New Jersey fishing reports
383 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Stripers and Black Drum Lead Delaware Bay's Spring Charge
Water temps at 54°F (NOAA buoy 44009) haven't slowed the Delaware Bay NJ surf bite. Boulevard Bait & Tackle, writing in The Fisherman — Southern NJ, reported a 51-inch striped bass pulled from the surf on fresh clams this week — part of a broad wave of slot-to-overslot fish that has The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf columnist Nick Honachefsky calling it "another phenomenal week." The same stretch of oceanfront is delivering black drum to 38 inches alongside the stripers, with shucked clams working best for both. Summer flounder season opened May 4, and back-bay action has been inconsistent in the cold water, though Ray Scott's Dock reports the Captain Robin is still putting customers on fish to 22 inches per trip. Boat anglers in Cape May County should note Spicers Creek Boat Ramp is closed May 11–14 for dock renovations per NJ Fish & Wildlife News, with reopening expected May 15.
Spring striper run peaks along the Jersey Shore as black drum crash the party
Water temps holding at 53°F across both NOAA buoys 44065 and 44091 have done nothing to slow the striper bite on the Jersey Shore. Fishermans HQ LBI called the spring fishery "as good as it gets for surfcasters," with cuts, bowls, and gutters along Long Beach Island loaded with fish as of May 11. The Fisherman — Central NJ contacts at Yakitty Yaks Kayaks describe Barnegat and Raritan bays as shaping up to be "one of the best spring bass seasons they've seen in years." Fresh clam leads as the top bait coast-wide, with glide baits and bunker chunks also producing quality fish. Boulevard Bait & Tackle in Southern NJ, per The Fisherman — Southern NJ, reported a surf-caught 51-inch striper this week. Adding to the excitement, a strong push of black drum has surprised anglers along the oceanfront wash, with fish to 38 inches on clam baits. Summer flounder opened May 4 but remains slow at current water temps, and the sea bass opener lands May 15.
Cedar waters fire for pickerel as Delaware River stripers push to Trenton
Cedar waters across the Pine Barrens are producing quality chain pickerel this week, with Creekside Outfitters reporting good action on killies, swimming plugs, and spinners — per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater. Allen's Dock on Bass River confirms that bass and pickerel are active in local ponds and campground waters, with the shop noting they're selling more killies to freshwater anglers than to fluke fishermen — a reliable gauge of where the inland bite stands. Hands Too Bait and Tackle adds trout, bass, and pickerel to the weekly mix, citing area cedar ponds and Ponderlodge Lake for consistent catches. On the Delaware River, Dave's Sport Shop reports mixed-size striped bass being caught at Trenton, with a few fish pushing as far north as Lambertville. Trout action appears to be tapering in the aftermath of the season's heavy April stocking, per NJ Fish & Wildlife News, with only scattered reports filtering in from the Tohickon and Unami drainages. USGS gauge 01408000 shows a moderate 32.8 cfs flow as of midday Tuesday.
Spring Stripers Surge Through Raritan Bay as Sea Bass Opener Approaches
NOAA buoy 44065 is logging 52°F water in the outer bay — cool but no obstacle for the spring striper run that has clearly arrived in force. Capt. Pete Wagner of the Hyper Striper tells The Fisherman — Northern NJ it was 'another super week' in Raritan Bay, with keepers to 25 pounds on every trip and more fish still working northward from the south. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf reports Sandy Hook beaches have been 'lit up' with stripers chomping bunker chunks and clams, while surfcasters tossing glide baits and rubbertails are also connecting. Blue Chip Sportfishing is calling the current bite 'the best striper fishing possible.' Black drum have joined the action along The Hook on clam baits, offering a bonus target for surf anglers. Fluke season opened May 4 but remains slow — Capt. Ron at Atlantic Highlands reports little activity in still-cold water — with anticipation building for the sea bass opener on May 15.
Black Drum Join the Party as Stripers Dominate Delaware Bay
Water temperatures at 53°F per NOAA buoy 44009 haven't slowed what multiple Southern NJ sources describe as an exceptional spring. The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports from Boulevard Bait & Tackle and Fin-Atics confirm striped bass feeding hard along the oceanfront and back-bay edges, with fish from slot size to 48-plus inches. Fresh and salted clams are the clear top bait, though soft plastics and glide baits are also producing. Alongside the stripers, a push of black drum has materialized — Boulevard Bait reported drum to 38 inches clam-soaked in the wash. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf's Nick Honachefsky described it as a drum push 'surprising many a clamslinger looking for bass.' Flounder season opened May 4, and while keepers have appeared in back bays and off jetties per One Stop Bait and Tackle, the bite stays inconsistent in cool water. Boaters in Cape May County should note the Spicers Creek ramp is closed May 11–14 for dock renovations (NJ Fish & Wildlife News).
Jersey Shore stripers on fire as post-spawn push peaks
Water temps holding at 52°F across NOAA buoys 44065 and 44091 haven't slowed the spring striper run one bit. Fishermans HQ LBI reports the Long Beach Island surf is 'as good as it gets,' with fish working cuts, bowls, troughs, and gutters from end to end. Blue Chip Sportfishing calls it 'the best Striper Fishing possible,' while Grumpys Tackle confirms strong action both in the surf and the bay on clams and jointed glide baits. The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf reports a 50-inch and 46-inch bass released at Point Pleasant, and The Fisherman — Southern NJ notes a 51-inch fish from the surf at Boulevard Bait & Tackle on salted clams. Black drum are mixing in along the oceanfront, hitting fresh clams to 38 inches. On The Water's May 8 Striper Migration Map confirms post-spawn fish pushing hard out of the Chesapeake and spreading across the Northeast. Fluke season opened May 4 and is off to a slow start — cool inshore water is keeping numbers down, though keepers are being picked from the rivers.
Stripers reach Lambertville as Pine Barrens pickerel run hot
Mixed-size striped bass are running the Delaware River as far north as Lambertville, with the best action concentrated near Trenton, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater. In the Pine Barrens cedar drainages, chain pickerel are delivering some of this week's best freshwater sport; Allen's Dock on Bass River and Hands Too Bait and Tackle both report solid catches on live killies, swimbaits, and spinners. Largemouth bass are active across campground ponds and small lakes on spinnerbaits. Statewide trout fishing, which launched strong after NJ Fish & Wildlife News confirmed more than 180,000 rainbows and 20,000 browns stocked ahead of the April 11 opener, has since quieted to scattered reports at the lower lakes and ponds, per Creekside Outfitters via The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater. USGS gauge 01408000 registered 37.1 cfs early on May 12, pointing to moderate, fishable flows through the Pine Barrens drainage.
Stripers and Black Drum Rolling Through Delaware Bay as Flounder Season Opens
Water off the Delaware Bay's NJ shore is sitting at 54°F per NOAA buoy 44009, and conditions are clicking for two of the season's marquee species. The Fisherman — Southern NJ reports a "solid" striper bite along the oceanfront this week, including a 51-inch fish pulled from the surf on salted clam, with black drum to 38 inches also responding to clam presentations in the wash and back bays. A broader drum push arrived this week, per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, surprising anglers who were out primarily clamming for bass. Flounder season opened May 4, but chilly water in the low 50s is keeping keeper counts inconsistent — some anglers are scoring fish on live minnows and strip baits in the back bays and jetties, while others find keepers hard to come by (The Fisherman — Southern NJ). Boaters launching from Cape May County should note the Spicers Creek Boat Ramp is closed May 11–14 for dock renovations, per NJ Fish & Wildlife News.
Jersey Shore Spring Bass Run Hits Full Stride
Water temps at 53°F (NOAA buoy 44065) are sustaining one of the strongest spring striper runs the Jersey Shore has seen in years. Fishermans HQ LBI's May 11 update called it "as good as it gets for surfcasters," with bass working every cut, bowl, and gutter along Long Beach Island on fresh clam, glide baits, and bunker. Per The Fisherman — Central NJ, Yakitty Yaks Kayaks rates this among "the best spring bass seasons they've seen in years" across Barnegat and Raritan bays. The Fisherman — Southern NJ (Boulevard Bait & Tackle) reported a 51-inch surf fish this week; Grumpys Tackle logged a 41-inch personal best at Seaside Park on an SP Minnow. Black drum have joined the parade — clam baits are producing fish to 38 inches alongside the bass. Fluke season opened May 4 but remains slow, with most shops reporting mostly shorts while water temps hold in the low 50s. Sea bass opens May 15.
Pine Barrens pickerel sizzling as stripers reach Trenton on the Delaware
Dave's Sport Shop (via The Fisherman — NJ/DE Freshwater) reports mixed-size striped bass at Trenton on the Delaware River, with a handful of fish pushing as far north as Lambertville — a timely signal as the coastal spring run matures. In the Pine Barrens, Creekside Outfitters confirms cedar-water chain pickerel are producing steadily on killies, swimbaits, and spinners, while largemouth bass are active in local ponds on spinnerbaits. Hands Too Bait and Tackle echoes the same picture: pine-stained streams are yielding solid pickerel and campground ponds are "full of nice bass." Trout action has quieted since the April 11 opener, per Dave's Sport Shop and Creekside Outfitters, though Ponderlodge Lake continues to give up holdovers alongside catfish and bass. Allen's Dock on Bass River notes white perch have been unusually absent from tidal streams this spring. USGS gauge 01408000 recorded a manageable 50.3 cfs on May 11, keeping access comfortable for kayak and small-craft anglers.
Sandy Hook Stripers Hit Full Stride Ahead of the Sea Bass Opener
Water at 52°F per NOAA buoy 44065 hasn't slowed what veterans are already calling one of the best spring striper runs in years along Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook. Per The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf, Keansburg Pier is 'lit up' with bass hitting clams, chunks, plugs, and shads indiscriminately, while Sandy Hook's Parking Lot areas and North Beach are producing quality fish on chunked bunker — anglers making the hike to the Rip are scoring on wooden swimmers. OTW Northern New Jersey confirms stripers hitting chunks, clams, and bottle plugs throughout the surf and bay system, and Blue Chip Sportfishing reports 'crushing' stripers on every charter. The fluke season opened May 4, but Capt. Ron's Atlantic Highlands notes a slow start — SW winds on opening day yielded just a couple of keepers. All eyes now turn to May 15, when the sea bass opener arrives; per The Fisherman — Northern NJ, the Big Mohawk III is returning to the water specifically to target sea bass.
Stripers to 48 Inches Stacking the Delaware Bay as Drum Bite Builds
Water temp sitting at 56°F at NOAA buoy 44009 on May 11, and the Delaware Bay (NJ side) is delivering on that warmth in a big way. Higbee's Bait and Tackle reports stripers to 48 inches from Fortescue Beach this week, with bloodworms far and away the top producer and a few black drum already falling for bloodworms alongside. Big Dave's Tackle confirms an outstanding bite running Cape May to Salem County — bloodworms, bloodworm bag combos (Vamp Bites and live bloodworm in a spawn net), fresh clam, glide baits, and soft plastics are all scoring, with fish to 46 inches and solid numbers of slot-size keepers. More drum are showing up along the bayshore, with Hands Too Bait and Tackle noting fish to 20 pounds on fresh shucked surf clams. Evening and early morning moving tides remain the prime windows per both shops. Important for boaters: NJ Fish & Wildlife News reports Spicers Creek Boat Ramp in Cape May County is closed May 11–14 for dock replacement and parking-area upgrades — identify your alternate launch before you head south.