Southern New Jersey Fishing Forecast 8-16-2012
If you have been so busy lately that there hasn’t been an opportunity to check out a calendar, here is an update. Summer is almost over! That is, the hot part. The good part is just around the corner. How do I know that? Well, all the signs are all there. The beaches are starting to thin out just a little, the vacationers are winding down their visits. In the back bays, the bait is stacked up, looking for someone to play with. Out front, a recent trip found many, many smallish schools of adult menhaden. Not grouped up yet and not much chasing them, but plenty of pods. Even the coastal water temperatures are sending a signal. Recently, the AC buoy was reading under 70 for the first time in several months. It is back up now but there is definitely a shift in the air. Let’s see if any of our scouts are seeing the same signs.
If you are heading to the southern coastal area down the Delsea drive, there is a way to get a leg up on your angling needs without fighting the crowds at the vacation resorts. In Cape May Court House on Route 47, you will find Juniors Crabs and Seafood. Yes, I know this sounds like fish store and it is, and much more. The bait and tackle side of their operation has everything you will need to stock up for a fun day fishing. And should the skunk bite you, you can always stop back and pick up whatever seafood you are looking for the table. Cooked or raw, your choice. Personally, I recommend the blue claw crabs. When I spoke to Roy at the shop this week, he confirmed that the water temps in the far southern end of the state have definitely cooled off a bit. Flounder in the back bays is ok but the throwback ratio is up. The hot spots are still the Old Grounds and Reef site 11. That’s good news for me, as I plan to fish those areas on Monday. The Cape May Reef has finally turned on with anglers having good trips on a regular basis. Small croakers and weakfish up to 20 inches can be found in the Delaware Bay. Bluefish up to 2 pounds are all over the place. And Even though he may be cutting his own sales, Roy told me that the crabbing is good but should get even better when this mini shed ends.
I am constantly getting pictures of successful outing’s From Captain Rich Wilkowski of the Jersey Hooker in Brick. I don’t know if he’s a fish magnet or the luckiest man in the state. I’m thinking no one can be that lucky so it has to be some kind of crazy skill set. This week when I got a hold of him, he was ranting about a 70-pound-class White Marlin he picked up on the troll at the Wilmington Canyon. And when he isn’t taking on the gamefish, he is decimating the reefs with fluke up to 7 pounds and some nice blue-back sea bass. The key is to fish in 60 feet of water and the hot bite seems to be around the Mantoloking area. Blues are around, mostly tailors, and primarily in the inlets and back bay. Crabbing is holding up very well, thank you.
With the fishing as good as it can get around Sea Isle and a new baby in the house, I can’t imagine Mike Cunningham of Sea Isle Bait and Tackle is getting that much sleep these days. So when you stop and shop, go easy on him if he seems to be dragging a bit. The Ocean City Reef and the Lumps of Sea Isle have been producing the big fish lately. To prove that, mike told me of a ten pound flounder taken on the OC Reef by Dusty Larick of Sea Isle City. Dusty’s key to success was a high-hook rig with squid and minnow, fished about 8 inches off the bottom. And the doormat wasn’t their only fish of the trip, the biggest of several big flounder. Kingfish are still hitting around the beaches, and the bays are loaded with baitfish. Mike rated Crabbing at great to fabulous if you can get on them at the right tide.
Lenny Hahn is the man, the myth, the legend. If you are in the Toms river area, you already know that! He runs Captain Hippo’s Bait and Tackle and is the man to see for equipment or bait. And the shop is always a wealth of information about local fishing conditions. This week, his first mate Cindy told me the beaches are starting to give up some nice sized fluke, which to me indicates the bait has moved in the shallows of the ocean front. I guess they ran out of room up the river. Some doormats have even been recorded and the inlet is getting better. Blame the lower water temps for that reversal. Cocktail stripers are everywhere and anglers fishing up the river for them are even reporting that they are picking up schoolie stripers on metals or for those using spearing on Lenny’s special tied rigs. Crabbing is still going very well at Berkley Island, the Oyster Creek and the Community Center. Island Heights has also been giving up some big blue claws, and Cindy asked me to remind you to have a valid parking permit for the area as they have been enforcing it strictly of late. Better safe than sorry.
Good fishermen know where to find the bite. Great fishermen share the bite with their friends. I will let you decide how to classify Tom from Jersey Coast Bait and Tackle in Brick. The exact message I received was that there were yellowfin tuna to 55 pounds 15 miles out from Point Pleasant. Bluefin tuna all over the place from 10 miles to 60 miles out. Chunk them up or troll deep. Sounds to me like a “scramble all jets” message you might hear as a fighter pilot. I am assuming there is a strong bite on. Additionally, Tom messaged that the fluke bite was still going strong in 60+ feet of water and thaer were small blues all over the back waters, there for the price of some cheap tin.
Long Beach Island is prime fishing grounds regardless of the time of year. Smack dab in the middle of the state, it’s not only good fishing, but convenient fishing. And for the best local scouting report, you need to stop in Tony’s Bait and Tackle in Manahawkin. Tony’s is an old school, hard core anglers nest. If they don’t have the scoop, it can’t be had. This week, I spoke with Matt and he told me that the big plays are northern kingfish and spot in the surf and back bay. Fluking off the sand is getting much better. Best baits for a keeper fluke have been whole spot and or a buck tail tipped with squid strips or spearing. The reefs have been steady for flounder and sea bass fishing. There are tons of blowfish in the bay for the taking and Barnegat has been the spot to go for some weakfish up to 22 inches. Shedder crab or spot chunks are working well for the weakies. Try using a lead head and a pink artificial or Berkley Gulp if artificial lures are your bag of worms. The brown sharks and cow nosed rays seem to have moved on so the crabbing has gotten better of late. Take a bushel basket with you.
If you are looking to get out to the deep water but can’t swim that well and don’t own a boat, might I recommend the Gambler Fishing Boat out of Point Pleasant. A new 90 foot custom head boat that will not only get you there in style and do it quickly. They have been running half day fluke trips and doing quite well with regular catches of flatfish up to 6 pounds and sea bass up to 4 pounds not uncommon. The Gambler is also running Thursday night wreck fishing and has had good catches of ling. They are also reporting consistent results on night bluefishing trips. Consistent results mean big blue fish. I would recommend calling ahead as trips are always subject to change, especially if you are travelling any distance to get to Point Pleasant.
I usually run into Captain Dave Showell on the water or at the shop during the week so I was surprised not to have seen him in the last week or so. But if you have ever been to Absecon Bay Sportsman’s Center you will know that they may be one of the best stocked bait shops on the coast. And that is part of the reason I haven’t seen him of late. He has been busy maintaining his vast inventory of live baits, especially spot which are all over the beaches and bay and soft shell crabs which are just finishing up a mini-molt. Other than bait, there are plenty of options available in the Absecon Inlet area. Weakfish are still going strong in the back, from Black Point to Main Marsh. That would be a good opportunity to put some of Dave’s shedders to a test. Fluke are being caught off the Brigantine Beaches as well as in the inlet. The AC reef, on the deep side and the GE reef are the best shot at a doormat flounder. If you are looking for a lot of action, think about targeting kingfish. Bloodworms or FishByte artificial bait will help you in the quest. It’s been a good season for kings around the rocks and in the back. There are still trigger fish and Sheepshead in the area but the bite has slowed down a bit. And remember, tog closes at the end of the month so if you want to take any, now is the time to shoot for them.
Island Beach State Park is has been getting much better since the water temperatures started to back off. That’s according to John Yac at The Dock Outfitters in Seaside Heights. Keeper fluke, spot and kingfish are the best running fish right now. Buck tail teaser rigs seem to be all the rage for catching keeper flat fish. Tip the rigs with a Berkly Gulp or squid strip to increase your odds for a hook-up. If you are looking for more constant action, small bluefish are just about everywhere. And for something to keep the kids entertained, consider a day of crabbing on the pier at Dock. The crabbing has been decent and it’s enough to keep the kids interest at a peak. The Dock Outfitters has rental fishing and pontoon boats as well as a very nice tackle shop. Or just stop around for lunch and check out the operation.
Ocean City fishing means a call into Fin-Atics Marine Center. This week, I catted will Bill about the local activity. The flounder are still hitting hard in Greater Egg Harbor but the throw back to keeper ration is definitely stretched out a bit. For bigger flatties, Bill recommends that you get out to the reefs , especially the GE and Ocean City reefs. Sea bass are decent but not as strong as early one in the season. Squid strips and live minnow or spot are what have been putting the bigger fish in the coolers. Off the beaches, its spot, kingfish and keeper flounder. South towards Corson’s Inlet has kept up its torrid pace, especially with the kings. Don’t forget about the two new fishing piers off of the new 9th street bridge. They are easy access and great places to drop a line in the water, especially if you have children. The catch has been OK there, small blues and flounder and will only get better as the season progresses. That area has long been a great spot for striped bass in the early fall but limited access was always a problem for some. The new piers should change all of that. I will check them out after the Labor Day exodus and get back to you.
Two Chums Bait and Tackle may be one of the new players on the block in Sea Isle but they have certainly gained in respect from the locals over the past year. When I first started calling them, you could tell that they were new to the area. But I figured that they would season over time, as they learned the in’s and out of their customer base. They must be awful quick studies because now they are now teaching me the local lore. Not that I don’t appreciate it, I am always open to information. When I spoke to Joe at the shop this week, he told me that the hot zone for flounder and seas bass this week is the Sea Isle and Wildwood reefs. In fact, Rich Skad took is new regulator out there this and limited out with five guys on the boat with fish up to 6 pounds. That is one hell of day fishing. Joe also heard that there were some weak fish off the beaches at the Dredge. Mostly spikes but some bigger fish mixed in. The beaches have been giving up a fair share of keeper flounder as well of plenty of kingfish. Spot are still coming in waves and provide great live bait for flounder fishing. I asked Joe about the Tog fishing at Townsend’s Inlet and while he could not confirm it, he was selling a lot of green crabs lately. The crabbing has remained consistent in the bay and if you don’t have a boat to get at the back channels then Two Chums can help you there as well. They have a great fleet of pontoon and skiffs ready and waiting for you to rent them.
It’s been more than a few weeks since I have been able to get in touch with Mark Elliot, captain and owner of the Bayhawk Charters out of Utcsch’s Marina in Cape May. I was starting to get a little worried as he is always a good source of information for Cape May and areas south. It turns out he has been fishing hard and catching heavy. Mostly reef fishing east of Cape May Point in deep water. But they have been doing well on both flounder and sea bass. Inshore, the Cape May reef has been showing some renewed signs of life according to Captain Mark and croakers are starting to show up in Delaware Bay. There also has been talk of yellow fin tuna in both the Wilmington and Baltimore Canyons but with water temperatures fluctuating the way they have been lately, it’s important to do your homework before charting a course.
I have been hearing some rumblings of big blues and other bonus fish on the boats out of Point Pleasant so I checked in with the crew at Alex’s Bait and Tackle to see if I could confirm the rumors. They are no longer rumors as most of the local charter boats are coming in with nice catches of slammer bluefish up to 18 pounds. Mixed in are some albacore as just to make things a little more interesting. From the beaches and the wall, the nice fluke are starting to accept their fate and allowing local anglers to take them home. The largest fish to come over the wall lately was a 25 inch brute that weighed in at 7+ or so. Hot baits are killies, squid strips, sand eels and mackerel strips. No problem there as the shop has plenty of everything in stock. All you need to bring is your gear and a lunch. The best time for catching has been an hour on either side of the tide. Oh and before I forget, make sure your tackle box is loaded with good metal. There have been more than a few false albacores caught off the beaches in the area.
Best Bets for the Weekend.
It’s tough call for this weekend. We are in a very unstable weather pattern and it does not look like that’s going to change anytime soon. The big flounder still seem to be hiding at the deep water reefs and if you can get to them, you should have a good day. Bait of all kinds is stacked up in the back bays and along the beach front. Kingfish are still running strong all along the coastal waters. And not to be a nag, but the season for tautog, even though you can only keep one, closes in a mere two weeks. The green crab shortage seems to have eased a bit, so you may want to add that component into your angling itinerary. I haven’t heard much about trigger fish or sheepshead lately but they should still be around in the same areas you are targeting tog, just remember porgy is still closed. For some reason that I cannot fathom, small bluefish seem to be hiding in the south this year. With all the bait around, I find that strange. But if you are looking for some non-stop action, there are spike weakfish all over the place and croakers have moved into the Cape May Wildwood zone. Plenty of fun to be had there. If you are going offshore, the time to do your homework is now. Mahi, white marlin, Blue and yellowfin are still going strong but you need to find them. Whichever route you choose, be careful out there. You only get so many days in the game, spend them wisely. See you on the incoming.