Fluke season winds down as albies and bluefish patrol NJ beaches

What's biting

What's next

With fluke season closing out within days per OTW Northern New Jersey, this week is the realistic last window for keeper fluke on the reefs before the fishery closes for the year; check current state possession dates before targeting them. Water this warm this late favors the bluefish and false albacore bite holding rather than shutting down on schedule, and both should keep working the beaches and rips through the week, especially around tide changes.

The First Quarter moon this weekend won't stack the current the way a full or new moon would, so the bigger pushes of bait and predators are more likely to build with the next lunar swing. Around Atlantic Highlands, Capt Ron's pattern this week suggests the fluke bite improves once the tide turns rather than on the initial drop, worth planning a session around rather than fishing straight through slack water.

Context

Mid-to-late September is typically the front edge of the fall run for Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook, when bluefish and false albacore push through the inlets and fluke fishing tapers toward the season's close. A 76.6°F reading at Sandy Hook is on the warm side for this point in the calendar, consistent with the extended summer warmth reported along the Jersey Shore this month, and it likely keeps fish active a bit later into the season before the seasonal cooldown resets the pattern.