The weather changed this week and for individuals getting up early, you could definitely feel a touch of Fall in the air. There is just one week left until the start of September which usually brings excellent Fluke fishing inshore. Weakfish are showing up in good numbers in most locations giving anglers good shots at catch-n-release fishing as most are 12 inches or less. The bays are loaded with Peanut Bunker, Mullet, and Spearing as they will begin staging in the weeks ahead for their push to the Ocean and the Bass and Blues shouldn’t be far behind.
So here’s this week’s rundown:
Gate’s Bait & Tackle in Point Pleasant Beach reported a good Fluke bite off the Manasquan inlet for anglers fishing fresh Mullet and Spearing off the wall. There has been some consistency to the Bluefish bite occurring just outside the inlet. There are Blackfish and Triggerfish roaming around the rocks. The beach action has been a little slow, and also the Fluke bite for the boats has been hit or miss. Somedays they bite real good, then other days they just shut off. There wasn’t any news-worthy word on offshore action this past week.
Fisherman’s Supply of Point Pleasant had some quality Fluke, but overall the fishing has been fair to good. There has been a slow pick of Sea Bass, especially with the warmer water. Snappers are starting to show in the Manasquan River, and there has been some short Striped Bass around the train bridges in the late evening. There was some action at the Hudson canyon on trolled Bigeye Tuna.
MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant has been busy hitting the offshore wrecks for Fluke, Winter Flounder, Sea Bass, and also some Porgies. The boat will be hitting the offshore canyons for Tuna in September and October and there still are a few spots left. The Captain is starting to book for Blackfish in November and December.
Gambler out of Point Pleasant had fair to good Fluking the past few days with some nice keeper Fluke to 6.5 pounds. They are still getting a pick on keeper Sea Bass. The boat hasn’t had an overwhelming amount of action, but the percentage of fish were more quality. The night Bluefish this past weekend was good on small Blues. Unfortunately the boat did not get out on the night-wrecking trip due to the weather. They will be back at it towards the end of this week.
Norma K III out of Point Pleasant had decent Fluke action despite the winds. The boat has been averaging 5 to 6 pounds on pool winners and Gulp Nuclear chicken has been working the best. The winds are the key as when they have no drift, it makes pretty tough fishing. Sea Bass have also been making it up and over the rail. The boat sails every Friday and Saturday night for Bluefish from 730pm to 1am.
Betty and Nicks of Seaside Park reported small Blues off Island Beach State Park and also some small Mahi around Barnegat Inlet. The inlet has been a pick for some Fluke and Bluefish, while anglers are getting some spike Weakfish both outside the inlet and also on the backside.
Dock Outfitters in Seaside Park had small Bluefish invading the surf from Seaside to Island Beach State Park. Small blues have been invading, while bigger Fluke can be caught in and around the deeper cuts. Night fishing on the beach has been very chaotic as big sharks and rays are being landed.
Capt. Hippos in Toms River reported snappers still being a “hot” bite up and down the Manasquan River. Crabbing has been good from the Mathis to Good Luck Point. Fluke are in their usual bay spots, but it has been far more shorts compared to keepers.
Super Chic out of Barnegat Light has been busy running trips concentrating mostly on wreck Fluke, but also there has been some Bluefish and offshore trips. The boat did get in Bonita and Bluefish, and they are looking at only a few open dates left for September and October overnight tuna.
Carolyn Ann III in Barnegat Light reported some good days and slow days as it all depends when the keeper Fluke decide to chew. Some mornings are better, while other days afternoons are getting the hot bite. Anglers are getting quite a few Sea Bass per trip, so there are definitely few different fish available. Keeper “pool-winning” fluke have been ranging from 3 to 7 pounds on any given day.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown phoned in a nice report with crabbing being excellent in Oyster Creek and between BB & BI buoys. The past full moon has helped put more keepers on the feed. There have been some good reports of Fluke from the Tires, Bathing Beach, and Seaside Pipe. The bay has lots of shorts with keepers spread out, and also some 13 to 14 inch weakfish have been showing up between the BB and BI Buoys. Blowfish starting to show up again at Research Buoy, 42 & hole south of the BI buoy to the 40 buoy.
Tony’s Bait and Tackle of Manahawkin reported some short Fluke being caught in Barnegat Light and near the Little Egg inlet over the past week. The reef sites have been hit or miss, but the Garden State South seems to have more of a reliable bite. There has been some Blowfish and Triggers showing up around docks, rocks, and structure.
Riptide Bait & Tackle of Brigantine had somewhat slower shark fishing with only a few being taken occasionally. With the shark scene slowing, the kingfish are being caught in good numbers but finding one bigger than 12 inches is tough. Blood worms are still the ticket for them as the water cooled down back down to 72 degrees. The flounder action in the back is getting harder to find a keeper. There are still plenty of shorts but the main body of keepers have moved out front to the reefs and wrecks.
Absecon Bay Sportsman reported that Flounder are still inhabiting the backwaters, although there has been more of push towards and outside the inlet. There is a ton of different bait in the back from finger mullet to peanut bunker to spearing, probably the reason there are so many fish still in the back. The reefs have been hit or miss, like most of the coast, but Ocean City Reef has had by far the best action on keeper Fluke. The beaches continue to have variety with Kingfish, Weakfish, Spot and some Croakers being caught. The crabbing is good and should get better as August and September are historically the best months.
One Stop Bait & Tackle in Atlantic City has been busy with both fisherman weighing in fish and the coastal petition to keep angler access for the 12 of the best fishing jetties in the city. The T-jetty has had good numbers of spike Weakfish, and with the approaching New Moon and crab shed, the area should be able to hold a good number of weakfish. There has been Tog, Kingfish, Snappers, and Triggerfish also being caught.
Fin-Atics of Ocean City reports that the Flounder fishing is mainly centered around the inlets and out to the reef sites. Corsons inlet has been pretty good for anglers fishing Gulp and some of the Flounder have been up to 7 pounds. The Ocean City reef site has been pretty consistent for keeper Flounder. There are some Bluefish around along with some spike Weakfish both on the beaches and in the back. The late night bite has schoolie Striped Bass hitting soft plastics around the bridges, and poppers around the marshes in the early morning.
Jim’s Bait & Tackle in Cape May reported Flounder fishing really picking up this week. There have been good reports from the Cape May Reef, Delaware Reef Sites #10 and #11, and the Old Grounds. The party boats are starting to catch Croakers in the Delaware Bay and the Rips along with small Blues and a few Kingfish. The inshore troll slacked off as there was an up welling that dropped the water temperature down. There have been some Wahoo and Dolphin for anglers trolling the Lumps. There are still reports of Yellowfin coming from Massey’s Canyon most of these fish are smaller sized. Offshore fishing has been very spotty this past week. There has been a lot of green water in the Canyons, so the bite has been off. The surf has been steady for Fluke, small Weakfish, and a few Croakers at the Point. Kingfish are mostly on the beach front in Cape May and the Wildwood.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
Most of south jersey has been pretty good for Fluke at the reef sites, but just in case it’s a little slow bring some clam and green crabs to get easy limits of Sea Bass and Blackfish. Since the inshore and offshore bite has been a little off, it may be to stay closer to home and fish the beaches and backwaters. Most backwaters are holding lots of spike Weakfish which can easily be caught on soft plastics. Crabbing should be red hot, so hit those areas adjacent to the marshes, just need an incoming tide and bunker. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!