The recent Full moon is putting a serious damper on Fluke fishing in the Ocean, but that should quickly rebound as the major migration to the Continental Shelf has started for our coastal flatties. The deepwater canyon fishing has really heated up over the past week with major Marlin action and good hookups on gaffer Mahi occurring. The tuna bite has been relatively spotty for Yellowfin and Bigeye. Surf fisherman for the majority of the coast are starting to see some of the southern species show albeit Kingfish and Croakers. We only have two weeks left in August, and that will signal the slow change of Summer to cooler Fall nights, and good Striped Bass fishing to come. But for now, enjoy the rest of Summer!
So here is this week’s rundown:
Gate’s Bait & Tackle in Point Pleasant Beach reported good Fluke action continuing from the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reef sites. There has been some fish in the 9-pound range hitting the decks and most have been falling for the 6-inch Gulp Grub in Nuclear Chicken and Pink Shine. The red church area has also had some fish but to a lesser extent. There has been good Brown shark and ray action from the beaches on fresh bunker with some species weighing over 70 pounds. The closer-to-home inlet action has been steady with shorts and mixed keepers hitting fresh mullet fished on classic fluke rigs. Offshore action has been worth the run to Hudson canyon with Bigeye Tuna and White Marlin hitting baits pulled near the East side. There has been some nice gaffer Mahi around the pots.
Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant also reported some good fluking at the Axel and Sea Girt reef sites with anglers bouncing 4- to 6-ounce bucktails tipped with 6-inch Gulp grubs. The key has been working the structured spots and getting those baits as close to the pieces as possible. There has been good action in the inlet on Fluke, and some short Striped Bass around the bridges at night hitting soft plastics.
The MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant has been busy hitting the various snags a few miles offshore to boat some nice groundfish. The boat still has some open-boat trips available for October Canyon Tuna, and the boat will be sailing next week on maxed out open boat trips for Hudson Canyon Tuna.
The Gambler out of Point Pleasant has had fishing that has been fair, which could be due to the approaching Full Moon. Most keepers have ranged from 3 to 4 pounds, with an occasional 5 to 7 pounder making it over the rail. The night wreck trips have been catching keeper Sea Bass and Ling, but the boat had some tough conditions with rough seas. The night Bluefish trip was a little tough due to the sea conditions, which made for some tough fishing.
The Norma K III out of Point Pleasant reported Fluke fishing which has been good over the past 2 days. There has been plenty of action with shorts and keepers along with a few Sea Bass have been coming over the rail. Most pool winners have been averaging between 4 to 6 pounds. Gulp baits and bucktails have been working the best and the rest of August should provide decent action on Fluke. Bluefishing has been a little slow with some 1 to 2 pound fish, but not enough to go around.
The team at Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park had anglers picking up some sharks off the beach prior to the drop in water temperatures. The wind came around and should bring the temperatures back up. The Fluke have been becoming more active and abundant for Island State Park anglers with the morning or evening tides producing fish.
Dock Outfitters in Seaside Park reported good Fluke fishing offshore at the Axel Carlson, Sea Girt reef sites, and surrounding wrecks. Bay fishing has been very active, but you need to fish close to the inlets for the best action. There have been more schoolie Striped Bass hitting around Area 21 at the times of dusk. Pink Fin-S soft plastics have been the go-to baits. Blowfishing has been fair in the northern portions of Barnegat Bay, and crabbing is sill good along the marshes.
Capt’n Hippos of Toms River reported crabbing still doing well from the Crabby road dock to Good Luck Point. Snappers have been very abundant, and lots of short Striped Bass to 18 inches have been hitting plugs, poppers, and plastics near dusk. There has been lots of short Fluke in the inlet area, but you have to put in your time for the keepers. The reef sites have been hit and miss, but the moon phase may have something to do with it.
The Carolynn Ann out of Barnegat Light has been targeting Fluke at the area’s snaggy pieces and has also been contending with the recent Full moon bite. They have pulled some nice fish, including one weighing 8.98 pounds caught on bucktail and Gulp. Some of their more recent trips report slow action with a keeper here and there, but the bite should get better after the moon subsides.
Across the bay towards Waretown, Creekside Outfitters reported both main channels leading to the Barnegat Inlet holding fish and bait, as well as some of the local reef sites. One of the shop’s workers had a 9 pounder in Double Creek channel. Pink Gulp and bucktails have been the ticket for most of the keeper Fluke. Weakfish have been hitting at night and early morning on live bait and pink soft plastics.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported a slower pick on Fluke at the reef sites for keepers. There has been some small Bluefish in Barnegat Inlet during the outgoing tide and small Weakfish just north of the inlet. There has been lots of decent size Blowfish starting to show in Barnegat Bay between the BB and “42” marker. Snapper blues are definitely big enough to take the hook now and many great reports from “Snapper Zappers” fishing the lagoons in Beach Haven West. There has also been some Snappers around the Causeway bridges. There are still plenty of Brown sharks along the beach to a few miles out. Crabbing has slowed down a bit, but you can still catch a few for a crab feast.
Riptide Bait Tackle in Brigantine reported rather quiet fishing in Brigantine over the past few days and the shop wanted to recommended 4×4 fisherman to be careful with the extremely soft sand near the cove. There have been a few Kingfish, Croakers, and Flounder hitting the sands on the beach along with catch-n-release sharks. The strong South winds did chill down the temperatures which slowed the shark bite, but they are quickly rebounding as the winds have changed.
Absecon Bay Sportsman reported that the Ocean fishing is finally heating up at the reef sites with the Ocean City and Townsends Inlet reef site. There hasn’t much word on Weakfish in the bay, but the Flounder are biting with more shorts than keepers. Gulp and minnow combinations seem to be working the best. There has been some sharks off the area beaches, and crabbing remains fair in the back.
One Stop Bait & Tackle reported some unfortunate news for land-based fisherman in Atlantic City as the Army Corps of Engineers is in the process of shutting down 12 of the best, most accessible fishing jetties for a possible 2 year project. Obviously, this will impact tackle shops from Absecon to Margate. Shop owner Noel, a bunch of the local tackle shops, and Bass Pro Shops of Atlantic City is supporting a petition stop this restriction on angler access. Regarding fish, a lot of southern species have invaded the area including striped burrfish, croakers, and kingfish.
Fin-Atics of Ocean City reported back bay action on Flounder still producing lots of shorts and some nice keepers in the mix. Kennedy Park, Rainbow, and the Great Egg Harbor inlet have been the key areas. Snapper Bluefish have been in the mix and evening tides have been producing for schoolie Striped Bass along the marshes and sedges. Topwater and plugs have been the top hooking artificials. Kingfish and Weakfish have been hitting during the day, and some Brown sharks have been hitting Kingfish heads during the night. Offshore had some good White and Blue Marlin fishing at the Lindenkohl canyon along with some nice Mahi and Bigeye.
Jim’s Bait & Tackle in Cape May reported that the Fluke fishing picked up this week on the reefs, but the winds kept a lot of boats dockside. A few party boat fishermen were able to catch limits on 8 hour trips with the DE Reef Site #11 having the best action. The Old Grounds also had some fish close to 9 pounds. The inshore troll continued to be pretty good for Mahi, and some Spanish Mackerel are being reported on the inshore troll. Massey’s canyon had some billfish and Yellowfin tuna early in the week. The White Marlin bite was epic this week with a lot of boats reporting double digit releases and the bite has ranged from the Tom’s, Lindenkohl, and Spencer Canyons. There have been some spotty reports of Bigeye Tuna from the Wilmington Canyon. The surf zone has mainly Kingfish, small Flounder, and sharks hitting the sands. There has been a few croakers around, but no major concentration as of yet.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this weekend may be the epic offshore bite if you have a means to get out there, in fact you probably should have left already as your weather window is NOW. But closer to shore fisherman still have plenty of options as I would look for an epic return to the Fluke bite as these guys need to eat for their journey. Look to fish from your area’s inlets to some of your favorite snags to land a doormat. Jetty guys, don’t feel left out because the inlet’s jetties and rocks should have some of the best shots at quality Fluke when bucktailing the right part of the tide. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!