With August upon us next week, I hope it can top the month of July as the fishing has been scorching for several species. I may be biased, but forget Florida—New Jersey has some of the best saltwater fishing in the country. Back-bay fluke fishing was excellent for most of South Jersey, and produced the greatest number of keepers with lots of multiple boat limits. In the coming weeks, the ocean bite should really swing into full gear. Stock up on bucktails and Gulp. Surf fisherman have been bailing kingfish and the occasional croaker off the beaches, along with brown and sand tigers at night. Bluefin and yellowfin have been pretty good for the inshore bite, although it slowed a tad over the last week. You want crabs, we got them. The crab bite continues to be a sure thing from most of our back-bay estuaries. I highly suggest using bunker for crab baits as compared to chicken—it is more natural, works better, and will completely breakdown. In addition, it helps support local fishermen and tackle shops.
Here is this week’s rundown:
The Golden Eagle out of Belmar has been catching Bluefish, quality Sea Bass and some sharks. The boat has been consistently limiting out on Sea Bass and when Bluefish are uncooperative, the boat switches to Sea Bass, Ling, Fluke, and Bonito.
Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported a good Fluke bite on the local reefs, specifically the eastern edges of the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reef sites. Most of the keepers have ranged from 2 to 4 pounds. There have been some nice Sea Bass in the mix along with keeper Tog for the anglers with crab. The shop received positive reports of Atlantic Bonito at the Manasquan Ridge in some decent numbers for anglers trolling Clark Spoons and Japanese feathers. The bite should only get better with the recent Northeast winds which should bring in some cleaner water. Small schoolie Striped Bass have been hitting all types of soft plastics at night at the area bridges and anglers are reporting 1 to 2 dozen fish per night up to 20 inches.
Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach has been getting some decent keeper Fluke coming over the rail along with quality Sea Bass. Most of the bigger fish have been on Bucktails and 6-inch Grubs. The boat has been fishing over rough bottom, so be sure to bring some extra tackle. The night Bluefish trips have been getting 1-2 pounders which are a blast on light-tackle.
MIMI IV in Point Pleasant Beach has been concentrating their efforts on bottom-fishing with quality Winter Flounder, Ling, and Sea Bass making into the cooler. Capt. Ken has an Open Boat scheduled for the next Monday, July 31st, for bottom-fishing for Sea Bass, Flounder, Fluke, Ling and the occasional cod. The boat will depart at 7 a.m. sharp.
The Gambler in Point Pleasant has been Fluke fishing, but it has been a little slower over the last week. On some of the trips, Sea Bass has helped put some fish in the buckets. The boat did get a new leader for their monthly pool with Charlie Krippendorf catching a quality 6.8-pound Fluke. The night fishing trips have been packed with lots of action on small Bluefish with most catching their limits. The night wreck-fishing trip was slower, but the Ling ranged 1 to 4 pounds. The boat cancelled the weekly Shark in the Dark trip due to weather, but will be out there again this Sunday.
Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported some nice Fluke hitting the suds for anglers throwing bucktails tipped with Spearing or Mullet. There are some small Bluefish around both the surf and along Barnegat Inlet. Anglers fishing Barnegat Inlet are getting good shots at keeper Fluke. Crabbing remains hot along the backwaters from Seaside to the mainland, so grab those traps or hand-lines.
Carolyn Ann III in Barnegat Light reported some quality Fluke, but you must get through the mobs of Sea Robins as they have been depleting the bait. Sea Bass continue to make it to the box. The drift conditions make all the difference and when the drift is good, the fishing is hot.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported good fishing in Barnegat Bay for Fluke with both DCC and OCC holding lots of fish. Some days you might have to pick through 25 shorts to find a keeper, but they are there. Josh Rice boated a 12-pound doormat fishing the inlet rocks with bucktail. Crabbing continues to be excellent from Barnegat (mainland) to Forked River. And finally, there is news of Blowfish showing up around the “42” marker.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported good Fluke fishing on both ends of Long Beach Island, but the incoming tide is better. Kingfish are being caught from the LBI beaches on Bloodworm or FishBites. Brown Shark and Sand Tigers continue to prowl the surf zone at night, so save those Kingfish heads. Crabbing continues to be excellent around the marshes, sedges, and Beach Haven West.
Riptide Bait And Tackle in Brigantine reported Kingfish all over the Brigantine beaches and it’s probably one of the best bites as anglers are catching up to 40 per surf session. There are also Butterfly Rays, Brown Sharks, and Sand Tigers around. Most of the sharks have been caught on Kingfish or Mackerel heads. Crabbing in the back-bay remains excellent making it a blast for the kids.
Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported small Fluke for back-bay anglers fishing the 8- to 10-foot depths, but the deeper channels have been giving up some quality flatties. Sea Bass and Flounder have been nailing baits and bucktails at the Great Egg Reef, Ocean City Reef, and Atlantic City Reefs. The beachfront has been “amazing” for Kingfish with most serious anglers catching 20 to 30 per session. It is straight-up good fishing! All the fish have been biting on Bloodworms and FishBites from Atlantic City to Ocean City. Brown sharks and Sand Tigers are still taking baits in the dark for the night shift anglers.
The Wildwood, Cape May area saw a good number of Fluke come in from the backwaters this week. Charlie Danowski of Lester, PA weighed in a 7.35-pound Flounder from the back and a few boats had limits without leaving Cape May Harbor. The reef sites are still producing Fluke with the Cape May reef holding good numbers along with nice Sea Bass. There were also reports from the Delaware Bay near the shad stakes and around Miah Maul Light producing some nice Fluke. Blackfish, Triggerfish, and Sheepshead are showing up on all the rocks and bridges in Cape May and Wildwood Crest. The offshore Tuna bite was good this past week, but shifted between Massey’s Canyon, the Hot Dog, and the 19 Fathom Lump. Lemke’s Canyon and the Lobster Claw had reports of Bluefin and Yellowfin Tuna. Some guys are trolling, but the majority are chunking Butterfish and Sardines. There are some Mahi-Mahi at the inshore pots and have been taken from Cape May reef. The canyons have been relatively slow, but we are getting more reports of White Marlin starting to come up in the spreads. The surf action is mainly Kingfish, spike Weakfish, and small Fluke with a few Croakers mixed in. The Shark fishing off the beaches is still good but most of the fish this week were smaller.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
This weekend is a tough one as there are a variety of fishing and crabbing opportunities. Fluke fisherman should start working our coastal inlets and inshore reef sites as they will start staging near the inlets and closer reefs. If you’re stuck to land, that is completely okay as working the jetty rocks close to the slack high tide, should put you on keeper Fluke. Remember, big Fluke tend to hang closest to the base of structure a.k.a. rocks, wrecks, pilings, etc. Surf Fisherman from Island Beach State Park to Cape May have reported good numbers of Kingfish with the best bite occurring Brigantine and Southward. The bite should continue with the warm surf temperatures, and Bloodworms are the definite bait of choice for the most numbers of kings. With the recent Northeast winds, it is definite worth it to look around any floating debris, buoys, trap markers, as there could be Mahi-Mahi swimming around. The inshore tuna bite has been on, but the “hot” areas change on any given day. I recommend using your network of anglers and talk to your local tackle shop. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!
I caught a 21″ 3.56 pound red drum last week in the back bay of Avalon.
Thank you for the info, its great getting reports about fishing in New Jersey,keep up the good work.
How is the fishing in the back bays of Sea Isle and the inlet around T I?
Still flounder in the back bays, lots of shorts also some snapper blues and weakfish are around