Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
Our beloved fluke season will finish up today and that means the summer is officially over. Boo-hoo! Most anglers have already started to “de-fluke” their vessels or beach vehicles in preparation for sea bass or striped bass. Striped bass fishing is slowly getting better in the backwaters, with a few more being caught on live spot or eels drifted from sundown to the early morning hours. Anglers working the bridges are starting to pick off better fish, but the bite is still in its early stages.
Offshore action remains excellent for tuna on chunks—butterfish and sardines have been hot, along with butterfly jigs when the fish are holding deeper. If you have spot, they too are perfect to drop down to hungry tuna. So, don’t get the end-of-season fluke blues, as there is some good fishing on the horizon. October can be fantastic at the canyons and sea bass season opens in a week. We got this!
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River had reports of 1- to 5-pound bluefish along parts of Island Beach State Park and Barnegat Inlet. Most were being caught on soft plastics and metals during during peak stages of the incoming and outgoing tides. The beaches have given up the occasional striper and some better fluke action, the latter of which has since slowed down with the ocean swell and the season closing.
Captain Cole Kennedy of Salty Love Sportfishing out of Forked River has been busy getting ready to head offshore for the yellowfin bite, but it’s been rather tough to find a good wind window. The crew will be sailing for yellows in October and striped bass for the fall run.
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Creekside Outfitters in Waretown had some reports of fluke to 7 pounds still being caught near the lighthouse and southern jetty on live mullet, spot, and peanut bunker. The numbers of flatfish have been much lower; it seems a lot of them have pushed out already. The inlet and local beaches have good numbers of blowfish, though. The shop said the red hot bite is the canyon yellowfin bite, with chunked butterfish and sardines working well.
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Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown was back in action during the early part of the week for after-school charters. Ralph R. and his buddy Dave worked the inlet for tautog and some short fluke. The guys caught and released 45+ tautog and kept their limit. Another charter hit the blowfish grounds, with the husband and wife duo boxing 28 blowfish, 2 kingfish, and a bunch of spot. The crew will be targeting sea bass in the ocean, and striped bass/tautog in the bay for the month of October. Nighttime “strictly artificials” trips have started for striped bass, so give them a ring.
The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light had a banner time offshore with the Southern Regional Fishing Club the week prior on yellowfin, but lately the boat was working some inshore wrecks for fluke, and the bite was slower than normal. They’re looking to get out for sea bass once the 10-fish season opens, so give them a call to secure a date.
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Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City had similar reports of slower, sporadic flounder activity on the reef sites, but some nicer ones were caught from the AC reef. The Brigantine and Atlantic City jetties are producing tog and some sheepshead on sand fleas. Anglers working areas from Atlantic City to Somers Point have also found a few straggler weakfish on soft plastics and live mullet. Offshore, it’s been 60- to 70-mile runs to find good action on yellowfin tuna.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point said they have been stocking the shelves for the upcoming fall striper run with new “Invincible Jigs” now available. On the fishing front, tautog are being caught along the bridges, as well as some triggerfish, and sand fleas are the go-to bait. Anglers working live baits in the bays are still finding a few flatties to 4 pounds in the backwater and near the inlets. Offshore action was red-hot on yellowfin at a variety of spots from 50 to 70 miles out, but unfortunately, the weather has kept many boats from getting out.
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Waterfront Marine in Somers Point shared that there are bluefish in the bay, inlets, and some areas out front. Peanut bunker, mullet, and spearing are all over the bay and in the inlets and are keeping the blues well fed. Fluke, weakies, and stripers were gorging by bridges, jetties, and piers, where tautog fishing has also been reliable. Yellowfin have been hot at the canyons, but it’s been a challenge getting to them.
Captain Brian Williams of Badfish Charters in Ocean City reported some flounder action in the bay earlier this week, but the bite has slowed dramatically. The skipper said not too many albies are around since the last blow. The flats have been spotty for striped bass, but tog have been chewing well along the bridges.
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Captain Joe Hughes of Jersey Cape Guide Service in Sea Isle City said he wasn’t able to get out this past week due to the conditions, but the skipper has been packing up his gear as he will be in Montauk over the next month.
The Cape May and Fortescue area had action from sheepshead, drum, and weakfish on some of the Delaware Bay wrecks. Bluefish have been around on the beaches, jetties, and in some of the inlets. Small metal jigs fished with a fast retrieve are catching blues to 5 pounds. The weakfish bite was fairly good along parts of the shipping lanes and some of the DE Bay’s lighted structures. During the early part of the week, fluke fishing was good in the ocean for anglers hitting the wrecks in the morning, but the afternoon bite was slow. Yellowfin, yellowfin, and more yellowfin hit the docks at a bunch of the marinas during the weekend and early portion of the week. The chunk bite has been red hot!
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for the weekend will be fishing for tautog and exotics, like triggerfish and pompano, off the jetties from Barnegat Inlet to Cape May. Crabs, sand fleas, and even clams are working, but have a good amount of bait because there are plenty of small tog, which can deplete bait stocks rather quickly. There are still a few sheepshead around, too.
Bluefish and small striped bass are another good bet for the weekend, and small plugs, metals, and tough soft plastics are working well. When targeting blues with plugs, it’s a good idea to either switch out the treble hook for a single, or crush the barbs for safer, quicker releases. These smaller blues are excellent table-fare when properly filleted with the skin left on, and smoked to perfection. Nothing says “fish dip” more than smoked bluefish.
If you can’t make it to your nearest, jetty, beach, or inlet, clean out the fluke tackle and prep your surf striper gear for the fall run. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!
When you say “drum” in the CM & Fortescue area, do you mean black or red “drum”
Need to find those red October “pumpkins…”