The fishing was pretty solid this past week for anglers working the surf as most shops have reported kingfish, bluefish, and some keeper fluke from the suds. We are into the summer beach fishing season when working a bucktail tipped with Gulp or kingfish rig tipped with bait will definitely put fish at your sandy feet. Boaters are still plying the backwaters for fluke, but the short to keeper ratio is quite high with some charters reporting 30 to 1 catches. It’s been tons of action, just not a lot of filleting. Offshore action has been solid on tuna and mahi at the canyons and this bite should get even better after the current moon phase. Finally, I have received some positive reports about our South Jersey ocean fluke bite from the reef sites. It’s been a long wait, but I think we are finally ready to pound those reefs.
Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported a pick-up in activity this past week on some of the reef sites with the Sea Girt and Axel having fish to over 4-pounds. Bucktails tipped with Berkley Gulp have been working the best out there. Anglers fishing the Manasquan River and Inlet have been rewarded with some keeper fluke, but you have to fish through the smaller ones. Offshore action continues with boats reported tuna bites at the Chicken Canyon, Resor wreck, and Atlantic Princess, but there are tons of bluefish out there which make it tough getting to the tunas.
Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach reported a hit or miss week for fluke fishing as the strong afternoon South winds and New Moon current has made a tough go at times. When the did bite, some of the keepers have been in the 3 to 5-pound range. The boat did have a solid 7-pounder boxed, and quite a few nice ling and sea bass. The crew said that Gulp and bucktails have been working the best on keepers. The boat has been targeting fish around rough bottoms, so be sure to bring plenty of tackle. The night bluefish trips have been steady with 1 to 2-pound bluefish coming over the rail as well as tons of tasty Ling. The vessel is running 2 trips daily for fluke and sails Friday and Saturday nights for bluefish.
The Gambler out of Point Pleasant Beach reported slow fluke fishing in the Ocean, but there are moments when the keepers bite hard. Some of the keepers have been up to 6-pounds, but the action has been sporadic. The current along the beach and some of the wrecks has been running hard which is slowing the bite down, but that should subside in the coming days and make action more consistent. Big sea bass and quality ling have been cooperating at many of the rough bottom stops. The boat sails 2 daily fluke trips and works the night bites Thursday through Saturdays.
The MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant has been working the bottom structure hard to put clients on sea bass, ling, and winter flounder. Capt. Ken said the boat has had multiple full limits and continues to work hard every trip. The crew is offering some end of July “Open Boat” bottom fishing for 7/23, 7/24, and 7/31. The target species are black sea bass, ling, and winter flounder.
Jersey Hooker Outfitter in Brick reported good fluke fishing at the Manasquan Inlet with several keepers being caught along the wall. Killies and squid have been working well on keepers inside. The ocean bite is still slow, so anglers fishing the rivers have been doing much better and the shop recommends fishing in the 8 to 12-foot areas. Small bluefish have been hanging around the inlets and beach fisherman have reported some quality Kingfish from the Island Beach State Park areas. Crabbing in the back has been getting better this past week.
Charlie’s Bait & Tackle in Normandy Beach reported surf action heating up on snapper bluefish, fluke, and kingfish over the past week. Small bucktails tipped with Gulp are working for the fluke, while Kingfish rigs tipped with clam, squid, or Fishbites are working for the kings and blues.
Grumpy’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported a good quantity of Kingfish off the surf on clam, Fishbites, and squid. There have been some small snapper bluefish picking up kingfish rigs and small metals in the same areas. Fluke are being reported from most of Seaside Park south to the end of Island Beach State Park, but most fish are shy of being keepers. Gulp rigged on bucktails worked slowly in the suds has been the best bet. Sharks and big rays are still being reported during the evening tides.
Jersey Buoyz out of Forked River fished a couple wrecks over the past week to put keeper sea bass and ling in the boat as they had a few friends from Off The Hook out. The crew will start fishing the ocean spots for fluke in the next several weeks and they have weekends available for charter.
Lacey Marine in Forked River reported great action on blowfish and recommends anglers bring heavy chum and work the areas around the BI and research buoy as it is absolutely loaded with the tasty puffers. The 5 to 6-foot depths seem to be producing the best action. Fluke are all over Barnegat Bay, but the problem has been finding keeper fish. The fish should start moving closer to the inlet in the coming weeks as a lot of shorts have been reported so far.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported blow fishing continues to be an epic bite with boaters and even anglers fishing the Barnegat dock reported good quantities. Keeper fluke are a little hard to come by with large numbers of throwbacks. The shop recommends 8-foot areas around the BB, BI, and 42 markers. Crabbing has been a little slow for hand-liners, but better for commercial-style traps. Clamming has been very good, but just remember to have your clamming license.
Reel Reaction Charters out of Waretown and Barnegat Light continues to work the bay hard with most of the trips releasing over 50-fluke. The keepers have ranged from 3 to 6 per trip and sizes from 18-inches to 23-inches. With the Ocean bite starting to slowly pick up, the skipper has some Ocean Fluke trips scheduled in the coming weeks. The crew has been running two charters per day and does have some limited openings in the next few weeks.
Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom reported great surf fishing over the past week with lots of different species inhabiting the suds. fluke, kingfish, snapper bluefish, dogfish, cownose rays, and sand tigers at night have been plying the waters. The shop reported a decent sized cobia caught on the inshore fluke grounds which is a good sign of warm water. The Ocean fluke bite has been sluggish at best, but boats running over 6 to 20 miles offshore have been catching great quantities of ling and 2-fish-limit sea bass. The shop has been gearing up a lot of tuna tacklers the past few weeks as the bite has solidified over the past week at the southernly canyons with tuna, mahi, and even some wahoo being landed. The Carteret, Lemke’s and Lindy canyons have been a little slow as of late.
The Ocean City to Cape May areas reported a large body of cownose rays for anglers working the backwaters behind Longport, Avalon, and Wildwood. Just watch as they swim by and run with your fluke (intended) lures. Fluke fishing in the back has been challenging, but anglers working the incoming tides with chartreuse Gulps are doing well. Most of the bridges have some big fish around them, so try drifting live peanut bunker or spot as this a sure way to put them in your boat. In addition to working for fluke, shedder crabs or fiddlers tipped on a S&S Crab jig pitched around the concrete bridge abutments can have you finding good sized sheepshead. Offshore canyon action has been better at the Wilmington and Baltimore while inshore boats are catching fluke, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel at the Ocean City and Wildwood reef sites. Reef site #11 was steady for a pick of keeper fluke from the Delaware Bay.
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South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this weekend would be to stay on the water as inland temperatures are predicted to be over 100F. If the ocean conditions are right, I think the water temperatures are warm enough to start fluking around the reef sites and open bottoms along the beaches. Berkley Gulp in the Pink Shine and Chartreuse colors has been working the best tipped on a 3 or 4 oz bucktail worked rapidly along the bottom. Another great option is working the beach for fluke, kingfish, Spanish mackerel and bluefish during the morning and day tides. A light tackle setup with small metals, bucktails, or rig will work. Anglers have reported better bites before the beachgoers arrive. Bay anglers have been catching a variety of species from sea robins to blowfish to fluke. There are plenty of options, so just enjoy your time on the water. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!