Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
The second half of May has been outstanding in terms of sunshine and temperatures. With our bay waters warming up, it’s great to see some nice weakfish being caught. From the reports of anglers and shops, weakies to 8 pounds have been landed from almost every port, from Barnegat Inlet to Cape May, on soft plastics, Gulp or even chunked bunker meant for bass. That’s an excellent sign! Surf fishing remains pretty solid this month and should carry into June with stripers, bluefish, and some fluke being landed off the suds. Fluke fishing has been a little strange for boaters working Barnegat Bay as it seems the bite is a little off this year, meanwhile, the Somers Point area has been boasting that 2024 has been their best bay year yet! Let’s hope things improve on all fronts as we leave May in our wake. Offshore action was all tilefish this past week with some boat limits on the deep drop, and it shouldn’t be long before we start seeing yellowfin around.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River said anglers are still getting bluefish and striped bass to 30 inches plus off of Island Beach State Park. Surfcasters working plugs and bunker baits are finding both species. There has also been a large number of fluke caught off the surf with a fair amount of keepers. Crabbing has begun to improve from the docks and seaside piers.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown had an angler claim he caught a 3-foot tarpon at night recently, but the shop has not officially confirmed it yet. Striped bass and bluefish are still being landed in the Tices Shoal area in the early morning on poppers and shallow plugs. Fluke fishing has been very slow for most parts of Barnegat Bay, with anglers complaining of lack of action and keeper fish. The “BI” to “BB” remains steady with some fluke, trolled striped bass and bluefish on poppers. Areas south of Tuckerton are faring much better in terms of numbers and keepers. The shop had solid reports of fluke from the Barnegat Light reef and noted that sea bass fishing has been tough in our area, but better for the wrecks in the 10- to 20-mile range.
View this post on Instagram
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown worked the bay tides to produce 25 to 30 short fluke and 5 to 8 keepers per 4-hour charter. Clients have been rewarded with keepers from 18 inches to 24.5 inches. The skipper feels the bite will get better in the coming weeks, but don’t count out the ocean. The crew’s weekend sea bass trip boxed 32 keepers to 18 inches, some ling, and a nice porgy. The skipper has openings in July and August, as May and June are fully booked out.
-
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in New Jersey!
The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light continued to run trips for sea bass reporting better action during the week with some anglers boxing limits of the tasty biscuits. Ling and some porgies have also been in the mix. The skipper said they have a busy lineup for June with offshore and some inshore fluke trips booked.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin had some reports of white perch being landed from the back channels of Barnegat along with decent blue crab action. Fluke fishing remains much better south of Little Egg Inlet as the Barnegat Bay has been very challenging for most anglers. Gulp, minnows, and spearing have been working about the same. Bluefish, striped bass, and even a few drum are still being caught along the beaches of Long Beach Island. The northern end of the island has been supporting a decent population of keeper fluke off the surf with most being caught on Gulp. Boats making the run for the canyon flats have been boxing some nice tilefish. Deeper wrecks are supporting some nice sized sea bass with diamond, flutter jigs, and clam baits working for the fish.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City had good reports of striped bass and bluefish being caught from the Atlantic City jetties and Brigantine beaches. A lot of anglers have commented that Great Bay and surrounding areas are producing good numbers of summer flounder. The bays have had an excellent run of fluke with the addition of nice weakfish to 6 pounds. Weakfish have been hitting soft plastics and Gulp tipped on jigs worked in 10 to 15 foot depths. The shop said to try deeper areas adjacent to salt marshes to find feeding sparklers.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point said: “Big weakfish and fluke coming out of Somers Point & surrounding areas. We haven’t seen it like this in years.” Gulp, Gulp, and Gulp has been the ticket for keeper fluke in 8 to 15 feet of water. The ICW channels and some of the deeper holes around the marshes have been producing both fluke and weakfish to 8 pounds. Sea bass fishing has slowed up on the inshore wrecks, but anglers are reporting better action in the wrecks past 10 miles. The piers and bridges are starting to show some sheepshead with the warmer water temperatures, so dropping down a few pieces of crab or sand flea on a light jig will do the trick.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City continued to work hard for clients in skinny water to catch and release a few decent striped bass. Capt. Brian has even added a few nice fluke and weakfish in the mix and he told me he has a few openings next week, so give him a shout to get in on the action.
View this post on Instagram
The reports from Cape May to Fortescue continues to report on some quality drum fish taken from the 20 to 40 foot sloughs. Most are in the 30 to 40 pound range, but this week saw a few touch 55lbs. There are some bluefish around the back creeks and tidal channel outflows along with white perch, especially if you’re working the areas around Fortescue and east of the Fortescue bridge. Most of the shop have shedder crabs which are great baits for fluke and weakfish, and one crab will yield approximately 6 baits. Summer flounder continue to bite from the beaches and back-channels of Wildwood and Cape May. Although reports have been limited, there are some decent sized keepers from some of the Delaware Bay wrecks. Striped bass are still in the area and picking up baits and lures for anglers working the beaches during the early morning and late evening tides. Some of the jetties have decent life, especially from the Ferry terminal to the concrete ships.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this upcoming weekend will be to hit the sands along our shore with some plugs, bucktails, and chunked bunker. Bluefish, striped bass and fluke are all in play when working the beaches. Get there early, fish striped bass and bluefish first and then work the rest of the weekend mornings for fluke with Gulp tipped bucktails. Anglers with boats should look to run 10 to 20 miles in search of quality black sea bass on clams and diamond jigs. The bottom temperatures seem to be a bit cold, so ling will be a steady by-catch and it’s perfect for fresh fish dip. If you’re looking to get into striped bass on the bay, it’s imperative that you hit the grounds early before the masses and there is nothing better than working a popper on a tranquil bay. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!