New Jersey fishing reports
657 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Fluke and sea bass carry the Jersey Shore bottom bite
Bottom fishing is doing the work on the Jersey Shore this week. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands landed several fluke up to four pounds on a recent all-day charter alongside a strong sea bass bite, and Blue Chip Sportfishing reports both species being caught on its half-day and full-day trips. Water is holding in the mid-60s, 64.8°F at the Sandy Hook CO-OPS station and 65.8°F at Cape May, comfortable enough to keep fish feeding through the fall transition.
Sea Bass and Fluke Keep Producing Ahead of the Fall Run
Water temperature at the Sandy Hook tide station read 63.1°F this afternoon, still comfortable water that's been carrying the Raritan Bay bottom bite through early October. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands reports steady bottom-fishing trips this week, with Sean Pearl and Catskill John each taking the boat pool on 2-pound class sea bass, and Saturday's charter producing fluke up to four pounds. Blue Chip Sportfishing, working the mid-shore grounds, calls sea bass charters 'very good' with full boxes most trips, and fluke and sea bass continuing to fill out half and full-day trips. Grumpys Tackle in Ocean County has its bucktail inventory on sale ahead of the fall run, with the Barrier Island Beach Brawl surf tournament running this weekend, October 9-10.
Delaware River, Pine Barrens Ease Into Fall's Prime Feeding Window
The Delaware River and Pine Barrens freshwater fisheries are settling into the early fall transition this week, with the October 9 new moon landing right as nights continue cooling across the region. Statewide, boaters should also note NJ Saltwater Fisherman's reminder that New Jersey's new mandatory PFD rule for vessels under 26 feet takes effect November 1, a regulation that applies on Delaware River stretches as well as the coast.
Tautog bite builds on Delaware Bay jetties as bass feed the tides
Delaware Bay water sat at 66.6°F this morning per NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121, mild enough to keep the fall bite stacking up along the jetties. Big Dave's Tackle, reporting through The Fisherman — Southern NJ, says the bay saw a little action this week, with sheepshead and tautog coming off the Cape May Jetties on green crabs and sand fleas, while the open bay stayed quieter with only scattered weakfish, spot, and croakers away from structure. Structure is clearly outproducing open water right now. South along the surf, One Stop Bait and Tackle, via The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, says the tautog chew on the AC Jetty rocks picked back up as soon as last weekend's storm passed, with keepers to 4 pounds on sand fleas, and striped bass are hitting mainly at night in the same stretch. Jingles Bait and Tackle reports tautog to 3 pounds off the rockpiles near Beach Haven, also on sand fleas. In Cape May, Hands Too Bait and Tackle says the bite bounced back well post-storm: weakfish of quality size in Wildwood on pink Zooms and bucktails, smaller bluefish mixed through at 1 to 3 pounds, and stripers feeding heavily on the back bay sod banks.
Tautog bite heats up as fall striper push builds along the Jersey Shore
Water temperatures are holding in the mid-60s at both NOAA CO-OPS stations covering the Jersey Shore — 65.1°F at station 8534720 and 66°F at station 8536110 — and tautog are carrying the week's action. The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports tog chewing again on the AC Jetty rocks on green crabs and sand fleas now that last weekend's nor'easter has passed, with keepers running to 4 pounds. The Fisherman — Central NJ says the tog bite continues to produce around Barnegat Light on the same baits. Striped bass are mixing in well behind the storm: The Fisherman — Southern NJ has schoolies to 22 inches on soft plastic jerk baits off the bridges and stripers working deep into the back bays on spook-style lures and paddle tails, while The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf has bass from schoolie size to 33 inches hitting hard and soft plastics at night off the Atlantic City jetty rocks. The Fisherman — Northern NJ reports bluefish slammers turning on once the post-storm bite settled, and Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) is still finding bonita, false albacore, and fluke on live peanut bunker.
Fall-run stripers light up the Sandy Hook jetties
Water held at 63°F off Sandy Hook this morning, and the inlet action is finally catching up with the calendar. Fisherman's Den, in this week's The Fisherman — Northern NJ report, says striped bass are moving in and out of the inlet with the tides, with quality fish coming off the jetties on live eels and surfcasters picking up mixed-size bass on eels and plugs. OTW Northern New Jersey's October 8 report backs that up, noting better news on the striper front as the fall run starts to percolate. Bottom fishing has stayed productive through the stretch: Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ put a full boat on sea bass dinners this week, with keeper fluke to 4 pounds mixed into a recent charter. The Fisherman — Northern NJ's Golden Eagle report adds bluefish once anglers found the slammers, and Fisherman's Den says green crabs are drawing blackfish around the jetties.
Delaware River smallmouth, crappie bite build as Pine Barrens cools
Smallmouth bass and catfishing remain good on the Delaware River from Lambertville north, per Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown, as fish settle onto structure with the water's fall cool-down. Panfish action is rounding into shape too: Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic reports decent numbers of crappie and panfish out of Garrisons Lake, Massey Mills, Silver Lake and Lums Pond, coming out of dam spillways on small jigs tipped with plastics, Gulp, or minnows. Dave's Sport Shop adds a decent evening crappie bite at Lake Nockamixon as fish suspend in 10 to 20 feet of water. Recent rains have put local ponds and lakes in better shape overall. Toward the Pine Barrens' tidal fringe, Allen's Dock reports perch and a few striped bass showing above the tide line in the Mullica River, with pickerel working on minnows in the nearby cedar waters.
Delaware Bay stripers feeding hard as fall transition kicks in
Delaware Bay's water held at 66°F this morning per NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121, a reading that sits right in the band that typically kicks the fall striper push into gear. The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports that anglers working the bay this week, per Big Dave's Tackle, mixed stripers in with tautog, with green crabs and sand fleas producing tog off the Cape May jetties; the open bay away from structure stayed quieter, with only scattered weakfish reports. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf carries word from Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May that striped bass "really got on a good feed" along the back-bay sod banks once the weekend nor'easter cleared out, with quality weakfish also hitting in Wildwood on pink Zooms, bucktails and even bloodworms. Small bluefish in the 1- to 3-pound class are mixed into that bite, and the tautog chew remains active around the jetties, though keeper-size fish take some sorting.
Tautog and sea bass fire up as Jersey Shore digs out from the nor'easter
Water temps are steady at 64°F at NOAA CO-OPS stations 8534720 (Sandy Hook) and 8536110 (Cape May), and the Jersey Shore bite has sorted itself back out since last week's nor'easter pushed through. Tautog is the standout right now. Surf City Bait and Tackle and Jingles Bait and Tackle both report solid tautog out of Barnegat Light on green crab, per The Fisherman — Central NJ, while tog to 3 pounds are coming off the Barney Inlet rockpiles on sand fleas, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, and One Stop Bait and Tackle has blackfish keepers to 4 pounds off the Atlantic City jetties on green crabs and sand fleas, per The Fisherman — Southern NJ. Black sea bass is just as consistent. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ called the bite "very good all day" with keepers for everyone aboard, and the Mary M IV put together a 20-fish haul over the weekend, per The Fisherman — Central NJ. Striped bass are spread through the back bays and surf. Pier 47 Marina has fish feeding most nights on spook lures and soft plastics, One Stop Bait and Tackle is seeing stripers to 33 inches at night on plastics near Atlantic City, and Fin-Atics is finding schoolies to 22 inches on soft plastic jerk baits around the bridges, all per The Fisherman — Southern NJ. Bluefish are mixed into the surf too, with Fin-Atics in Ocean City finding a wave of 2- to 3-pound blues hitting metals at Corson's Inlet, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf. Fluke are still coming over the rail: Capt Ron's charter boated several up to 4 pounds Saturday, and Blue Chip Sportfishing is putting anglers on fluke on half- and full-day trips. Down in Cape May, Hands Too Bait and Tackle reports quality weakfish in Wildwood on pink Zooms, bucktails, and bloodworms, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf.
Fall striper push reaches Sandy Hook as sea bass bite stays steady
Water at Sandy Hook is sitting at 62.2°F this morning per NOAA CO-OPS station 8531680, right in the window that's finally waking up the fall run. The Fisherman — Northern NJ reports bass moving in and out of the inlet with the tide at Fisherman's Den, with live eels doing the damage on jetty fish and surfcasters picking up mixed-size bass on eels and plugs. Bluefishing turned on too — the Golden Eagle found slammers once they located them, per The Fisherman — Northern NJ. On the bottom, Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands is running steady sea bass trips with everyone going home with dinner, and has shifted to a 7 AM–2:30 PM sailing time, open boat with no reservations needed. Blue Chip Sportfishing lists fluke and sea bass both producing on half- and full-day trips. Tautog are chewing too, with green crabs doing the trick at Fisherman's Den.
Delaware smallmouth and Mullica stripers both holding steady
Local USGS gauges are reading 56°F to 63°F this week with flows holding low and stable, 13.6 to 40.5 cfs, classic early-October base flow with no recent rain bump. On the Delaware River, Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown reports continued good smallmouth bass fishing from Lambertville north. Down in the Pine Barrens drainage, Allen's Dock reports striped bass still being caught above the tide line in the Mullica River, with water levels settling after flooding from last week's nor'easter.
Sea bass bite stays hot as NJ's fall striper run begins
Water on the bay reads 66.7°F per NOAA CO-OPS station 8537121, still mild enough to keep the black sea bass bite rolling that's been running hot up and down the Jersey coast. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has logged good-to-very-good sea bass fishing on back-to-back trips this week, with anglers filling out and a 2.5-pound fish taking the pool on Friday; Fluke up to 4 pounds also came aboard on one recent bottom-fishing trip. Grumpys Tackle has its bucktail inventory on sale specifically for what it calls perfect timing to stock up for the fall run, and Anglers Journal's latest dispatch frames this stretch of October as the heart of the Northeast's fall migration, when striped bass push south ahead of shortening days. Together the reports point to the same seasonal hinge: sea bass holding steady on bottom structure while the first waves of migratory stripers start to show.