New Jersey fishing reports
659 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Sea bass and albies stay hot as nor'easter clears the Shore
Water temps are holding at 64-65°F at the NOAA CO-OPS stations off Sandy Hook and the Shark River area, still mild for late September, and the nor'easter that flooded tackle shops from Beach Haven to Ocean City has finally cleared the coast. The Fisherman's Southern NJ report has Pier 47 Marina describing strong nighttime striper action on the sod banks ahead of the storm, with fish mostly 16 to 29 inches and some over 31, and Fin-Atics in the same report expecting stripers to feed heavily again as soon as the blow moves out. Black sea bass are the most consistent producer right now: Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ has been putting quality mixed bags of shorts, keepers, and sea bass in the cooler all week, Blue Chip Sportfishing calls its sea bass charters "very good," and The Fisherman's Southern NJ notes Hands Too Bait and Tackle expects quick limits on the Wildwood and Cape May Reef sites once winds ease. False albacore and bonito are still working the beaches on light spinning tackle over live peanut bunker, per Fishermans HQ LBI, with OTW Northern New Jersey confirming albies have joined bonito on the reefs alongside lingering bluefish. Fluke season closed statewide on September 25, per The Fisherman — New Jersey edition.
Bluefish and false albacore fire up as fall transition hits Delaware Bay
Water at the NOAA Ship John Shoal station (8537121) read 66.7°F before dawn today, still holding the late-summer mix as the fall transition takes hold along the Jersey coast. Grumpys Tackle reports 'Blues Are In' this week, timing a 30% bucktail sale to the run, while Fishermans HQ out of Long Beach Island logged bluefish blitzes alongside false albacore and the last of the fluke worked on live peanut bunker. Up in Atlantic Highlands, Capt Ron's boat found black sea bass and fluke action swinging from a tough midweek to a banner Friday close to the fluke season. NJ Fish & Wildlife News notes the Delaware Bay's own juvenile finfish trawl survey, running since 1991, continues tracking the estuary's role as a nursery for the species moving through it now.
Fall Run Builds in Raritan Bay as Stripers and Blues Turn On
Water temperature at NOAA's Sandy Hook station reads 63°F this morning, and the fall transition anglers have been watching for is showing up in the reports. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands closed out fluke season with one of the best days of the year Friday, calling it 'game on right from the start to finish' with shorts, keepers, and quality black sea bass all day, after several days of tougher, picky action earlier in the week. Grumpys Tackle in NJ confirms bluefish are in and has bucktails on sale for the fall run they expect to build. Further south, Fishermans HQ LBI reports bonita, false albacore, and fluke still working the surf on unusually warm water. OTW Northern New Jersey's September 24 report notes a passing nor'easter briefly slowed the bite, but described fall-run striped bass as improving, with bluefish and false albacore lingering and black sea bass picking back up as conditions settle, a pattern Raritan Bay anglers should expect to see this week too.
Delaware River smallmouth rebound as nor'easter floodwaters recede
A slow-moving nor'easter dumped days of rain and wind across the region before finally clearing this week, and anglers on the Delaware River are already benefiting. Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown told The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater that smallmouth bass turned in decent fishing on the river this past week, crediting higher water for giving boat anglers and waders better access. The same report noted crappie holding steady at Nockamixon, just over the river from the Pine Barrens watershed. Allen's Dock on Bass River described a similar fall turnover pattern before the storm shut most trips down, with boats pulled ahead of the blow only now easing back onto the water.
Jersey Shore digs out from nor'easter as fall bite waits
Water temps hold at 65.7°F and 64°F on NOAA CO-OPS stations 8534720 and 8536110, still mild for a Waning Gibbous moon this late in September. The bigger story is the nor'easter that pinned the fleet to the docks all week: The Fisherman — Northern NJ reports the Ol' Salty II and Big Mohawk III sat tied up in Belmar as floodwater reached the parking lots, and The Fisherman — Central NJ notes Jingles Bait and Tackle and Surf City Bait and Tackle both took on water. Before the blow, fishing was strong. The Fisherman — Southern NJ relayed a very good nighttime striper bite on the sod banks during flood tide, fish from 16 to 29 inches with a few over 31, on quarter-ounce bucktails and 6-inch Mag Darters, plus a stacked sea bass bite on the Wildwood and Cape May reef sites. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf logged blackfish, weakfish, stripers and bluefish all in the mix on the surf side, and Grumpys Tackle (NJ) and OTW Northern New Jersey both flagged bluefish and false albacore still running the beaches into mid-September. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ closed out a strong late-season fluke bite alongside quality sea bass, and The Fisherman — New Jersey edition confirmed fluke season closed statewide on September 25.
Fall push builds along the Jersey coast as stripers move in
Delaware Bay water sits at 66.7°F this afternoon, with the next low tide at 6:17 PM. Fall migration signals are strengthening up and down the Jersey coast: OTW Northern New Jersey's September 24 report notes improving fall-run striped bass, lingering bluefish, and false albacore now that a nor'easter has moved through, with black sea bass expected to pick up once conditions settle. Grumpys Tackle (NJ) confirms 'Blues Are In' and is stocking bucktails ahead of the fall bass run. Fluke fishing is winding down statewide — Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) called it the 'Final Days of Fluke' alongside bluefish blitzes, while Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ and Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) have both been running steady sea bass trips into the close of fluke season.
Delaware River and Pine Barrens ease into fall's transition window
Late September marks the turn from late-summer to fall patterns on the Delaware River and through the Pine Barrens, as shorter days and cooling nights ease water temperatures down from their summer highs. That shift typically favors low-light windows, dawn and dusk, over the midday lull that dominated through August, and it's the stretch freshwater anglers in this region watch closely for the first real signs of a fall bite building.
Fall stripers build as bluefish and albies linger on the Jersey Shore
NOAA CO-OPS readings put Jersey Shore water at 65.7°F off Sandy Hook and 63.1°F off Cape May, still comfortably in the fall-transition window. Northern New Jersey Fishing Report (Sept. 24) notes last week's nor'easter slowed the bite locally, but fall-run striped bass are improving as bluefish and false albacore linger before pushing out. Fishermans HQ LBI is still finding bonita and albies on live peanut bunker out of Long Beach Island, and black sea bass charters remain strong per Blue Chip Sportfishing and Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands. Fluke, meanwhile, is closing out its season — Capt Ron's called one recent day possibly "the last day of Fluke fishing for 2026."
Sea bass and fluke close strong as fall stripers build off Sandy Hook
Water temperatures off Sandy Hook are holding near 63°F this morning per the NOAA CO-OPS tide station there, and the fall transition bite is staying lively in Raritan Bay. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has been running fluke and sea bass trips through the tail end of fluke season, posting steady keeper counts alongside a mix of shorts most days, with sea bass turning into what Capt Ron called "all day long action" on the better drifts. Blue Chip Sportfishing echoes the sea bass strength, calling recent charters "very good." Bluefish remain in the mix too — Grumpys Tackle NJ reports blues are in along the beaches, and OTW's Northern New Jersey fishing report (published Sept 24) notes lingering bluefish and false albacore even after a recent nor'easter slowed the early fall action. That same report points to fall-run striped bass as the pattern to watch once conditions settle.
Tautog move onto Delaware Bay structure as fluke season closes
NOAA's Delaware Bay station is reading 67.3°F this evening, still carrying late-summer warmth as the calendar turns toward October. On the New Jersey side, Higbee's Bait and Tackle in Cape May reports a mixed bag off Delaware Bay drifts that includes bluefish and weakfish, while anglers anchored on bay structure are finding tautog have moved in heavy, working sand fleas, green crabs and fiddlers for fish to 4 pounds. Big Dave's Tackle echoes the weakfish push, with bloodworms and Fishbites working the deeper channel drift and a fresh bite starting for anglers throwing soft plastics near the bay lighthouses after dark. Fluke season on the New Jersey side closed Friday, per The Fisherman's NJ/DE Bay Region forecast, wrapping a summer many anglers there called the year of the short fish.
Crappie bite turns on as Delaware Valley fisheries ease into fall
Fall is settling into Delaware Valley freshwater fishing, and several reports collected by The Fisherman's NJ/DE Freshwater roundup point to a real shift in the bite as September closes out. Smith's Bait Shop in Leipsic reported crappie fishing on the Nanticoke River has already gone into full fall mode, with anglers stringing nice crappies on twisters fished under floats, while nearby lakes and ponds are producing well on big minnows. Farther up the watershed, Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown said the Delaware River is in better shape through the Riegelsville stretch heading into October. At Lake Wallenpaupack, Capt. Pete Wagner of Hyper Striper Sportfishing said smallmouth bass fishing was good through September, with crappies also producing good numbers for his charters.
Fall run stripers show up on LBI as tautog wake up on the rocks
Water temps at the two Jersey Shore CO-OPS stations read 63.9°F and 61.9°F this morning, still holding onto late-summer warmth even as fluke season closed out Friday, September 25. Central New Jersey's Jingles Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven flagged the LBI Surf Fishing Classic's first striper weigh-in of the fall — an 8.15-pound fish at 29.5 inches on a plug — a clear signal the fall run is arriving. Southern New Jersey's Pier 47 Marina in the Wildwoods reports stripers feeding heavily at night around lighted docks and sod banks on paddletails, rubber shads, bucktails and Mag Darters, fish to 31 inches, with the bite noticeably better on higher tides. Bluefish are holding steady: Surf City Bait and Tackle in Central New Jersey has anglers connecting with multiple blues on metal, and OTW Northern New Jersey's latest report calls out lingering bluefish and false albacore even as this week's nor'easter slowed the pace. Tautog are waking up on structure — Boulevard Bait and Tackle in Southern New Jersey says anglers are shifting to tog on wrecks, reefs, jetties and bridges now that flounder season has closed, and Grumpys Tackle and Surf City both flag blackfish starting to chew around the rocks. Black sea bass remain a bright spot, with Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reporting solid all-day action.