New Jersey fishing reports
659 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Fluke's final days share the stage with albies and blues in NJ
Delaware Bay is still running warm at 77.9°F per this morning's NOAA CO-OPS reading at station 8537121, a sign the region hasn't fully tipped into its fall pattern yet even as fluke season's final days tick down. Fluke remain the mainstay: Fishermans HQ LBI is mixing fluke with bluefish blitzes on Long Beach Island, while OTW Northern New Jersey reports fluke fishing decent on the reefs alongside false albacore and bluefish working the beaches. Grumpys Tackle is seeing a similar mix of albies and fluke this week. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands notes fluke action holding steady on recent trips, with a mix of shorts and keepers.
Fluke season winds down as albies and bluefish patrol NJ beaches
Water temp at the Sandy Hook CO-OPS station is holding at 76.6°F this morning, running warm for mid-September. Per OTW Northern New Jersey's September 17 report, bluefish and false albacore continue working the beaches while fluke fishing stays decent on the reefs with only a week left in the season. Fishermans HQ LBI's September 16 report similarly noted bluefish blitzes and albies feeding along a surf still holding onto summer warmth. Out of Atlantic Highlands, Capt Ron's has posted a mixed fluke bite day to day this week, with pool-winning keepers still coming over the rail on deeper-water drifts once the tide turned.
Bluefish blitzes and albies keep NJ surf active as fluke winds down
NOAA CO-OPS gauges are reading 74.7°F and 76.6°F along the Jersey Shore today, matching the 75°F surf Fishermans HQ LBI measured at Ship Bottom this week, warm water for mid-September that has kept the late-summer bite going. Fishermans HQ LBI's September 16 report has bluefish blitzes working the surf alongside moving mullet and pompano, and OTW Northern New Jersey's September 17 update puts false albacore and bluefish running the beaches while fluke fishing stays decent on the reefs with only a week left in the season. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has been grinding out fluke on a tough, tide-dependent bite through midweek, with better catches coming as the tide turned.
Early Fall Transition Settles Over Delaware River, Pine Barrens
The Delaware River and Pine Barrens freshwater fisheries are moving into the early fall transition this week, with shortening days and cooling overnight air nudging fish activity toward the early morning and late afternoon windows. This is the seasonal turn New Jersey freshwater anglers watch for: baitfish begin shifting toward structure and current breaks, and fish follow, making location and timing more important than any single presentation this time of year.
Delaware Bay doormats stack up as NJ's fluke season winds down
Flounder are the story on the New Jersey side of Delaware Bay this week, with Big Dave's Tackle reporting keepers to 20 inches around EP Tower on live minnows, plus steady spot and croaker action and even a few black drum to 12 pounds on clam baits. Hand's Too Bait and Tackle notes the deeper wrecks and reefs, especially the Old Grounds, are producing quick early-morning limits to 6 pounds alongside sea bass and triggerfish. Along the bayshore beaches, Hand's Too also reports weakfish up to 24-25 inches mixing with croakers and kingfish in the surf, while sheepshead to 8 pounds are coming off structure on sand fleas. Timing matters here — per The Fisherman (Northeast), New Jersey's summer flounder season closes September 25, and a 13-pound Delaware Bay doormat is currently topping the region's leaderboard. Fish the tail end of the fluke run before the close.
Bonito and albies push toward Sandy Hook as fluke season winds down
Fluke fishing around Sandy Hook and Raritan Bay is holding through the final stretch of the season, though it's grinding for it. Capt Ron out of Atlantic Highlands has logged tough drifts this week — thin tide, picky bites — but pool fish have still come over the rail, including a 6-pound, 13-ounce keeper and a string of 6-pounders on the better days. Per The Fisherman — New Jersey edition, summer flounder season statewide closes September 25, so this is the closing window for legal fluke. Meanwhile Grumpys Tackle (NJ) is reporting bonito and albies mixing into the fluke bite this week, a sign the fall push of small tunas is working toward the bay. Striped bass remain a background player for now — NJ Fish & Wildlife's Shark River WMA notes list them among resident species nearby, but nothing suggests a bite has turned on. Bluefish are around in modest numbers on the neighboring Monmouth County boats.
Fluke season winds down as bonito and albies light up NJ beaches
Long Beach Island's surf held at 75°F this week per Fishermans HQ LBI — unusually warm for mid-September and enough to keep late-summer species stacked up as fall arrivals move in. Fluke remain the story up and down the coast: Surf City Bait and Tackle landed a 7.05-pound doormat, Boulevard Bait & Tackle and Fin-Atics report keepers mixed with plenty of shorts in the back bays, and The Fisherman's Central NJ desk notes fluke fishing improving through the week — timely, since NJ's summer flounder season closes September 25 per NJ Fish & Wildlife News. Bluefish are running hit-or-miss, per Capt. Al Shinn of the Miss Belmar Princess, while Fin-Atics in Ocean City had a surprise Spanish mackerel blitz hit Longport Pier. Bonito and albies are pushing in strong on light tackle, per Fishermans HQ LBI and Blue Chip Sportfishing, with triggerfish and tog holding tight to structure.
Pine Barrens pickerel stir as Delaware River smallmouth bite at dusk
Chain pickerel are stirring in the tannic, cedar-stained waters of the Pine Barrens, with Allen's Dock on Bass River — via The Fisherman's NJ/DE Freshwater report — noting fish taking both live killies and artificials as summer water temps ease off. Perch are active in the nearby tidal stretches, and local pond largemouth are holding steady now that Labor Day crowds have thinned. Up toward the Delaware River near Doylestown, Dave's Sport Shop reports Lake Nockamixon has cooled into the low-to-mid 70s, with hybrids, bass and crappie suspended 10 to 20 feet down and an evening crappie bite just starting to build; smallmouth on the Delaware itself are producing best in the final hours of daylight. Closer to the bay, Hands Too Bait and Tackle points anglers to Ponderlodge inside the Cox Hall Creek Wildlife Management Area — spotlighted this week by NJ Fish & Wildlife — for catfish on cut bunker and steady panfish action.
Fluke Finale and Albie Push Mark the Sandy Hook Run
Capt. Ron out of Atlantic Highlands says fluke fishing stayed strong into the tide change this week, with angler Dennis boating a 4.5-pound flattie to take the boat's pool as anglers limited out with their three-fish bag before the fluke season winds down (per Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ). Regionally, the pattern lines up with what shops are reporting up and down the Jersey coast: Grumpys Tackle says bonito, albies, and fluke are all producing, and the OTW Northern New Jersey report notes albies have now joined bonito and Spanish mackerel working the reefs while fluke action stays consistent and the tuna bite goes spotty. Sea bass charters are also cashing in - Blue Chip Sportfishing reports trips getting limits for the whole boat, plus a stretch of shark action including released mako. Expect a fast-closing fluke window and a strengthening albie bite as water cools into fall.
Bonito and albies keep LBI and North Jersey hot into fall
Warm surf water is holding the late-summer bite together up and down the Jersey Shore. Fishermans HQ LBI clocked 75°F on the Ship Bottom surf this morning (Sept 16) and is still running bonita, albacore, and fluke on live peanut bunker, while Hi Flier open boats out of LBI report big bonita and albacore plus 27-30 inch bluefin on light spinning gear working 30-45 miles offshore. Up north, On The Water's Northern New Jersey report (Sept 10) has albies joining bonito and Spanish mackerel on the reefs with fluke action steady, though the tuna bite is described as spotty. Fluke remains a mainstay closer to shore too — Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands is still boating quality doormats on half-day and full-day sailings. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge data came back for this cycle, so treat the surf-temp figure as shore-reported rather than instrument-verified.
Fall transition nears as fluke season winds down in NJ
No buoy or gauge readings came back for the Delaware Bay stretch today, so this report leans on angler intel from across the Jersey Shore. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands is calling it 'the last of the Fluke season,' with a drift-dependent bite that turned on around the tide change and produced several limits despite tough conditions early. Down the coast, Fishermans HQ LBI is seeing bluefish blitzes and moving mullet on the surf as September cools things off, and On The Water's Northern New Jersey report has albies, bonito, and Spanish mackerel mixing with steady reef fluking plus a scattered bluefin bite midshore. None of these reports come from the Bay side specifically, but the same fall shift — cooling water, bait pushing out of the back bays — typically reaches Delaware Bay on a short lag. NJ Fish & Wildlife is still collecting summer flounder and black sea bass data as the season closes out; check current state regs before keeping anything.
Delaware River and Pine Barrens bass ease into fall mode
Water temperatures across the Delaware River and Pine Barrens region are entering their typical mid-September slide, and that cooling trend is usually what kicks largemouth and smallmouth bass into harder pre-fall feeding. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for this stretch in this cycle, so we don't have hard numbers to report today. None of this week's angler-intel feeds carry direct reports from Delaware River or Pine Barrens waters — coverage this cycle skewed almost entirely to the Jersey Shore's bonito, albie, and fluke action from captains and shops between Atlantic Highlands and Cape May. For local freshwater anglers, expect the season's usual script: largemouth and smallmouth bass keying on baitfish along current breaks, chain pickerel staying aggressive in the weedier cedar-water stretches typical of the Pine Barrens, and catfish holding steady after dark. Confirm current flow and any seasonal harvest regulations locally before heading out.