Sea bass run red hot as Jersey Shore fluke limits stack up

What's biting

What's next

With the moon at first quarter and no major weather disruption reported in the angler intel, expect the current pattern of steady flounder and sea bass action inshore, with tuna and mahi holding offshore, to carry through the next several days. Fishermans HQ LBI noted warm ocean temperatures in the low 70s and heavy bait presence (sand eels, spearing, mullet and peanut bunker) around Barnegat Inlet in its most recent report; that bait base is what is holding the bluefin and bonito close, and it typically keeps building through late August before peanut bunker schools push south.

Fluke fishing should stay a mixed bag through the week. Southern NJ reports describe strong flounder numbers from Cape May reef sites and the Delaware Bayshore, with the deepest structure producing the bigger fish and incoming tide favored for keeper flounder. Central and northern Shore reports are more variable: Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands noted a nine-degree overnight water-temp drop on one recent trip that shut the bite down before a change of tide brought it back. Anglers planning a flounder trip this week should target deeper reef and wreck structure and time the tide change rather than fishing through slack water.

Sea bass should stay strong through the weekend given Blue Chip's reports of limiting out on almost every trip; that pace typically holds into early fall before the bite tapers with cooling water. Watch for triggerfish and tautog mixing in on the same structure, as several Southern and Central Jersey shops noted triggers and tog showing on reef sites this week.

Offshore, keep an eye on the mahi bite at the lobster pots and 19 Fathom Line: reports collected by The Fisherman's NJ/DE Offshore desk and Blue Chip both describe active mahi around structure, and that fishery tends to hold as long as weed lines and pot lines stay in range. Yellowfin tuna remain slow per that same offshore desk, with better odds on nearshore bluefin around the AC Ridge, Avalon Shoal and Sea Isle Ridge until conditions improve further out.

Further north, OTW's Northern New Jersey report already has bonito and Spanish mackerel working the beaches and inlets, a signal worth watching for the Shore proper as water stays warm into late August.

Context

Mid-August is peak summer pattern for the Jersey Shore: fluke and sea bass are the bread-and-butter inshore species this time of year, and this week's reports track close to typical, with sea bass arguably running better than average based on Blue Chip's red-hot description. Flounder numbers described by Southern Jersey shops, including limits to 7 pounds and heavy tournament turnout in the Delaware Bay region, suggest a healthy, on-schedule summer flounder season rather than an early or late one.

The offshore bluefin and mahi activity within 30 miles of Barnegat Inlet is consistent with a normal August bait push. Sand eels, spearing, mullet and peanut bunker stacking near the inlet are a seasonal pattern for this time of year on the Jersey Shore, and they typically draw tuna and mahi progressively closer to the beach as the bait matures through late summer.

Striped bass are notably quiet in this week's NJ-specific intel, which is typical: the fall migration that drives the region's marquee striper fishing has not yet reached New Jersey waters, and stripers tend to stay deeper and less active through the warmest stretch of summer here.

The NJ Fish and Wildlife News item on the Summer Flounder and Black Sea Bass Tally Form is a reminder that both species remain under active data collection for potential future regulation changes, worth flagging to anglers as a data-gathering effort rather than a shift in current catch rules. Beyond what is described above, no other clear early or late seasonal signal is available in this week's intel.