New Jersey fishing reports
397 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Stripers, sea bass and fluke stay red-hot up and down the Jersey Shore
Blue Chip Sportfishing says this is about as good as striped bass fishing gets right now, crushing stripers on every trip, while sea bass limits are coming fast and shark trips have "busted wide open" with multiple mako hookups this week per the same operator. Fluke are cooperating too: Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands reports big doormats near the top of the pool board, including back-to-back 5-plus-pounders, with bait, jigs and Gulp all producing. Fishermans HQ on LBI adds bluefin tuna pushing inshore behind a heavy squid run, with 20-to-30-mile drifts and jigging both working, plus blues and stripers mixing into bay and inlet catches. Northern Jersey reports via On The Water back up a solid fluke bite from the rivers to the reefs, with midshore bluefin and canyon yellowfin rounding out the offshore picture on this full moon.
Dog-days bass fishing shifts deep on the Delaware and in the Pine Barrens
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for the Delaware River or Pine Barrens today, and the regional fishing feeds are dominated by the Jersey Shore right now — Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands, Fishermans HQ LBI, and Blue Chip Sportfishing are all locked onto ocean fluke, sea bass, and bluefin, not the inland freshwater scene. Absent direct reports, this is a general-knowledge read on a late-July full-moon stretch: expect classic dog-days behavior, with catfish and some bass activity concentrated around dawn, dusk, and after dark as daytime water warms. Tactical Bassin's summer bass advice (get off the bank, work submerged vegetation and offshore structure) and Fishing the Midwest's weedline notes are broadly applicable to warm-water patterns like the Delaware and Pine Barrens systems. Also worth knowing before you head out: NJ Fish & Wildlife News has seasonal closures in effect at select Wildlife Management Areas through September 7, so check access at any WMA-adjacent bank spot.
Delaware Bay flounder bite holds strong into August push
Keeper flounder in the 20- to 22-inch range are coming out of Delaware Bay on Gulp baits, with fish pushing 7 pounds at the Cape May Reef Site and Old Grounds, according to Big Dave's Tackle. Hands Too Bait and Tackle reports the deeper reef sites, especially Reef Site #11, producing flounder to 8 pounds, with fish keyed on sand eels making longer, thinner baits the better call. Along the surf and jetties, Hands Too Bait and Tackle's Cape May report notes triggerfish holding good size at the Cape May Jetty, with sand fleas and strip baits needed to get past them to sheepshead, while croakers stack up on Delaware Bay beaches for clam and squid. Kingfish were slow through mid-July but are still mixed in. Fin-Atics adds that the back bay flounder bite is riding the incoming tide on live minnows and squid strips, with plenty of shorts to sort for every keeper landed.
Fluke and Sea Bass Fire Up Around Sandy Hook as Full Moon Rolls In
Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ landed back-to-back pool-fish fluke over 6 pounds this week, a sign the summer flatfish bite is running strong in Raritan Bay's home waters. Sea bass are riding the same wave: Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) calls the bite 'red hot,' with boats limiting out on nearly every trip, while Capt Ron's crew is 'finally catching the jumbo sea bass' on bait, jigs, and Gulp. Bluefish are mixed in throughout the bay and inlets, per OTW Northern New Jersey and Grumpys Tackle (NJ), which also notes croaker and spot still showing in the back bay on FishBites. Striped bass remain part of the rotation, with smaller fish working the beaches per OTW Northern New Jersey. With no fresh buoy or gauge readings available this cycle, check a local forecast before heading out, but the bite reports alone put this stretch of Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook squarely in peak summer form.
Sea bass and stripers running hot along the Jersey Shore
Black sea bass are red hot out of Atlantic Highlands right now: Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) reports limiting out on almost every trip this week, and Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ says the boat is "finally catching the Jumbo Sea Bass" after a slower stretch. Striped bass are keeping pace, with Blue Chip calling the striper bite "crushing" on every trip, while Grumpys Tackle (NJ) notes stripers still mixed in with bluefish along the beach. Fluke are trending up too. Grumpys describes "steady improvement" in the surf on bucktails and scented soft artificial baits, and OTW Northern New Jersey's July 23 report has the bite "solid" from the rivers to the reefs. Offshore, midshore bluefin tuna are eating stickbaits, jigs, and live bluefish per OTW Northern New Jersey, arriving alongside a squid push that Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) says has bluefin "in striking distance." Blue Chip's shark charters have also busted wide open, with three Mako sharks landed and released on a recent trip.
Full moon sets up a low-light bass and catfish bite this week
It's a Full Moon over the Delaware River and Pine Barrens as we close out July, and this cycle's feeds didn't return a buoy or gauge reading for the region, so treat river stage and clarity as unknowns until you check conditions bankside. No river-specific angler reports came through the wire this week either — this week's coverage leaned coastal (ocean-side fluke, striper, and tuna reports) and out-of-region, so what follows is grounded in typical late-summer freshwater patterns rather than a fresh local report. For NJ's freshwater stretches this time of year, expect smallmouth bass working current breaks and rock seams on the main river, largemouth bass and chain pickerel holding tight to weed edges and shaded, tannic backwaters through the Pine Barrens, and channel catfish becoming the most reliable after-dark target, especially with a full moon lighting up the water overnight. Plan trips around dawn, dusk, or moonlit hours rather than midday heat.
Summer flounder and blue crabs headline a solid NJ bay bite
Grumpys Tackle in New Jersey reports the fluke bite in the surf is showing steady improvement, with bucktails and scented soft artificial baits producing best, while spot and croaker keep back-bay rods bent on FishBites and crabbing stays good throughout the bays. Further up the coast, Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has been slugging out Jumbo sea bass and keeper-class fluke on bait, jigs, and Gulp, and Blue Chip Sportfishing says striped bass are being "crushed" on every trip. Fishermans HQ on Long Beach Island notes croaker cooperating on shedder crab while weakfish stayed quiet, plus solid fluke behind the bars and bluefish at the inlet jetties. No live buoy or gauge readings came through for Delaware Bay this cycle, so plan around the general late-July pattern these reports describe: warm bay water, moving bait, and a mixed bag rather than one dominant species. Check current state regs before harvesting keepers.
Sea Bass Limits and Shark Action Heat Up the Jersey Shore
Anglers are limiting out on black sea bass almost every trip, per Blue Chip Sportfishing and Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands, where jumbo sea bass and a pool-winning fish over five pounds came aboard on bait, jigs, and Gulp this past weekend. Shark fishing has "busted wide open" on Blue Chip's boats, with a recent trip producing three released mako sharks, while striped bass action stays strong on that same fleet. Inshore, the fluke bite is rounding into summer form: The Fisherman's Central and Southern NJ reports describe steady flatfish from the surf, back bays, and reef sites, and Fisherman's Headquarters notes weakfish beginning to show on light jigs and Gulp Shrimp. Offshore, bluefin tuna remain within range 20 to 30 miles out per Fishermans HQ LBI, with butterfish chunking and trolling producing fish up to 75 pounds per several NJ/DE Offshore shop reports.
Pine Barrens bass hold in the shade as summer heat slows the bite
Bass River anglers in the Pine Barrens are seeing fair sweetwater action, with Allen's Dock noting recent rain has "wet down the Pine Barrens" even as the return of hot weather and rising gas prices keep some anglers off the water. Campground lakes and ponds across the region are in what Hands Too Bait and Tackle calls "prime time," with Andy Gallea boating a 3.5-pound largemouth out of Dennisville Lake this past week. Panfishing remains a steady bright spot too, per Smith's Bait Shop, with good action reported out of Records Pond. Farther up the Delaware corridor, Dave's Sport Shop reports water temps pushing into the 80s at Lake Nockamixon have slowed the hybrid striped bass bite to essentially an early-morning and after-dark pattern. Expect a similar split locally: bass biting through shaded, weedy water, everything else backing off until the heat breaks.
Flounder Bite Loads Up Delaware Bay's Back Bays
Flounder are stealing the show in Delaware Bay's back bays this week, with Pier 47 Marina calling the Cape May to Stone Harbor stretch 'loaded,' anglers boating a dozen to three dozen fish per trip on the incoming tide using live minnows, strip baits, and 3-inch Gulp Mullets. Big Dave's Tackle says the flounder bite is 'off the charts' across back bays, inlets, oceanfront beaches, and reef sites, with bigger fish showing the farther out you go, some topping 6 pounds, and more keepers now showing in the bay itself. Higbee's Bait and Tackle reports several boaters limiting out to 20 inches on live minnows or spearing, with croaker, spot, and an occasional flurry of black drum rounding out the mixed bag. Weakfish remain mostly a short, scattered bycatch for flounder anglers per Higbee's. At Cape May Point, Hands Too Bait and Tackle notes the jetties holding flounder and weakfish with a shot at sheepshead.
Fluke bite heats up around Sandy Hook as bluefin push inshore
Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands put together back-to-back keeper fluke trips this week, headlined by a 5-pound, 4-ounce flattie and several anglers boxing their three-fish limit, with the bite improving after early drifts produced mostly shorts. That mirrors the wider Northern New Jersey picture: OTW Northern New Jersey reports the fluke bite "solid from the rivers to the reefs" heading into this weekend, while cocktail bluefish and small stripers work the beaches and inlets. Sea bass remain a reliable fallback — Blue Chip Sportfishing calls the bite "red hot," with boats limiting out on nearly every trip, and Northern NJ boats like the Golden Eagle mixing one-fish sea bass limits into their fluke trips. Offshore, midshore bluefin have moved onto the inshore lumps, with The Fisherman's NJ/DE Offshore report noting 50- to 60-pound fish hitting jigs and live spot, well within range for Sandy Hook-based boats willing to make the run.
Fluke and sea bass limits fuel a red-hot Jersey Shore summer
Fluke are keying the Jersey Shore bite right now. Big Dave's Tackle, reporting through The Fisherman — Southern NJ, calls flounder fishing "off the charts" this week, from back bays and inlets out to oceanfront beaches and reef sites, with fish to 6 pounds at deeper structure. Fisherman's Headquarters in Central NJ backs that up with keeper fluke on both boat and surf, plus early weakfish showing on light tackle. Sea bass are just as strong: Blue Chip Sportfishing calls the bite "red hot," with anglers limiting out on almost every trip, while shark fishing has "busted wide open," including three mako sharks hooked and released on one recent trip. Striped bass remain in the mix too, from slot fish at Surf City Bait and Tackle to boat limits at Blue Chip. Offshore, bluefin tuna have pushed onto the inshore lumps behind a squid push, per Fishermans HQ LBI and NJ/DE Offshore shop reports, with fish to 60 pounds hitting jigs and ballyhoo.