Bluefish and sea bass surge as Jersey Shore fluke season winds down
Bluefish have arrived in force along the Jersey Shore, with Grumpys Tackle in Brick reporting blues are in and The Fisherman's Central New Jersey report noting anglers at Surf City Bait and Tackle connecting with multiple bluefish on metal near the jetties, a sign the fall bite is building. Black sea bass are matching that pace: Blue Chip Sportfishing calls the bite very good on half- and full-day trips, and Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has been boating beautiful sea bass on recent drifts even on tougher tide days. Fluke season is closing out on schedule, with Mary M IV and Miss Barnegat Light wrapping their fluke trips per The Fisherman's Central New Jersey coverage ahead of the season closing Friday, September 25, and Fishermans HQ LBI describing the surf mix as fluke, bluefish blitzes and moving mullet in its latest report. The fall run's first striper has also shown up: The Fisherman's Central New Jersey report notes an 8.15-pound, 29.5-inch bass taken on a plug and weighed at Jingles Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven. Water temps this morning sit at 62.8°F off Atlantic City and 61.2°F off Cape May, still mild for late September.
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What's biting
What's next
A nor'easter is working through the region this week, per The Fisherman's New Jersey edition forecast, and will likely keep boats tied up through the weekend. The wind and water movement it stirs up should help push bait, and the striped bass following it, closer to the beach once conditions settle, which lines up with OTW Northern New Jersey's latest report pointing to improving fall-run striper fishing alongside lingering bluefish and false albacore.
Black sea bass should keep producing through the Full Moon and into October as boats such as Miss Belmar Princess and Big Mohawk III lean harder into sea bass now that fluke has wound down, with The Fisherman's Northern New Jersey report noting Big Mohawk III shifts to full-time sea bass fishing on October 1 when the bag limit rises. Golden Eagle and Skylarker are both still finding bluefish and false albacore mixed in with sea bass, per that same report.
For tide planning, the Cape May station shows a morning high near 8:49 AM and an afternoon low near 2:51 PM, with a similar afternoon low near 1:51 PM off Atlantic City. Working the turn around those windows should be productive for bluefish and the early striper push along the surf and inlets this weekend.
Context
This is right on schedule for the Jersey Shore's early fall transition. Fluke season closing in the last week of September while black sea bass, bluefish and the season's first striped bass overlap is the typical handoff for this stretch of coast, and false albacore mixing in with bluefish in the surf and troll is standard for this window before the run pushes south and the larger striper migration builds through October and November. Water temperatures in the low 60s are normal for late September and haven't dropped fast enough to force a hard changeover yet, so the current species mix should hold for at least another couple of weeks before the fall run fully takes over.
Synthesized from real-time NOAA buoy data, USGS stream gauges, and current reports across regional fishing blogs, captain updates, and angler forums. Check local regulations before keeping fish. Never trust a single source for a trip decision.
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