Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
As we celebrated our great nation’s 250th birthday last week, the fishing remained pretty hot as the weather cooperated, with fluke biting in the ocean, tuna starting to pop on surface poppers, and a solid bay mix of sheepshead, flounder, and crabs. Although the recent southerly wind put a damper on the ocean fluke bite, ling and sea bass have been biting at the wrecks, and striped bass at the inlets, over the past week.
The tuna bite has been pretty solid in the 40- to 60-mile range from most of our inlets, and they’re being caught on jigs and poppers. Some trollers are getting them on daisy chains and ballyhoo-tipped lures. The canyons have been producing some nice action on yellowfin, with trolling, chunking, and jigging doing most of the catching. As we move from the blue water to the green-brownish (inshore) water, bay fishing has been a slower pick in most southern New Jersey zip codes. In the ocean, or surf, water temperatures dipped to 58°F over the weekend for areas around Barnegat Inlet. But like summertime carnivals and amusement parks, sometimes you just have to get out there and enjoy the ride.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River had some mixed reports of spot and small blues along parts of the Toms River, as well as good crabbing on both the west and east sides of Barnegat Bay. Anglers working the Seaside beaches are finding some fluke, blues, and occasional striped bass, while the night crews have been consistently hooking up on sharks.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown had slower reports on the bay front, with a very low number of keeper fluke caught, but the short bite has been getting better. The shop heard inklings of some blowfish south of the bridges, but nothing near the Barnegat Inlet area as of yet. The tuna bite, both inshore and offshore, has been going strong, with bluefin hitting jigs and poppers while the yellowfin are on the troll.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown has been working hard, as the skipper has had double and triple charters on most days. Most of the action centers around the tide, with some trips releasing 20+ short fluke while others are releasing close to 60 in a 4-hour window. Keepers have ranged from 1 to 5, but there are some quality fish in the mix, as the most recent trip had 4 keepers to 24 inches on a 1/4-ounce jig. The captain said the website is fully integrated with the schedule, and clients can reserve a day and time slot.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light has been fishing the inshore reef and some of the wrecks with good success on fluke late last week. The recent south winds chilled the water, which has made the fluke bite slower, but sea bass and ling have been cooperative to fill the void. The skipper has some prime offshore tilefish dates available in the near future, so give him a ring.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor Township had solid reports of some nice Great Bay flounder to 23 inches, as some of the deeper cuts along the sod banks are producing. The incoming tide has been the most productive, with fish heavily on the feed, but the recent winds have made drifting tough. Anglers working the inshore reef sites are finding keeper and short fluke, sea bass, and some ling. Offshore, the canyons are starting to produce much more consistent action on yellowfin tuna, especially the Lindy, Toms, and Baltimore Canyons.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point said there have been some nice-sized fluke to 23 inches hitting the scales. Gulp, minnows, spearing, and salmon bellies are accounting for most of the bay action, whereas the ocean has been all 6-inch Gulp baits tipped on jigs. The tuna bite has been in full swing for boats heading out of Ocean City, with cedars, daisy chains, and jigging producing bluefin inshore and yellowfin at the canyons. Crabbing remains excellent, and the shop has a full lineup of bait and gear to get you on the blue claw.
Waterfront Marine in Somers Point said the reef sites and wrecks from Ocean City to Strathmere have been fairly good on fluke to 23 inches. The ocean bite has been much better than the bay. The chilled water cooled the action, but the recent northeast winds helped to wind it back up over the past few days. Sheepshead are fairly plentiful from the bridges, pilings, and bay structure if you can locate less-pressured areas. Small jigs tipped with fiddlers or small mud crabs have been most consistent.
Captain Brian Williams of Badfish Charters out of Ocean City has been graced with some good bites from summer flounder, with sea robins, and some dogfish in the mix. The water has warmed, so bass fishing has been on the slow side, but the skipper has been working some new rods for ocean fluke. He said he has some dates available, so give him a ring.
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Captain Joe Hughes of Jersey Cape Guide Service out of Sea Isle City said there have been lots of options between the bay and ocean for cooperative flounder. The skipper has begun his inshore shark fishing, playing catch-and-release with the toothy critters. He has also had some nice action on the inshore bluefin tuna bite, with most fish coming on the troll.
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The Cape May and Fortescue areas had excellent reports of fluke off the reefs and wrecks, with some quality specimens to 24 inches coming from the ocean; 3- to 5-ounce bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp, fish belly, or skin have been the hot baits. Sea bass have been very cooperative and have been hitting Gulp baits. The surf zone has had a mix of fish, from short fluke and kingfish to spot, croakers, and some small bluefish. The bays have been a little slow on keeper flounder, but the back creeks are teeming with white perch, for which bloodworms have been the hot bait. The crabbing, after the recent moon phase, has kicked into high gear.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for the weekend will be to hit the ocean for fluke. Whether you cast from the sand or jig from a fiberglass hull, fluke should be biting after the recent northeast wind kicked up the action. Bucktails (from 3/4- to 2-ounce) tipped with Gulp are great in the surf while 2- to 6-ounce jigs are working on the reefs, but actively jigging the lure instead of dragging is crucial to success. The surf has had a nice share of keeper fluke, but the key is getting out early before the summer vacationers.
Pelagic fishermen have some options, with bluefin at the inshore haunts and lumps while yellowfin and some sparse mahi ply the cobalt waters of the canyons. Finally, I know we are not at the shark week stage, but there are plenty of them around for fun, tackle-busting catch and release. There have been a couple of confirmed, sizable bull sharks caught in southern Jersey waters. “Queue” the Jaws theme! Good luck, be safe, and tight lines.