Even though we are still in August, you can sense that fall is on it’s way with some cooler mornings and the “smell” in the air. The time is now to target doormat Fluke and the best way is to use big baits such as snapper Bluefish, peanut Bunker, or 6-inch Grub tails. We only have 13 more days were we can target Fluke for the table. Snapper Bluefish are being caught around most of the South Jersey inlets along with some spike Weakfish in the backwaters. The Tuna front has been a little quiet, although I did hear some radio chatter this past week of anglers hooking up with Yellowfin, Albacore, and Mahi. Most boats continue to work areas from 25 to 55 miles and have been working 100 to 150 foot depths.
Here is this week’s rundown:
The Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported a pickup in some slow fishing caused by the leftover swell of Hurricane Gert. Sea Bass, Mackerel, Bluefish, and Fluke have been cooperating on baited hooks and hammered jigs.
Fishermans Supply Co in Point Pleasant described a slow Fluke bite recovering from the recent swell through the weekend, but over the past few days it has been on fire. Most of the Fluke have been from 3 to 7 pounds taken from a variety of hot spots including Sea Girt Reef and Axel Carlson Reef. Anglers jigging 3 to 6 bucktails tipped with 6-inch Berkley Gulp grub tails have been putting the most keepers in the box. Further offshore, anglers have been hooking up with Bonita, Albacore, Spanish Mackerel, and Mahi on trolled Clark spoons and small feathers. The Manasquan River still has some small Striped Bass being caught late at night around the bridges on soft plastics.
Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach reported a pickup in the Fluke bite and the boat had some excellent Fluke fishing over the past few days. Lots of quality keepers have been coming over the rail including some nice Sea Bass. Anglers working bucktails tipped with bait or Berkley Gulp has been catching Fluke from 4 to 7 pounds with the pool winning fish weighing over 9 pounds.
MIMI IV in Point Pleasant Beach has been working the deeper wrecks and snags for quality Sea Bass and Fluke. One of the most recent trips had the Brick American Legion of 36 anglers catching jumbo Sea Bass and quality Fluke. The skipper reported that the entire group caught fish. The boat will be running some Open Boat trips for bottomfish (Sea Bass, Fluke, etc), but it is best to give the crew a call.
The Gambler in Point Pleasant reported Fluke fishing has been pretty good the past week. Lots of action on Fluke with a fair amount of keepers coming over the rail. Most of the daily pool winners have been between 4 to 6 pounds with an occasional 9 pounder. The boat’s night wreck fishing trip was fair with a mixed bag of fish up to 3 pounds being put in the cooler. Anglers who tried for squid did well on them. The night Bluefish trips have anglers hooking with small Bluefish up to 3 pounds and lots of big Mackerel.
Betty and Nicks Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park reported loads of snappers being caught off the docks, surf, and inlet. There continues to be a decent bite on Fluke around the Barnegat Inlet. Rays are still taking baits off the surf along with an occasional Brown Shark. The crabbing in the back remains pretty good for hand-liners.
Carolyn Ann III in Barnegat Light reported decent fishing over the past week with an occasional slower trip due to poor drift conditions. The waters have been teeming with some nice Fluke up to 9 pounds, and some of the trips have had multiple 6 to 7 pound fish. The boat will run another week of half day trips and starting September 1st will begin it’s one 6 hour trip until the end of Fluke season. Gina reminded that the Fluke season ends Tuesday, September 5th.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported fish in the area of the research buoy in Barnegat Bay with Afrodite Dornfest landing a 28 inch, 8.25 pound doormat on live snapper Bluefish. The Barnegat Inlet has had some major 1 to 3 pound Bluefish action on the early morning tides and they can be easily caught on plugs, metals, and soft plastics. The reef sites have been steady at producing some nice keepable fish to 7 pounds. The backwaters are still producing decent numbers of Blueclaws and there has been some Weakfish caught around the BB bouy and “42” marker.
Tonys Bait and Tackle in Manahawkin reported lots of short Fluke in Barnegat Inlet with an occasional keepers. Anglers fishing peanut bunker are doing better on keepers than anglers fishing minnows. Live-lining snapper Bluefish has producing some real nice Fluke from the Lighthouse to the edge of the inlet. There has been major snapper Bluefish action in the bays and off of the surf, so it should be easy to find a few. Crabbing in the back towards the marshes on the west side of Barnegat Bay continue to produce good-sized crabs.
Riptide Bait And Tackle in Brigantine reported good numbers of Kingfish and snapper Bluefish in the surf along with a few keeper Fluke around the inlet. The backwaters have been providing good numbers of short Fluke, Sea Bass, snapper Bluefish, and Dogfish. Basically, enough action to keep the little ones happy! Crabbing still remains excellent along the sedges and marshes in 5 to 6 feet of water. Surf anglers are still getting a good number of big Rays off the beach along with an occasional Brown or Sand Tiger shark at night.
Fin-Atics in Ocean City had similar reports of the following week with Kingfish, Croakers, and Spot continuing to take small Bloodworm baits. Rays continue to keep anglers busy during the day on cut Mackerel or Bunker, while Brown and Sand Tiger sharks are taking the night shift. Keeper Fluke are being reported from most of the Reef sites with the Little Egg, Great Egg and Ocean City reefs producing the best action. The inlets and back-bays still have plenty of options for younger anglers with snapper Bluefish, short Fluke, small Weakfish, and short Striped Bass.
The Wildwood and Cape May area reported good Fluke fishing on all the Reef sites and on the Old Grounds. Some shops in Cape May have been weighing Fluke over 9 pounds and many boats have been boasting of limit catches. There has been some nice Sea Bass on the Old Grounds and Reef Site #11. Spanish Mackerel slowed up over the past week, but there are still plenty of small Bluefish being caught on the troll at the South Shoal and the 5-Fathom Bank. The inshore Tuna bite was slow this week and there were only spotty reports of fish being trolled up. Lemke’s Canyon continues to hold some Yellowfin Tuna with a few Wahoo mixed in. The surf is about the same as last week with Kingfish, Croakers, small Weakfish, and small Bluefish being caught. There are still good numbers of short Fluke around Cape May Point, with more keeper fish starting to show each day. There has been some Spot starting to show on the beach in Wildwood Crest. Most of these fish are small, but make great doormat Fluke baits if live-lined.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this weekend is to target Fluke or Summer Flounder as we only have limited days remaining in our season, in addition the marine forecast looks pretty good for Saturday and Sunday. Anglers should be drifting Reef sites and individual wrecks to box limits of keeper Fluke. Anglers working the inlets from the jetty rocks should try live-lining snapper Bluefish or work bucktails tipped with big Gulp baits during the slack high periods. This will give you a solid 45 minutes of low current and try to work as much of an area as you can. Wear those Korkers to prevent major catastrophic falls. Surf fisherman will have easy shots at Kingfish on Bloodworms and small Bluefish on metals in the surf. Don’t be afraid to work a bucktail in the deeper cuts, especially before the bathers hit the beach. This is when most of the keeper Fluke are in the suds feeding on baitfish. Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!
No reports on long beach island, plenty on other places to fish whats up with that?