New Jersey fishing reports
659 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Crappie bite kicks off as Delaware River corridor turns toward fall
The Delaware River corridor is sliding into its fall transition. Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown reports the river was "in better shape" near the Riegelsville section as September wound down, a sign of clearing, stabilizing flows heading into cooler weeks. To the south in the broader Delaware Bay freshwater system, Smith's Bait Shop says the fall crappie bite has already turned on, with anglers stringing up fish from the Nanticoke River on twisters fished under floats.
Fluke closes out as bluefish and albies push into the Jersey surf
Our reading has the water at 72.7°F this morning, still warm for late September, with low tide falling near 2:19 PM local. Fluke remain the headline along the Jersey coast, though the season is closing: OTW Northern New Jersey reports the reef bite still decent with only a week left, and Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has worked through slow drifts to quality fish, with the bite consistently turning on at the change of tide. Bluefish are pushing into the surf now too, per OTW Northern New Jersey, and Fishermans HQ LBI has been finding false albacore mixed with bonito on live peanut bunker fished off the beach.
Fluke season closes as false albacore and blues keep surf busy
NOAA's Atlantic City tide station (8534720) reads 65.3F this afternoon and the Cape May station (8536110) is running warmer at 69.4F, and Fishermans HQ LBI clocked the Ship Bottom surf at 75F Tuesday morning, confirming the Jersey Shore is holding onto summer warmth deep into September. That's kept the fluke bite alive in its closing days: OTW Northern New Jersey has fluke fishing decent on the reefs with only a week left in the season, and Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands reported a strong Friday session in deeper water after the shallows played out. Bluefish continue running the beaches per OTW Northern New Jersey, and false albacore have moved onto the reefs alongside them, with Fishermans HQ LBI working albies on live bait out of Long Beach Island and Grumpys Tackle confirming the same mix locally.
Fluke's final week meets a bluefish push at Sandy Hook
NOAA's Sandy Hook station (8531680) read 68.7°F this afternoon, with the next high tide due at 6:19 PM local, still warm enough to keep the late-season fluke bite alive. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands worked a mixed week: a tough drift on Wednesday, a picky Thursday, then a strong Friday session in deeper water with keepers mixed through the fleet, all before Saturday's forecast turns. Bluefish have pushed in as well: Grumpys Tackle reports blues showing up in numbers, and OTW's Northern New Jersey report has bluefish and false albacore running the beaches, with fluke still decent on the reefs there too.
Fall transition settles into the Delaware River and Pine Barrens
Late September marks the start of the fall transition across the Delaware River and Pine Barrens, as cooling nights begin breaking up the summer pattern that has held through August. Flows in Pine Barrens cedar streams typically firm up and clear this time of year, and baitfish start schooling ahead of the seasonal cool-down region-wide.
Tautog Move Onto Delaware Bay Structure as Fluke Season Nears Its Close
Delaware Bay held at 73°F this morning per our NOAA tide-station reading, still mild for late September, with the bay riding a near-low tide before the flood builds toward an 8:11 AM high. Higbee's Bait and Tackle, reporting through The Fisherman — Southern NJ, says tautog have moved onto the wrecks and reefs in numbers, taking sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers with fish to 4 pounds over the rail. Weakfish are showing too, with Higbee's and Big Dave's Tackle both noting fish on drifted bloodworms and Fishbites, and Big Dave's flagging a building soft-plastic bite near the lighthouses. Fluke remain catchable on the reefs, wrecks and ocean lumps, but New Jersey's summer flounder season closes September 25, per The Fisherman (Northeast), with a 13-pound doormat topping this week's board.
Bluefish, albies heat up as Jersey Shore fluke season winds down
Sandy Hook's NOAA tide station read 67.6°F this morning, with Cape May running warmer at 70.9°F, water still holding onto summer heat this late in September. Grumpys Tackle says the blues are in, and Golden Eagle's Capt. Rick Falcone told The Fisherman the bluefish bite 'switched around big time' toward bait, with slammers, bonito and albies mixing into the chum slick. Surf City Bait and Tackle reports anglers connecting with multiple bluefish on metal, calling it a sign the fall bite is heating up. False albacore are running too: Fishermans HQ LBI worked live peanut bunker into a mixed bag of bonita and albacore, and OTW Northern New Jersey confirms albies have joined bonito and Spanish mackerel on the reefs. South of the inlet, Pier 47 Marina reports striped bass feeding heavily around lighted back-bay docks, with anglers scoring fish to 31 inches on paddletails, rubber shads and Mag Darters, almost exclusively at night and better on higher tides. Fluke closes its season September 25, and Capt Ron's boat is sailing one more open trip before that window shuts. Tautog are waking up on bay structure per Higbee's Bait and Tackle, with tog to 4 pounds on sand fleas and green crabs, while weakfish stay a slower story per Big Dave's Tackle and Fin-Atics, both describing only an early uptick on soft plastics after dark.
Fluke bite stays hot before season close as blues and albies run NJ surf
Water off Sandy Hook is holding at 69.3°F this morning, still summer-warm for late September, with the next high near 6:04 AM and the next low around noon. Fluke are still producing hard in the run-up to New Jersey's summer flounder season close on September 25, per The Fisherman's NJ/DE Bay Region forecast. Capt. Ron out of Atlantic Highlands called Friday's trip "game on right from the start to finish," with shorts and keepers coming steadily on a short run to deeper water. Bluefish have turned on too: Grumpys Tackle says "Blues Are In," and OTW's Northern New Jersey report has bluefish continuing to run the beaches alongside False Albacore working the surf.
Delaware River rebounds as fall Crappie bite ignites
Delaware River conditions near the Riegelsville stretch turned a corner late in September, according to The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater, a welcome shift after a rough summer stretch on the mainstem. Elsewhere in the region, Crappie fishing has fully flipped into fall mode: the same report notes anglers stringing quality Crappie out of the Nanticoke River on twister jigs fished under floats, with the pattern building through the back half of September.
Tautog Move Into Delaware Bay as Fluke Season Winds Down
Delaware Bay's water held at 74.5°F this afternoon, with the next high tide due around 7:42 p.m. Tautog have moved into the bay in force, per The Fisherman — Southern NJ's Higbee's Bait and Tackle report, working sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers around structure for fish up to 4 pounds. The same report has bluefish and weakfish mixed into the bite. Big Dave's Tackle, also reporting from the bay, adds a growing weakfish bite on soft plastics near the lighthouses after dark.
Fall run builds as stripers hit lighted docks, albies fire off LBI
NOAA CO-OPS puts water at 69.8°F off Atlantic City (station 8534720) and 73.4°F off Cape May (station 8536110) this morning, still summer-warm for the third week of September. That warmth is keeping Fluke around right up against the close: The Fisherman — New Jersey edition notes the state's summer flounder season shuts down September 25, and Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ is still picking keepers on the deeper drifts with roughly nine trips left before the season ends. Fall's arrival is showing up loudest in the surf and back bays. The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports Striped Bass to 31 inches hammering peanut bunker and mullet around lighted docks and sod banks after dark, while The Fisherman — Central NJ logged the LBI Surf Fishing Classic's first striper weigh-in of the fall out of Beach Haven. Bluefish are thick behind them: The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf has chopper-class blues working mullet and bunker chunks in the Brigantine surf and tailor blues pushing into Strathmere and Sea Isle City, and The Fisherman — Northern NJ notes the bite switching from artificials to bait with good numbers of slammers. False Albacore are the standout this week — Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) is finding good numbers on jigs and live peanut bunker, and OTW Northern New Jersey confirms albies have joined the reef bite up north.
Fall bluefish and albies keep Sandy Hook busy as fluke season closes
Sandy Hook's NOAA CO-OPS station (8531680) read 70.7°F this morning, still warm for late September and helping stretch the summer species mix through Raritan Bay. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands closed out a strong Friday, with shorts, keepers, and sea bass coming steadily once the boat moved to deeper water, though Wednesday and Thursday fished tougher with a picky bite. New Jersey's summer flounder season closes September 25, per The Fisherman — New Jersey edition, so this is close to the last window for a local fluke limit. Grumpys Tackle reports blues are in, and OTW Northern New Jersey's latest report has bluefish and false albacore still running the beaches while the tuna bite slows offshore. The Fisherman — Northern NJ's Golden Eagle switched from artificials to bait for bluefish and is finding bonito and albies mixed into the chum slick, a pattern local captains expect to hold into October.