The season is flying by as we have officially entered the month of June. The fishing has continued to be good to excellent for most species, but the only issue has been the challenging conditions as it seems someone has forgotten to turn off the coastal winds. Sea bassing has been excellent for almost all vessels when it’s not blowing 20 and heavy seas. Barnegat Inlet had a few issues this past weekend with a few vessels playing chicken with the rocks, but the rocks always win. Striped bass and bluefish have been very cooperative off the beaches, around the inlets, and along some parts of the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) down the coast. Summer flounder fishing continued to be consistent for most of the back-bay areas. The bluefin tuna moved in very close to the beaches and a few anglers had shots at 90+ inchers.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River reported another solid week of fishing off the beaches of Island Beach State Park (IBSP). Bluefish from 3 to 5 pounds and striped bass to 36 inches have been regular off the surf. White poppers, darters, and plugs were the hot lures of the week as were bunker chunks for bass. A few fluke have been caught in the surf on pink Gulp tipped on small jig heads.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported a decent bluefish bite between the “BI” and “BB” markers, the flats of Tices, and both sides of Barnegat Inlet. Fluke fishing slowed down tremendously due to the increased snot (algae), but anglers are finding fish when the water is clean. Gulp swimming mullet, shrimps, and grub tails have been working with the hot colors being pink shine and white. Crabbing has started up and the shop reported fairly decent numbers in the overnight traps.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown had another stellar week on the bay fluke grounds with the charters boxing anywhere between 6 to 10 keepers per four hour trip. Most trips are averaging between 25 to 40 fish depending on the tide. The boats will be full-time starting June 16 through September 1st as the skipper’s school year is finished, so call to book.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light has been one of the bigger vessels able to get out in the challenging ocean conditions and has been boxing up easy limits of sea bass from the local wrecks. The skipper is looking forward to some of the summer fluke trips and tuna trips, so give them a ring before the schedule gets booked up.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin is sponsoring the Beach Haven Tuna Open starting this weekend and extending through June 10th. The shop is loaded with tons of offshore baits and rigs. Fishing has been solid for fluke, especially off Beach Haven and Tuckerton with Gulp and minnows. Anglers working some of the back channels have been doing much better. Weakfish and bluefish are being caught along the old Morrison’s channel area on pink & white soft plastics and Gulp baits. Barnegat Inlet had some striped bass being landed off the rocks and channels on topwaters.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City reported good fluking along parts of the ICW and Great Bay. Reeds bay and Absecon bay have been producing solid flounder action in the 5 to 8 foot sections and minnows tipped on light jig heads seem to be working the best along with Gulp baits. Sea bass fisherman, when they can make it out, have been catching good numbers of sea bass. There are plenty of short striped bass in the bay to keep topwater anglers happy and a better number of keepers being landed off the beaches.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point had excellent fluke reports coming from Rainbow channel and some of the western parts of Great Bay. There has been a better number of keepers around some of the bridges which are best fished around the slack tides. Striped bass and blues have been very cooperative during the evenings and the weakfish bite continued into this week.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City worked the backwaters for striped bass and Capt. Brian put his clients on excellent top-water action. The skipper has been targeting striped bass, bluefish, and fluke in the bays. The crew has dates available in June, so check out the website and book a trip.
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The Cape May area continued to have good results on sea bass at the deeper wrecks on clam and jigs. Weather has been a factor for most anglers as the issue has been the winds and sea conditions. Flounder fishing in the backwaters continues to be solid, but the short to keeper ratios have been high. A few shops reported anglers testing out the DE and Cape May reef sites and they came back to report sea bass and a few keeper fluke. The striped bass action continues for boats and surf fishermen, but it has definitely slowed down a bit. The positive news has been the influx of weakfish along the jetties and deeper channels.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
Most of South Jersey gets another weekend whammy and it seems we keep hitting the “Press Your Luck” button at the wrong time. Heavy Northeast to East winds are predicted so ocean fishing is pretty much out for most boats, but at least our backbays have plenty of options. If you’re going to target summer flounder, I would recommend working the 8 to 10 foot sections with small Gulps or jig heads tipped with minnows. Slowly work the lures with the current and you should be able to find success. Striped bass and bluefish are probably the best option, especially with the NE blow, target areas along the ICW and close to the inlets to find feeding fish. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!