New Jersey fishing reports
665 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Delaware Bay flounder stay hot as NJ season nears its close
Delaware Bay's flounder bite is holding strong heading into the season's final weeks. Higbee's Bait and Tackle reports customers boating limits to 23 inches, with the EP Tower and lighthouse-adjacent grounds consistently giving up keepers, while Big Dave's Tackle has anglers finding flounder, croakers and spot from the beaches out to the shipping channel. Structure fishing is picking up too — Big Dave's notes tog and sheepshead on green crabs and sand fleas around jetty rock, and over in Cape May, Hands Too Bait and Tackle has weakfish running 18 to 24 inches on floated bloodworms along bayshore piles, plus a kingfish and snapper bluefish push showing on the oceanfront. The Fisherman's DE/MD/Chesapeake report notes the NJ side of the bay closes flounder season September 25, so the current hot bite has a hard deadline — Delaware's side stays open through year's end. Full moon tides this week should push more bait, and more fish, onto the structure.
Sea Bass Stays Hot Off Sandy Hook as Bonito Push Into Raritan Bay
Sea bass are bailing out anglers even when fluke get stingy — Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ describes bottom that was "loaded with Sea Bass" on recent trips, with Pete from the Bronx topping the pool on a 4-pound 6-ounce fluke and Garry Karcer boating a 5-pounder mid-week, both against a backdrop of mostly short fluke and inconsistent drift. Just up the coast, Grumpys Tackle (NJ) and OTW Northern New Jersey both flag Spanish mackerel and bonito now mixing into the surf and inshore grounds, a sign the late-summer bait push has arrived. Fluking itself reads mixed: OTW Northern New Jersey calls it "a steady pick of keepers," while The Fisherman — Northern NJ notes area captains are already looking ahead to a strong September as sand eels stack up along the beach. Bluefin tuna remain a midshore coin-flip, hit or miss on the jig.
Delaware River smallmouth improve as Pine Barrens pickerel hold steady
Smallmouth fishing on the Delaware River is trending up heading into September, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater, where Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown calls the bite 'improving' and expects good live-lining if conditions hold. Largemouth bass remain dependable across regional ponds and lakes in the same report: Smith's Bait Shop describes good topwater action (plus snakeheads) around vegetation, while Dave's Sport Shop notes weedless plastics working similar cover at Lake Nockamixon. In the Pine Barrens' cedar-stained waters, Allen's Dock reports pickerel still taking killies, though recent heat has kept some anglers off the water and left the local pond bass bite picky. Panfish and perch stay active in spillways at Garrisons Lake, Massey Mills, and Silver Lake per Smith's Bait Shop, with more panfish coming from Galena and Towhee lakes. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle — check local flow and temperature before heading out.
Fluke grind holds as bonito and Spanish mackerel light up the surf
Fluke and sea bass are still carrying the Jersey Shore action as August winds down, though the bite has turned selective. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reported a tough fluke drift over the weekend with sea bass loaded on every drop and a 4.5-pound fluke taking the pool. Grumpys Tackle (NJ) notes warm water has pushed Spanish mackerel and bonito into range, with epoxy jigs producing. OTW Northern New Jersey's August 20 report confirms bonito and Spanish mackerel working the surf while ocean fluking holds a steady pick of keepers, though the midshore bluefin jig bite is hit or miss. Offshore, Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) is finding sharks, tuna, and mahi, and Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) is putting anglers on 25-40 lb bluefin within 30 miles of Barnegat Inlet. Striped bass remain quiet — The Fisherman — Northern NJ expects captains to pivot to stripers once fluke season closes.
Delaware Bay flounder limits stack up as tog bite fires at the jetties
Flounder fishing on the Delaware Bay side is running hot heading into the back half of the season, with Higbee's Bait and Tackle reporting customers boxing limits to 23 inches around the EP Tower and near the Cape May lighthouse. Big Dave's Tackle notes fish coming from the beaches all the way out to the shipping channel, and Pier 47 Marina says anglers are making the long run to the Old Grounds and Reef Site 11 for limits to 9 pounds as the season winds down, with Wildwood and Cape May Reef Sites also giving up fish closer to home. Structure fishing is strong too — Boulevard Bait & Tackle reports tautog really starting to pick up around jetties and back-bay bridges on green crabs, with sheepshead pushing toward 11 pounds at the same spots, a pattern Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May is seeing as well.
Sea Bass Loaded, Fluke a Grind Around Sandy Hook
Every drop is loaded with black sea bass along Sandy Hook Bay this week, but fluke are proving stingy — Capt. Ron out of Atlantic Highlands reports frustrating, short-heavy fluke drifts despite strong sea bass numbers on back-to-back weekend trips. Warm water pushing into the area has brought Spanish mackerel and bonito into range, with Grumpys Tackle recommending epoxy jigs for both, and On The Water's Northern New Jersey report confirms Spanish mackerel and bonito showing in the surf alongside a steady pick of keeper fluke offshore and a hit-or-miss midshore bluefin jig bite. NJ Fish & Wildlife notes the nearby Shark River WMA continues producing winter flounder, tautog, bluefish, summer flounder, and striped bass on hook and line. With the waxing gibbous moon building toward full, expect stronger tidal swings through the week — worth timing trips around the harder pushes for sea bass while you sort through fluke shorts.
Delaware River smallmouth trend up as Pine Barrens pickerel bite holds
Smallmouth fishing on the Delaware River is trending up heading into September, per Dave's Sport Shop's report carried in The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater, with the shop expecting the liveline bite to strengthen if conditions hold. Largemouth bass are showing at Lake Nockamixon on weedless plastics fished around vegetation, and Smith's Bait Shop notes early topwater largemouth activity plus snakeheads in the weeds, with perch and panfish stacking up in spillways at Garrisons Lake, Massey Mills, and Silver Lake. Down in the Pine Barrens' cedar waters, Allen's Dock describes the bass bite as picky but still producing, with chain pickerel coming on killies. Freshwater levels are holding good across the region, though recent heat has kept some anglers off the water. No live buoy or gauge readings came through for this cycle, so treat flow and temperature as unknowns until fresh data lands.
Sea Bass Stack Up While Fluke Frustrates Off the Jersey Shore
Every bottom drop out of Atlantic Highlands is loaded with sea bass right now, per Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ's latest Sunday report — the trouble is keeper fluke, which stayed frustratingly short despite power-drifting through several areas. That fluke-versus-sea-bass split is showing up shorewide: Grumpys Tackle (NJ) notes warm water pushing Spanish mackerel and bonito into range, with epoxy jigs the go-to lure, while Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) reports 25-to-40-pound bluefin tuna within 30 miles of Barnegat Inlet on trolled ballyhoo and live-jigged squid. Sand eels have held near Barnegat Inlet for nearly two months, with spearing, mullet, and peanut bunker now filling in behind them, per The Fisherman — Central NJ — bait signs multiple Northern NJ boats are reading as a good omen for September. Down south, back-bay tog and sheepshead are thick on green crabs and sand fleas, and Delaware Bay flounder stays strong with fish to 23 inches, per The Fisherman — Southern NJ.
Delaware Bay flounder stay hot as tog bite builds before the close
Delaware Bay flounder are running strong heading into the stretch run of the season, with The Fisherman's Southern New Jersey report quoting Higbee's Bait and Tackle on customers bringing home limits to 23 inches, best action around the EP Tower and areas near the Cape May lighthouse. The same report has Big Dave's Tackle noting plenty of flounder, croakers, and spot from the beaches out to the shipping channel, plus tog and sheepshead on structure for anglers working green crabs and sand fleas. Boulevard Bait & Tackle, also via The Fisherman, says tog fishing is picking up inshore around back-bay bridges and jetties, with keepers to 8 pounds and a sheepshead pushing near 11 pounds; Hands Too Bait and Tackle logged sheepshead over 10 pounds on the same baits. The Fisherman's Delaware/Maryland/Chesapeake report flags that the NJ side of Delaware Bay's flounder season is scheduled to close September 25, so anglers chasing a limit should plan trips soon. Croaker numbers are plentiful but running mostly sub-legal.
Sea bass load up in Raritan Bay as the fluke bite stays tricky
Capt. Ron out of Atlantic Highlands reports a sea bass bite so thick that "every drop was loaded with Sea Bass" this week, while fluke stayed stingy — mostly shorts with an occasional keeper, including John Juric's 4.5-pound pool-winning fluke on Saturday and Mustach Richie's 6-pound, 8-ounce fish earlier in the week. Grumpys Tackle (NJ) notes warm water has pushed Spanish mackerel and bonito into the mix, with epoxy jigs moving fast off the shelf, and OTW's Northern New Jersey report (Aug. 20) confirms Spanish mackerel and bonito working the surf alongside a steady pick of keeper fluke offshore, though the midshore bluefin jig bite is hit or miss. Sand eels are already staging along the coast, per The Fisherman — Northern NJ's headboat roundup, with several Belmar-area captains eyeing a switch toward striped bass once fluke season winds down. For now, sea bass is the most reliable box-filler in Raritan Bay and around Sandy Hook.
Pine Barrens pickerel and bass hold steady as pressure drifts to the coast
Largemouth bass are still turning on with early- and late-day topwater action across Delaware River tributary lakes and Pine Barrens ponds, per this week's The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater report, with Waretown Lake and Pohatcong Lake giving up bass to 3 pounds on poppers and buzzbaits. Chain pickerel remain a dependable producer in the region's cedar-stained waters, and campground ponds are still holding willing largemouth for anglers working weedless plastics. On the Delaware mainstem itself, smallmouth bass and catfish are described as hit-or-miss as the river settles into a late-summer pattern. Spillway panfish, crappie and white perch continue biting small jigs, with some lakes seeing suspended hybrids in 15 to 20 feet of water during evening hours. Overall freshwater pressure is light right now, the same report notes, largely because strong coastal fluke fishing has been pulling anglers toward the shore instead of inland lakes and cedar waters.
Fluke keeper ratio improving as croaker swarms fill Jersey Shore back bays
Fluke fishing is trending the right direction up and down the coast heading into the waxing gibbous late-August stretch. Miss Barnegat Light reports an improved keeper ratio with bucktails tipped in Gulp outproducing squid-and-spearing rigs, per The Fisherman — Central New Jersey, while Fisherman's Headquarters in Southern New Jersey says the keeper ratio gets better the further offshore anglers push, with Reef Site #11 and the Old Grounds producing the best results. Grumpys Tackle (NJ) notes warm water has pushed Spanish mackerel and bonito into the area, with epoxy jigs getting the call. Croakers are thick in the back bays and Delaware Bayshore per Hands Too Bait and Tackle, lighting up fishfinders on the outgoing tide. Offshore, Fishermans HQ LBI is finding bluefin tuna within 20-30 miles of Barnegat Inlet on live squid and trolled spreads. Sea bass continue filling in as a reliable mixed-bag option per Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ.