Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
It has definitely been a tougher week for most of our South Jersey fisheries as we wait for the Erin-stirred water to finally clear up. Divers out of a few ports reported almost zero visibility at the wrecks from 55 to 75 feet, which makes for a non-existent flounder bite. It should resume soon, as there were plenty of fluke being caught pre-storm. The storm did usher in some cooler water temperatures, and inshore pelagics have shown up with false albacore and bonito being caught between 1 and 10 miles out. The bay bite has recovered with a few tidal cycles helping to “clean” some of the dirty water. Croakers, kingfish, spot, and fluke are being landed in most locations and Barnegat Bay has begun to see more blowfish. Crabbing has been excellent for most areas with expansive marshes or sea meadows; crabs love mud!
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River said fluke in the ocean has been extremely slow to bounce back after Erin, but bay fluke fishing remains better if you can find clean water. Anglers chumming from the “BI” to “BB” are finally finding some nice blowfish; not crazy numbers, but enough for a dinner. There are also good-sized spot around with a few kingfish.
Salty Love Sportfishing in Forked River said the fluke fishing in the ocean has been downright tough with only a few shorts landed, but the crew is optimistic the bite will return. Bayside action has enough blowfish, spot, and small sea bass to keep things interesting. Now that sea conditions have settled, the crew will be heading offshore to give it a shot at the tuna grounds.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said ocean fluke are slowly beginning to bite, but it’s been slow with most anglers getting 1 or 2 keepers for 8 hours of fishing. Divers on some of the wrecks in the 60- to 80-foot depths have said the visibility is nearly zero, which probably accounts for the slow bite. Bay action is better when you can find cleaner water, and there are some decent sized puffers and spot around. There hasn’t been much word on offshore action since the hurricane passed off our coast. Tog fishing at Barnegat Inlet has been good during the cleaner parts of the tide, but the bite is still rebounding.
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Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown has been back in the action working the bay for fluke to 20 inches, blowfish, and some large spot. Most bay trips are finding 20 to 30 short fluke with the number of keepers ranging from 2 to 4 on live bait. The skipper did run a 5-hour ocean fluke charter in the beginning of the week and reported very few fish and only a few sea bass after covering 20+ square miles. With school starting next week, the crew will be running weekday afternoon trips starting at 2:30 pm, and weekends and holidays throughout the remainder of the fishing season.
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Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City reported false albacore and bonito being caught by the boats from 1 to 8 miles off. Anglers casting small metals or epoxies to breaking fish are finding immediate success. Fluke fishing has been very tough at the reef sites as the water has been pretty dirty from the recent storm. The action in the bay and inlets has been slightly better if you can find patches of clean water. Sheepshead fishing remains on the excellent end of the spectrum with most crab species proving to be viable baits.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point had nice reports of some inshore pelagics showing up, as “little tunny” (false albacore) were caught not too far from shore. Deadly Dicks, epoxy jigs, and small metals are perfect for bending a rod with these speedsters and the shop is loaded with them. Fluke fishing has been slowly improving from the recent hurricane, but it’s been a slow go. The shop said the best action has been the amazing sheepshead bite going on around the bridges and sod banks with fish to 11 pounds. Fiddlers, sand fleas, and mud crabs have all been working on these fish.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City said the bite was still recovering from the recent brush with Erin. Flounder are slowly rebounding in the ocean and the bite is better for tautog and flatties in the bay. With cooler weather and dropping water temperatures, bay striped bass will be in play.
Jersey Cape Guide Service in Sea Isle City has been trying for fluke, but the recent storm pushed in some false albacore and the skipper has been working light-tackle and fly setups on his most recent trips. Capt. Joe has also been doing some fun family trips in the bay catching fluke, croakers, and small sea bass. Give hime a shout for availability.
The Cape May and Fortescue areas are still rebuilding the bite from last week’s tropical disturbance, and there are some signs of improvement lately. The fluke bite has picked up again with some nicer fish being landed from the Cape May Reef and Reef site #11. The beaches still have a good number of kingfish, croaker, spot, and flounder being caught too. The jetties and inlets are holding lots of tautog and even some sheepshead with green crabs, fiddlers, and sand fleas working. We haven’t heard of much offshore action, but just prior to the storm had yellowfin and lots of billfish in the canyons. There should be some better reports following settled seas and more activity this upcoming week.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for the weekend will be to give it a shot for fluke in the ocean if you have the ability to get out. The reef sites and wrecks have slowly been regaining steam as the water has been cleaning up each day. This time of year, it pays off to use bigger baits as larger fluke begin migrating offshore. If you plan to fish the backwaters, using a cast net for mullet or peanut bunker is a must if you want to catch a few keepers.
The surf has been plagued with pretty strong currents, so staying on the inside of the inlets will be better bets to catch. Tog, sheepshead, fluke and even some weakfish are around on the high-slack tides. With Labor Day weekend upon us, take some time to go out and enjoy the water and the unofficial end of summer. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!