Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
The book is closing on May as we hit the halfway point of the sea bass season and anglers begin to concentrate on the wrecks 10 to 20 miles out. The inside wrecks will harbor short fish and the occasional keeper, but most have been fished out and only contain small sea bass and, potentially, short tautog. Fluke have been firing on all cylinders with good numbers being caught from Manasquan to Cape May on Gulp, live spot, and minnows. Most areas have plenty of keeper-size fish with a few limits being caught. It seems that there are some bigger fish moving in, with 8- to 11-pound fish being caught near the inlets.
Offshore, bluefin are picking up ballyhoo baits and threshers are picking up live or freshly-chunked bunker on the wrecks.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River said they received another shipment of live minnows which have been working in the back on fluke. Striped bass are being caught along the beaches and backside of Island Beach State Park. Anglers working plugs and live clams are finding bass in a wide range of sizes off the suds as well.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said good conditions over Memorial Day weekend had anglers cashing in on bay fluke at the usual spots. The fluke bite seems to be moving to open bay, and areas around “BB” to “BI” are starting to produce better fish. The surf zone of Long Beach Island has been good on striped bass, bluefish, and fluke. Bluefin are hitting “way back” ballyhoo from 10 to 20 miles out and some have measured 73 inches plus. Striped bass fishing has been very good off the beaches from Island Beach State Park to Long Beach Island. Meanwhile, live spot accounted for some nice fluke up to 10 pounds caught along Barnegat Inlet.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown was out between the rain and winds to put charters on 4 keepers up to 24.25 inches while releasing close to 35 fish. The skipper said the trips have seen solid action, but lately they are seeing more slime algae move into the bay which has made bites a tad harder to come by.
The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light reported excellent sea bass and ling fishing at the offshore wrecks with a good number of limits being caught by their anglers. The boat will be sailing for the last sea bass trip by the middle of June before changing over to ocean striped bass and fluke before the tuna bite starts.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin said crabbing began to rebound following the new moon along the marshy areas of the bay. Striped bass are also cooperative along the same areas and the local bridges, but most are short of keeper status. Fluke fishing has been very good on both sides of the Route 72 bridges up to the inlets, and the Tuckerton area has been hot with minnows the preferred bait.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City said bluefin are in the area with most reports occurring between 20 to 40 miles out. A few sea bass fishermen also reported some beautiful threshers passing by the wrecks, and one weighing over 350 pounds was harvested while sea bassing. Bay side action has been very good on fluke along the Intercoastal Waterway on light jigheads and Gulp.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point received a full shipment of minnows as the back bay action has been exceptional for fluke eating floating jig heads tipped with live bait. Some of the fish have been decent size, weighing up to 6 pounds. Striped bass fishing was rocking at some of the northern jetties with the Atlantic City and Brigantine area showing some good numbers of fish. The wrecks outside produced excellent numbers of keeper sea bass along with a few ling.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City had excellent back bay action on striped bass on artificials casted into the shallows. The weather has been a bummer as the water was a bit dirtier from the recent rains, but the skipper has still been able to put his charters on a few nice fish. Fluke fishing has been very good, and even soft plastics and small plugs are bringing some fish over the rail.
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The Cape May and Fortescue area had a solid week for anglers clamming up the boomers in Delaware Bay. The 40- to 65-foot sloughs are holding drum, but don’t be surprised to pick a couple stray striped bass. Several shops in the Cape May vicinity are loaded with live shedders, and these baits have been picking up keeper flounder, sea bass, and even some bluefish when the tide has been right. Sea bass season is at its halfway point, but the wrecks are still loaded with life. The larger specimens are located on the eastern wrecks and you make have to pick through some short life to find them.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for the weekend depends on the weather again, as it seems we are plagued with this rain and wind cycle. There are plenty of options available though, with drum along the Delaware Bay, striped bass along the beaches, or fluke pretty much in any 5- to 10-foot depths bay side. The news of the week was a few fluke being caught on the ocean side, so that may be a possibility for anglers looking to wet a line. Surfcasters should bring bucktail or jig setups, and even a trailer with a strip bait can do the trick.
The rocks still have alot of “out of season” blackfish, which can be frustrating, especially when targeting striped bass with blood or sand worms. If the sea conditions warrant it, hit some further wrecks to drum up some keeper sea bass. Bay side fluke action is still probably the best bet to deal with winds, but still muster a few bites or hard-earned limit. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!