Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
Another great week after Debby passed our area and ignited the fluke fishing, but Hurricane Ernesto put a slight damper on participation with a dangerous storm swell at most of the inlets. Bay fishing ramped up as fluke began coming out of their summer dwellings to begin piling up in the main channels and inlets prior to the exodus eastward. Offshore fishing didn’t miss a beat with the continued bite on yellowfin and mahi at Hudson Canyon. Although some of the warmer pockets moved out, another patch of warm Gulf water will be pushing through this week based on sea surface data. Bluefin continue to be in the same areas as last week, feeding on piles of squid. A good number of shops reported weakfish around the bays over the past week and there seems to be a lot of playful striped bass in the backwaters. If you haven’t had a chance, now is the time to get out and enjoy our South Jersey fishing as our summer is ticking away.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River had excellent reports of snapper bluefish being caught off Island Beach State Park. There have been some bigger ones around Barnegat Inlet. Anglers are still catching fluke in the surf, so it pays to walk the beach with small bucktails and Gulp. Beach buggy goers are reporting excellent tog fishing off the northern rocks of the Barnegat Inlet. Bay fishing has been getting better around the inlet, while crabbing continues to be solid off parts of Bayville.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said Barnegat Bay is firing on all cylinders with a variety of species bringing smiles and hitting the table. The jetties are also loaded with blackfish, triggerfish, and at times, sheepshead. Fluke anglers should target the inlet, especially along the lighthouse side where the fish seem to be holding in better numbers. Anglers drifting spot on the slack tide near the finger jetty have been producing keepers. Offshore action slowed due to the ocean swell, but boats that did eventually make it out are producing good numbers of yellowfin and mahi at the Hudson.
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Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown continued to work double and triple charters over the past week with the crew reporting epic inshore fluke fishing. Bay trips averaged 40 to 50 fish with 2 to 4 keepers and when time and tide were right, 30 to 40 tautog were also caught with 12-to-1 short to keeper ratios. September weekday afternoons are available, so give them a ring to book a trip.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light had a good week of fluke fishing with the skipper working some open bottom patches. Some of the anglers aboard had limits, while others picked a few. The boat will be targeting bottom fish over the weekend with booked charters, but there are some openings in the coming weeks for either inshore fluke or offshore tuna.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin had good reports of bay fluke fishing around the northern and southern inlets of Long Beach Island. Jigs tipped with Gulp, or live-bait setups with minnows or cast-netted baitfish worked particularly well. Hudson Canyon had good yellowfin fishing, but there are some fish closer to home around the Chicken Canyon. Barnegat Inlet continued to be on fire for blackfish, sheepshead, and triggerfish. The shop is loaded with live green crabs and tog jigs, so stop in before heading out.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City reported solid flounder action in the bays, especially around some of the deeper channels and bridges. There were several fish to 5 pounds being landed. Tautog fishing continued to be red hot along jetties, piers, and bridges. Short to keeper ratios have been running 10 to 1, so bring lots of crabs. The inshore reef sites are red hot for keeper fluke, but the past week put a hiatus on the participation due to the recent swell, which led to most anglers plying the backwaters. Fishing for mahi and yellowfin has been fairly consistent over the past month and should continue as the forecast looks favorable for quite some time.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point said the two best bites of the past week have been the tog & sheepshead off the bridges, and the flounder bite in the bay. Sand fleas, fiddlers, and green crabs are working for the bridge feeders, while Gulp or live minnows are working for the flounder.
Captain Brian Williams of Badfish Charters in Ocean City said the ocean was rough this week which made fluke fishing out front challenging enough to stick to the bays. The skipper said the back bays, luckily, were holding a good flounder bite with high numbers of fish up to the low 20-inch range. If you’re interested in doing some shallow-water fluke fishing, give him a call before they head back out to the ocean side.
Cape May to Fortescue areas continued to produce decent numbers of flounder at the ocean and bay reef sites. Anglers fishing the deeper Delaware Bay cuts are finding some action on flounder to 4 pounds. Weakfish, croakers, and kingfish are very thick in Delaware Bay with Gulp and Fishbites doing the trick. Offshore action had some slower reports due to the recent hurricane swell. Anglers working the outer edges of the Baltimore and Wilmington found yellowfin and marlin. Shore-based fishermen had the best immediate success fishing crabs for blackfish along the Cape May inlet and along some of the bridges.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this upcoming weekend continues to be the ocean flounder (fluke) bite as our New Jersey reef sites are firing on all cylinders. Bucktails in the 3- to 4-ounce range, tipped with Gulp or large strip baits, are producing a range of keepers up to 6 pounds. Meanwhile, there are two options for surf fishermen or jetty hoppers looking to score some fish for the table: Fishbites or small pieces of squid are a sure-fire way to box a few kingfish and croakers, which are thick at most of our beaches. And anglers fishing the jetty rocks have been finding good action from tautog; that bite should continue over the next couple months. Lastly, anglers with a striped bass addiction should be throwing poppers along the backwater marshes now and over the next few weeks, as smaller baitfish continue to filter in. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!