South Jersey Fishing Report- May 26, 2022

(Above) OTW Publisher, Chris Megan, proudly presents massive black drum he recently caught in New Jersey.

Someone turned up the heat over the past weekend, and the striper fishing followed suit, as striped bass have invaded most of our beaches.  Local tackle shops reported striped bass to 46 inches on clam and plugs along with some good size tide-runners.  Long Beach Island in particular had several large weakfish caught off the surf.  Sea bass fishing continued to be excellent over the weekend, but the only issue has been the ability and timing for anglers to make it out due to the waves.  Flounder fishing has been good on the outgoing tides with the warmer water and some of the southern shops have reported solid fishing in the 8 to 10 foot depths.  Drum fishing in the Delaware Bay was red hot over the weekend and continued through this week with clams as the hot bait. 
 
Here is this week’s rundown: 

Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River reported striped bass biting on the incoming tides along with bluefish.  The shop said for anglers looking for spring time blues should look for birds and incoming water.  Fluke fishing has been alright around some of the bridges and along open water to 7 feet.  Island Beach State Park had a great week for striped bass as anglers working plugs and clams caught a good number of keepers and overs. 

Lacey Marine in Forked River had anglers reporting striped bass and bluefish action in some of the main channels during the dinnertime hours.  Fluke fishing has been tougher on the incoming with water in the upper 50’s, but better on the outgoing.  The usual spots are producing from the “BB” to ICW marker “42”.  Sea bass fishing has been excellent when anglers can get out with the weather. 

Jerzey Buoyz Sportfishing reported good sea bassing over the weekend with limits of keepers along with plenty of short action.  The skipper will be working striped bass and sea bass for the coming weeks, before switching over to fluke.   

Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said blowfish have been hitting along the west side of the bay and fluke fishing rebounded with good bites from the “BB” to “BI” buoy.  Some of the regular areas have been inundated with slime.  Anglers working spots near the inlet during the outgoing found several biting fluke, but it seems the bite windows are small.  Crabbing has begun with the recent warmups and Barnegat, Waretown, and Forked River bay areas are starting to produce. 

Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown was busy over the past week targeting both striped bass and fluke in the backwaters.  The charters have been boxing 5 to 7 keepers per 4 hour trip along with some nice striped bass to 32 inches.  The skipper has some weekday availability, so give them a ring. 

The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light reported excellent sea bassing over the past week as groups of anglers worked clam baits for limits.  The boat has openings for sea bass or striped bass in the coming weeks, so give Captain Ted a ring.

Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin received excellent reports of striped bass surf fishing from LBI and some of the northern beaches had 40-inch striped bass and weakfish to 28 inches.  Anglers working black plugs at night have been producing the best results.  Fluke fishing was good on both ends of the island, but southern areas near the clam stakes are producing good numbers on minnows.

Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City reported solid fishing in the backwaters for shallow water striped bass and there has been excellent flounder fishing along parts of the “ICW”.  Gulp and minnow combinations were the hot lures of the week for anglers drifting the 6 to 12 foot depths.  Striped bass action has been hot and heavy off the beaches from Brigantine to Cape May.  Anglers plugging the beaches at night with black and blurple bombers did well and the shop said, “now is the time to get out there.” 

Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point had a large report from the backwaters to offshore.  The bays have flounder being landed on both sides of the tides, but finding the cleanest water has been the biggest difference.  Most fluke have been in the 22 inch range and the biggest so far has been 7 pounds.  The reef sites have been hot on sea bass and there has even been some keeper fluke caught on clam out there.  Offshore hasn’t had much word due to angler participation, but there should be some bluefin on their way.  

Badfish Charters in Ocean City had some decent backcountry striped bass action over the past week.  Bass have been hitting both topwater, flies, and soft plastics in fairly shallow water. The skipper has also been targeting both striped bass and flounder on some of the recent trips. 

The Cape May and Wildwood areas had excellent reports on quality drum fish in the Delaware Bay on clam and crab baits.  Some of the drum have been in the 60 to 80 pound range and are picking up baits in some of the deeper sloughs.  The Cape May beaches are awash with some nice striped bass to 36 inches and most have been landed on clam baits.  Fluke fishing is producing a fair number of keepers, especially in the shallower 5 to 8 foot depths.  Gulp, bluefish strips, and fluke bellies are producing with fair regularity. 

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South Jersey Fishing Forecast

The best bet for the weekend will be to hit the drum bite in the Delaware Bay as the past week was epic on the bite.  There are lots of large drum being caught and we are approaching the peak of the bite.  The key will be to get out early and get on a good spot to bring them in.  Sea bass fishing continues to be excellent with most boats hitting the wrecks reporting excellent action.  The backbays have lots of life in terms of flounder, so bring the jigs, bucktails, Gulp and minnows to find your best shot at keepers.  It seems that our southern areas are producing better in terms of size of the fluke.  Striped bass are in play from most of the beaches as there hasn’t been one hotspot over another.  Just grab some clam or bunker, and hit the nearest beach to find biting striped bass.  It’s been a great month so far and finally we have the weather on our side.  Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!