Southern New Jersey Fishing Report - August 16, 2018

The middle of August is an exciting time as we are seeing more and more baitfish starting to school up in preparation for their migrations later in the Fall. Mullet and Peanut Bunker are peacefully swimming in the lagoons, ignorant of the brutal journey that lies ahead. Since the baitfish have grown dramatically from the Spring, it is necessary to start upsizing your bait profiles. This will help put more keepers on your dinner table, especially in the bay and inlet areas. In most areas, the Fluke or Summer Flounder are starting to stage at the inlets and filter to the inshore reef sites, so these are locations that should be targeted. We did have some nasty weather, but I did hear of a few anglers nailing quality Yellowfin at the canyons and there are a lot of Mahi to be found around floating debris. Lastly, Blackfish and some Sheepshead have been taking crab from pilings and jetty rocks. The key has been to target them during the higher slack tides.

South Jersey Fishing Report

Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported a good number of Fluke coming from structure in the 45 to 65 foot ranges. The Sea Girt and Axel Carlson are producing, but you have to be very tight to the structure. Gulp, squid, and mackerel strips are producing when fished on a 3 to 4oz bucktail. There has been some Mahi around floating debris and some of the inshore pots as anglers have landed some up to 20 pounds. There are still some Bluefin being caught in the mid-ranged drop-offs with boaters hitting the Atlantic Princess and Chicken Canyon. The bridges have had Striped Bass to 18 inches pretty much all summer and they are still hitting small soft plastics. Surf and jetty fisherman working the areas around the inlets are finding some Spanish Mackerel and Bonito when casting small metals for Bluefish.

Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported quality Fluke to 7 pounds coming from the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reef sites. Gulp and squid combinations have been working at most locations. The surf has had decent numbers of short Fluke with an occasional keeper and there are some cocktail Bluefish around hitting retrieved metals.

Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach reported good fishing the past couple of days with action on keepers and short Fluke at most of the stops. Pool winners have been averaging 6 to 7 pounds. The afternoon trips have been a bit slower, probably due to the winds picking up out of the south. The weekend Bluefish trips are producing Mackerel and 2 to 3 pound Blues on light tackle.

The MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant has been hitting a lot of the hot spots for quality Ling and some Winter Flounder. Sea Bass has been fair with a good amount of short fish to pick through. The crew is booking dates for their Fall trips ranging from Tuna to Blackfish, so give them a call.

Jersey Hooker Outfitter in Brick had good reports of quality Fluke being caught from smaller structure areas on the Sea Girt and Axel Carlson reef sites. It’s not a bad idea to try some of the smaller wrecks outside the reefs. There are Mahi around, so it is worth to try around any type of floating debris.

Grumpy’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported lots of cocktail Bluefish from the jetties and surf with metals and mullet producing. Some anglers have been live-lining snapper Bluefish to nail quality Fluke off the surf. In addition to Fluke being caught at most of the inshore structure, there are some big Mahi patrolling the fish and lobster pots.

Lacey Marine in Forked River reported lots of action on short Fluke from the Barnegat Inlet and surrounding channels with anglers catching 30 to 80 Fluke per trip. The only problem has been the lack of keepers and ratios have been as high as 50 to 1. Sea Bass are on some of the reef sites and wrecks close by. Crabbing is still pretty good and anglers have been starting to get decent quantities of Blowfish, so it may be time to target.

Super Chic in Barnegat Light has been targeting Sea Bass at some of the local wrecks along with some keeper Fluke and Mackerel above the structure. Capt. Ted is starting to book his Fall Striped Bass trips, so give him a ring.

Creekside Outfitters in Waretown had good reports of Blowfish action in Barnegat Bay with anglers able to keep 25 to 50 a trip. Most are hitting the usual locations and finding them. Fluke fishing has been tough in the bay in terms of keepers, with ocean trips producing many more keepers than shorts. The Barnegat Light Reef aka Tires has been producing a fair number of keepers as both Barnegat Light head-boats have been working the area. Some of the other reef sites have been hot or cold depending on the day. Crabbing and clamming has been very good with lots of keeper “jimmies” and clams being harvested in relatively short time.

Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported good Blowfish action from Surf City to Beach Haven, but you have to chum hard to get them in. Striped Bass have been caught around the local islands and bridges on plugs and small poppers at night. Anglers live-lining peanut bunker have been catching Fluke during the day and Striped Bass at night. The Long Beach Island surf has been producing Kingfish, Fluke, and some rays.

Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom reported a good number of Striped Bass hitting soft plastics and poppers at night from the area bridges. The Barnegat Inlet has had Bluefish working metals on the incoming tides along with Fluke in the back. The inshore reef sites have been producing some keeper Fluke along with Sea Bass. Offshore has seen a decent amount of Yellowfin in the canyons and Bluefin at the mid-ranged areas (Glory Hole, Mud Hole, Princess, Chicken Canyon). There has even been some reports of Bluefin at the Fingers.

Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine had reports of Kingfish and small Fluke off the surf along with some cocktail Bluefish. Anglers working the inlet jetties and bridges have been able to catch Blackfish and small Sea Bass. The night bite for sharks is still going strong as Sand Tigers and Brown sharks have been hitting Mackerel and Kingfish heads.

Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported medium sized Kingfish and some keeper Fluke in the surf. Most of the kings have been hitting Bloodworms and Fishbites. Brown sharks are biting in the early morning and at night on Mackerel, Bunker, and Kingfish heads. Stingrays are still around and surf fisherman have been able to land them in the 40 to 80 pound range.

Peace Token Fishing Tackle in Cape May reported Fluke in the surf and also at the Wildwood and Cape May reef sites. There have been some nice fish up to 7 pounds weighed in. The Cape May surf has some cocktail Bluefish, Kingfish, and Croakers hitting Bloodworm or Fishbites.

Hands Too Bait & Tackle in Cape May had good reports of keeper Fluke action from the Wildwood Reef and also some of the Delaware Reef sites. Most of the Fluke have been taking Gulp fished on a bucktail. The surf has had a decent number of cocktail and snapper Bluefish hitting small metals and sabiki rigs. It is worth live-lining small snapper Bluefish around some of the jetties for keeper Fluke. Although hampered by the recent weather, the canyons continue to produce Yellowfin.

South Jersey Fishing Forecast

The marine forecast does not look to pleasant for this weekend with 4 to 6 foot waves being predicted and a steady NE wind. This forecast will have most anglers fishing the bays and inlets for Fluke. I would highly recommend using some fresh or live Peanut Bunker or Mullet to target quality flatties. Anglers working the jetties should find good action at the base of the rocks for Fluke and Blackfish. There have been some big Tog speared at some of the local inlets, so we definitely know they are down there. Crabbing, clamming, and anchoring for blowfish is still a viable options in most southernly locations. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!