Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
It’s another wild ride this week, with air temperatures hitting triple digits while south winds cranked and cooled bottom temperatures across some of South Jersey’s fluke grounds. Cape May, Ocean City, and areas from the Axel Carlson Reef site north are giving up much better keepers than the reef sites off Long Beach Island and Brigantine. The action has been good in these areas, but mostly a lot of short sea bass and fluke. Bay action was hampered by a few days of heavy winds, with the water turning pretty dirty and slowing the bite.
Sheepshead are fairly plentiful at the bridges from Brigantine to Cape May, and live fiddlers have been the best baits when tipped on very light tautog jigs. The home run for anglers has been the yellowfin action at the canyons—the bite has been so good that most boats making the long run are hooking up. It’s the halfway point of July, we’ve already had the MLB All-Star Game, so get out there and enjoy some quality time on the water before summer wraps up.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River said there have been some nice-sized bluefish taken on the beaches of IBSP, as well as both sides of Barnegat Inlet on the incoming tides. The surf is also producing some quality fluke up to 5 pounds on bucktails and Gulp. Crabbing has been exceptional along parts of the western Barnegat Bay.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said it’s been a slow go for fluke action in the bay and oceanfront this past week, with the Barnegat Light Reef having the best action on shorts and sea robins. Keeper fluke have been a slow pick for most, regardless of what baits they are drifting in both the ocean and bay. Yellowfin action has been red hot at the canyons, especially the Toms and Hudson. Midshore lumps are producing sporadic bluefin here and there, but it’s been a bit slow. Inlet-wise, the bite has been hot on large bluefish, with an occasional striped bass on the incoming water. The shop did let me know they weighed in a 10-pound fluke caught in the ocean, according to the angler.
View this post on Instagram
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown lit up the bay fluke action over the past week, with charters boxing 3 to 8 keepers up to 24.5 inches. The action has been in a four-hour time frame, and numbers of shorts have ranged from 33 to 83. The new moon will narrow the bite window and slow the action, but hopefully the ocean picks up, as the skipper has quite a few ocean trips this upcoming week. The captain did fish with his sons this past week after a charter and boxed 2 keeper fluke to 23 inches and a lone keeper weakfish.
- Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in New Jersey
The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light has been working the ocean wrecks and reefs for fluke over the past week. Action has been steady, with a good amount of short fluke, while the keepers have been a little harder to find. There are lots of little sea bass around, as well as some ling.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor Township said the shop was busy early in the week, as the yellowfin bite has been on fire at the canyons. In addition, the recent Jimmy Johnson Tournament out of Atlantic City has offshore gear and tackle flying off the shelves. Inshore fishing was solid on the wrecks and reef sites, with Gulp and squid strips working best on keeper fluke. Anglers working the bays are finding a mix of keepers and shorts, but the recent winds have the water pretty churned up. The surf from Brigantine to Ocean City has been active with fluke during the day, and the nighttime shark bite has been excellent.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point has some hot baits for sheepshead from the bulkheads, piers, and bridges. The flounder action in the bay has been fairly good, with some solid fish up to 5 pounds caught this week. The ocean reefs and wrecks are producing keepers on Gulp and strip baits. Crabbing has been exceptional along the bay marshes on both traps and hand-lines.
Waterfront Marine in Somers Point reported the wrecks are giving up some larger fluke when the weather cooperates. The Ocean City Reef has been producing both short and keeper fluke. Sean from the shop was busy chasing tuna, as he’s fishing in the Jimmy Johnson Tournament out of Atlantic City.
Captain Brian Williams of Badfish Charters in Ocean City said the winds have wreaked havoc on the water clarity, with turbid conditions over the past few days. The bay is holding some keeper flounder, as are the ocean reef sites. There are lots of sea bass out there, but you have to pick through a bunch to find a keeper. The action has been solid though, as there are plenty of shorts to play with. Hopefully, the wind calms down and the better bite he had been on returns. The skipper has some openings, so give him a call or text for availability.
Captain Joe Hughes of Jersey Cape Guide Service in Sea Isle City had decent flounder action this week, but the skipper said finding keepers has been very tough in the bay. The ocean is producing more keepers, but fewer fish overall. Inshore sharking has been improving, and the crew had spinner sharks to 150 pounds on flies and bait. There have been some large sandbar sharks, small hammerheads, and brown sharks in the mix as well.
The Cape May and Fortescue areas had a solid bay flounder bite in Delaware Bay and at some of the oceanside reef sites. The ocean reefs are producing some excellent-sized keepers up to 8 pounds with regularity. The back-bay action has been slower on keepers, but there are a decent number of shorts around. Sheepshead are fairly abundant, with some nice weigh-ins this past week at multiple shops from Fortescue to Wildwood. There are plenty of croakers, cocktail blues, and small weakfish around to keep anglers busy in the surf. Offshore action has been “red hot” on yellowfin tuna, with the bite going strong in some of the canyons north of the Baltimore.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for the weekend will be to work the coastal wrecks and reef sites for keeper fluke with Gulp and bucktails. There are a fair number of short sea bass and fluke on the wrecks, so have plenty of baits. The bay may not be a bad option, depending on the water clarity. If you’re looking to find a few sheepshead, “grab the crab” and head for some of the local bridges. These are fantastic fighting fish, and most areas are loaded with them. Offshore anglers will want to hit the canyons to cash in on the yellowfin bite, and hopefully some additional pelagics will be in the mix. Last, if you’re a land-based fisherman, the inlets are alive with a variety of species. Bluefish, sheepshead, fluke, and even some triggerfish are being landed. Get out there and enjoy it! Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!