New Jersey fishing reports
659 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Bluefish blitzes and albies keep NJ coast busy as fluke season closes
Delaware Bay held at 74.7°F this morning at NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121, still carrying late-summer warmth into the fall transition. Along the adjacent NJ coast, Grumpys Tackle says blues are in, and Fishermans HQ LBI is calling this the final stretch of fluke season, with bluefish blitzes and albies mixing into the same trips off Long Beach Island. OTW's Northern New Jersey report backs that up, noting bluefish still running the beaches and fluke holding decent on the reefs with albies added to the mix. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands logged a run of fluke trips this week, swinging from a picked-over drift one day to steady keeper action the next, with pool fish running 6 to 7 pounds.
Early fall transition sets up Delaware River and Pine Barrens waters
The Delaware River and Pine Barrens waterways are moving into the early fall transition this week, with cooling water beginning to reshape how fish feed and where they hold. As surface temperatures ease down from summer highs, baitfish start schooling more tightly and predator species key in on those concentrations instead of spreading across open water. This is one of the more reliable seasonal cues freshwater anglers watch for in the Northeast, and it appears to be arriving on a fairly typical calendar this year.
Fall Run Kicks Into Gear as Blues and Albies Blitz the Jersey Surf
Water's running 71.8°F to 74.7°F across our tracked Jersey Shore stations, and bluefish are leading the fall push. The Fisherman — Northern NJ reports the Golden Eagle's bite "switched around big time" this week, with slammers mixing in alongside bonito and albies as the boat shifted from artificials to bait. Surf-side, The Fisherman — Central NJ has Surf City Bait and Tackle connecting with multiple bluefish on metal, "a sure sign that the fall bite is heating up," while The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf has cocktail-to-chopper blues at One Stop Bait and Tackle in Atlantic City hammering cut bait, mullet and metal off the jetties. False albacore are showing too: OTW Northern New Jersey has albies running the beaches alongside the bluefish, and Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) put anglers on bonita and albacore over live peanut bunker. Striped bass are just waking up — The Fisherman — Southern NJ has Pier 47 Marina seeing stripers to 31 inches feeding heavily after dark around lighted docks and sod banks on the higher tides, while The Fisherman — Central NJ logged the LBI Surf Fishing Classic's first striper weigh-in of the season via Jingles Bait and Tackle. Fluke season closes September 25, and Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ is finishing strong, with The Fisherman — Southern NJ reporting some of the thickest fish of the season coming out of the backwaters at Boulevard Bait and Tackle in the final week.
Bluefish and albie blitzes light up the surf at Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook's CO-OPS buoy read 72.1°F this afternoon, still summer-warm water that's keeping bait pinned tight to the beach and the fall transition on a slow simmer. OTW Northern New Jersey's Sept. 17 report has bluefish and albies running the beaches, with fluke holding decent on the reefs and only a week left in the season. Fishermans HQ LBI, working the surf south of the Hook, is finding the same pattern: live peanut bunker turning on albies, with bluefish blitzes cutting through the bait pushes. At Atlantic Highlands, Capt Ron's reports fluke fishing turning on hard on short runs into deeper water, filling out counts of shorts and keepers through the week.
Albies, bluefish keep NJ beaches busy as fluke season closes
Water at the Ship John Shoal station (NOAA CO-OPS 8537121) read 76.8°F early this morning, still holding summer warmth for Delaware Bay in late September. Along the broader Jersey Shore, false albacore are pushing through: Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) reports albies and bonito hitting live peanut bunker on light spinning gear, while Grumpys Tackle (NJ) and OTW Northern New Jersey both note albies mixed in with bluefish blitzing the beaches. Fluke are still producing on the reefs per OTW Northern New Jersey, though the season is winding down, and Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ has logged a mix of tough and productive drifts this week.
Fluke and albies keep the summer bite alive at Sandy Hook
Water temperatures at Sandy Hook are holding at 72.9°F (NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680), running warm for late September and keeping summer species active into the stretch run. Fluke are still producing: Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands worked the bay this week for a mix of shorts and keepers, calling the action strong with only days left before the season closes. Bluefish are in too, per Grumpys Tackle in NJ, and OTW Northern New Jersey's latest report has bluefish and false albacore running the beaches while fluke stays decent out on the reefs.
Fluke season winds down as bluefish and albies patrol the surf
Water held summer-warm off the Jersey Shore overnight, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8534720 reading 73°F and station 8536110 at 75.6°F. Fluke are finishing the season on a high note: Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ logged a season-best Friday after a short run to deeper water, with John Froelic topping the boat at eight fish, though the midweek bite was tougher against wind and tide. OTW Northern New Jersey reports only a week left in the fluke season on the reefs. Bluefish have arrived per Grumpys Tackle (NJ), and false albacore are working the beaches on live peanut bunker and jigs, per Fishermans HQ LBI and OTW Northern New Jersey.
Fall Turnover Approaches on the Delaware River and Pine Barrens
The autumnal equinox lands this week across the Delaware River corridor and Pine Barrens, and freshwater systems are moving into their seasonal cool-down. Overnight temperatures are dropping faster than daytime highs, a pattern that steadily lowers surface water temperature through late September and typically re-triggers more aggressive feeding in warmwater species as they put on weight ahead of winter. Flows in the Pine Barrens' cedar streams and the upper Delaware tend to stabilize this time of year after the late-summer draw-down, favoring steadier wading and drift conditions than August offered.
NJ fluke season winds down as blues and albies push through
Delaware Bay's tide gauge is still reading a summery 76.6°F, and the region's fluke anglers are working on borrowed time before the season closes. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ called last Friday "the last day of Fluke fishing for 2026" ahead of a rough weather stretch, while OTW's Northern New Jersey report still has fluke "decent on the reefs" with about a week left in the season. Grumpys Tackle NJ says blues are in along the coast, and Fishermans HQ LBI is finding albies mixed in with peanut bunker pushes along the surf and just offshore.
Fluke finish strong at Sandy Hook as the season winds down
Water at 74.7°F off Sandy Hook is holding onto summer, and Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands is riding that warmth into a hot close to fluke season, calling Friday's trip a stem-to-stern bite of shorts, keepers and "beautiful" sea bass after a slow midweek stretch. Grumpys Tackle in nearby Point Pleasant confirms blues have moved in, and OTW's Northern New Jersey report backs it up: bluefish and false albacore continue running the beaches while fluke fishing stays decent on the reefs, with only about a week left in the season. The Fisherman's Northern NJ boats add to the picture, Golden Eagle logging a "mad dog" bluefish bite on its hot days and Big Mohawk III pulling an 8-pound fluke for pool. NJ Fish & Wildlife's note on the nearby Shark River WMA lists bluefish, tautog, summer flounder and striped bass as the regulars for this stretch of Monmouth County water, a useful checklist for what's around even on a slower tide.
Fluke closes out strong as blues and albies run Jersey Shore beaches
Fluke are having their best week of the fall push right into the September 25 season close. Surf City Bait and Tackle landed a 27.75-inch, 7.05-pound doormat this week, per The Fisherman's Central New Jersey report, and Capt Ron out of Atlantic Highlands has strung together strong days on the drift, one trip "game on right from the start to finish" with shorts, keepers and Black Sea Bass mixed through the box. Blue Chip Sportfishing reports its Black Sea Bass charters filling limits on most trips this week. Grumpys Tackle confirms Bluefish are in along the beaches, and OTW Northern New Jersey has them running alongside False Albacore and bonito as bait pushes out of the back bays. Fishermans HQ LBI is seeing the same pattern on Long Beach Island, with anglers working live peanut bunker into steady albacore and bonita action after starting on jigs. Fin-Atics in Ocean City reports Weakfish to 18 inches in the surf on squid, bloodworms and soft plastics, per The Fisherman's Southern New Jersey report. The Central New Jersey report also notes the Tautog bite has slowed, with warmer-than-usual water the suspected cause. Water temps are running 74.5°F off Sandy Hook and 76.5°F at Cape May, still summer-warm for late September.
Delaware basin bass and crappie ease into the fall feed
Freshwater action across the Delaware River and Pine Barrens region is easing into its early-fall rhythm. At Bass River, Allen's Dock reports bass holding well in the local lakes now that the campgrounds have emptied out for the school year. Farther upriver on Lake Nockamixon, Dave's Sport Shop notes crappie suspended and feeding, with an evening bite building as the water continues cooling. On Lake Wallenpaupack, Capt. Pete Wagner of Hyper Striper Sportfishing says largemouth fishing is shifting into high gear as falling temperatures push bigger fish onto the feed ahead of winter.