Southern New Jersey Fishing Report - June 1, 2017

With Memorial Day coming and going, things are looking up for June.  The Fluke bite was good from most of the shops I polled this past week.  The common thread has been to fish the backwaters in those 3- to 10-foot depths targeting the warmer water flow.  There has been some algal slime in some of the areas which is caused by the rain-fertilizer runoff a few weeks back.  As the water clears up, the fishing should rebound as they are here.  Sea Bass got off to a great start with most wreck-fishing anglers boxing limits.  Some boats reported great action with over 150 Sea Bass being caught per trip.  Bluefish have also been very consistent for anglers from North to South for anglers working the surf and inlet jetties.  The only negative has been the Striped Bass bite, as angler’s reported, “It’s like finding a needle in a haystack!”  There has been a lot of 50-pounders caught, but anglers are not seeing the 20- to 40-pound class fish.  Hopefully, this is not the bellwether of things to come!

So, here’s this week’s rundown:

Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach reported slow fishing for the start of the Fluke season as the boat did pick through shorts for a few keepers.  The boat also had some nice Sea Bass drifting over rough bottom.  The crew expects better fishing as the water warms.  The Bluefish night trips did well as most of the Bluefish ranged from 8 to 15 pounds.

Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported tough Striped Bass fishing for most anglers over the past week.  Successful anglers hit the water in the wee-hours of the morning or late in the evening as the bite seems to shut down as the sun comes up.  Trolling Maja’s in 50 to 62 feet has been the magic depths for anglers.  Most of the Striped Bass have been in the upper 40- to 50-pound range.  The Manasquan river continues to be epic on Fluke with fish approaching 7 pounds.  White bucktails tipped with Berkley Gulp or fresh bait have been the hot ticket to boxing some fillets.  The start of the Sea Bass season has been solid for boaters willing to run up to 20 miles.

MIMI IV in Point Pleasant Beach has been busy running wreck trips for Sea Bass and Ling over the weekend and has been doing well on some of Capt. Ken’s favorite snags.  There are some good shots at limits of Sea Bass and fish have weighed up to 5 pounds.  The boat has June 6th and June 8th open for AM Sea Bass and PM Striped Bass.

Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported solid Bluefish off the Island Beach State Park surf with most ranging from 5 to 15 pounds.  Bunker and Mullet have been the best boats to use for targeting Bluefish and Striped Bass.  Striped Bass have been sporadic with fish up to 25 pounds.  Boats had a tough go over the weekend with lots trolling for Striped Bass from Ortley to Barnegat Light, but few coming tight on the hook.

Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported some Fluke being boxed in a wide range of areas from the “BI” buoy to the “BB” buoy, Oyster Creek outflow, and around Barnegat Inlet.  Most have been caught on Berkley Gulp and minnow combinations.  Sea Bass have been good off the wrecks ranging up to 5 pounds.  Striped Bass have not been that cooperative over the past week with the weather playing a big factor.  They heard of only a few being caught and had some weigh-ins with the biggest being 29 pounds.

Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported consistent blues and quality bass on bunker off the Long Beach Island surf.  Boats have had a pretty tough time wrangling up Striped Bass by either trolling or snag-n-drop as very few lines came tight this weekend.  A good amount of smaller Striped Bass has been caught in the bass around the dike in High Bar Harbor and Oyster Creek channel on Tsunami Swim Shads or shedder crabs.  These back-bay Stripers are ranging from 5 to 12 pounds.  The Sea Bass season went off with a bang as there has been plenty of limits off the local reef sites and wrecks over the weekend.

Carolyn Ann III in Barnegat Light started the Sea Bass season with a bang over the Memorial Day weekend, but it slowed with the weather.  Big swell and current made for some tough fishing, but there were fish around as most went home with limits.  Pool winners have ranged between 3.5 and 4 pounds.  The boat will be running daily throughout the season, and running for sea bass over next couple of weeks until the June 18 closure of sea bass.

Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine had good reports from anglers fishing the backwaters for Fluke and small Bluefish.  Kayakers have been doing well catching keepers up to 5 pounds on bucktails tipped with Berkley Gulp.  Anglers continue to pick fish off the surf as Jason Reynolds nailed a 14-pound striper plugging up at the North end of the Island.  Bluefish have been easy to catch with the surf and inlets providing most of the action.  Most of the Bluefish have ranged from 3 to 7 pounds.

Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported a good opener to the Fluke season and it continued over the weekend.  The backwaters provided good action in the 6 to 10 foot ranges and the outgoing tide has been the key with the warmer water.  3/8 to ½-ounce bucktails tipped with Gulp and Spearing has been a good combination to box keepers to 22 inches.  Bluefish continue to provide good angling shots in the back and inlets for fisherman throwing poppers and chunked bunker.  There has been a few Weakfish caught on bucktails in the back and around the 9th Street Bridge.  It is key to work the tides with these fish as some of the larger sized Weakies like slower current and clean water.

The Cape May area has been solid, but spotty for Drum, but Bluefish over the past week has been very good.  Anglers fishing poppers in the shallow backwaters and around sedges had great action on topwater poppers and plugs early in the morning.  Most of the fish have been 3 to 5 pounds, but bigger fished have been caught up to 12 pounds.  The Summer Flounder bite was good in the back with anglers picking through shorts to box keepers up to 22 inches.  The Striped Bass bite has slowed, but the jetties and rock structures are still the best place to target.  Weakfish continue to be caught early morning or very late at night for anglers throwing soft plastics, floating bloodworms, and jigs tipped with Shedder crabs.

South Jersey Fishing Forecast

It seems the weather forecast keeps changing, but South Jersey anglers should have a sure shot at Fluke over the weekend.  The key is to work those tides in the backwaters and keep the bucktail moving along the bottom.  Fluke or Summer Flounder like moving baits that are clean, so be sure to feel any additional weight which could be slime or grass.  Striped Bass anglers still have good shots at Bass, but it must be early in the morning.  Find the bunker to find the Bass, otherwise set the troll with Maja’s or Mojo’s.  If the sea conditions are cooperative, Sea Bass is probably the surefire bet for this upcoming weekend as there are plenty of them around.  Anchoring on top of one or two wrecks should be enough to fill your limit of 10.  Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!