New Jersey fishing reports
254 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Sandy Hook Stripers Running Hot as Sea Bass Season Awaits Warm-Up
Water temps at NOAA buoy 44065 hit 55°F on May 19 — a meaningful rise from the 46–48°F readings that stalled sea bass bottom fishing earlier this month. The real headline is striped bass: The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf reports an angler at Sandy Hook tip landing a 'super slam' of bass, bluefish, fluke, black drum, and blackfish on a bobber-rigged live killie, while Bug Light has been yielding bass to 30 pounds on metal lip swimmers and Jersey Jellies. Blue Chip Sportfishing calls recent striper trips 'the best striper fishing possible.' The Raritan Bay striper bite has eased per OTW Northern New Jersey (May 14), with fish transitioning to the beaches. On the bottom, Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ and a string of party-boat captains via The Fisherman — Northern NJ report sea bass as scarce — ling are dominating the boxes while water temps finish their climb.
Oversize stripers and black drum firing along the Delaware Bay NJ shore
NOAA buoy 44009 is reading 59°F today, and the Delaware Bay (NJ side) is delivering some of the season's best inshore action. The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports Big Dave's Tackle calling fishing "firing on all cylinders," with oversize striped bass running 36 to 46 inches eating bloodworm, bloodworm ball, and clam rigs from bayfront beaches — a pattern echoed by Higbee's Bait and Tackle at Fortescue, where notably large fish have been the story all week. Black drum have joined the party, with Dockside Café and Marina customers landing fish to 15 pounds on clam baits. On the downside, Anthony Califano (via The Fisherman — Southern NJ) reports that persistent winds and cooler bay temps have kept flounder fishing frustratingly slow, and the newly opened black sea bass season has been sluggish at nearshore structure. The Fisherman (Northeast) confirms sea bass opened May 15; a warming trend heading into Memorial Day weekend should improve conditions on multiple fronts.
Stripers Running Hot Shore-Wide While Sea Bass Season Waits for Warmer Water
Water temperatures of 55–56°F (per NOAA buoys 44065 and 44091) are keeping the Jersey Shore's spring striper run firing coast-wide into the third week of May. Blue Chip Sportfishing describes the current bass action as "the best Striper Fishing possible," with fish on every trip. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf confirms fresh clam is the dominant daylight producer from Sandy Hook to the LBI beaches, while swim plugs and glide baits shine on the night shift. Black drum have entered the surf mix — The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports oversize fish to 46 inches from Cape May to Atlantic City eating clams and bunker. The newly opened sea bass season (check NJ state regs for current size and bag limits) is off to a rough start; captains speaking to The Fisherman — Northern NJ report ling dominating catches while sea bass run well below last year's pace. Everyone is eyeing the warmth forecast into Memorial Day weekend as a potential turning point.
Bass lock onto spawning beds as Delaware stripers and shad share the spotlight
Striped bass are running hard through the tidal Delaware River from Trenton south through Lambertville, with Old School Outdoors in Ewing reporting solid action that should hold into early June. American shad remain in the mix on the upper river but are expected to taper off around early June — anglers have a closing window on this migration. Largemouth bass are fully on spawning beds across area lakes and ponds, and Dow's Boat Rentals confirms crappie are schooling near bridges and pilings as they begin their transition toward summer haunts. Chain pickerel continue to hold in the cedar-stained Pine Barrens backwaters, consistent with late-spring patterns here. USGS gauge 01408000 on the Toms River clocked 26.8 cfs early this morning; The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater sources warn a dry stretch is pushing stream levels down regionwide, and smaller tributary fishing could tighten if rainfall stays absent through late May.
Sandy Hook stripers in full swing as the sea bass season sputters to life
Water temperatures measured at 55°F by NOAA buoy 44065 early Monday, and the striper bite around Sandy Hook is delivering. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf's Tackle Box report has Sandy Hook tip producing elevated action heading into Memorial Day weekend, including a standout multi-species session on bobber-and-live-killie rigs that turned up bass, bluefish, fluke, black drum, and blackfish in one outing — plus quality fish to 30 pounds on metal lip swimmers at Bug Light. Blue Chip Sportfishing is calling it "the best Striper Fishing possible." OTW Northern New Jersey's May 14 report confirmed the bite has shifted from Raritan Bay to the beaches, where momentum continues to build with bunker schools active throughout northern NJ waters. The new sea bass season (opened May 15) is a different story: Capt. Ron's Atlantic Highlands fleet is grinding ling with throwback sea bass in the mix, and The Fisherman — Northern NJ reports the Golden Eagle sees numbers well below last season's early-May pace.
Oversize Stripers Dominate Delaware Bay Beaches as Spring Push Peaks
Water temps at 58°F per NOAA Buoy 44009 put the Delaware Bay's NJ shoreline in a prime spring window, and the fish are cooperating. The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports Big Dave's Tackle calling the week 'firing on all cylinders' for striped bass, with oversized fish ranging 36 to 46 inches off the bayfront beaches on bloodworms, bloodworm balls, and clam. Higbee's Bait and Tackle at Fortescue backs that up with another stretch of oversize bass from the beaches. Black drum have entered the picture, with Dockside Café and Marina logging fish to 15 pounds on clam baits. Flounder has been the casualty of persistent winds; Tuckerton Bait and Tackle described 'whitecaps on the bay all week long' with dirty water limiting the bite — though early-morning anglers managed flounder limits to 20 inches on outgoing tides using live minnows and Gulp. The Fisherman (Northeast) notes black sea bass season opened May 15, giving bottom-fishers a fresh option as water warms.
Spring stripers dominate Jersey Shore as sea bass season sputters open
Water readings of 56°F from NOAA buoys 44065 and 44091 capture the mid-May state of the Jersey Shore: cold enough to hold striped bass locked in tight, but not yet warm enough to ignite sea bass or fluke. Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) calls the striper action 'the best Striper Fishing possible,' and Fishermans HQ LBI confirms fish are 'cruising the surf and feeding' from the island's north end to south end, with fresh clam leading the charge. The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports fishing is 'firing on all cylinders' along the Delaware Bayfront, with oversize stripers to 46 inches and black drum now mixing in on clam and bloodworm baits. NJ Fish & Wildlife News confirms black sea bass season opened May 15, but Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ and multiple Northern NJ party boats report the bite is essentially a no-show so far, waiting on warmer water. A Memorial Day warm-up is the swing variable poised to change that.
Tidal Delaware stripers running strong as shad season winds toward close
The tidal Delaware River is serving up solid striper action from the Trenton area south through Lambertville and into the tidewater reach, per Old School Outdoors in Ewing as reported by The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater. Shad remain in the mix but are expected to start winding down at the turn of June — making the next 10 days the prime window for targeting both species in the same corridor. USGS gauge 01408000 places the Toms River at a lean 25.8 cfs, consistent with the dry stretch Tackle World flagged: falling water levels are expected into June unless the region sees meaningful rain. Crappie fishing has been good across NJ lakes and ponds through the first half of May, with fish beginning to school up toward summer haunts around bridges and pilings. Largemouth are on the spawning beds. In the Pine Barrens cedar waters, pickerel remain active per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater. A warming trend rolling into Memorial Day weekend should nudge the overall bite upward.
Stripers On Fire at Sandy Hook While Sea Bass Season Opens Cold
Blue Chip Sportfishing is calling it "the best Striper Fishing possible" in the Raritan Bay area right now, and Sandy Hook is backing that up. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf reports one angler at the Hook tip landing a super slam — striped bass, bluefish, fluke, black drum, and blackfish — all on bobber-rigged live killies, while Bug Light has been producing bass to 30 pounds on metal lip swimmers and Jersey Jellies. Black sea bass season opened May 15 (12.5-inch minimum, 10-fish bag limit through June 21, per The Fisherman — New Jersey edition), but the launch has been sluggish: Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands found mostly ling with almost no sea bass in opening days, and captains on the Golden Eagle and Big Mohawk III told The Fisherman — Northern NJ that bass numbers are running well below last season's pace. Cold inshore water — holding in the 46–48°F range at the start of the season — is the main obstacle. A pronounced warming trend heading into Memorial Day weekend has bottom-fish optimists watching conditions closely.
Delaware Bay Stripers Running Hot — Black Drum Join the May Push
Water temps at NOAA buoy 44009 hit 60°F on May 18, and the NJ side of Delaware Bay is delivering some of the spring's best fishing. Big Dave's Tackle described conditions as 'firing on all cylinders,' with striped bass to 46 inches working bayfront beaches — bloodworms, bloodworm balls, and fresh clam are the top baits. Higbee's Bait and Tackle confirms the same out of Fortescue, reporting 'all oversize fish from 36 to 46 inches' this week, with bloodworm ball and spawn-net combos drawing strikes. Black drum have joined the mix, with fish to 15 pounds picking up clam baits in the bay per Dockside Café and Marina. Flounder action has been suppressed by persistent winds and cooler inshore bay temps, per Anthony Califano and Dockside Café and Marina reporting for The Fisherman — Southern NJ. New Jersey's black sea bass season opened May 15 with a 12.5-inch minimum and 10-fish bag limit, per The Fisherman (Northeast), giving offshore-ready boats another option heading into Memorial Day weekend.
Spring stripers peak along the Jersey Shore as sea bass season opens
Water temps of 56–57°F at NOAA buoys 44065 and 44091 are holding the spring striper run in rare form along the Jersey Shore. Blue Chip Sportfishing calls it the best striper fishing possible right now, and Fishermans HQ LBI rates current surf conditions "as good as it gets," with bass working every cut, bowl, and gutter along Long Beach Island. Fresh clam dominates the bite coast-wide per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, while glide baits and paddle tails are connecting during low-light hours per The Fisherman — Central NJ. Black drum have joined stripers on several beaches — Grumpys Tackle notes 15-to-30-pound fish eating fresh clams in the Seaside Park area. New Jersey's black sea bass season opened around May 15 (check current state regs for size and bag limits), but party-boat captains at Capt Ron's and the Golden Eagle — per The Fisherman — Northern NJ — report a slow opener as cold water keeps fish off structure.
Stripers Active from Trenton to Lambertville as NJ Bass Stack on Spawning Beds
Old School Outdoors, reporting to The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater, is logging good striper catches along the Delaware River's tidal corridor from Trenton down through Lambertville, with that action expected to hold into early June. USGS gauge 01408000 is reading a lean 25.8 cfs as of May 18, echoing the dry pattern Tackle World flagged in The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater: stream levels are falling and will need rain to sustain quality fishing in smaller tributaries. Largemouth bass are firmly on the spawning beds across local lakes and ponds — Dow's Boat Rentals and Tackle World both confirm bedding fish persisting through May and into early June. In the Pine Barrens, JB Kasper reports to The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater that pickerel are still active in the cedar-stained backwaters, crappie fishing has been good all month, and trout continue to bite in the D&R Canal. The shad run on the Delaware mainstem remains catchable but is entering its final weeks.