Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
We have officially started summer with the summer solstice occurring today and fishing ramping up both inshore and offshore. The bluefin bite broke wide open off parts of South Jersey prior to the heavy southwesterly winds with jigs, spreader bars, and trolled ballyhoo working well. Most of the action has been in the 12- to 20-mile range with the popular humps and lumps showing some of these tuna. The flounder bite in the bay has been a tad off in most locations, with a larger number of shorts as compared to keepers. The strong southernly winds have churned up the water in most locations, but anglers can still box a few if they are willing to put in the time. Offshore action is starting slowly with a few swordfish landed this past week from the canyons. Anglers working the deeper drops along the canyon edges have been finding quality tilefish. A few boats have started to catch fluke on the ocean side, so that looks promising for the future.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River received another shipment of fresh clams and bunker for anglers working the beaches of Seaside and Island Beach State Park. Striped bass have been spotty, but there have been some bluefish and kingfish being landed from the beaches. The bay has fluke which can be “on” and “off” each day, the BI to BB has been the place to be as of late.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said fluke fishing is different each day, but this week’s winds have put the fish off the feed or the anglers lures moving too fast. Gulp and minnows continue to be the best baits for fluke. Bluefin were caught from the Barnegat Ridge and some of the southern ridges, but reports are spotty. The surf off Long Beach Island has kept anglers busy with fluke, weakfish, and kingfish. Anglers working the night tides had a few bite-offs, which would indicate some sharks in the area. Crabbing has been off the charts in most areas along the west side of the bay.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown worked hard this past week to fight through the heavy afternoon winds and put anglers on 2 to 5 keepers. Most trips are seeing between 24 to 35 shorts per 4 hours. The crew is booking for August ocean fluke, so give them a call.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light worked the inshore wrecks to box a few sea bass over the past week. The sea bass bite was on and off, depending on the wind and tides, up until the season closed on the 19th; but the boat will be switching over to fluke and offshore tuna this upcoming week.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin had excellent reports of crabs from the west side of Barnegat Bay from Tuckerton to Waretown. Anglers working hand-lines and traps baited with bunker have been doing the best on the larger jimmies. Anglers working the usual bay spots have been producing a few keepers, but the action was definitely slower with the heavier southernly winds. Offshore action has been very good from the canyons for tilefish, swordfish, and a few bigeye tuna.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City said the keeper to short fluke ratios have been running just about 8 to 1. The channel edges and depths of 8 to 12 feet continue to hold numbers of fluke. The best news of the week was the numbers of sheepshead being caught from the local bridges and piers. Light tog jigs tipped with fiddlers or mud crabs worked well on these fish. Boat anglers hit the Sea Isle lump and areas around the AC reef for spotty bluefin action, but the winds chilled off the bite by the beginning of the week. The shop received some good reports of keeper fluke being landed from some of the local reef sites on 6-inch Gulp grubs.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point said it was another solid week of fishing with bluefin tuna biting during the beginning of the week on trolled Joe Shutes rigs. Most of the action has been in the 8- to 20-mile range with some nice fish to 170 pounds. Fluke are biting in the back along with weakfish, and most have been taken in 8 to 15 foot depths. Most areas are holding numbers of fluke as this year continues to be great for back bay fluke fishing. Sheepshead have been taking grab baits from the area bridges and piers.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City worked a few trips last week into this week, but the winds have been killer for fly anglers. Most action has been on light tackle soft plastics this week, but the bite has been a tad slower due to the higher southernly winds. Anglers are still catching striped bass, weakfish, and some flounder in the mix.
The reports from Cape May to Fortescue were good this past week with a variety of fish being caught by anglers working the surf and shoreline of Delaware Bay. Small drum to 12 pounds, flounder, bluefish to 20-plus inches, and croakers were landed over the past few days. Anglers working small jigs casted around the jetties are finding flounder and some weakfish regularly. Offshore action is starting to heat up with a few tuna being taken from the southern canyons. Inshore has been bluefin along with some nice thresher sharks on bunker schools. The area bridges are holding a few sheepshead and even some triggerfish have been landed.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this upcoming weekend is to hit the beaches or back bays early, as summer has officially begun with most schools dismissed until September. It will be crowded, so get out early to work jigs on fluke or weakfish in the back. Most parts of South Jersey have decent fluke fishing, but finding keepers has been much easier for anglers working Somers Point, Ocean City, and the back bays of Sea Isle. Another species to target over the weekend is sheepshead from the bridges. Boat anglers can easily work each part of the structure with crab baits, but land-based anglers still have good shots at them. With sea bass season over, look for a more concentrated effort on fluke, especially from the inshore reefs in the coming weeks. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!