We are fast approaching the official start to summer with some New Jersey school districts having their end of the year graduations this upcoming week. In time, the coastal towns will be packed and the waterways will have a lot more anglers plying for gamefish. The only problem has been the weather not cooperating as it has been much cooler than usual. This does impact the bite, especially on Summer Flounder or Fluke, where they prefer water temperatures in the upper 60’s to 70. Anglers who work waters in this temperature range generally have more success. The consensus from most of our shops has been that Striped Bass are mostly hitting during the hours of dusk till dawn and the bite has been fare at best. The big news this week has been the good Shark bite occurring from the 15 to 60 mile range (depending on your inlet) and a confirmed Bluefin Tuna bite at the Baltimore and Wilmington Canyons. We are full speed ahead for summer, hopefully we get some more, typical summer-like temperatures.
Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported good fishing throughout the Manasquan and Shark River on Fluke. 1/2oz to 1oz bucktails tipped with Gulp have been working on these fish, but you have to fight through some of the snot grass. There are some Striped Bass around, but these have been caught mostly at night, although a few anglers did report isolated blitzes. The key is to getting out there in the wee-hours of the morning or just before dusk. Bluefish are very spotty in back and the inlets. There are some nice Sea Bass being caught in the wrecks from 10 to 20 miles along with nice Ling. Anglers fishing the ocean are picking at shorts and some keeper Fluke, but it has been slower then normal as the water temperatures have been cold. There has been a very good offshore bite on Bluefin Tuna at the canyons, specifically the Wilmington and Baltimore. Shark has been caught 25 to 60 miles out with good sized Makos being reported.
Capt. Bill’s Landing had reports of cocktail Bluefish hitting small metals in the Manasquan Inlet and further back in the river. The Fluke bite has been good for most anglers and there have been some nice fish to 26 inches reported. Bucktails tipped with Gulp, minnow, or spearing has been the ticket to finding fish above the 18-inch mark. Striped Bass have been hitting, but it’s strictly a dusk till dawn bite. When the sun comes up, they have been getting off the feed. Plugs, Bunker chunks, and clams are working from the surf.
Norma K III reported picky fishing over the past weekend and into this week with short Fluke and a keeper coming over the rail sporadically. There have been some Sea Bass in the mix when the boat is targeting Fluke over the wrecks. The fish are sluggish due to the cooler water temperatures, so the bite should get better as the temperatures get warmer. The boat will be sailing everyday for Fluke from 8AM to 1230PM and 2PM to 630PM. Bluefish have been very slow, so the boat is only sailing Friday and Saturday nights until the skipper sees an improvement.
MIMI VI has been running Sea Bass, Winter Flounder, and Ling trips at the offshore wrecks and Capt. Ken has been consistently finding good bites. Several double-header keeper Sea Bass have been making it over the rails and into the box for dinner. The crew is running an open-boat on Tuesday, June 12th and they have limited spots available. It’s best to call and reserve your spot as the captain guarantees no overcrowding.
Jersey Hooker Outfitter in Brick reported tons of Fluke being caught in the Manasquan River, but you have to pick through the shorts. There have been some nice Fluke caught on bucktail that measured to 24.5 inches. The shop got a report of 10-15 boats working Treasure Island last night on cocktail Bluefish. Most shark anglers are catching to use offshore where Makos are being landed 30 to 55 miles out. Sea Bass and jumbo Winter Flounder are being caught in the 10 to 20 mile range. The shop has also been busy with anglers stocking up on baits for Bluefin as they have been catching at the Wilmington Canyon.
Grumpy’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported a good number of Black Drum in the area and the shop has weighed in a few to over 26 pounds. Anglers using clam off the beaches intended for Stripers have been hooking regularly on these Drum. Striped Bass fishing have slowed down with more hitting during early morning and evening tides. Bluefish have been in the surf and inlet hitting casted metals and bunker chunks. The Manasquan River had a good number of Fluke being caught, but you have to pick through the shorts to get keepers.
Lacey Marine in Forked River reported Fluke in the backwaters of Barnegat Bay with the OCC and back channels producing some fish along with the areas from the BB buoy to the “42” marker. Anglers jigging 1/2 to 3/4 oz bucktails or Fluke rigs tipped with minnow or spearing have been hooking up on keepers. There was a decent bite on 2 to 6 pound Bluefish at the inlet and they were hitting metals off both jetties. Striped Bass still remain a crapshoot with only very limited bite windows occurring from Barnegat Inlet to Manasquan Inlet. Anglers have started to switch over to target Makos as some of the 1st keepers were reported last weekend.
Super Chic in Barnegat Light has been busy working Striped Bass and Sea Bass trips. The skipper will be targeting Sea Bass and Fluke, and also has some summer Tuna dates available.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported small Striped Bass hitting plugs and soft plastics during the morning tides. There are Fluke hitting Gulp, minnows, and spearing in the back, but the shops in the area have had a very hard time getting minnows this year. There have been some Drum caught along the south backside of Long Beach Island and some small Bluefish in the 2 to 5 pound range from the BB to Little Egg Inlet. The shop will hold it’s first seminar of the season this Friday (June 8th) on sharking with techniques and regulations being discussed. It’s best to call the shop to reserve a spot, seating is limited.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported a spectular backbay Fluke bite for most of our area bays, basically from Atlantic City to Toms River. The key to being successful has been using light lines and jig-heads to feel the Fluke. The majority of the harvest has been in 6 feet or less, with the shallows producing some quality keepers to 6 pounds. Gulp baits in white, chartreuse, pink, and new penny are producing a lot of the hits. There are Bluefish popping up beneath birds in the bay and can be targeted using plugs, poppers, and metals. Striped Bass have been hitting worked soft plastics, white bucktails, and SP minnows along the Barnegat Inlet rocks during the early morning. Crabbing is getting better with the bay temperatures warmed to over 70 degrees in Barnegat Bay.
Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine reported that the beach waters are heating up with Striped Bass being caught to 43 inches and some big Bluefish hanging around the jetties. Fluke are hitting from the backbays to the jetties, especially off of Atlantic City. Makos have been caught 15 to 25 miles out and the shark season is just starting.
Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported some good Sea Bass fishing for anglers targeting the 90 to 100 foot depths and they have been biting on clams and squid. The Ocean City and Wildwood surf zones are consistently giving up Black Drum and Kingfish. There are some sporadic reports of Striped Bass being caught during the cooler water tides and also at night. The shop is fully stocked with all of your sharking needs as the shark tournament season is in full swing.
Peace Token Fishing Tackle in Cape May Courthouse had some good reports of Fluke caught in the backwaters in 5 to 10 feet of water. Most have been using 1/2oz bucktails tipped with minnow or Gulp. There are some good numbers of Sea Bass being caught on the inshore wrecks and some of the wrecks a little further off. Clam, Gulp, and jigged metals are working well on keepers. Striped Bass fishing has slowed with some fish still being caught along the beaches and jetties, but these have been mostly targeted at night. There have been some nice Drum and Sheepshead weighed into the shop recently. Ken Raines weighed in a solid 10 pounder caught in the bay around structure.
Hands Too Bait & Tackle in Cape May reported some Striped Bass being caught along the jetties and rock-piles with fish to 20 pounds on bunker and clam. Weakfish are still around the Delaware Bay and Cape May jetties, but the action has slowed a tad. Sea Bass are hitting baits and jigs around the 15 to 20-fathom line and multiple limits have been reported. Sharking is very good right now on Makos and Threshers, along with Bluefin Tuna hitting baits and jigs at the 30-fathom line out to the offshore canyons. The Delaware Bay Drum bite is still holding strong with fish being caught in the deeper channels on clam. The issue has been for shops to secure surf clams as they are in short supply.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
This is another weekend with a ton of options, so your best bet will be to choose the species you prefer. Ocean City south to Cape May has been getting kingfish and drum off the surf with enough regularity to give it a go. I advise to call ahead to try to secure fresh surf clams as they have been in short supply if targeting Drum or Striped Bass. Fluke remains good for most of South Jersey, but it has been on-fire in the backwaters of Brigantine, Atlantic City, Longport and Sea Isle. Small boat trailering or strapping the “yak” to the car or truck can get you in the vicinity of these fish. Jigging these fish with small bucktails and Gulp has had the most success. Just have a local tackle shop to point you in the general direction and you’ll be set. Anglers interested in Sea Bass should target wrecks up to 20 miles and they should be easily caught from any of our reporting inlets. Finally, if your more of a pelagic species fisherman then now is the time to target mid-range Makos or Bluefin Tuna at the canyons. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!