Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
Our saltwater scene has definitely begun to improve with solid sea bassing at the wrecks and striped bass along our beaches, inlets, and bays. Fluke fishing is slowly on the upswing as charters and more experienced anglers are beginning to box a few keepers. Unfortunately, if you look at the summer flounder season so far, it’s been more like a firecracker—short bursts of action that fizzle out quickly—than lights-out fishing. Anglers are left scratching their heads as to when it’s going to get going. Based on our weekly calls, most of the better keeper action has been from Ocean City to Cape May. Shops dotting the Barnegat Bay landscape have heard there’s a lack of shorts, let alone keepers. Thankfully, bluefish, along with some excellent striped bass fishing along the sods, have filled the void for inlet and bay anglers. Let’s hope the next set of moon phases brings in a fresh body of fish.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River reported some striped bass being caught along Island Beach State Park on soaked clams. Anglers are finding some bluefish on metals and plugs off the beaches with a few fluke being caught on 1-ounce bucktails and Gulp baits. Crabbing has begun to really turn on along the western and eastern sides of Barnegat Bay on hand-lined bunker baits and traps.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown mentioned that the sea bass fishing has been pretty good with a large number of shorts and enough keepers to fill angler’s limits. Striped bass fishing was very good for a few days along parts of the inlet and main channels close to the inlet, with 5-inch topwater and swimming plugs, swim shads, and glides working better than natural baits over the past week. Fluke fishing has been extremely tough with many anglers reporting almost no bites while some are catching a few shorts and occasional keepers.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown worked a few fluke trips this past week and the crew has been averaging around 25 shorts per trip while keepers are ranging from 1 to 6 fish per 4-hour charter. The most recent trip had slow action at first, followed by the skipper making a long run to new grounds. The clients landed 23 shorts and boxed 3 keepers to 19.5 inches. The website has been fully updated and bookings have been integrated into real-time, allowing clients to select dates and time slots.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light reported solid sea bass fishing over the past week since the winds have calmed down. The only issue has been the strong currents, which have slowed the bite on some days. Anglers working jigs with teasers are scoring better than straight baiters, but there has been plenty of action to fill the coolers. The boat will be sailing offshore for tuna and tilefish in the coming months, so keep checking the website for open dates.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City had reports of fluke picking up minnow and Gulp combinations along parts of Great Bay, but action has been much slower than in previous years. Some of the areas along or around the clam stakes are producing a few keepers on floating jig heads tipped with minnows. Anglers pitching plugs and small metals around the bays and inlets are finding blues from 2 to 6 pounds. Stripers have been caught along parts of the Atlantic County beaches as well as any of the “lighted” bridges during night.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point is fully stocked with sand fleas to tackle June sheepshead action at the sod banks and local bridges. Anglers looking to catch a few striped bass can find action off the beaches and around some of the bridges during the night tides. Summer flounder action has been steady with some nicer keepers to 23-inches coming in on boats.
Waterfront Marine in Somers Point had some reports of striped bass at the bridges at night and a few sheepshead were caught on sand fleas during the day. The flounder bite has definitely taken a turn for the better over the past week. Bluefish are around, but seem to be more scattered due to smaller pockets of bait.
Captain Brian Williams of Badfish Charters in Ocean City said the flounder bite improved and has become more consistent over the past week. Striped bass are still around, but most fish are under 25 pounds. Bluefish have been scattered as there has been a lack of bait, but the skipper is hoping the upcoming heat wave will help the situation.
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Captain Joe Hughes of Jersey Cape Guide Service in Sea Isle City reported striped bass hitting plugs and hard baits over the past week. The summer flounder bite has been better with the warmer weather and water temperatures, which has yielded fish to 6 pounds this week.
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The Cape May and Fortescue areas have a variety of fish around with some drum still being landed in the deeper sloughs in Delaware Bay, but fish are starting to pull out. Bluefish and flounder are picking up Gulp baits tipped on small jigs while there have also been a few weakfish reported by some of the local shops. Shedder blue-crabs are the way to go for these fish with cut crab tipped on light jigs worked along the bottom. Striped bass are still around and have been landed on plugs and clam baits along parts of Delaware Bay from the Cape May ferry area to Fortescue. Some of the tidal creek or river entrances are holding schoolie striped bass, and bloodworms have accounted for a few dinner-plate-sized white perch.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for the weekend will be to hit the local and offshore reef sites for hungry sea bass, where jigs with small sand-eel teasers are working better than clam baits. The current has been a challenge though, pushing some of the bass off the wrecks. The weather looks decent for the weekend, although the offshore forecast may be a tad bumpy as the winds have increased. It’s still a solid shot to put some fish in the cooler.
Bay and inlet fishermen have a few options, including striped bass, bluefish, and fluke. Blues and striped bass are around in the back, and soft plastics and plugs have been working very well for these fish. They have been scattered at times, so it’s best to hit points, tidal creek entrances, drop-offs or rip lines. If you don’t find them, move to the next area.
Fluke fishing is slowly getting better, with our southern stretches improving faster than areas from Great Bay northward. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!