Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
The fishing has been firing on all cylinders as we head into June and prepare for our summer fishing opportunities. June is the unofficial start of fluke tournament season and if you want to be in the top of the pack, drifting live spot will put you there. Several anglers this past week reported fluke between 8 to 10 pounds on live spot taken in Barnegat and Great Bay.
Bluefin tuna have been hitting within 20 miles of the beach, but the regulations have changed with only one school fish; however, word is that NOAA may be rescinding the updated regulations, so keep an eye out for any further changes. Threshers are very active just outside Barnegat Light Reef up to Seaside on bunker pods. Some of these fish are very nice sized, up to 400 pounds.
Fluke and sea bass fishing has seen some of the best action in years with a large biomass up and down the coast. Anglers using the “right” stuff and in the “right” locations are finding good numbers of keepers. Blitzing bluefish have been commonplace in parts of Barnegat and Great bays, while striped bass are being reported in the ocean, off the beach, and around bridges in the backwaters. As long as the winds and weather remain relatively stable, fishing should continue to be lights out.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River said fluke, blues, and striped bass are being caught off the sands of Island Beach State Park. There were rumors of a large thresher marauding bunker just past the breakers, so get those snag hooks ready. Crabbing has picked up after the recent new moon.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown has been mourning the tragic loss of one of their young workers—calm seas Liam. On the fishing front, they said fluke has been very good in deeper water from the “BI” to “BB” with a bunch up to 5 pounds being landed on squid strips or plain hooked minnows. Live spot is the way to go if you’re tournament fishing, as a few fish between 8 to 10 pounds have been caught on those. Sea bassing at the reef sites has been a mix of keepers and shorts with some better fish in the 70- to 80-foot range. Jigging has been very good and it’s no coincidence the shop has been selling alot of Nomad jigs. The flats behind IBSP have been good for plugging striped bass and bluefish under birds.
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Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown continues to be busy working charters between school and family responsibilities. Most charters have been doing exceptional on fluke averaging 35 fish with 7 to 10 keepers per trip. There have been some really nice fish this year between 23 to 24 inches.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light reported that good sea bass fishing continues; the boat has been running wreck charters targeting sea bass and ling. They have some openings for canyon tuna in the summer once the season kicks off.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin said the south end of Long Beach Island was very good for fluke along parts of the west side of the ICW. Gulp-tipped jigs with minnows have been the best baits to use for these fish. Bluefish up to 22 inches have been hitting poppers in the back waters, and especially around the inlets. Beach fisherman are finding good numbers of keeper fluke along the South Jetty and “old” south jetty of Barnegat Inlet. Sea bass are on the reef sites, and there are good numbers of threshers picking up bunker off Barnegat Light Reef.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City said the back bay flounder fishing has been very good over the past week from Atlantic City to Sea Isle. Most areas have a good mix of short fish and keepers with ratios running about 10 to 1. Bluefish have been active in the inlets along with some striped bass. The beaches have had a mix of blues, small striped bass, and some keeper flounder. The wrecks from 70 to 100 feet have good numbers of sea bass and ling with clams and jigs working.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point said live minnows have been the trick for anglers working the areas around bridges and 10- to 20-foot depths for keeper fluke. The shop said there have been plenty around over the past week, and some larger specimens are being caught on live spot. There were some sporadic reports of sheepshead being caught south of Avalon, but that was not confirmed. Striped bass up to 42 inches were caught in the surf this past week on bunker chunks, and a few kingfish were landed as well.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City had several striped bass on glidebaits and poppers this week, along with some bluefish to 24 inches. Captain Brian said the striped bass bite was very good on poppers and flies. Sheepshead will be in play as the bay waters have warmed with the hotter temperatures; the skipper caught a few this past week and has some openings next week.
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In the Cape May and Fortescue area, sea bass fishing has been terrific at the offshore wrecks with plenty of ling coming over the rail, too. Anglers working the offshore wrecks had threshers blowing up on bunker. Bay fishing saw some decent flounder being caught in the deeper holes on Gulp and squid strips. The drum bite has cooled down, but there were some big sandbar sharks caught this past week. Sheeps are here, and they’re being caught on fiddlers and sand fleas around a few of the bridges. The ocean beaches are showing a mix of kingfish, bluefish, and some flounder.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for the weekend would be to hit the deepwater reef sites for sea bass and ling as the bite has been outstanding. The only word of advice is bring lots of clam, as you may have to pick through a good amount of shorts. A second option would be to work the beaches with a bucktails and Gulp, as some nice fluke have been caught. A shop in LBI weighed in a fish close to 10 pounds that was caught in the surf.
Don’t count out the bridge areas for large fluke on live spot (if you can get them). Sheepshead fisherman should load up on crabs and small jigs, because the South Jersey sheeps are in. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!