Sandy Hook Sea Bass on Fire; Stripers, Blues, and Fluke Round Out the Bite

What's Biting

What's Next

Heading into the weekend, the bite around Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook looks well-positioned to hold across multiple species.

**Sea bass** remain the most reliable play. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands has been running daily and shifting to deeper water when the inshore drops go quiet -- a useful pattern to follow if you're running your own boat. Working a jig with a teaser alongside standard bait rigs, as noted in one of Capt Ron's recent reports, gives you a productive fallback when current dies. Blue Chip Sportfishing continues to post near-limit trips and is still taking bookings.

**Striped bass** are entering what Fishermans HQ LBI describes as the 'final chapter of the 2026 spring' -- but they also note that the first and second weeks of June historically produce a concentrated body of fish, so don't count the bite out yet. In the surf, Grumpy's Tackle reports a larger class of bass has moved in, with clams and bunker chunks the most consistent baits. OTW Northern New Jersey (June 4) confirmed stripers mixing with bluefish, black drum, and fluke along the beaches. The waning crescent phase deepens each night toward the new moon around June 17-18; the low-light windows at first light and last light are your best bet for surface action along rip edges.

**Fluke** are showing in the rivers and back bay edges. OTW Northern New Jersey reported fish to 8 pounds as of June 4, with bucktails and Gulp! doing the work alongside conventional bottom rigs. Grumpy's Tackle also noted a surf fluke rebound after last weekend's weather. As Raritan Bay warms through June, the bay fluke bite typically spreads from river mouths toward the shoals.

**Bluefish** remain scattered throughout the nearshore zone, mixing into surf sessions wherever bunker schools move. The LBI fleet reports picking them up in the bay and inlet as well, suggesting steady distribution.

**Timing note:** Plan key sessions around the low-light windows this week. The waning crescent offers progressively darker nights through the upcoming new moon, which historically sharpens striper feeding activity at rip edges and beach structure. Bottom fishing for sea bass and ling is less light-dependent but benefits from moderate current to keep baits working.

Context

Early June marks the tail end of New Jersey's spring striper migration, and Raritan Bay typically holds fish through at least mid-month. Fishermans HQ LBI notes that the first and second weeks of June historically produce a concentrated body of striped bass statewide -- a pattern that appears on track in 2026 based on current reports. The Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) observed in late May that migrating bass keep cycling through as others push north, suggesting the mid-Atlantic zone should continue to see fish through this period.

Sea bass fishing in early June is standard calendar for the Raritan Bay reefs. The 3-pound pool fish aboard Capt Ron's -- described as the season's best to date -- is roughly in line with expectations for this point in the season. Ling alongside sea bass in the deeper drops is also a typical early-summer Raritan Bay pattern as water temperatures begin climbing. No current buoy readings are available for Sandy Hook; based on LBI reporting mid-50s water in late May, Raritan Bay is likely trending toward the upper 50s to low 60s by now, though anglers should verify locally before targeting temperature-sensitive species.

Fluke to 8 pounds in the rivers, per OTW Northern New Jersey, is a healthy early-season benchmark. New Jersey's fluke season typically ramps up in late spring and reaches peak back-bay action as waters warm, so the current rivermouth bite is likely to spread further into the bay over the coming weeks.

The most notable departure from a typical early-June pattern here is the appearance of black drum in the surf -- flagged in both OTW Northern New Jersey (June 4) and Grumpy's Tackle reports. Black drum are not historically a dominant species in Raritan Bay, and their presence alongside stripers and blues at this point in the calendar is worth monitoring. Whether this reflects a persistent run or a brief early-season push is unclear from current reporting; no prior-year June baseline for black drum in this specific area is available in the feeds.