New Jersey Fishing Reports

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.

May 19

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.

May 19

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.

May 19

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.

May 18

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.

May 18

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.

May 18

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.

May 18

NOAA buoy 44009 put Delaware Bay water temperature at 58°F on May 18, placing conditions squarely in the prime spring window. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf reports a "phenomenal week" of surf fishing across NJ beaches, with a surprise wave of black drum mixing into the striper bite along the surf and bayfront. Per The Fisherman — Southern NJ, Boulevard Bait & Tackle confirmed a 51-inch bass from the surf and black drum to 38 inches eating fresh and salted clams; Fin-Atics added back-bay flounder to 20 inches on live minnows and strip baits. New Jersey's black sea bass season opened May 15 with a 12.5-inch minimum and 10-fish bag limit through June 21 — verify current state regulations — per The Fisherman (Northeast). With today's new moon, The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf flags tidal windows as prime for weakfish along bay and inlet edges, a Delaware Bay specialty worth targeting before this window passes.

May 18

Water temps at NOAA buoys 44065 and 44091 sit at 54–55°F as of Monday morning, providing the backdrop for what Fishermans HQ LBI calls 'as good as it gets for surfcasters' — striped bass feeding up and down the LBI shoreline on fresh clam, frozen bunker, and glide baits. Grumpys Tackle confirms a 41-inch personal best at Seaside Park on an SP Minnow, while The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf reports a 51-inch striper released from the surf on salted clam, with slot-to-overslot fish widespread coast-wide. Black drum have joined the surf mix alongside bass at multiple shore stretches, also responding to fresh clam in the wash. Sea bass season opened May 15 with a 12.5-inch minimum, per The Fisherman — New Jersey edition, but Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands warns the bite started slow — water temps need to climb a few more degrees. Blue Chip Sportfishing calls this the best striper fishing possible, with open dates still available.

May 18

Water temperatures sitting at 58°F per NOAA buoy 44009 have Delaware Bay's NJ shoreline in prime mid-May form. Boulevard Bait & Tackle (via The Fisherman's Southern NJ desk) reported a 51-inch striped bass taken from the surf on salted clams this past week, with the run generally producing fish from slot keepers to fish pushing 48 inches. Black drum have arrived alongside them: Fin-Atics confirmed steady drum action along the oceanfront on fresh shucked clams, and One Stop Bait and Tackle described striper and drum areas as "on fire" with bloodworms, clams, and soft plastics turning fish from back bays to jetties. The Fisherman's NJ/DE surf column flagged a notable drum "push" and — with today marking the new moon — specifically called out this window as one to watch for weakfish moving into bay tidal waters. Flounder season has opened to mixed early reports, but the overall picture for the Delaware Bay NJ shoreline is one of the stronger spring starts in recent years.

May 18

Water temperatures at NOAA buoy 44065 reached 55°F on May 17, and the striper action is matching the warmup. Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) reports bass 'crushing' on every Raritan Bay trip, while Capt. Pete Wagner — per The Fisherman — Northern NJ — called the past week 'super,' logging fish to 25 pounds with consistent keeper numbers. The center of gravity is shifting: OTW Northern New Jersey's May 14 report notes the bay bite has eased entering the new moon, but Sandy Hook's beaches are compensating. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf reports the Hook's shores 'lit up' with stripers on bunker chunks, clams, and Jersey Cape Glides. Black drum are turning up as a bonus for clam-soakers along the surf, and the first fluke of the season are showing on drifted killies near North Beach and the Keansburg Pier. Black sea bass season opened May 15.

May 17

Water temps at 55–56°F per NOAA buoys 44065 and 44091 are fueling a striper run that multiple sources are calling one of the best in recent years. Blue Chip Sportfishing describes the action as "the best Striper Fishing possible," and Grumpys Tackle recorded a 41-inch personal best from the Seaside Park surf on an SP Minnow. Yakitty Yaks Kayaks, reporting via The Fisherman — Central NJ, says Barnegat and Raritan bays are putting up "one of the best spring bass seasons they've seen in years." Fresh clams and bunker chunks are leading the surf bite per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf; glide baits are also drawing aggressive strikes. A black drum push has coincided with the run — fish to 38 inches showing on clam baits along the oceanfront per The Fisherman — Southern NJ. Black sea bass season opened May 15 (The Fisherman — New Jersey edition), though inshore counts are still building. On The Water confirms 50-pound-class stripers staging off New Jersey ahead of today's new moon.

May 17