Happy August to all of the fisherman out there! We are seeing lots of life from the canyons to the back bays and it should only improve as we move into August. My lagoons are starting to see more mullet swimming on top and if you can net them, they make for excellent fluke bait. Ocean Fluke fishing is starting to pick up (mainly North of Manasquan Inlet), but I have heard some anglers with keepers from our reef sites. The problem has been the inconsistent bite and the recent strong South winds. Canyon and “near-canyon” fishing has been excellent on yellowfin and bluefin tuna with anglers boxing big bluefin on the jig. Surf fishing has been hot on kingfish, small bluefish, and even some bonito have been showing up. It’s never a bad idea to work those metals in the surf as our summer speedsters can show up.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported better fluke fishing north of Manasquan with anglers running to the Rattlesnake to target them. The Sea Girt and Axel reef sites have been producing fluke to 5-pounds. The bite has been relatively inconsistent, so be prepared to hang and pound the area. Bucktails tipped with Gulp have been working the best. There has been decent yellowfin and mahi caught at the Toms canyons.
Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach reported nice sized keeper fluke along with some sea bass and ling. There is a variety of life to keep anglers busy and most daily pool winners have been in the 4 to 5-pound range. Anglers using Gulp grubs and bucktails have been catching some of the nicer fish. The boat is running two trips daily for fluke and both have been producing about the same.
The Gambler out of Point Pleasant Beach reported the 1/2-day trips have seen good action with lots of short fluke, sea robins, ling, sea bass, and some bluefish. Keeper fluke have been a little finicky, but some of the bigger ones have been 6 to 7-pounds. The skipper feels the fluke fishing should improve over the next several weeks. The night trips have been very good with plenty of ling, sea bass, and small bluefish. Most anglers are leaving the dock with full bags of meat.
The MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant reported good bottom fishing over the past week even though the skipper had to contend with some current. Sea bass, ling, and flounders have been boxed and there are some Open Boat dates available. It’s best to call the boat for to reserve a spot.
Jersey Hooker Outfitter in Brick reported fluke fishing picking up slightly at some of the reef sites from Shark River to the Axel. It’s been a pick on keepers and anglers have reported better fluke fishing in areas with low lying rubble. Surf fishing has been very consistent on kingfish, cocktail bluefish, and short fluke.
Charlie’s Bait & Tackle in Normandy Beach reported good surf action on kingfish and short fluke while action from the Barnegat Bay has been hot on blowfish. Anglers have reported very consistent action on both fronts. The shop has lots of clam chum and clams if you plan on targeting the Northern puffers.
Grumpy’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported decent fishing with fluke, kingfish, and small cocktail bluefish being picked up from the surf. There were also a few bonito being reported. Mullet has been the hot bait for fluke and bluefish while the kingfish have been picking up squid, clams, or FishBites. The shop did have 4 fluke hit the scale earlier in the week and they were spitting up sand eels. Crabbing remains excellent along the Seaside docks.
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Jersey Buoyz out of Forked River have been fluke fishing in the bay and catching quite a few shorts, but relatively slow on keepers. The crew did target the ocean and reported mixed results as the fish seem to be “on” one day, but “off” the next.
Lacey Marine in Forked River reported another great week for blowfishing as the bite has been very good. Cut clam and clam chum along with anchoring in 5 to 6-feet of water. It seems most locations are getting them north of the “BB” to past the 42 marker in Barnegat. Fluke fishing has been a different story with throwbacks, but a slow pick on keepers. The fish seem to be moving closer to the inlet and have been hitting in cooler water. Ocean fluke fishing has been very slow, but offshore tuna and mahi has been very hot with bluefins caught on the jig.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported the arrival on the new Gulp colors this past week and Liza said they should be very good for bay or ocean. Bay fishing has been a pick at the usual spots from both Double Creek and Oyster Creek channels. Ocean fishing has been very inconsistent as the bite windows have been short and sporadic. The reef sites have had some fish, but few keepers have been reported. Crabbing remains very good along Oyster Creek and Stouts Creek and the open bay in 4 to 7-feet of water is the place to be for blowfish.
Reel Reaction Charters out of Waretown and Barnegat Light reported a good week fishing the backwaters for fluke with some of the trips boxing 7 and 8-keepers in 4 hours. Most of the trips are experiencing 35 to 50 throwbacks and keepers varying from 4 to 8. The skipper has some ocean fluke trips booked next week and hopes for an improved bite. Some of the blowfish trips have ranged from 75 to over 200 in less than a few hours.
Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom reported good bluefin action from the Chicken canyon to East of the Atlantic Princess as anglers have been getting them on the jig. Yellowfin and mahi are hitting at the offshore canyons and even some mahi have been reported as close as 7 miles from the inlet. Trolling and jigging are your best bet for bluefin, and the chunk bite has been better for yellowfin. The Long Beach Island surf is loaded with kingfish and small bluefish are picking up metals worked quickly. There are some fluke around, but tough on keepers both by land and ocean. The blowfish bite continues, and anglers are picking them from both ends of the island.
The Ocean City to Cape May areas reported a better bite on fluke in the backwaters with fish being boxed on the top of the incoming. The reef sites have been good, but a little inconsistent for anglers. Bucktails tipped with squid or Gulp has been the best baits to use. The bridges and pilings from Atlantic City to Stone Harbor have a good amount of Sheepshead so cast those crabs to them on the slower portion of the tide. Offshore fishing has been very good at most of the canyons for yellowfin and it seems the 1st light troll has been the best. Bluefin are being caught at the mid-range spots along with small mahi. The Delaware Bay’s Reef site #11 continues to be a good spot for bigger sized fluke, but anglers have to work tight to the structure. The Old Grounds, Wildwood reef, and Cape May reef sites have also been producing for keeper fluke. Most of the beaches have been getting Kingfish and even a few Croaker on FishBites or clam and anglers using the heads during the evening are releasing good-sized sharks.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this weekend will be to continue to work areas around the inlets and begin to explore our regions reef sites as the bite should begin to become more consistent. If we get a few days of Northeast winds, I would definitely recommend hitting your ocean spots. The incoming tide has been the best for keepers as the water temperatures get into the feeding range if you plan on fishing the inlet or bay. Another great option is targeting triggerfish and sheepshead off our local jetties. Fiddler crab, green crab, or shedders will all work on the slack tides and fish them similar to targeting blackfish off the jetties. Jetty fisherman should also target fluke as the big girls hang just along the rock or structure base. Strong currents make it almost impossible, so target those softer current periods. Offshore fisherman should have another good weekend with the canyon conditions looking good. It seems the “1st light – 1st bite” has been working for anglers trolling Ballyhoo and Spreaders. If you don’t have a vessel or have a hard time transiting the jetty rocks, surf fishing for kingfish, blues, and fluke are great options as we should have calm seas over the weekend and the fish have been biting from Seaside to Cape May. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!
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