Fluke and sea bass keep rods bent around Sandy Hook and Raritan Bay

What's biting

What's next

With no fresh buoy or gauge readings available for Raritan Bay this cycle, the clearest forward signal comes from the angler intel itself: real momentum on fluke and bonito, both trending up across this week's reports. Capt Ron's four consecutive days of solid keeper counts suggest the local flounder are settling into a stable inshore pattern rather than a one-day fluke, so to speak — if that holds through the weekend, expect drift anglers working structure around Sandy Hook and the bay to keep finding three-fish limits, with black sea bass as reliable bycatch on nearly every trip.

The Spanish mackerel and bonito push flagged by OTW Northern New Jersey and Golden Eagle Fishing typically builds through late August along this stretch of coast as bait schools of spearing and peanut bunker concentrate near the beaches and inlets — worth watching for that bite to intensify on calm, clear days over the next week. Anglers working small metals and jigs along the surf line and inlet edges should watch for diving birds marking these fast-moving schools.

Striped bass remain quiet locally for now, consistent with the typical August lull in Raritan Bay ahead of the fall migration. Moon phase is currently Waxing Crescent, easing off the recent new-moon peak currents, which should mean steadier, more fishable tide swings over the next several days — generally a favorable window for controlled fluke drifts and bottom fishing over reef and wreck structure rather than fighting maximum current.

Bluefish should stay in the mix through the period per the Miss Belmar Princess and Golden Eagle reports, with "slammer"-class fish still showing up alongside the bonito and Spanish mackerel. If the current pattern holds, the next few days should look like more of the same: strong fluke and sea bass action inshore, an active bonito/Spanish/bluefish bite off the beaches and inlets, and stripers staying mostly quiet until the fall push arrives. Always check current NJ size and possession limits before harvesting fluke, sea bass, or striped bass, since seasonal regulations can shift.

Context

Fluke and sea bass dominating the Raritan Bay/Sandy Hook report this deep into August is on-schedule for this fishery — mid-to-late summer is peak season for both species in the bay and along inshore structure before attention shifts toward the fall migration. The trend of bigger fluke moving in closer to shore, flagged this week by The Fisherman — Northern NJ, is a typical late-summer pattern here, as summer flounder that spent the hot months on deeper structure work back toward the beaches and inlets as water begins its slow cool-down.

The bonito and Spanish mackerel push is arriving in a fairly normal window too — these fast-moving migrants typically show along the northern Jersey coast from mid-summer into early fall, and Golden Eagle Fishing's note that "some days saw bonito dominate the fishing" over bluefish reads as a healthy, active run rather than an outlier.

Striped bass activity is the one notably quiet piece right now, but that tracks with the normal August lull in Raritan Bay — this fishery is generally waiting on the fall run rather than missing an expected bite. NJ Fish & Wildlife's Shark River Access WMA notes list striped bass among the species regularly caught in this stretch, underscoring that they're a fixture here even when the current bite is soft.

No buoy or gauge telemetry was available for this cycle, so water temperature and flow trends can't be compared directly against seasonal norms this time — that comparison should sharpen once fresh readings come back online.