Southern New Jersey Fishing Report - July 13, 2017

It has been a typical mid-July with the dog days of summer starting to take effect. It has been hot to say the least, and the fishing hasn’t been too bad either. Most anglers have been able to put some decent catches of Fluke together on the bayside and oceanfronts. But water temperature remains the biggest factor, especially in the bay where the cooler incoming has been the big producer of quality fish. If you’re fishing the backwaters it is critical to stay with the cooler water as it moves back as this will produce the best bites. Crabbing continues to remain steady even after the recent Full moon, except I’m hearing that you have to pick through many more females. The Bluefin Tuna bite remains strong with 30 to 48 miles out being the range from most ports, but the recent Full Moon slowed it down a tad. The surf zones have been pretty active for a variety of fish (Bluefish, Brown Shark, Kingfish, Fluke, etc) from most of our southernly beaches.

South Jersey Fishing Report

The Golden Eagle out of Belmar has been working hard to put their customers on quality Sea Bass and some nice Porgies. The boat has been running further East to search for Bluefish, and they have been hooking into 3 to 4 pound Bluefish on hammer jigs. The boat runs everyday and it is best to call the boat for information.

Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported slow to good fishing from the Sea Girt Reef and the Axel Carlson. Boats have been picking good sized Fluke and quality Sea Bass from pieces of structure in the corners of the reef sites. Depths from 55 to 75 feet have been holding fish, but it could be another slow down with a few days of predicted South winds. Areas around the Manasquan Inlet and inside are still producing Fluke at a good clip. Anglers working white bucktails tipped with Gulp and minnows are producing decent numbers of fish. The shop has still been getting good reports of Tuna offshore and Thresher sharks have been harassing Bunker schools closer inshore around the 10 mile mark.

Norma K III I in Point Pleasant Beach Beach has been having a slow pick on Fluke over the past few days. The boat picked a few from spot to spot, but not like it should be for this time of year. Sea Bass are still coming over the rail at most of the Fluke spots. Anglers using whole squid, Spearing & squid combinations, and bucktails have been getting equal bites on Fluke.

MIMI IV in Point Pleasant Beach has been nailing ocean limits of Sea Bass and Winter Flounder for their Open-Boat trips and charters. Anglers have been bailing double headers of Sea Bass at most of the Capt. Ken’s favorite snags. The boat will be running a few open-boats next week and it is recommended to call and book your spot.

The Gambler in Point Pleasant reports that Fluke fishing has been hot and cold, but Sea Bass have been very consistent and have weighed up to 3 pounds. Keeper Fluke have ranged up to 6 pounds and there are the usual amount of throwbacks in the mix. The boat’s night wreck fishing trip produced a decent catch of Ling up to 3 pounds and about 100 squid. The boat’s first “Shark in the Dark” trip over the weekend produced four Sand Tigers up to 300 pounds. All sharks were released boat side.

Betty and Nicks in Seaside Park reported perfect surf fishing over the past week with big Bluefish on peanut Bunker over the sandbars and Fluke in most of the cuts. Anglers working the suds had consistent action over the past week and it hasn’t been too hard to catch a limit of ISBP Fluke. Crabbing remains solid along most of the sedges in Barnegat Bay and it should remain strong over the next few weeks. Clammers have been reporting excellent yields with enough for a few meals in as little as one hour.

Carolyn Ann III in Barnegat Light reported hot and cold trips with some days it’s a slow pick on keeper Fluke and others have nice fish coming over the rail. As of late, the boat has been bailing quality keepers to 7 plus pounds. Gina mentioned that their notable catch this week was 97 year old George Dekowski catching a nice pool winning fish. She said there is plenty of action on short fish to keep everyone busy, but you have to work for the keeper Fluke.

Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported good Fluke fishing on the ocean front Island Beach State Park to the Barnegat Light reef. Depths 30 to 50 feet have been producing the best action for Fluke. Anglers willing to tackle quality Bluefish do not have to go too far as Blues to 18 pounds have been providing consistent action at Barnegat Inlet. Bayside Fluke fishing has been solid along most of the channel edges and Fluke have been holding on the 7 to 10 feet depths. Crabbing has been absolutely exceptional this year for Barnegat Bay and the shop sells a full line of crab equipment. The shop is hosting a free inshore Tuna Seminar this Friday (July 14th) at 6:30pm. It’s a free seminar, but you must register ahead due to limited seating.

Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported anglers boxing Fluke along the ICW south of the Route 72 bridge and also along the main channels in Barnegat Light. Crabbing still remains as the best option for families and kids due to their consistent cooperation. You only have to put in an hour or two to catch enough for dinner. Bluefin Tuna are still around, but boaters will need to run 35 to 45 miles out of Barnegat Inlet or Little Egg inlet. The Chicken Canyon and Glory Hole are good places to start your search. The Long Beach Island surf has been giving up Fluke, Bluefish, Kingfish, and shark at night.

Riptide Bait And Tackle in Brigantine reported good fishing on the beaches of Brigantine with anglers hooking up with Kingfish on Bloodworms and Brown shark at night. There has been some sporadic Bluefish action around the inlet areas. Anglers in the back have been boxing keeper Fluke along the deeper cuts and there has been some Striped Bass action on plugs.

Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported good Summer Flounder and Kingfish bite over the past week, but the bite slowed a tad with the strong Southernly winds. It should turn right back once the winds change back. The back bay is still the place to be for Flounder with Kennedy’s Park, Ship’s channel, and Rainbow channels producing keepers on the incoming tide. The Garden State South Reef and Atlantic City Reef had decent action on Flounder and Sea Bass. The night time tides are producing small Striped Bass along the sod banks and bridges.

South Jersey Fishing Forecast

Fluke seems the best option for boaters for most of Southern New Jersey with the ocean reef sites and the back-bay channels good places to start. If back-bay fishing is more your speed, then I recommend fishing the incoming tides. Surf fisherman from Long Beach Island south to Cape May will have great shots at Kingfish with Bloodworms or Fishbites as bait. There has been a decent amount of shark being caught at night along those same stretch of beaches, so use those Kingfish heads as they are great baits. If your after Sheepshead, now is the time to start working those jetties, pilings, and submerged pieces in the bay.
Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!