Southern New Jersey Fishing Report – September 19, 2019

The time is ticking as New Jersey fluke anglers only have a few days left to the close of the 2019 Summer flounder season on September 21st. Unfortunately, the ground swells, weather, and tidal currents have hampered the bite over the last few weeks. The fish are there as noted by some of the local dive boats but have been a little slow on the bite. Most of the areas from 5 to 15 miles out have had the fish close to the snags or wrecks. On a positive note, the recent east winds have pushed mahi as close to 4 miles from the beaches and these have been targeted using live peanut bunker or minnows. Most of the shops reported a big uptick on the bluefish and schoolie striped bass activity over the past week as mullet and spearing have been on the move in the bay. Some of the sod banks, sedges, and tidal creeks have been teeming with schoolie bass and blues. In fact, my most recent charter witnessed striped bass blowing up on spearing and mullet near one of the tidal creeks a few days ago. We are getting to migration time and September is the start of it!

Here is this week’s rundown:

Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach had some reports of yellowfin and mahi at the Lindenkohl and Spencer over the past week. The only issue has been the weather, but the fish have been there. Some of the mahi have been close to 20 pounds caught around pots, buoys, and hi-fliers. The inshore bite has been fair with better sized fluke, but lower quantities of shorts and there has been bluefish along the Manasquan inlet.

Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach reported some tougher fishing due to the ground swell which has had them less inclined to bite. The fluke that did cooperate have been in the quality range from 5 to 10 pounds. The boat has been fishing very rough bottoms so bring plenty of bucktails if you decide to jig.

The Gambler out of Point Pleasant Beach reported some quality fluke making it to the scales with fish up to 11 pounds. The bite has been a picky one with the winds and decent ground swell, but Gulp and whole squid seem to be producing the bigger fish. The boat is getting geared up for the offshore trips starting next week and will run to the canyons for yellowfin and mahi.

The MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant reported a good week with porgies and fluke cooperating even with the big ground swell. The crew has open boats to round out the fluke season this Friday and Saturday. Capt. Ken said he has dates for bottom fishing and also for striped bass in October and November.

Jersey Hooker Outfitter in Brick reported a decent tog bite along the Point Pleasant Canal and some schoolie striped bass being caught around the bridges from Point Pleasant south to Toms River. The bass bite has been mostly at night on soft plastics and small plugs. The shop has signups for the 1st Annual Barrier Island Beach Brawl surf fishing tournament and there are many quality sponsors.

Charlie’s Bait & Tackle in Normandy Beach reported that the bluefish have been hitting around the Manasquan and Barnegat Inlets along with some schoolie striped bass. Fluke fishing has been tougher, but boats are still doing well at the Rattlesnake, Sea Girt, and Axel Carlson reef sites. The shop has signups for its annual striped bass tournament which occurs for 4 days over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Grumpy’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported a great start to the mullet run with schools starting to exit the bay and travel along the beach. Cocktail blues to 4 pounds have been hitting mullet rigs, small metals, and plugs off the Seaside and Island Beach State Park surf. There has been some word of a few bonita and albacore caught on metals, but it’s been sporadic. Fluke have been hitting surprisingly well off the surf even with the rougher water and there have been more keepers in the mix.

Lacey Marine in Forked River reported keeper sized blowfish being caught in the 6 to 8 foot areas north of the “BI” marker. The shop recommends bringing a lot of bait as there are a lot of little sea bass in the mix. Boats have been doing well on fluke at the Barnegat Light and the Garden State North reef sites. The inlet has had a decent amount of bluefish to keep surf, jetty, and boat anglers busy.

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Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported some fluke still hanging in the bays, but better quality in the ocean. Anglers have been catching 4 to 10-pound fluke at some of the area’s wreck and reef sites. Over the past week, striped bass have been hitting plugs around dusk at the Barnegat Inlet. Crabbing remains pretty good in the lagoon entrances and along the marsh edges in Forked River and Barnegat.

Reel Reaction Charters out of Waretown and Barnegat Light has been running weekday afternoons and weekends through December as the skipper is back to his teaching profession. This past week the crew had charters in the Ocean boxing fish to 6 pounds along with some throwback-keeper sea bass. Another trip was in the bay with a Roger and Trudie Bacharach catching 4 nice keepers among 20-plus throwbacks. The boat does have weekends available in October for sea bass and November for striped bass and tog.

Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom reported striped bass and bluefish being caught around the Causeway bridges (Rt. 72) during the night tides. There has also been some weakfish caught on pink soft plastics or live-lined peanut bunker. The beach has small bluefish hitting mullet rigs and small metals. The inlet has been good for striped bass along the rocks and keeper fluke are picking up live Peanut Bunker. The inshore bite has been tough as the conditions have been rough. Boats that have made it out reported a slow pick on fluke most likely caused by the ground swell.

The Brigantine to Cape May areas reported that the mullet is on the move and the feeding continues with big fluke, schoolie striped bass, and 1 to 4 pound bluefish inhaling “mullet-styled” baits. Don’t count out the backwaters as some nice fluke to 5 pounds have been caught Gulp and live baits in the Somers Point areas and the bridge structures will generally hold some of these fluke. The inshore reef sites have fluke, sea bass, and triggerfish on them. Some anglers have done a number of the tasty triggers. It’s worth sending down a few clam baits to see if the wreck has triggerfish on it. Offshore action continues with yellowfin tuna and mahi cooperating at most of the canyons, but the only issue has been the sea conditions. The backwaters of Brigantine, Ocean City, Sea Isle, and Wildwood/Cape May have seen a decent number of striped bass along the marshes and tidal creeks ambushing migrating bait. A small plug or popper with a “mullet” body shape will work in most of the areas.

South Jersey Fishing Forecast

The best bet for this weekend will be to target summer flounder for the last time of 2019 and Saturday’s forecast keeps changing back and forth. Bay or Ocean, anglers should be able to find biting fish. If the Ocean is do-able, target those wrecks and maybe some further offshore structure as fluke are migrating east. Bucktails tipped with Gulp or whole Squid should do the trick on some of the bigger fish. If stuck in the bay, work the deeper channels close to the inlets on the incoming to find keeper sized fluke. Live mullet and peanut bunker are quality baits for these fish. Another piece of advice is to never leave the dock without live peanut bunker as most species will devour them. By throwing a handful near any floating objects in the ocean (3 miles to the canyon) is a good prospecting tool for mahi. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!

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