Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
We are heading into our last week of summer flounder as the season is set to close next Friday, and with some rough seas brewing due to a potential tropical system, this weekend may be our last shot. The inlets, wrecks, and reef sites are the main areas to target as fluke continue transitioning out of our local waters.
The inlets are loaded with peanut bunker, spearing, and mullet swimming about, and bluefish and blue runners have been harassing them with lots of bird action above. Meanwhile, most floating objects, from navigational buoys to pots, are holding a variety of fish including mahi, jacks, and banded rudderfish, which can be fun on the fly or light tackle.
Bay fishing and crabbing are both pretty good, with plenty of action from blowfish, kingfish, fluke, and croakers—all of which are around in decent numbers for anglers fishing by boat or dock. Crabbing has been exceptional for most of the season, and the marshes are still producing good numbers of full jimmies.
Offshore action continues on yellowfin tuna, but the bite seems much more spread out in the northern canyons compared to the southern ones. Mahi are extremely plentiful from 35 miles out to the canyons, so anglers can quickly fill their coolers.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River reported decent fishing off the IBSP surf, with some bluefish around the inlet area as well as blue runners being caught on epoxy jigs and tins. Tautog are being landed, and the spearfishermen are doing well off the north jetty. Fluke fishing is good around the last of the incoming or first of the outgoing tide, using 1/2- to 3/4-ounce bucktails. The shop got a large shipment of plugs for the upcoming fall striper season, so give them a shout.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported good blowfishing for most of Barnegat Bay, with larger keepers being landed north of the research buoy to the BB marker. Clam baits and chum are the way to go. Fluke fishing remains solid at the reef sites, with better keeper ratios. The inlets and bay have some keepers, and most have been caught on live killies or fresh strip baits. The shop is fully stocked with clam baits for blowfish and the upcoming sea bass season.
View this post on Instagram
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown had another busy week managing school duties during the day and charters in the afternoon. Ocean fluke charters are seeing large numbers of fluke, with keepers to 22 inches. The skipper ran a few combination bay trips this past week due to strong afternoon winds, and anglers released 30 short fluke while boxing a keeper before switching to blowfish. The blowfish action has been hot, with 100 to 210 boxed in as little as 2.5 hours. The skipper has some weekday afternoons available and will begin targeting sea bass after fluke season ends, with weekday trips starting at 2:30 p.m.
- Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in New Jersey
The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light continued to fish the ocean on its 8-hour fluke trips, and results have been pretty good with a fair number of keepers coming over the rails. The crew will begin to transition to sea bass once the fluke season ends, so give them a call to jump aboard.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor Township said the crabbing has been excellent along the marshes of Great Bay and the surrounding areas up through Tuckerton. Flounder action continued to be mostly shorts in the bay, but keeper action was better around the inlets and out front. Croakers have been in the back, along with a few weakfish in the deeper channels.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point reported another solid week, with sizeable summer flounder being weighed in at the shop, some topping 7 pounds. Anglers working the wrecks with large Gulp and strip baits have been doing the best with larger fish, as are bay anglers live-lining mullet or peanut bunker. The bridges are still loaded with sheepshead, triggerfish, and tautog, all of which can be caught on small jigs and fiddlers.
Waterfront Marine in Somers Point had similar reports to the prior week, with excellent fluke action at the reef sites and wrecks. Gulp and 8- to 10-inch strip baits have been the best for keepers. Bayside, there is a ton of bait around, and cocktail blues and summer flounder have been gobbling it up. Shore anglers are having a blast with tautog and sheepshead around the bridges during the slower part of the tide.
Captain Brian Williams of Badfish Charters in Ocean City reported fun flounder action in the bay and ocean when it’s not blowing. Flounder have been chasing peanut bunker and spearing, and the skipper even saw a few bust on top. There are some small striped bass around as the shallows begin to cool following a few chilly nights, and it won’t be long before his charters begin targeting them. The skipper has a few dates available in September and more in October, so give him a ring to get a trip on the books.
Captain Joe Hughes of Jersey Cape Guide Service in Sea Isle City reported good ocean fluke fishing from Ocean City south, which has been the common theme for most of the season. Bayside action is still yielding a lot of short fluke, but keepers are biting around the top of the tide. Mahi from 15 to 40 miles out continue to be very good and are hitting the fly lately.
View this post on Instagram
The Cape May and Fortescue areas had nice reports of summer flounder to 7 pounds being caught from most of the artificial reef sites on bucktails, jigs, and of course, Gulp baits. Anglers working the Delaware Bay and Cape May beaches have been finding a variety of fish from the sands. Croakers, kingfish, a few weakfish, and small flounder are biting on Gulp and bloodworm baits. The marshes and tidal creeks are loaded with blue crabs, so take some time to get out there.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for the weekend will be to target summer flounder (fluke), as next week’s weather looks a tad unsettled, to say the least. Shore anglers fishing from the beaches or jetties should have no problem catching with a standard bucktail jig-and-Gulp combo. If your area has an abundance of blowfish, switch over to live or fresh baits, as they will produce fluke without getting destroyed like Gulp does. Boat anglers will need to hit the fuel docks and venture out to the 70- to 100-foot depths to find cooperative keepers, as some of the closer inshore wrecks and reefs are loaded with smaller, male fluke. All of our keepers this past week were loaded with full egg sacs, so they are definitely getting ready to spawn as they push offshore. Crabbing and blowfishing are another promising option for anglers not looking to hit the ocean.
Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!