Last Call for Fluke as Blues and Stripers Take Over the Surf
New Jersey's summer flounder season closes September 25, and shops up and down the Shore say anglers are making the most of the final days. Boulevard Bait and Tackle in Sea Isle City reports fluke stacked in the backwaters, with 3- to 4-pound fish holding near Townsend's and Hereford inlets, while Fin-Atics in Ocean City is still pulling 3- to 5-pound flatties out of Corson's Inlet. Bluefish have taken over as the marquee surf action: Riptide Bait and Tackle in Brigantine has tailor-to-chopper blues hitting mullet and bunker chunks, Surf City Bait and Tackle says anglers throwing metal are connecting with multiples, a sign the fall bite is heating up, and Jingles Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven logged the LBI Surf Fishing Classic's first striper of the season, an 8.15-pounder. At night, Pier 47 Marina in the Wildwoods has stripers to 31 inches feeding heavily on staging peanut bunker and mullet around lighted docks and sod banks. Tautog are stirring too, with One Stop Bait and Tackle and Surf City both reporting blackfish starting to chew around the jetty rockpiles. Atlantic City's NOAA tide station reads 64°F this morning.
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What's biting
What's next
Tide timing favors early mornings and midday sessions this week. The Atlantic City CO-OPS station has the next high near 6:23 a.m. and the next low around 12:24 p.m. local time, with the Cape May station running about an hour behind. Pier 47 Marina's night bite on higher water suggests the incoming tide around dusk into the overnight hours is worth prioritizing for stripers working the lighted docks and sod banks.
Bait movement points toward this pattern building, not fading. Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May reports that mullet, spearing, and peanut bunker have been whipped into the back bays by recent weather and are now moving out of the estuaries in bigger numbers, the kind of exodus that typically pulls bluefish and stripers tight to the beach as the bait streams past. With fluke season ending, expect effort to swing toward blackfish and the strengthening bluefish bite already underway per Surf City and One Stop Bait and Tackle. Fin-Atics also flagged a slight uptick in weakfish on small soft plastics during low light, worth watching as surfcasters mix species. The false albacore and bonito run flagged by OTW Northern New Jersey and Fishermans HQ LBI should keep running the beaches into early October while water holds in the low-to-mid 60s.
The Waxing Gibbous moon builds toward full over the coming week, which typically means stronger tidal swings and useful current for the ambush-style striper and bluefish bite around inlets and structure.
Context
Late September on the Jersey Shore is peak fall-transition territory. Summer species like fluke exit on the calendar as much as the weather, while migrating bait triggers the first meaningful striper and bluefish action of the season. A first striper weigh-in this late in September, as logged at the LBI Surf Fishing Classic, is typical timing for the region, not early or late. Water in the low-to-mid 60s is normal for this point in the year and still supports an active surf bite before October's sharper cool-down pushes fish further south and offshore.
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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