Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
Hope you stayed cool this past week! Our fishing is as hot as the daytime temperatures with all areas firing, from the bay to beach to canyons; they’re all providing excellent angling opportunities. The Baltimore and Wilmington canyons came alive with bigeye and yellowfin. These fish are beginning to move into the Spencer. Nearshore areas off of Manasquan and Barnegat Light had bluefin blitzing on sand eels, and pink RonZs were accounting for a lot of the hookups. Inshore, fluke are starting to bite in the ocean, but it’s been even better off the surf and in the bays. Sheepshead are being caught off the bridges in good numbers and there are some nice weakfish around in similar locations.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River reported anglers catching fluke in the IBSP surf as well as a few bluefish. The bay bite has been even better with the “BB” to “BI” areas holding some keepers. Striped bass are still being caught off the beaches, but these are mostly resident bass. Crabbing has been excellent on both sides from Ocean Gate to Seaside Park.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown had excellent reports of fluke being caught in most areas in Barnegat Bay. Anglers working the “BI” to “BB” buoys as well as some of the main channels are finding keeper fish. The wrecks are slinging ling from the 80 to 90 foot depths. Yellowfin are within range for most canyon-ready boats and there have been some keeper bluefin caught along the mid-shore ridges. Threshers are still hanging from 3 to 10 miles off the beaches, and whole bunker or bluefish fillets are the top choices. The shop is loaded with tuna and fluke tackle, so stop in.
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Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown had a busy week running charters in the afternoon nearly the entire week. The skipper said most 4-hour charters are averaging up to 40 fish and 4 to 7 keepers depending on the conditions. Some of the recent catches are yielding keepers over 23 inches. The boat is fully booked out for the month of July, and there are only 2 openings left for August, so give them a call.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light said they had a phenomenal sea bass season at the wrecks and reef sites. The boat will concentrate on fluke and ling depending on the charter and will also be sailing for midshore and offshore tuna. Captain Ted said there were openings for tuna, so give him a ring.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin received excellent reports from fluke anglers fishing Barnegat and Great Bay. Fish are spread out, but there seems to be plenty of keepers to go around. 3/8- to 1-ounce bucktails or jigs, tipped with your favorite Gulp or a squid strip and worked along the channels or open bay areas, are producing good results. The LBI surf is giving up solid numbers of fluke from the northern end of the island as well as sharks at night. The inlet jetties have a few sheepshead and triggerfish around, so throw crabs or some clam on small tog jigs.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City said there’s excellent fluke fishing in Great Bay and areas south, as some doormat specimens up to 11 pounds were landed. Gulp and salmon strips have been the top choices for anglers. The Atlantic City area has also been hot on fluke, bluefish, and some nice-sized weakfish. Fiddlers and bridges is the combination for sheepshead.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point also had good reports of cooperative flounder over the past week. The shop has weighed in a few nice ones up to 7 pounds, and the hot bait of the past few weeks has been the crab-infused Bay treats. Weakfish are being caught around some of the jetties and bridges, but it’s mostly a nighttime or early morning bite. The ocean is starting to produce some flounder at the reef sites, and there are bluefin around on the inshore ridges and lumps.
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Badfish Charters in Ocean City has been very busy working the channels, shallows, and cuts for striped bass on light tackle and flies. There have also been several blues and weakfish caught on charters. The bridge and sedge stops are producing some quality sheepshead. Capt. Brian has some openings, next week so give him a call.
The Cape May and Fortescue area’s report has been all offshore with the recent buzz of yellowfin at the canyons. The Wilmington, Baltimore and Spencer are producing excellent catches of yellowfin and there are also some bigeyes mixed in. The northern inshore lumps are producing some bluefin, but that bite has been even better off Monmouth and Ocean counties. The ocean fluke bite was on fire over the past week, with a good number of keepers being caught on bucktails and Gulp. The beaches produced some fluke, croakers, and spot. The hot bite of the week has been the weakfish and croaker bite in the Delaware Bay, with areas around the EP tower producing the best.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for the weekend will be to ply the beaches, jetties, and backwaters in search of your summer doormat. Most areas are producing, but it seems Ocean and Atlantic counties are producing some of the nicer fish to 11 or 12 pounds. Strip baits, as well as large minnows (if you can get them), have been accounting for most of the larger fish. The minnow situation has been challenging to say the least.
Another good bet for the weekend is targeting sheepshead at the bridges or weakfish in the backwaters. I would recommend watching several videos online if it’s your first time targeting sheepshead, as the bite is very subtle. Last, but not least—if you have the means or ability—hit the canyons for yellowfin and then deep drop for tilefish as both fisheries are red hot.
Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!