We got through our “dry” Nor’easter the week prior and the bottoms settled out over the past week which enticed the Fluke or Flounder bite at the reefs and wrecks. Most areas are seeing a ton of bait from 2- to 5-inch Peanut Bunker and Spearing, so don’t forget to have a cast net on the ready. These baits make great baits for a variety of species, and also can entice some pelagic species like Mahi or Bonita. Island Beach State Park anglers got a reprieve this week with the opening of the Barnegat Inlet area. Overall, it has been a solid 2 week start to August, let’s hope it continues.
So here’s the rundown:
Gates Bait & Tackle of Point Pleasant Beach has been receiving word of some hot action on Fluke from anglers fishing the walls of the Manasquan Inlet. Anglers working rigs or jigs with fresh baits such as Mullet or Peanut Bunker are scoring on keepers. The shop did just get a fresh batch of jumbo local Mullet for Fluke, so stop by the shop and pick it up.
Fisherman’s Supply of Point Pleasant reported some decent action on the Sea Girt and Axel Carlson reef sites with boaters able to box quality keepers, but the action was a little slower than the previous week. The shop recommends trying some of the “off-the-beaten path” wrecks to put together a limit of flatties. The Manasquan River and Point Pleasant canal have had some small Striped Bass action on soft plastics and plugs, but it has been in the wee-hours of the morning.
The MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant has been working some wrecks in deeper water to put good numbers of Ling, Winter Flounder, and good-sized Sea Bass on the deck. Capt. Ken has been fishing over some rough bottoms to put clients on fish, and he will continue over the next several weeks. The boat has some open boat dates, but it is best to contact the boat for details and times.
The Gambler out of Point Pleasant had good fishing with lots of action and a good percentage of nice keeper fluke. The boat had a handful of fish from 5 to 7 pounds. Some notable catches this past week was a nice 7.3 pounder caught by JJ from Point Pleasant, NJ and a 7.1-pound Fluke caught by Laurie Wistuba from Toms River, NJ. In addition to big Fluke, 2 to 3-pound Sea Bass have been making it over the rail. The night wreck trips have been ranging about 15 miles offshore, with a steady pick of nice Ling. Customers also caught some small Bluefish and keeper Sea Bass.
The Norma K III out of Point Pleasant has also been picking up some decent Fluke over the past few trips. The boat has been fishing over some rough, snaggy bottoms and most Fluke have been ranging from 4 to 7 pounds. Sea Bass have been adding to anglers’ bag of meat with 2-fish limits coming from some of the wrecks. Chartreuse and Nuclear chicken have been the hot Gulp baits. The night Bluefish trips have been catching 1 to 2-pound Blues, and the Captain noted that the water has cleaned up so the Big Blues should not be far behind.
Dock Outfitters of Seaside Park reported more of same in terms of fishing with the Island Beach State Park (IBSP) surf having small to keeper Fluke, small Bluefish, and a sprinkling of Kingfish showing up. Crabbing has been okay from the store’s docks if you’re willing to put in the time. The IBSP road access to the inlet has been open since Monday morning and that’s a good thing as the restrictions for access due to the Piping Plover has eased, so it’s “full-ahead” fishing near the inlet. There are a decent number of keepers being caught by boats along the jetty, so it should be game on for jetty hoppers.
Betty & Nick’s Bait & Tackle of Seaside Park reported that the Island Beach State Park entrance allowing access to the Barnegat Inlet has opened again, so anglers should have good shots at Bluefish and keeper Fluke in the inlet area. With the recent south wind blow, the water temperatures should drop and may offer schoolie striped bass bites on the incoming tide. The surf has been fair, with anglers picking at short and a few keeper Fluke. There has been some Browns and Sand-Tigers landed at night. The crabbing on the west side of the Island has been solid, so grab some fresh Bunker.
Capt’n Hippo of Toms River continued to have very good reports of Blue Claws from the bays with Bunker being the best bait of choice. Shop-owner Lenny recommends if crabbing by boat to anchor close to some of the marshy areas as these spots tend to produce more keepers. Fluking has been great for catch and release action in the bay with only sporadic action on 18 inch and above fish. The Barnegat Light Reef provided some solid action on keepers with some boats working just outside the reef site.
Carolyn Ann III of Barnegat Light had some temperamental Fluke action the past few days with lousy drift conditions, so Capt. Will had to power drift. Persistence and patience paid off as some very nice fish were brought over the rail in addition to big Black Sea Bass. The morning and afternoon trips have been about equal in terms of keeper Fluke, but Gina recommends for anglers to jig Bucktails as these tend to catch more fish over the 18-inch limit.
Capt. Ted White from the Super Chic in Barnegat Light has been busy Fluke and Sea Bass fishing a variety of wrecks, snags, and open bottoms. The boat has been working a variety of areas to put some keepers on the decks with fish up to 6 pounds. The boat has some dates open for overnight Tuna in September and October with a few weekend dates still available.
Creekside Outfitters of Waretown had good reports of catch-n-release Fluke fishing from the Barnegat Inlet into the bay. Some keepers were boxed, but the ratios have been approaching 20 to 1. Crabbing is still solid from the areas of Oyster Creek North to Bayville. Blowfish have been very slow as there are a lot of little Sea Bass in the bay. There has been some Bluefish around the Barnegat Inlet and Liza recommends keeping a keen eye for birds.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle of Manahawkin reported that some Weakfish have been caught the past couple days off Barnegat & Waretown from the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway between “42” & “BI” markers. A hand full of anglers drifting with shedder crab on small jigs have been picking off some 15 to 20-inch Weakfish. There have been some positive reports on Fluke from Little Egg Harbor from Buoy “8” over to the “LE” marker. There hasn’t been a large amount of fish, but the ones being caught are decent size. Just the opposite to the north in Barnegat Light with a tremendous amount of small fluke being caught with very few keepers on both sides of the dike in High Bar Harbor and in the areas leading to Barnegat Inlet. Best baits have been live Minnows, fresh Spearing, and Gulp baits. The Long Beach Island surf has some small Fluke and Kingfish in the wash with an occasional skate.
Riptide Bait & Tackle of Brigantine reported that the Brigantine Surf Fishing Adventures was at it again going for Browns in the surf. Beach shark catch-n-release fishing has been the hot ticket as there has been a ton of these powerful beasts all over the Brigantine surf. Kingfish heads have been the best bait, followed by Mackerel and Bunker. Kingfish, Spot, and some Sea Bass have been along the jetty which can be easily landed with bloodworm or Fish-bites.
Absecon Bay Sportsman has been seeing some of the best Flounder action in the past 20 years with a large number of keepers being landed. Small boats working the back have been able to put some nice catches together as keeper ratios have been 5 to 1. Kingfish are out front along the beaches and are starting to migrate to the back, but the ones showing are a little small. If targeting Kingfish, chum them hard and use cut bloodworms. Ocean action has been steadily approaching the on-fire level on Summer Flounder as the Atlantic City reef site produced some beautiful keepers this past week.
One Stop Bait & Tackle of Atlantic City reported very good Flounder fishing from the AC jetties and the shop’s Fluke Candy rig has been working. The fish have ranged from 2.5 to 5 pounds, so work areas close to the jetties around the high tides. There has also been some Northern Puffers, Triggerfish, and Kingfish around for anglers throwing clam or bloodworms. The night bite has produced some good sized Sand Tigers and Brown sharks, but it is advised to keep them in the water and release as quickly as possible. Shop-owner Noel recommends stopping down to have some fun and easily catch a variety of species in a few hours.
Fin-Atics of Ocean city reported good Flounder fishing along Corson’s and Townsends as the fish are starting to stage near the inlets. The Great Egg, Ocean City, and Wildwood reef sites have been producing some nice keepers for anglers jigging Gulp and Squid. There are some small Bluefish and Stripers caught at night under and around the local bridges.
The Cape May area continues to produce some nice Flounder, but anglers have to run to a variety of DE reef sites (#10, #11, #13). Deeper water fishing in the 80 to 120 foot ranges has produced some nice keepers up to 8 pounds. The Cape May jetties have had some small Striped Bass and Bluefish around to keep anglers busy. There is a lot of bait around with some nice Spearing in the 4 to 5-inch range, and fish have been on them over the past few nights.
Offshore action was pretty good over the past week as the Canyon Club will hold their 43rd White Marlin Open over the next few days. Action at the southern canyons has been the place to be for tuna and billfish with the Baltimore and Wilmington canyons holding fish.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
Unfortunately, the NOAA forecast doesn’t look great with heavy S/SW winds to 20-25 knots predicted over the weekend. It may be the best bet to fish from the area’s jetties or fish the backwaters if the winds hold out. Fluke fishing close to the inlets should provide some deflection from the wind, and ample area to drift if fishing from boat. Be sure to leave the engine on, in case you need to move quickly. Remember, Blackfish is open at 1 fish per person until November 15th, so this weekend it might be a good time to try off the jetties with green crab. But whatever you choose, enjoy the time outdoors. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!