New Jersey fishing reports
375 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Topwater bass and cedar-water pickerel keep Pine Barrens busy
Freshwater action across the Delaware River corridor and Pine Barrens is holding steady even as most South Jersey rods stay pointed at a strong ocean fluke bite. Creekside Outfitters reports fair-to-good largemouth, catfish, and panfish across central NJ lakes and ponds, with a surprise mix of stocked trout still turning up — a young angler released a rainbow trout caught out of the Toms River Trout Conservation Area. Waretown Lake and Pohatcong Lake were the week's top bass spots, per The Fisherman's NJ/DE Freshwater report, with fish to 3 pounds hitting poppers, buzzbaits, and other topwater baits. Hands Too Bait and Tackle notes bass in the campground ponds and pickerel in the nearby cedar waters are supplying the bulk of the region's sweetwater fishing right now, though traffic is light with saltwater fluke pulling anglers away. Along the tidal creeks, the salt line has pushed downstream, opening up perch and catfish action per Allen's Dock.
Sea Bass Runs Red Hot as Fluke Bite Rebounds Along the Jersey Shore
Water temperatures took a sharp overnight dip this week, and Capt. Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands reported a 9-degree drop to 67°F that helped turn on the fluke bite after several tough days working multiple grounds without a keeper. Sea bass fishing is running red hot per Blue Chip Sportfishing, with boats limiting out on almost every trip, while shark fishing has busted wide open, including three Mako sharks hooked and released on one recent trip. Offshore, Fishermans HQ LBI is putting anglers on 25 to 40 pound bluefin within 30 miles of Barnegat Inlet on live squid, and The Fisherman's NJ/DE Offshore report notes mahi thick around the lobster pot lines at the 19 Fathom Line. Warm water has also pushed Spanish mackerel and bonito into the mix, per Grumpys Tackle. Fluke are still running short in spots, but keeper ratios are trending up on bucktail and Gulp combos.
Bonito and Spanish Mackerel Push Into Sandy Hook as Fluke Holds
Warm water has pushed bonito and Spanish mackerel into the inlets and beaches around Sandy Hook, per Grumpys Tackle (NJ), which is urging anglers to keep epoxy jigs rigged for the fast-moving schools. Out of Atlantic Highlands, Capt Ron's reported the water temp dropping nine degrees overnight to 67 and fluke picking up after working through four slow areas before the fifth produced quality keepers to five pounds. Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) is putting anglers on fluke and sea bass limits on half- and full-day trips, and bluefish have turned aggressive up the coast, with the Golden Eagle reporting a good week for "slammers" mixed with bonito and Spanish macks, per The Fisherman — Northern NJ. Striped bass remain part of the typical mix for this stretch, though this week's reports lean toward mackerel and bluefish.
Delaware Bay flounder limits stack up as croaker schools flood the back bays
Flounder fishing is running hot on the New Jersey side of Delaware Bay this week. Big Dave's Tackle, reporting through The Fisherman's Southern New Jersey coverage, says customers are boxing limits to 7 pounds from deepwater reef and wreck sites like the Old Grounds, with nearshore spots such as TI and Wildwood Reefs producing keepers to 5 pounds on bucktails and Gulp. Higbee's Bait and Tackle, in the same report, describes the Bay giving up a full summer mix of flounder, bluefish, spot, croaker, and black drum, with several flounder limits nearing the 23-inch mark on minnows fished along the deeper channels. Croakers are especially thick right now: Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May calls them plentiful from the back bays, inlet, beachfront, and into the Bay, while Pier 47 Marina says schools are so dense they light up the fishfinder on the outgoing tide, with the incoming tide favoring flounder as the water cools.
Cedar-water pickerel and topwater bass carry Pine Barrens into late summer
Freshwater action across the Delaware River and Pine Barrens is holding steady this week but staying under the radar, with much of the local rod-bending happening in the salt instead. Creekside Outfitters called it a marginal week overall in central Jersey, but still logged fair-to-good largemouth, catfish, and panfish, plus a surprise stocked rainbow trout out of the Toms River TCA. Waretown Lake and Pohatcong Lake were the standout bass spots, with fish to 3 pounds coming on poppers and buzzbaits. Down in Cape May County, Hands Too Bait and Tackle says pickerel in the nearby cedar waters are supplying the bulk of Pine Barrens sweetwater action even with light angler pressure. Smith's Bait Shop reports spillways still giving up white perch, crappie, and panfish on small jigs, while Dave's Sport Shop notes the Delaware River is producing hit-or-miss smallmouth and catfish as anglers slowly filter back to the river.
Sea bass run red hot as Jersey Shore fluke limits stack up
Sea bass are red hot right now, per Blue Chip Sportfishing, with anglers limiting out on nearly every trip along the northern Shore. Summer flounder are cooking too: Big Dave's Tackle in Port Elizabeth reports limits to 7 pounds from deepwater reef and wreck sites like the Old Grounds, and bucktails tipped with Gulp are outproducing traditional squid-and-spearing combos on keeper-class fluke, per Miss Barnegat Light in Central Jersey. Offshore, bluefin tuna in the 25 to 40 pound class are holding within 30 miles of Barnegat Inlet on the troll and live-squid drift, according to Fishermans HQ LBI, with mahi mixing in around weed lines and lobster pots per Blue Chip and The Fisherman's NJ/DE Offshore desk. Inshore, warm water has pulled Spanish mackerel and bonito into the mix, per Grumpys Tackle. Shark fishing has also picked up, with mako sharks hooked and released this week per Blue Chip.
Fluke and Sea Bass Stay Hot in Raritan Bay as Bonito Push Inshore
Fluke and black sea bass continue to lead the bite around Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook. Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ reports a string of quality catches this week, with customers boxing three-keeper limits of fluke in the 3- to 5-pound class after working through a few slow drift areas, plus sea bass mixed in on nearly every trip. A cold snap dropped local water temps into the upper 60s overnight, but the bite held. Bonito and Spanish mackerel have also pushed in, per OTW Northern New Jersey and Grumpys Tackle (NJ), with warm water bringing the speedsters onto the beaches and inlets while bluefin mix in farther out. The Fisherman — Northern NJ boats out of Belmar report blues mixed with bonito and Spanish mackerel too. Striped bass remain a possibility around Bay structure, though specific reports are thin this week; check state regs before harvesting.
Delaware Bay flounder limits build as summer mix holds strong
Flounder nearing the 23-inch mark are coming out of Delaware Bay's deeper channels on minnows this week, with several limits reported by party boats and private boaters alike, per Higbee's Bait and Tackle in Cape May. Blues, spot, croaker, and an occasional black drum round out the summer mix there. Just up the shore, Hands Too Bait and Tackle reports a strong push of "giant" croaker crowding the back bays, inlet, and beachfront along the Delaware Bayshore, while fluke are stacking tight against the jetties at the point and weakfish are working jumbo bloodworms floated along the rocks. Sheepshead and blackfish are showing up on the seawalls and pylons around Wildwood. Keeper ratios keep improving the farther offshore anglers push, a pattern echoed at Pier 47 Marina behind the Wildwoods, where croakers are thick on the deeper channels and the incoming tide has been the better window for flounder. Over 380 boats fished the Paradise Pounder flounder tournament this week, a sign of how active the bay's summer run has become.
Pine Barrens pickerel wake up as Delaware River smallies turn on
Central Jersey bass are answering the topwater bell: Waretown Lake and Pohatcong Lake produced largemouth to the 3-pound mark on poppers and buzzbaits this week, per Creekside Outfitters. Fishing overall in the central part of the state ran fair to good, with catfish and panfish rounding out the mixed bag and a surprise trout or two showing up (Toms River TCA gave up a rainbow, per the same report). Down in the Pine Barrens' famous cedar waters, pickerel are keeping local rods bent according to Hands Too Bait and Tackle out of Cape May, even as many freshwater regulars stayed on the tidal side chasing a strong fluke bite. Out on the Delaware, Dave's Sport Shop in Doylestown says smallmouth bass and catfish are producing hit-or-miss action as anglers get back on the river after a slower stretch. No buoy or gauge telemetry came through for this cycle, so treat flow and temp as unconfirmed until the next check.
Sea Bass Bite Runs Red Hot as Bluefin Push Close to the Jersey Shore
Sea bass fishing is red hot along the Jersey Shore right now, with Blue Chip Sportfishing reporting boats limiting out on almost every trip. Fluke action is a mixed bag but trending up — Fishermans HQ LBI notes sand eels holding around Barnegat Inlet with spearing, mullet and peanut bunker now showing too, while The Fisherman — Southern NJ calls flounder fishing out of Cape May "very hot," with limits to 7 pounds coming off deepwater reef and wreck sites. Offshore, Fishermans HQ LBI reports 25-to-40-pound bluefin tuna running within 30 miles of Barnegat Inlet on the troll and on live squid, and Blue Chip is finding mahi around the lobster-pot lines. Inshore, The Fisherman — Northern NJ notes the Miss Belmar Princess "hammering the blues" with bonito and Spanish mackerel mixed in. Shark fishing has "busted wide open" per Blue Chip, with three makos released on one recent trip. Nearshore water is running in the low 70s.
Delaware Bay croakers and kingfish load up the back bay
Croaker are stacked thick in the Delaware Bay backwaters — Higbee's Bait and Tackle reports Fortescue Beach giving up croakers, spot and white perch, with Fortescue Creek loaded with perch and plenty of crabs in the traps, and boaters working the lower bay mixing in flounder, spot, croakers and kingfish, including a black drum pushing 22 pounds. Big Dave's Tackle backs up the same croaker-kingfish-flounder pattern off Higbee's Beach and notes the bay's bridges and lighthouses are holding small weakfish, tog and sheepshead to 8 pounds. Down at Cape May, Hands Too Bait and Tackle calls the fluke bite "really hot" on bucktails with teasers tipped in mackerel strips and minnows worked off the jetties, with croakers thick at Higbee's Beach and the Ferry Jetty, kingfish loading up near Wildwood Crest, tog and sheepshead working the Cape May Inlet, and even a cobia taken on a live-lined eel in the surf.
Doormat Fluke and Sea Bass Keep Sandy Hook Boats Busy
Fluke and black sea bass are carrying the bite in Sandy Hook Bay and Raritan Bay right now. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands has posted keeper counts of two and three fish per angler for five straight days, with pool winners running 4 to 5-plus pounds — Wednesday's board topped out at 4lb 6oz and Friday's at 5lb 8oz, per Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ. Sea bass are riding along as a steady bonus fish on the same bottom drifts. To the south, Golden Eagle Fishing and Skylarker (The Fisherman — Northern NJ) report bluefish mixed with bonito on Belmar-area party boats, and OTW Northern New Jersey notes fluking running hot and cold from the back rivers out to the reefs, with bonito and Spanish mackerel showing off the beaches and inlets. Striped bass activity is quiet for now, typical for mid-August before the fall push. Waxing Crescent moon this week, so plan drifts around the better tide swings.