Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
The post-July-4th fishing scene has been as hot as the temperatures over the past week, with plenty of fluke being caught inshore and in the bays. The reef sites are giving up fluke, triggerfish, and even some mahi, which have been caught under floating debris. Offshore, yellowfin, mahi, and billfish are firing up on trolling and chunking spreads in the northern canyons, where there’s some nice water. To the south, croakers, kingfish, and spot are being caught off the local beaches with FishBites, clam and squid strips doing the trick. Sheepshead nation has attracted anglers of all skill levels, as the bridges and secret sod banks are loaded with fish up to 10 pounds. Anglers looking to bend a rod have a lot of different options for the rest of the summer, so buckle up and grab your favorite setup.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River was extremely busy over the past week, restocking the shelves with various Gulp baits. Anglers have been cashing in on fluke and some kingfish off the IBSP beaches, as well as snapper blues. The bayside bite has varied for most; there have been days of good catching along the main channels, but the action has been best around the inlets. Crabbing continued to be very good along the marshy areas as compared to open bay.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said it’s been good fluke action around the inlet and at some of the local reef sites. Large Gulps, strip baits, and live spot have been the ticket for the keepers. The Waretown area to the BB has produced quite a few fish to 7 pounds over the past week. Sea bass, triggerfish, and even a few cobia have been landed at the state reef sites. The Carteret Canyon, and a few miles shy of it, saw some action from bluefin, yellowfin, and mahi on the troll. Bluefin measured to 40 inches while the yellows were up to 35 pounds.
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Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown had a break in the action as the skipper was out of the country with his family. Good news, the plane touched down and the crew will be back targeting bay and inshore species this weekend, running double trips for the rest of the summer until school starts.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light has been running both inshore wreck trips and mixing it up with fluke, ling, and some sea bass. Offshore trips are in full swing with yellowfin and mahi action at the canyons. The crew has some openings, so give them a ring.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin said the bay has been hot in terms of water temperature, approaching 84° F at times. The fluke bite continued to be good on the incoming tides, mainly at the inlets and just out front. Some larger fish have been caught along the channels in the ICW off Lacey and Tuckerton. Offshore tuna is in, with the Carteret, Toms, and Spencer canyons producing different-sized yellowfins and mahi. The recent SE winds have cooled down the waters, so plugging with SP minnows is good at the inlet rocks if you can hit the tide and time right.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City reported a mix of fish in the bays being caught on minnows and Gulp baits. Deeper channels in the 15- to 20-foot range are holding better numbers of keeper fluke up to 4 pounds. A few cobia have been landed in the bays near the inlets, along with a surprise black drum. The beaches have a mix of fish being caught in the surf with kingfish, some croakers, and flounder the most prevalent. Shark fishing is good at night for anglers heaving kingfish or whole bunker past the breakers. Offshore fishing at the canyons has nice yellowfin, bigeye, and mahi being caught on trolled spreads.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point reported another stellar week at the canyons with most large vessels making the 70- to 100-mile run to box yellowfin, some bluefin, mahi, and deep-dropped tilefish to 37 pounds. Inshore and bay waters had some nice flatties up to 8 pounds weighed-in at the shop. The sheepshead bite has been stellar at the bridges, from Ocean City south. Crabs and sand fleas have been the best baits for dropping jigs to the sheeps.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City had good action on schoolie striped bass to 26 inches and some nice sheepshead at the skipper’s choice spots. Fluke have also been in the mix while bassing. The captain has been putting charters on consistent action following the tides, and has a few openings in the coming weeks.
Captain Joe Hughes of Jersey Cape Guide Service in Sea Isle City reports: “Sharking has been great, and there are tons of cobia around. We’ve had bonito on the troll and we’re catching sharks up to 140 pounds, including spinner sharks. The fluke fishing is great in the back bay and ocean; the inshore reefs are producing very well. Chartreuse Gulp and bucktails have been the hot bait. We have evening topwater striped bass fishing and great tides this week. The high tide in the evening around sunset is killer.”
The Cape May and Fortescue area was busy with anglers following the July 4th holiday, and those who put in a little extra effort were rewarded. The beaches are producing a nice variety of kingfish, croakers, spot, and fluke. Boaters hitting the reef sites off Wildwood and in Delaware Bay are boxing keeper fluke to 9 pounds, as well as some triggerfish and several decent-sized cobia. The bays have been better for crabbing than for fluke, so ready those traps.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for the weekend would be to target our migratory pelagics; tuna, mahi, and some nice cobia are being found offshore and at the nearshore lumps. Trolling spreads of feathers, spreader bars, and small ballyhoo remain the best bet for tuna. A few small spinning setups with soft plastics or jigs at the ready are perfect for intercepting mahi around floating pots or debris. If you plan on going offshore, bring a few quarts of live minnows to bring those wary mahi off structure.
If the canyons are not part of your repertoire, then try hitting the beaches for kingfish, croakers, fluke, and bluefish. Gulp baits, small metals, and two-hook rigs tipped with FishBites should all produce results. July offers a ton of fishing options, so get out on the water and wet a line. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!