Boats that did venture out produced a good number of keepers, but surely their anglers felt it as the ocean has been quite “sporty”. With Fluke and Sea Bass closed, fishing pressure will most likely be centered on other species like Bluefish, Striped Bass, Tog, Albacore, Weakfish, and Bonita through the rest of the month. Fortunately, the back-bays are holding a decent variety of fish which should keep it interesting for anglers and September can be a stellar month for Weakfish. Let’s hope for calmer weather and no tropical systems over the next several weeks.
Here is this week’s rundown:
The Golden Eagle out of Belmar has been fishing through the tough stretch of weather with nasty sea conditions. The boat put a decent catch of Albacore, Bonito, and Bluefish together and will be sailing for these species over the next several weeks.
Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported a quieter end to Fluke season with a lot of boats being tied to the dock due to sporty sea conditions. Boats that made it out did well on Fluke at the deeper wrecks. There has been a decent run of Bonita and Albacore at the Ridges along with some nice alligator Bluefish. The area Bridges have a large amount of schoolie Stripers and Bluefish to keep anglers busy and most anglers have been working soft plastics at night. Although the shop didn’t hear of any yet, some of the same areas should start producing Tog once the waters begin to cool.
Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach reported picky Fluke fishing to end the season as the ocean has been quite choppy making the feel of the bite a little challenging. The few that were picked up have been good sized up to 7 pounds. The night Bluefish trips have produced Bluefish, Mackerel, and Bonita up to 6 pounds. The boat has switched to 3/4-day trips for Porgies and Blackfish, in addition to the Thursday through Sunday night Bluefish trips.
MIMI IV in Point Pleasant Beach has been bottom-fishing through the tough weather conditions for Porgies, Blackfish, and Ling. The boat has some open dates through the weekend, so call the skipper for information.
The Gambler in Point Pleasant ended the Fluke season with some keepers to 6 pounds working rocky and sticky bottoms. The boat will be sailing 3/4-day trips for Albacore and Bonita, while the night trips will start at 730pm for Bluefish.
Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported Bluefish action to 5 pounds around the Barnegat Inlet along with some Fluke which are out of season. There are a ton of snapper Bluefish from the Island Beach State Park surf back through Barnegat Bay. There are some big Bluefish in the same areas taking chunked Bunker and live Peanut Bunker. The South end of Island Beach has produced some short resident Stripers.
Carolyn Ann III in Barnegat Light reported a decent end to the Fluke season with some nice fish to 7 pounds. The boat is in the process of switching over to 4-hour Porgy and Croaker trips, but Gina recommends checking back on their Facebook page or giving the boat a call for details.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported a stellar end to the Fluke season with anglers venturing out in the choppy seas to bag Fluke up to 8 pounds at Garden State North. There has been some reports of Weakfish and Blowfish towards the West side of Barnegat Bay. The Oyster Creek outflow is still holding Bluefish up to 8 pounds which have been the “handline bait” stealing culprits and some crabbers have even netted Blues while going for Blueclaws.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported excellent crabbing and Snapper fishing in the back-bays. The season ending Ocean Fluke fishing has been hard pressed due to weather conditions, but reef sites further offshore produced keepers. Small Bluefish and Striped bass are being caught along the Barnegat Inlet rocks. False Albacore and Spanish Mackerel have been taking trolled feathers past the “Range” Buoy outside Barnegat Inlet. There has been rumors of blowfish in Barnegat Bay from the “BI” buoy to the research buoy. Commercial crabbers have seen small blowfish in traps with very few large enough for the table.
Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine reported a leader change in the Riptide Summer Fishing Tournament with Gary Born weighing in a 7.2-ounce Bluefish to claim the cash prize in that division and Andy Smith’s 13oz Kingfish held on for the past 6 weeks and he collected 150.00 for that fish. The Riptide Striper & Bluefish Derby is underway, so stop by the shop to sign up. There are still a good number of Kingfish, Snapper Bluefish, and Spot around in the Brigantine surf along with sharks at night.
Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported decent Fluke fishing to end the season on the reef sites for the boats that braved the weather. The back bays and surf from Brigantine to Avalon are teeming with snapper Bluefish along with some sharks at night. There has been some good short Striped Bass action on 4- to 5-inch soft plastics. A few Mullet moving around, but not the main push as the waters are still warm. The crabbing along the marshes has been exceptional and it continues to be a great season.
The Wildwood and Cape May area had a tough go at the last few days of Fluke season with tough Ocean conditions, but there were some decent Fluke caught to 8 pounds. There are still Croakers, Kingfish, and small Blues to be caught along Higbee’s Beach and around the Cape May Ferry Terminal. The Fluke should stick around Cape May Point through the Mullet run for catch and release action in the surf. The upcoming cold front should help the Mullet run and kick the Striped Bass and Bluefish into gear. The offshore action is heating up for White Marlin fisherman with the Wilmington canyon producing double digit catches. There has been no word on Tuna action, but there are Wahoo starting to show up along the 40 Fathom Line and in the Canyons. For the anglers that received their Striped Bass bonus tag there are plenty of schoolies around in the backwaters. Anglers anchoring around a creek mouth and chumming on the outgoing tide will usually provide plenty of action
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
Trust me, it’s hard not to sulk about the ending of Fluke season just when it is getting good outside, but there are still a good number of options this week and the coming weeks. Anglers with Striped Bass Bonus Permits can work the backwaters and Bridges to keep one 24 to 27.99 incher for the table as there are plenty of fish in the 18- to 27-inch range. Boaters should target Albacore and Bonito as there have been great reports out of most inlets in our area and some of these fish are just a few miles off the beach. Trolled Clark Spoons or small feathers can provide surefire bites as well as chummed spearing and casted flies. Surf Fisherman are still catching a good number of Kingfish and snapper Bluefish up and down the coast with the more extreme Southern points having some Croaker and Spot in the mix. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!