Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
A busy week for late May with a large number of black drum being landed from the sands of Island Beach State Park and Long Beach Island. Anglers slinging the “snot” were hooking up these bottom boomers along with some quality striped bass. Surfcasters opting for metals found very cooperative bluefish from IBSP to Atlantic City and the sizes have ranged from 5 to 18 pounds. Fluke (or summer flounder) fishing is still solid for inlets north of Barnegat and south of Brigantine with lots of back bay flatties. Most fisherman have been able to manage a few keepers amongst shorts, but water temperature and clarity seem to be the biggest factors as of late. Berkley Gulp, minnows and live spot have been accounting for most of the keeper action. Sea bass fishing was the most productive fishery over the past week with phenomenal reports coming from ports up and down the coast. May is shaping up to be a spectacular month, and most are looking forward to a nice Memorial Day to kick off the summer.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River reported a particularly good week for anglers working plugs and metals off the beaches of Island Beach State Park (IBSP). The bite was good in the morning and again during the late afternoon. Striped bass and drum have been in the mix over last weekend with lots of anglers taking part in the NJ Governor’s Cup. Crabbing along Bayville and Ocean Gate continues to get better as the water warms following the most recent moon.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown received excellent reports of quality black drum picking up “salted snots” from IBSP and LBI. Striped bass have also been picking up clam baits and bunker chunks. Anglers casting metals around the Barnegat inlet picked up lots of blues and more have been pushing in the back during the flood tides. Sea bass fishing has been exceptional at most spots from the Barnegat Light reef to the Garden State South reef sites. Clams, squid, and minnows have been the staple baits. Fluke fishing in the back has been fair at best with not too many keepers being landed despite the number vessels out there. Areas south from Tuckerton to Brigantine have been faring much better. Some positive news has been the stretches of the “42” to the “BB” holding numbers of fluke and roving bluefish.
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Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown has been working trips after the school days are finished and its charters have been averaging 25 to 35 fluke per 4-hour session while putting 5 to 8 keepers in the box. The crew is looking forward to the end of the school year in the coming weeks as the schedule will change to 6 days a week.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light had an exceptionally good start to the beginning of sea bass season with lots of keepers coming over the rail. Some spots were slow to start, while others were “loaded” with solid fish. The skipper will continue targeting sea bass over the next few weeks.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin said it’s been drum fever from Island Beach State Park to Long Beach Island. Some of the local beaches in Ship Bottom and Beach Haven had anglers picking up drum from 20 to 40 pounds. The bridges have been good for schoolie striped bass during the night and there are some quality fluke around during the day with fish to 25 inches being landed on Gulp baits. Sea bass was excellent for most boats over the past few days on clam baits. Beach fishing has been very good with a good mix of bluefish, striped bass, and some fluke for the north end of the island.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City received solid news of fisherman hooking up on weakfish to 6 pounds from a variety of South Jersey ports: Ocean City, Sea Isle and Avalon. The back bay channels and cuts off the ICW have been the spots and soft plastic Zoom and Fin-S lures tipped on light jig heads. Fluke fishing was also good during this past week with warmer temperatures and cleaner water. The marshes around Wreck Inlet and parts of the ICW along Brigantine produced some nicer fish to 6 pounds. Sea bassing remained excellent at most reef sites and there have been some larger fish in the mix. Anglers are still picking up bluefish and striped bass from the beaches and inlets near Atlantic City, in addition there have been a few drum caught.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point posted a few anglers weighing in fluke up to 23 inches which have been caught in the backwaters of Ocean City. The shop has live sand fleas in stock for striped bass off the surf and the start of sheepshead fishing from the area bridges. The inlets had an influx of striped bass and bluefish during the past week with soft plastics and metals working for both species.
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Badfish Charters in Ocean City was busy this past week and weekend running bay trips in the marshes of Ocean City. The bugs were heavy with no wind, but so was the action on striped bass and bluefish. The skipper reported both species tailing and his anglers had shots at them on the fly.
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The reports from Cape May to Fortescue have been lots of horseshoe crabs covering up the beaches during their annual spawn and this should dissipate in the following weeks. There have been some nice perch caught out of the rivers dumping into the Delaware bay. Anglers working bloodworms have been filling up buckets of them. Drum fishing continues to be decent for boaters working the 15-to-30-foot depths off the DE bay with clam baits. Flounder fishing was slower this week for most of the bay, but better fishing happened along the ICW behind North Wildwood, Wildwood, and parts leading to Cape May. Gulp and minnow baits were the two best choices for anglers. Crabbing continues to get better along the areas in the back, especially in the vicinity of the parkway. The extreme back channels have lots of active blue crabs but be sure to bring plenty of gnat spray as they may carry you away.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this upcoming weekend will be to hit the beaches before Memorial Day beachgoers as several beaches have decent action on striped bass, drum, and bluefish. Island Beach State Park, Seaside Park, and Long Beach Island are the best bets to soak clams if you’re looking for one of those drum fish. Striped bass can be had from most locations as can bluefish. Jetty hoppers looking to stay away from the crowds should cast plugs and poppers for the first hour or two of sun-up to find cooperative striped bass. Boaters or head boat patrons should look to get out on a sea bass trip as most of the wrecks have decent numbers of fish and the sizes have been good also. Fluke fishing would be the long-shot bet due to the unpredictable bite this May, swings in water temperatures plus algae-laden water has plagued quite a few locations. But that could change, so drop a jig with Gulp or minnow and give it a shot. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!