It’s been a banner week between the Sea Bass, Bluefish, and Striped Bass. Sea Bass fishing has been off the hook for most of South Jersey as many have hit the wrecks and reef sites to box limits of these tasty biscuits. Bluefish and Striped Bass have been picking up plugs and baits off the surf. Boaters have been picking up Striped Bass to 40 inches on the troll, but some days are better than others. The bite has been an early morning bite usually ending by 7am with a few stranglers picked up throughout the day. There has been some reports of Bluefin hitting trolled lures in the canyons, so the offshore season has started. And lastly, don’t forget Friday (May 24th) is the opening day of the long-awaited Summer Flounder season. It’s Memorial Day weekend so our waters will be packed, try to be as considerate as possible out there!
Here is this week’s rundown:
Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach had anglers reported good Striped Bass fishing at 30 to 40 pounds on Mojos. Most of the fish have been caught around the 3-mile line during the early morning or hours just before dusk. The shop is loaded with supplies for Striped Bass, Bluefish, and Fluke among other species.
Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach has been on good Sea Bass fishing this past week. Most of the anglers on board have been swinging limits of Sea Bass into the box. There has been Ling and Blues in the mix of the bass. Pool winning Sea Bass have been between 4 and 6 pounds. The boat will start sailing 2 trips per day for Fluke starting this Friday and will also start their night Bluefish trips. They have some special trips on Sunday nights for Sea Bass and Ling, so give them a ring.
The Gambler out of Point Pleasant Beach has been going for Bluefish and Striped Bass, but they have had some lockjaw over the past few days with the South wind. The skipper changed it up and had anglers boxing Ling, Hake, Cod, Sea Bass and some big Pollock. Sometimes plan B pans out to be better. They will switch over to 1/2 Fluke trips this Friday and start the Friday / Saturday night trips targeting Striped Bass.
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@antdecaro with a pencil bite out front tonight. Big Blues.. #grumpystackle
The MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant has been helping anglers box limits of Sea Bass with nice Ling mixed in. A few of the trips this past week also had some beautiful Winter Flounder approaching 20 inches. The boat has trips available Tuesday May 28th through Thursday May 30th, so give them a ring.
Jersey Hooker Outfitter in Brick reported great Sea Bass fishing for anglers hitting the Sea Girt, Axel Carlson, and some of the further wrecks offshore. Head boats, charters, and recreational vessels have been boxing limits of Sea Bass along with Ling. Striped Bass fishing has been steady from the boats trolling, but better off the surf with Stripers to 38 inches being landed.
Charlie’s Bait & Tackle in Normandy Beach reported good Striped Bass action along the Normandy Beach to Island Beach State Park sands. Stripers have been picking up chunked Bunker and have hit pencil poppers worked in the dark. A good amount of the bass have been in the 30- to 36-inch range. Along with the bass, some nice Bluefish have also been caught by surf anglers. The shop has lots of tackle ready for the opening day of Fluke which occurs this Friday.
Grumpy’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported Stripers to 36 inches being caught and released on Daiwa SP minnows off the Seaside beaches. The surf has also given up Bluefish to 12 pounds on bunker chunks and pencil poppers worked during the night tides. Boats have been trolling the 2 to 3 miles line from Seaside to Mantoloking hooking up on 38-inch bass on Mojos and Bunker Spoons. Fluke season starts this Friday and anglers fishing the Island Beach State Park areas will still be able to keep two Fluke at 17 inches.
Jersey Buoyz out of Forked River has been busy catching Striped Bass to 50 pounds and the crew fished the Waretown Volunteer Fire company tournament over the weekend placing 2nd.
Lacey Marine in Forked River reported good Striped Bass action on the troll from Seaside pipe to the Manasquan Inlet, but you have to work a lot of the water to find biting fish. White or Green Maja #4 spoons have been the “go-to” bait. Sea Bass fishing has been some of the best reported in years as most of the wrecks are loaded with life. Many anglers have been boxing limits of these “hump-heads”.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown had weigh-ins for Striped Bass to 40 pounds caught from boats trolling the 3-mile line with white Mojos and Bunker Spoons. Each day is different as some days it’s been Green, Green/Yellow, or White. The consistency has been in the timing as most fish have been caught before 730am. Bluefish are still be caught off the surf and also from boaters trolling ponytails from the BB to the 42 marker. Fluke season starts this Friday and the shop is loaded with supplies including live minnows and S&S bucktails.
Reel Reaction Charters out of Waretown and Barnegat Light was on the water for a bunch of charters this past week and the crew found Striped Bass, Bluefish, Mackerel, and nice Sea Bass. A few of the trips had anglers working fresh bait and soft plastics in the bay releasing around 30 short Striped Bass and about 10 Blues. Sea Bass fishing was off the hook with one of the charters getting a four-man limit in a few hours. With the opening of Fluke this Friday, we have dates available and start running 7 days a week towards the end of June.
Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom reported nice Striped Bass being caught off the Long Beach Island surf with the Barnegat Light, North Beach, and Ship Bottom beaches producing the best results. There were some snag-n-drop action occurring just outside the breakers near the North Beach area as boats were on them. Bluefish to 12 pounds have been caught on both bait and plugs along the surf. The shop is primed for the opener of Fluke season and is loaded with Magictail bucktails, Gulp, and live minnows.
The Ocean City to Cape May areas produced good Sea Bassing at most of the wrecks from 75 to 110 feet off of Wildwood and Cape May. The reef sites have also had a pretty good pick of keepers on them. Striped Bass fishing has slowed a tad, but keepers are still being caught from the boats and beach. The Drum fishing has been good in the Delaware Bay with anglers catching Drum to 30 pounds on clam baits. Bluefish continue to provide great action for anglers working plugs and poppers in the backwaters. There have been some Weakfish caught from the backwaters of Sea Isle city south to the Ferry terminal in Cape May. It’s hush-hush, but soft plastics, sand worm, or shedder crab have been the better baits to use.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
This is definitely one of the hardest “best bet weekends” as there are so many good options for anglers, but at least almost every fishing arena is covered. First, it’s the big opener for Fluke so work those shallow areas in the backwaters with light jig heads tipped with Gulp or live Minnows. Most “sharpies” will target the warmest water as Fluke will be more active on these temperatures, so use that sonar temps to find the bite. Sea Bass has been absolutely outstanding and the weather looks to be great again this weekend. Most of the wrecks are loaded with fish for tons of action, but you just have to work through for the keepers. Whether by boat or land, Striped Bass and Bluefish still are picking up lures during the morning and evening shifts. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!
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