Above: More fluke are moving in every day according to the report from the Norma K III.
I hope everyone celebrated the 4th of July holiday by doing some type of water activity such as fishing, crabbing, or clamming. The tuna bite has been “epic” this past week as Lake Atlantic has been very cooperative in terms of inshore and offshore weather. There are still a good number of makos hitting baits in the 40- to 65-mile ranges, but the bite seems to be better the further North you go. The inshore Fluke bite has finally started to heat up as fluke are being caught with more regularity from our local wreck and reef sites. The bays have been pretty good for Fluke on the channel edges, but deeper areas should start to be targeted as the bay temperatures have pushed towards 80. There have been spotty reports of Blowfish in the bays and the tell-tale signs are “bird-beak sized” bites out of the Gulp intended for Fluke. The surf zones are pretty good for fluke, rays, kingfish during the day and some species of sharks during the night shift. July is off to a literal “bang” so hopefully we have a very strong month of good weather and great fishing!
Southern Jersey Fishing Report
Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant had decent fishing reports for anglers hitting the ocean for fluke. The Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reef sites have been giving up keeper Fluke on 1 to 3 oz bucktails tipped with 5-inch and 6-in Gulp Grub tails. The Manasquan River and Shark River have decent Fluke fishing and anglers working the channels edges are seeing more in terms of keeper Fluke. The Point Pleasant Canal and Route 35 Bridge have been good on short Striped Bass which have been hitting white or pink soft plastics. The party boats have reported good wreck fishing 6 to 15 miles out and decent quantities of Winter Flounder, Ling, and Sea Bass have been caught. The offshore Tuna bite was red hot on Yellowfin in the 80- to 100-mile range, while 40+ inch Bluefin have been hitting topwaters and trolled lures in the 40- to 60-mile areas.
Capt. Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach had some positive news on ocean Fluke from anglers stopping by the shop. The reef sites are starting to produce keeper Fluke as well as some of the sloughs along the beaches. The Manasquan River is still choked with fluke, although you have to weed through quite a few shorts to find keepers. The surf is giving up some small Striped Bass on the night-time incoming tides.
Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach reported a decent pick on keeper Fluke to 6 pounds and 2-fish limits of Sea Bass on the past few trips this week. The skipper notices that more fish are moving in every day, so it should only get better through July. Most of the keepers have been on Gulp and fresh bait combinations. The boat is sailing every day for fluke and bluefish trips are every Friday and Saturday night.
The MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant has been very busy running offshore Tuna trips and some has had some open-boat and charted wreck trips. The wreck trips have been very good on Winter Flounder, Ling, and Sea Bass with anglers getting limits of flatties and humpheads. Capt. Ken has a few Open-boat and charter dates available for wreck, Fluke, and Tuna, so don’t hesitate and give him a ring.
Jersey Hooker Outfitter in Brick reported Striped Bass hitting drifted eels at night or worked plastics around the bridges. Anglers targeting bass are hooking on the colder incoming tides in the deeper holes of the Manasquan River. Fluke are still biting good in the Manasquan River and inlet area on mackerel, spearing, or Gulp. The Axel Carlson and Sea Girt Reef sites are producing some keepers, but you must put a decent amount of time in. Yellowfin and Bigeye Tuna are still biting during the night at the canyons, and Bluefin Tuna are being caught in the 35- to 55-mile range.
Grumpys Tackle in Seaside Park reported big sharks have entered the surf zones during the night shifts. Brown and Sand Tigers are taking mackerel and bunker baits which give anglers a great fight. Just remember, these critters must be immediately released. During the day, the beaches of Seaside and Island Beach State Park are providing lots of good action on keeper sized Fluke and small 1- to 5-pound Bluefish. Most of the Fluke have been picked up on white or pink Gulp baits tipped on bucktails. Bluefish have been hitting small metals and small cut baits of bunker.
Lacey Marine in Forked River reported hit and miss Fluke action in Barnegat Bay with some boaters and kayakers doing well in shallow areas off the main channels. The BI to BB buoys have had their share of keepers and areas around the mid-island area of Long Beach Island have produced good numbers of Fluke. It is key to fish some of the cuts and mouths of smaller creeks along the mainland side of West Creek and Beach Haven West. The Tuna bite was pretty good offshore from the Lindy to the Baltimore canyon with some White Marline hitting baits as well. The shop has plenty of offshore tuna and shark gear in stock.
Super Chic in Barnegat Light has been busy hitting up some of the wrecks for 2-fish limits of Sea Bass and keeper Fluke. Capt. Ted will be running offshore for tuna as the bite continues to stay good for the next month.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported good crab action from the Barnegat Bay and areas just off the Barnegat Docks. There have been many keepers caught via traps and hand-lines. Fluking in the back-bay channels is going strong with an uptick on the amounts of keepers this past week. Anglers have started to pick up Fluke around the inlet and surrounding channels towards the commercial boats. The headboats have been hitting the Barnegat Light reef and reports of 20 keeper Fluke per trip have been reported. Offshore still has very good activity for tuna and shark.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported a decent back-bay fluke bite for anglers targeting the shallow cuts behind Ship Bottom south towards Beach Haven. Live minnows, Gulp, and fresh Peanut Bunker have been catching more of the keeper Fluke. Most keepers have ranged from 20 to 24 inches in these areas. The Long Beach Island surf has been good for fluke during the day and sand tiger sharks at night. There has been spotty activity on kingfish.
Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine had great weather the past week with light south winds to calm conditions most days which made for good back-bay Fluking. Some of the best areas have been deeper holes around the off-the-beaten path sedges. The surf has seen a good number of Kingfish, Brown, and Sand Tiger sharks. Rays have also been caught, but just be extremely cautious with their long, barbed tail.
Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported Flounder moving to the 10- to 12-foot depths in the back bays and most are being caught on the incoming tide. They have been biting on Gulp, minnows, ad mackerel. Kingfish have been hitting clam and bloodworms on the south end of Ocean City and there are Sheepshead around some of the pilings and bridges. There are some Striped Bass biting on the incoming tide in the surf and on eel at night along the bridges. The tuna are still hanging around the 30-fathom line on trolled Ballyhoo and spreader bars.
Peace Token Fishing Tackle in Cape May Courthouse reported good Fluke fishing from the Wildwood Reef and Delaware Reef Site 10. These same areas are also holding Sea Bass which anglers can easily box their two-fish limit. Anglers are getting into some keeper Fluke on the flats East of the Miah Maul Light. The surf bite is a little slow, but anglers are hooking up on Weakfish and Fluke around the early morning and sunset hours. A few kingfish have showed up and are hitting Bloodworms and FishBites.
Hands Too Bait & Tackle in Cape May reported some decent Flounder action in the back waters with fish up to 25 inches hitting worked bucktails tipped with minnow. On the oceanside, the Cape May and Wildwood reef sites have been producing their share of keepers, but you have to work the structure hard. The jetties and rockpiles are still holding some Weakfish which can be coaxed into striking with pink soft plastics or jigheads tipped with shedder crab. It’s a good idea to work bucktails around these same areas as big Fluke tend to hang around the rocks. The offshore fishing has been good in the canyons for tuna. The action has been steady from the Wilmington north to the Carteret on trolled spreader bars and ballyhoo.
Southern New Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this weekend will be for anglers to start targeting a lot of our artificial reef sites from Seaside to Cape May. The water is finally starting to get warm enough, so the fish are not as sluggish and will take a worked bucktail. 5-inch to 6-inch Gulp grubs have been working best for anglers in the bay and ocean, especially for keepers. The backwaters are still a viable option and anglers should begin targeting the 6- to 10-foot depths on the incoming tide. The surf zone has a variety of species from Sand Tigers to Kingfish and Fluke. If you want to work the beach night shift and get involved with a toothy critter, cast out Kingfish, Bunker, or Mackerel heads to entice the bite. Finally, offshore anglers should focus their efforts from the Carteret to the Wilmington canyon to boat yellowfin, bigeye, and some bluefin.