Southern New Jersey Fishing Report - July 2, 2020

Above: A beautiful weakfish caught with Captain Brian Williams of Badfish Charters out of Ocean City. 

The offshore tuna bite continues as we have been lucky with stable weather systems, calmer winds, and good numbers of yellowfin, bigeye, and bluefin making it into the cooler.  It seems that the typical bluefin areas (Atlantic Princess, Little Italy, Triple Wrecks, etc) are holding good numbers of fish with most being unders and a few overs.  Yellowfin and bigeye have been landed at a few canyons, but the Wilmington and Spencer seem to be producing slightly more.  I received some good surf fishing reports this past week with anglers reporting decent numbers of keeper fluke, kingfish, and bluefish.  Kingfish heads make excellent surf baits if you plan on playing catch and release with sharks off the beaches.  A good number of our South Jersey beaches offer excellent shark opportunities for surf fisherman, but most of the action will be centered on the nighttime hours.  Remember, don’t take them out of water, have the camera ready, and safely release them unharmed.  Fluke fishing has been fantastic this year, and it seems that it is still improving with bigger fish to 9 pounds being landed in the Barnegat Bay and Great Bay.

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Creekside Outfitters in Waretown has been busy filling offshore tuna orders as the bite has been on at the Atlantic Princess and around the Triple Wrecks.  Trolling has been the best method to catch bluefin unders.  The reef sites are starting to produce more in terms of fluke as the ocean waters have started to warm up.  The Barnegat Light reef had a few keeper fluke to 5 pounds being landed.  Bay fishing remained solid for another week on the fluke scene and the inlet has good quantities of bluefish and some striped bass.

Bobbies Boats in Barnegat Light reported a good number of bluefish and some striped bass from the Barnegat inlet area.  Live bunker or white bucktails have been the trick.  Some of the rental boats have done well around the no-wake zone for keeper fluke.  Clamming and crabbing has also been very productive for boats working the High Bar area.

Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown / Barnegat Light took some time off for the baby, but the skipper has been back on the water everyday.  Most of the 4hr bay trips have been averaging 30 to 50 shorts with 7 to 10 keepers.  The crew is planning on running more ocean fluke trips as the scene progresses, but right now the backwaters are firing.

The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light has been running bluefish and bottom trips when the boat isn’t trolling the inshore for tuna.  The skipper has some dates booked on the calendar, but there are some spots available for bottom fishing or offshore trolling.

Fisherman’s Headquarters on Long Beach Island had good reports of bluefin from the Atlantic Princess, Bacardi, and Triple wrecks.  Trolling ballyhoo and spreader bars has been the way to go for the offshore scene.  The canyons had another great week of yellowfin and bigeye fishing, with plenty of tuna making it home  The LBI surf has also been pretty good on small bluefish and keeper fluke this past week.  Most of the action has been better closer to the inlets for both species.  Anglers working 4 to 6 foot depths in the backbay are finding plenty of blowfish with heavy chumming and clam baits.

Absecon Bay Sportsman in Absecon had the first reports of triggerfish off the beaches and jetties around Atlantic City.  Kingfish, flounder, and bluefish have been caught from most of the surf fishing areas.  Flounder fishing has really started to heat up in the back over this past week with more and more quality keepers coming through the door.  Crabbing has been excellent with lots of big jimmies being caught.

Offshore Bait & Tackle in Atlantic City reported that the shop has been inundated with offshore gear and bait requests as the tuna bite has gone off this past week.  Big eye, yellowfin, and even some long fin tuna were caught this past week.  Some of the tuna approached the 200 pound mark and most have been caught at the canyons.  The shop is loaded with offshore trolling gear and baits for the pelagics.  Areas behind Atlantic City and near the wind turbines have been very productive for keeper flounder.

Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported another solid week on the flounder scene for Great Bay and the areas south of Ocean City.  Anglers working the 6 to 10 foot depths with 3/4oz bucktails tipped with Gulp have been producing better results.  Sheepshead, striped bass, and some small weakfish were caught off some of the main bridge abutments.  Anglers looking to target sheepshead are finding better results with fiddler crabs or blue crabs.

Badfish Charters in Ocean City has been running charters and he said that it’s been better flounder action as of late. The charters have been catching striped bass, weakfish, flounder, and bluefish at some of Capt. Brian’s choice spots. The skipper told me that there are dates available in July, so give him a call.

Sea Isle Bait & Tackle in Sea Isle had consistent reports of kingfish in the surf and the shop recommends working beach with Fishbites or small pieces of bloodworm.  Along with the kingfish, bluefish have been in and out of the surf line and the shop recommends casting small metals for those.  The bays have been fairly productive for keeper fluke, especially in the 8 to 12 foot depths.  The offshore onslaught continued as yellowfin, bigeye, and bluefin continued to be landed from the nearshore and offshore canyons.

Avalon Hodge Podge in Avalon reported more yellowfin and bigeye action for anglers working the offshore canyons.  Anglers trolling ballyhoo have been rewarded with quality tuna.  Flounder fishing continues to heat up at the reef sites and the backwaters does have some fish especially around bay structure such as bridges.

Jersey Bait & Tackle in North Wildwood reported more yellowfin and bigeye action for anglers working the offshore canyons.  Anglers trolling ballyhoo have been rewarded with quality tuna.  Flounder fishing continues to heat up at the reef sites and the backwaters does have some fish especially around bay structure such as bridges.

Peace Token Fishing Tackle in Cape May Court House reported quality flounder action from the Wildwood and Delaware Bay reef sites.  The shop’s salt bug has been deadly on these deep-water flatties.  The night tides around the jetties and the ferry terminal has been fairly good for small striped bass and the occasional weakfish.

Jim’s Bait & Tackle in Cape May received excellent word on tunas as the bite has been pretty consistent for both the nearshore and offshore fisheries.  Yellowfin, bluefin, and big-eyes have been excellent on the troll.  The Baltimore and Wilmington canyons have been pretty hot on pelagic action.  Flounder action was pretty hot at the Wildwood and Cape May reef sites with bucktails tipped with Gulp being the best baits.

Greenhorn Outdoors in Bridgeton reported schoolie striped bass along some of the wildlife management areas and weakfish picking up shedder crabs along the Fortescue beaches.  Most of the weakfish are smaller, but there have been a few in the 5 pound range.  Minnows have been the top bait for flounder in the Delaware Bay and some keepers have been in the 23 inch range.

South Jersey Fishing Forecast

The best bet for the weekend will be to hit the nearshore and offshore canyons as the tuna bite has been absolutely on fire.  Most of the bluefin tuna action has been within 40 to 60 miles from shore with trolled ballyhoo and spreader bars being the best lures.  Anglers have been able to jig them when they find them down deep, so keep your eyes on the sonar.  Yellowfin, bigeye, and long fin have been the players in the offshore canyon scene.  If you prefer closer to home options, the jetties at most inlets and beaches are providing good action on fluke, bluefish, striped bass, and even triggerfish.  These are great places to target a variety of species, especially in July.  If you plan on walking on them, make sure your wearing some type of spike or Korkers to prevent falls on the slippery surface.  Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!