triggerfish and Sheepsheads biting baits. The shop is running their annual Tournament which includes a big screen T.V. and $150 in tackle and rigs. All proceeds benefit the Valerie Fund, but stop in the shop for details.

Fin-Atics of Ocean City reported some good Flounder fishing in the bay from the Route 52 Causeway, around Corson’s Inlet, and along the ICW in Sea Isle City leading to the inlet. There have been some quality keepers taken from both the Ocean City and Great Egg reef sites with limits of Sea Bass mixed in. It has been a combination of squid, mackerel, or Gulp to box most of the keeper Flounder. There have been some small Bluefish and Stripers wacking artificials at night around the inlets and bridges. The canyons have been spotty for offshore action, but the Spencer seems to be doing the best with catches of Yellowfin and Wahoo.

And rounding out this week’s South Jersey report was Jim’s Bait & Tackle reported Flounder fishing out of Cape May is about the same with a lot of throwbacks and a few keepers. This seems to be true on most of the reefs and the Old Grounds with the only exception being Delaware Reef Site #10 which has more quality keepers. There are a few nice Flounder still coming from the backwaters but its a pick nothing fantastic. On a brighter note, the Tuna bite is still going strong at Massey’s canyon and most of the fish are being caught chunking and jigging. There are both Bluefin and Yellowfin being caught with some anglers going as low as 30lb leader when chunking baits. The inshore troll has been good for small Blues and they started to show on the Five fathom Bank just outside the Cape May Reef. False Albacore, a few Spanish Mackerel and a few Dolphin have been caught around the East Lump. Offshore is still a little slow compared to last year with a few Bigeyes being caught early morning in the Wilmington. The Rips off Cape May Point are holding good numbers of Kingfish and that seems to be the best bet for the surf fisherman working the suds with bloodworms or Fish-bites. There are Flounder at Cape May Point and Higbee’s Beach, but most are short with only a few keepers. Remember, on the Delaware Bay the fish only have to be 17 inches to keep and each angler is allowed to possess 4 per day.

South Jersey Fishing Forecast

With the offshore bite a little off, it seems working inshore and the surf will give the best shots at bending some rods. If your fishing from the surf, be sure to grab some fresh bloodworms as the Kingfish have invaded our waters and they make for a tasty dinner. Make sure to save the heads after you fillet them, as Kingfish make great bait for the our “catch-n-release” toothed critters working the surf. The reef sites should be popping for big doormat Fluke after the Full moon tides subside leading into the weekend, so be sure to bring lots of Bucktails and Gulp. Always use the lightest possible jig-head for the current and drift conditions as this will help you put more fish in the boat. Tog has officially opened with 1 fish per day, so there should be a good chance at getting a mixed bag (Fluke, Sea Bass, Tog) if fishing structured areas. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!