Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
Debby did wonders for the fluke fishing over the past week as the tropical system put some favorable winds and warmer ocean temperatures in the queue. The fluke have responded, whether it pushed a new body of fish in or rejuvenated the feed, but the bite has been on in the ocean. Bayside locations are still showing tons of shorts with very few keepers being landed, especially in Barnegat and Great Bay. Areas closer to the inlet started to produce better numbers of keeper fluke. Tog fishing continued its pace with lots of fish being caught along most rocky or bridge locations. The nearshore bluefin bite is on with many boats hooking up on bluefin from jigging to plugs. Offshore canyon fishing had another stellar week with yellowfin and tilefish being landed. August is shaping up to be a much better month than July!
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River had positive surf fishing reports from Island Beach State Park with a few keeper fluke being landed. The surf has a good number of shorts along with kingfish. Crabbing remained solid along the western side of Barnegat bay, especially around Good Luck point.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported slow week in the bay, but much better week in the ocean with the Barnegat Light Reef site producing some keepers among short fluke and sea robins. Anglers working in the bay are finding limited success on keepers, but plenty of short action. The bay has been loaded with spot, so live-lining the smaller ones has been producing keeper fluke. The ocean bite heated up tremendously over the past week and there has been a much better body of fish moving in. The canyons were good for yellowfin to 60 pounds and nice mahi, meanwhile bluefin tuna fishing off of Lavallette has proved successful for most anglers.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown worked double and triple charters over the past week putting clients on keeper fluke to 24.5 inches along with solid sea bass and ling. The bay has been running much higher short to keeper ratios and over 50 shorts has been common. The skipper feels the bite should ramp up with the warmer waters.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light reported a good weekend with bluefish and some fluke being landed on the bottom trips. The recent tuna trips produced excellent number of yellowfin and some nice mahi. The skipper could not be reached as the vessel was offshore working the canyons with chunks for yellowfin.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported a decent fluke bite on the Garden State North and South reef with strip baits and Gulp leading the way. Anglers jigging tight to structure had fish up to 6 pounds along with some keeper sea bass. Bay fishing has been tough on keepers, but there is plenty of action both to the north and south of Long Beach Island. Tog fishing continued to be exceptional along the rocks of Barnegat Inlet with lots of short action and some keepers. The shop got word of a bluefin tuna bite a little east of Seaside Park with fish on the troll, jigs, and poppers.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City said with the recent weather window anglers have been racing to the canyons to get their fill of yellowfin, mahi, and even some marlin have been raised. The inshore lumps are holding some bluefin and a few bonito if you search around. Inshore action heated up with Debby’s exodus and reef sites are producing with better consistency. Tog and sheepshead continue to be on-fire from the jetties in Atlantic City south to the bridges around Ocean City and Sea Isle.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point said the tautog bite has been off the chart over the past weeks. Green crabs and fiddler crabs have been flying out the door in buckets. Anglers working small jigs off the rocks found the best action on the end of the flood tide. The reef sites are finally producing.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City was busy on the water over the past few days. Captain Brian Williams said the nearshore bottom is loaded with some quality sea bass. Their charters have been flounder fishing on the wrecks and reefs but the action has been hit or miss. Bay side, the fluke fishing is much better now that water temperatures have warmed and upwelling has ceased. Their biggest fish this week taped out at 25 inches. He added that there are also lots of croakers in the backwaters. Today, they noticed an explosion of peanut bunker “as if they could sense the approaching hurricane”, said the captain. When they’re not focused on fluke and sea bass, they’re making the most of the sheepshead in the backwaters. The tog fishing was good, too, prior to water temperatures reaching normal levels once again. The skipper has some openings, so give him a shout to get in on the action.
Cape May to Fortescue areas are showing good numbers of kingfish, croakers, and weakfish on bloodworms off the beaches. Anglers working the surf are finding plenty of small flounder with better numbers of keepers around the jetties. The boaters have reported slow fishing lately along the ocean and bay reef sites, but better off of Wildwood. The rocks and jetties have plenty of tautog and a few nice sheepshead for anglers putting the time in. The offshore world took a slight break with the passing of tropical storm Debby, but it’s since been full throttle action on yellowfin and mahi. In addition to the tuna, there have been quite a few marlin (blue and white) raised in some of the southern canyons.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this upcoming weekend seems to be bay fishing and crabbing again as Hurricane Ernesto will impact our coast causing large ground swells. Depending on the storm’s track, ocean fishing may be an option if you can safely get out through the inlets, but that will be a judgement call.
Bay side flounder fishing will be best with live baits such as spot, snapper bluefish, or mullet. The inlets, jetties, and rock piles are best as the structure will hold some of the bigger fluke. Another solid option is to work the rocks for tautog, but bring lots of crabs (green or fiddler) and terminal tackle. The bites have been almost immediate, so be ready for the hookset. If for some reason the storm’s path veers even further east, then I would recommend hitting the ocean reef sites for better keeper-to-short ratios. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!