Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
As we hit the month of August the tuna bite is in full stride with yellowfin being landed with regularity at the canyons, and bluefin hitting lures on the nearshore lumps. Trolling spreader bars and jigging have been working on both yellowfin and bluefin. The canyons are also loaded with good numbers of mahi. Fluke fishing began to rebound with a few days of north and easterly winds and there was some fish being caught on open bottom. The wrecks and reef sites have been producing some keepers, but anglers are doing better with sea bass and ling. The back bays continue to be good for flounder with shops reporting decent action on short fish, but anglers having to work for keepers.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River said anglers have been stopping in the shop to pick up ballyhoo baits for the tuna bite occurring offshore. The shop said the usual spots have been showing bluefin action inshore and there has been a decent bite just east of the Seaside lump. The surf also came alive with over the weekend with fluke, bluefish, and some striped bass being caught. But over the past few days, the strong south winds have put the damper on the bite.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported fluke starting to bite on some open bottom areas off Long Beach Island and IBSP over the weekend. The reef sites and wrecks have still been a tad slow on the fluke, but better for sea bass and ling. Anglers working the mid-shore grounds are finding good numbers of bluefin tuna on the troll. The shop said pink and white splash bars have been the best for the tuna. The canyons are alive with yellowfin caught both on the daytime troll and night-time chunk bite.
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Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown continued to work the inshore wrecks for sea bass to 20 inches and good numbers of ling before switching over to fluke. The fluke bite has been slow, but there has been some improvement on both the ocean and bay fronts. The skipper reported that short to keeper ratios have been running 10 to 1.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light reported good action on the bottom fishing trips with numbers of sea bass and ling being landed. Anglers also caught a few short fluke and a small number of keepers. The weekend tilefish trips had some nice blue line and yellow tilefish being caught. The vessel will be hitting the midshore areas for bluefin over the next day or two, so the crew will keep us posted.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin said the reef sites have been a slower pick on keeper fluke, but Garden State North was the best of the three local ones over the past week. Anglers jigging bucktails tipped with Gulp are finding the best results as compared to strip baits. The bay bite improved with some cleaner water earlier in the week, but the last few days have churned things up again. Crabbing remains decent on the west sides of Barnegat Bay with the marshes producing the best numbers.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City said anglers have been hitting the midshore lumps and ridges for decent bluefin action. Anglers trolling spreader bars and rigged ballyhoo have been catching better than jigging. The canyons continue to be alive with plenty of yellowfin, mahi, and deep-dropped tilefish. Bay and inshore fishing for fluke was steady over the past weekend, but the early week winds kept most at home. The beaches showed some nice sand tigers over the past week and the local bridges continue to have good numbers of sheepshead on fiddler crabs. The beaches are alive with kingfish, croakers, and some spot.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point received a large shipment of fiddlers as the sheepshead bite from the rocks and bridges was on fire over the past few weeks. Anglers are catching and releasing some nicer ones up to 10 pounds. Fluke fishing remains a slow pick on keepers, but there are good number of shorts to keep the rod bending. Anglers working the deeper channels along ICW are finding better number of keepers and some weakfish.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City worked some of Capt. Brian’s favorite areas for some nice sheepshead over the past week. Clients also had good shots at some keeper fluke in the back bay areas while weeding through the shorts. The skipper has a few openings for the rest of the month, so give him a ring.
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Cape May to Fortescue areas showed excellent numbers of kingfish and croakers being caught from beach and boat. Fishbites and small cut pieces of bloodworms produced the best results. The beaches have been producing a decent bite for night-time shark fisherman looking to play catch-n-release. The flounder bite got back on track throughout the weekend with better numbers being caught at the area reef sites and the Delaware Bay. Reef site #11 has been producing some nice sized keepers and a few sea bass.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this upcoming weekend will be to jump on a vessel to hit some of the reef sites for keeper flounder as the bite has begun to get better. Gulp and large strip baits are working the best on the ocean fluke. The inlet rocks and beaches surrounding any of our inlets should be another good area to look for fluke as the transition will occur with more fluke heading out of our bays. If you’re stuck bayside, be sure to cast net peanut bunker or mullet to drop down to hungry ones as they will not turn down peanuts. The yellowfin and bluefin bite are red hot, so if you can hit the mid-shore areas or the canyons over days with good weather windows, you should be able to put a few in the boat. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!