The big news of the past week has been excellent bluefin tuna bite that is occurring from Cape May to Manasquan with 40 to 200 pounders being caught with consistency. The only issue has been the amount of false albacore in the areas which has made it difficult to get the trolled lures to the better eating tunas. Most of the action has occurred from 10 to 50 miles off the coast. The hot spots of the week have been the Manasquan Ridge, Triple wrecks, Resor wreck, and some have been caught in the Chicken Canyon. Fluke fishing was “so-so” this past week, especially with the New Moon, but the weakfish in the backwaters responded well to the moon phase with fish to 7-pounds being landed on soft plastics from the back. Anglers fishing for Bluefish off the beaches have been getting into consistent action with a variety of lures.
Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach had good reports of bluefin tuna with quite a few boats getting in on the action. A nice 80-pound tuna was weighed in at the shop which was caught trolling. Sea bass action is still steady at some of the wrecks, but it’s getting a little more difficult to fill complete bag limits. Fluke fishing has been slow in the ocean but should be getting better as the water warms.
Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach reported an improvement in fluke fishing as the boat has been seeing more action with a keeper in the mix here and there. The water temperatures have increased to 65 degrees, so the fish should start to bite. The bluefish fishing has increased with more fish hitting baits. Most of the blues have been in the 3-pound range and the boat also had blues to 7 pounds near the Manasquan Inlet. Ling and sea bass have also been hitting on the night trips.
The Gambler out of Point Pleasant Beach reported a better mix of fluke, sea bass, and ling on the flounder drifts. The action has been slow at times, but there has been some nice keeper fluke up to 8-pounds along with throwbacks and keeper sea bass. The night wreck trips are producing a good quantity of ling and a few squid.
The MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant has been working some of the skipper’s spots to produce limits of sea bass along with ling, winter flounder, and white. The boat has even boated a few purple hake. It’s best to call the skipper to reserve your spot as they have both open and private trips available.
Jersey Hooker Outfitter in Brick reported some keeper fluke for anglers jigging Gulp in the Manasquan River. Bucktails from 3/4 to 1 1/2 ounces tipped with Pink or White Gulp has been the ticket. There also has been pretty consistent action Seaside and Island Beach State Park for anglers working the sands for bluefish. Most of the bluefish have ranged from 2 to 8 pounds and some anglers have reported them on almost every cast. The dusk and dawn hours have been the most productive.
Charlie’s Bait & Tackle in Normandy Beach weighed in a quality Striped Bass to 45-pounds during the week and most of the “limited” action has been on the troll. Spoons and Mojos trolled at the 2 to 3-mile lines have worked on the bass. Bluefish and small striped bass have been caught beachside with anglers working bunker chunks or metals doing the best on hookups.
Grumpy’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported decent action on the surf again with an assorted size of “yellow-eyed” Blues crashing bunker baits, clam, and artificial plugs. There has been some news of some small sand tiger sharks in the surf during the evening or late night hours. The striped bass are picking up both clam and bunker baits, but it’s pretty much a night-only bite. The weekend looks great in terms of conditions and the shop is stocked with fresh loads of clam and bunker, so stop by.
Jersey Buoyz out of Forked River got out a few times this past weekend and the crew has been working some of the inshore wrecks to produce quality sea bass for their customers. They are running sea bass trips till the end of the season, until they change over to fluke.
Lacey Marine in Forked River reported tough fluke fishing this past weekend with quite a few local anglers fishing the Recreational Fishing Alliance tournament. The New Moon definitely impacted the bite with stronger tides and slow bites. The usual spots in the bay are producing, but anglers have to work extremely hard to find one or two keepers. Bluefish has been the word at the Barnegat Inlet and backwaters with fish ranging from 2 to 15 pounds. Offshore action had boats hitting the Chicken canyon and Resor wreck to boat bluefins up to 150 pounds. Most of the action has been on pink or purple squids, feathers, and/or spreader bars.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown weighed in their first bluefin by Zach Merh with a quality 73-pound tuna caught on the troll. Liza reported that the offshore tuna bite has been very consistent, and boats are jumping on board at the good weather days. Bluefish and short striped bass has been the mainstay from the Barnegat Bay and Inlet area, while fluke fishing has been a little tough this past week. Sea bass are still at the local wrecks, but anglers are having to push further off to find keepers.
Reel Reaction Charters out of Waretown and Barnegat Light had charters this past weekend and put anglers on another Barnegat Bay Slam with striped bass to 24 inches, bluefish, and keeper fluke in the mix. Blues have been ranging up to 10 pounds caught on S&S Rock Hoppers while the fluke have been up to 6 pounds. The throwback to keeper ratio is very high right now, but that should get better as the season moves on. The crew will start running seven days a week after June 21st.
Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom reported “bluefin, bluefin, and more bluefin”, said owner Greg Cudnik. The shop has been working overtime to gear anglers with tuna fighting gear and catching lures as the bite has been very consistent from the 90 to 200-foot depths. On the beach front, small striped bass and big bluefish have been invading the Long Beach Island suds. The best catch of the week was from one of the best fishermen in the area, Bob Misak, who hooked into a nice-fighting cobia while fishing the sands. The bay is producing fluke, but the bite has been off with the moon. Weakfish to 5 pounds are being caught on small soft plastics in the pink color variety, but location has been kept hush-hush.
The Ocean City to Cape May areas have reported fair fluke fishing from the 6 to 10-foot depths with most anglers working white bucktails tipped with some type of Berkley Gulp bait. The 3 to 4-inch baits have been getting most of the action as this has mimicked the baitfish in the backwaters. Some of the sloughs along the sods have had active fish, but overall, it’s been a slower bite. The positive news of the week has been the weakfish bite which seems to be very hot as far north as Brigantine south to Cape May. Anglers working 4 to 5-inch Pink FinS lures, Bass Kandy Delights, and Tsunami Split-Tail minnows have been scoring of weakfish to 8 pounds. The word is out on the offshore bite as it kicked from 0 to 100 in the last week as bluefin and false albacore have been whacking trolled lures in the 100 to 250-foot depths. Most ports are reporting runs from 20 to 50 miles for bluefin. The beaches are still producing action on short striped bass, bluefish, and sporadic drum.
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Southern New Jersey Fishing Forecast
Another good week of options and the weather looks to cooperate again, so anglers will have best bets in most locations for a variety of species. The bays are offering bites on fluke and with the subsiding tidal currents look for an uptick on the summertime flatties. Bucktails or jig heads from 1/4 to 1 oz tipped with Gulp should suffice in the backwaters for hungry fluke. You can also fish a trailer live minnow or fresh spearing to entice slower-less committal fish. Striped bass and bluefish have been pretty cooperative at most inlets, so boaters and jetty hoppers should be heaving 1 to 2 oz bucktails or metals to find cooperative fish. A little ethical advice, boaters give ample space to jetty fisherman as they have much more maneuverability than land-based fisherman. We all have to play “nice” in the sandbox!! I’m still hearing of good action from my sources for the inshore bluefin bite, so offshore anglers should be getting into the action. The ranges have been 15 to 45 miles, depending on your port and its best to talk to one of the “local” tackle shops for up to minute information. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!!