New Jersey fishing reports
659 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Sea bass bite holds at Sandy Hook as fall run builds behind the nor'easter
NOAA's Sandy Hook tide station (8531680) logged 62.6°F at 1:24 p.m. Wednesday, with the next low tide due at 3:10 p.m. — the water is still holding late-summer warmth even as the fall pattern arrives. At Atlantic Highlands, Capt Ron's report describes fluke and sea bass fishing that was "game on right from the start to finish" through the boat's final days targeting fluke, with keepers, shorts and quality sea bass coming over the rail on every drift; fluke season itself closed statewide Friday the 25th, per The Fisherman — New Jersey edition. Sea bass is carrying the bite region-wide: Golden Eagle Fishing, sailing out of northern NJ, reports big sea bass turning up in the chum slick alongside slammers, bonito and albies, and Big Mohawk III is coming out of its annual refit to fish sea bass full time once the bag limit rises to 10 fish on October 1, per The Fisherman — Northern NJ. Grumpys Tackle's "Blues Are In" report and OTW Northern New Jersey both note bluefish and lingering false albacore still working the beaches, though OTW says this week's nor'easter has slowed the early fall push and striped bass haven't turned on in numbers yet.
Tog and weakfish turn on as fluke season closes on Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay's NOAA station 8537121 read 66.9°F this afternoon, with low tide due around 5:30 PM local under this week's Full Moon. The Fisherman's Southern New Jersey report has Higbee's Bait and Tackle seeing a mixed bag of bluefish and weakfish for anglers drifting small baits, while fish anchored on structure are finding tautog moving in heavy on sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers. The same report has Big Dave's Tackle noting weakfish building on soft plastics fished near the lighthouses, and Pier 47 Marina seeing striped bass feed hard after dark on staging peanut bunker and mullet around lighted docks and sod banks, with fish to 31 inches on paddletails, rubber shads and bucktails. Higher tides are producing the better numbers on that night bite.
Albies, Blues Linger at Jersey Shore as Striper Push Builds
NOAA's tide stations at Sandy Hook and Atlantic City are both reading water in the low 60s this morning, 62.2°F and 61.9°F, the clearest sign yet that the seasonal cooldown has taken hold along the Jersey Shore. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has strung together several solid days of fluke and black sea bass on the drift, with quality fish coming right around the tide change. Fishermans HQ LBI is finding bonita, false albacore and fluke stacked up on live peanut bunker off Long Beach Island, and Grumpys Tackle confirms bluefish have moved into the surf. OTW's Northern New Jersey report notes bluefish and false albacore still working the beaches even as last week's nor'easter took some steam out of the striper bite.
Fall run builds in Raritan Bay as sea bass, blues turn on
Water at Sandy Hook's NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680 read 62.4°F this morning. Per Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands, black sea bass have been running very good, with full-boat limits on calmer days, while fluke swung from a tough midweek bite to a strong all-day pick by Friday. Grumpys Tackle (NJ) reports blues are in along the beaches, and OTW Northern New Jersey's latest weekly note has fall-run striped bass improving alongside lingering bluefish and false albacore, even after a nor'easter briefly slowed things down.
Bluefish and sea bass surge as Jersey Shore fluke season winds down
Bluefish have arrived in force along the Jersey Shore, with Grumpys Tackle in Brick reporting blues are in and The Fisherman's Central New Jersey report noting anglers at Surf City Bait and Tackle connecting with multiple bluefish on metal near the jetties, a sign the fall bite is building. Black sea bass are matching that pace: Blue Chip Sportfishing calls the bite very good on half- and full-day trips, and Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has been boating beautiful sea bass on recent drifts even on tougher tide days. Fluke season is closing out on schedule, with Mary M IV and Miss Barnegat Light wrapping their fluke trips per The Fisherman's Central New Jersey coverage ahead of the season closing Friday, September 25, and Fishermans HQ LBI describing the surf mix as fluke, bluefish blitzes and moving mullet in its latest report. The fall run's first striper has also shown up: The Fisherman's Central New Jersey report notes an 8.15-pound, 29.5-inch bass taken on a plug and weighed at Jingles Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven. Water temps this morning sit at 62.8°F off Atlantic City and 61.2°F off Cape May, still mild for late September.
Night stripers and tautog turn on in Delaware Bay as storm clears
NOAA's CO-OPS station 8537121 logged 69.3°F early Saturday morning as the Delaware Bay's south Jersey shore holds onto late-summer warmth heading into the fall shift. The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports tautog have invaded the bay, per Higbee's Bait and Tackle, taking sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers with fish to 4 pounds coming aboard. The same regional roundup has Big Dave's Tackle noting weakfish showing for anglers drifting bait, with a soft-plastic bite building near the lighthouses. Pier 47 Marina, also cited there, describes striped bass hammering staged peanut bunker and mullet after dark in the Wildwoods back bays, with anglers scoring fish to 31 inches on paddletails, rubber shads, bucktails and Mag Darters — higher tides far outproducing low water.
Sea bass and albies turn on as nor'easter nears the Jersey Shore
Water temps at Sandy Hook are holding at 65°F under this week's full moon, and the fall transition is finally showing in the reports. New Jersey's fluke season closed Friday, per The Fisherman — New Jersey edition, but Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ and Blue Chip Sportfishing both describe sea bass action as excellent, with full-boat limits and quality fish on the rail. False albacore and bonito are still thick along the beachfront, per Fishermans HQ LBI's live-peanut-bunker bite and Grumpys Tackle's 'Bonito, Albies' report, with OTW Northern New Jersey confirming albies have joined bonito on the reefs. Bluefish are turning on too: The Fisherman — Central NJ has Surf City Bait and Tackle throwing metal into slammers, and The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf has Riptide Bait and Tackle putting tailor-to-chopper blues on mullet and bunker chunks.
Fall run builds at Sandy Hook as fluke season closes out
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680 read 64.4°F as of 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, still holding a late-summer edge as the fall transition gets underway around Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook. New Jersey's fluke season closed Friday, September 25, per The Fisherman — New Jersey edition's NJ/DE Bay Region forecast, and Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ made the most of the final stretch, reporting a hot last day with shorts, keepers, and quality sea bass mixed in after a slower midweek bite. Grumpys Tackle (NJ) says the blues are in, and OTW Northern New Jersey's latest report backs that up, noting lingering bluefish and false albacore working the beaches even as a nor'easter slowed the pace of the early fall run. The Fisherman — Northern NJ's boat reports echo it: Golden Eagle Fishing found slammer bluefish, false albacore, and big sea bass mixing into the chum slick before the storm, while captains on the Ol' Salty II and Miss Belmar Princess are watching for striped bass to push into northern waters as October nears.
Delaware River smallmouth and crappie ease into a fall pattern
Smallmouth bass fishing on the Delaware River near Riegelsville has picked up as river levels improved following last week's rain, according to this week's Fisherman NJ/DE Freshwater report from Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown, which also described lakes across lower Bucks County as 'on the verge of turning' for fall. Crappie fishing has already made that shift per Smith's Bait Shop, with anglers pulling stringers of good-sized fish on twisters fished under floats as water cools. The same regional report frames smallmouth bass as steadily improving through September, with walleye expected to start mixing into catches once October arrives.
Delaware Bay stripers turn on as fluke season closes
Water at NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121 near Cape May is holding at 69.8°F, still warm for late September, with the next high tide at 9:35 AM and next low at 3:58 PM local time. New Jersey's fluke season closes today, per The Fisherman (Northeast)'s NJ/DE Bay Region Fishing Forecast, which also flags a nor'easter moving through the area this week, though the local outlook turns mostly dry Friday and Saturday. On the bay itself, Higbee's Bait and Tackle (via The Fisherman — Southern NJ) reports a mixed bag for anglers drifting smaller baits, with bluefish and weakfish both in the mix, while Big Dave's Tackle notes weakfish building into a targeted bite for anglers throwing soft plastics near the lighthouses. Down the coast in the back bays, Pier 47 Marina reports stripers to 31 inches feeding hard at night around lighted docks and sod banks on paddletails, rubber shads, naked bucktails and Mag Darters, with the higher tides producing noticeably better numbers than low water.
Fall Bluefish and Striper Bite Build as NJ Fluke Season Closes
New Jersey's fluke season closes Friday, and Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ made the most of the run-up, calling a recent trip "game on right from the start to finish" with a strong mix of shorts and keepers. That closing bell is landing right as the fall run finally shows up. Grumpys Tackle (NJ) reports blues are in, and The Fisherman — Central NJ notes an angler working metal at Surf City has been connecting with multiple bluefish, "a sure sign that the fall bite is heating up." Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) describes bluefish blitzes mixing with the tail end of the fluke bite along a surf still running warm. At night, The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports striped bass feeding heavily on staging peanut bunker and mullet around lighted docks in the Wildwoods, with fish to 31 inches coming on paddletails, rubber shads, and Mag Darters, the bite strongest on higher water. Further up the coast, The Fisherman — Central NJ also logged the LBI Surf Fishing Classic's first striper weigh-in of the season, an 8.15-pound fish. NOAA CO-OPS readings this morning show 67°F and 63°F along the coast, still warm enough to hold false albacore in the mix per Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) and The Fisherman — Northern NJ.
Fluke closes out hot at Sandy Hook as blues take over the bite
Water temps at Sandy Hook sit at 65.7°F per NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680, still warm enough to hold summer patterns as the calendar turns toward October. The bigger story locally is timing: fluke season closes today, and Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands says the fishing went out with a bang, with "shorts, keepers and beautiful sea bass" filling the box after a short run to deeper water. Bluefish have turned on hard too — Grumpys Tackle reports "blues are in," and up the coast the Golden Eagle, per The Fisherman — Northern NJ, says the bite switched from artificials to bait, with good numbers of slammers plus bonito and albies mixed into the chum slick. Striped bass remain the quieter piece of the puzzle; The Fisherman — New Jersey edition calls the fall run stagnant so far, with water temps only easing slightly and little of the usual feeding urgency showing up yet.