New Jersey fishing reports
379 reports for New Jersey — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Fluke bite builds on Delaware Bay's NJ-side reefs and back bays
Summer flounder are carrying the Delaware Bay (NJ side) report this week. Big Dave's Tackle in Cape May, via The Fisherman — Southern NJ, says flounder catches have been very good lately and are spread from the back bays out into Delaware Bay proper and onto the deeper reef sites, with most keepers running 20 to 22 inches on Gulp baits and some fish pushing to 7 pounds at the Cape May Reef Site and Old Grounds. Pier 47 Marina backs that up, with Reef Site #11 giving up consistent limits to 7 pounds on larger strip baits and bulkier Gulp. Along the beachfront, Hands Too Bait and Tackle (The Fisherman — NJ/DE Surf) reports sand fleas and strip baits working through triggerfish to reach keeper sheepshead near the Cape May Jetty, while croakers keep hitting clam and squid strips on the bay beaches. A solid, typical mid-summer bottom-fishing week under the full moon.
Fluke and sea bass turn on around Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook
Fluke are stacking up around Sandy Hook and Raritan Bay heading into this full moon, with Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands landing a new monthly pool leader at 6 pounds 12 ounces and reporting several fish over 4 pounds on a recent drift day. Grumpys Tackle (NJ) says surf fluke fishing is showing steady improvement on bucktails and scented soft artificial baits, while OTW Northern New Jersey pegs the bite as solid from the back rivers out to the reefs. Black sea bass are red hot too — Blue Chip Sportfishing reports limiting out on almost every trip, and Capt Ron's crew is finally connecting with jumbo sea bass around the boat on bait, jigs, and gulp. Striped bass remain a mixed bag: Blue Chip calls it some of the best striper fishing possible, while Grumpys is only seeing occasional fish mixed in with bluefish and croaker in the back bay.
Sea Bass and Stripers Turn Red Hot Along the Jersey Shore
Blue Chip Sportfishing is limiting out on black sea bass almost every trip and calling this the best striper fishing of the season, with anglers crushing striped bass on every run. Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands backs up the sea bass action with jumbo bass coming on jigs and Gulp, while fluke keepers continue trickling in on bait and soft plastics. Fluke fishing is holding steady too: OTW Northern New Jersey reports a solid bite from the rivers to the reefs as of late July, and Grumpys Tackle notes the surf fluke bite improving on bucktails and scented soft baits. Offshore, Fishermans HQ LBI says bluefin tuna have moved onto the midshore grounds behind a squid push, with drifted live bait working best. Shark fishing is active too, per Blue Chip's recent Mako releases and a notable tiger shark landed in the surf per On The Water.
Dog-days bass push deep as Pine Barrens pickerel stay steady
Late-July heat has settled the Delaware River and Pine Barrens freshwater fishery into its classic dog-days pattern, with smallmouth and largemouth bass sliding toward deeper pools, current breaks, and shaded structure during peak sun. No river-specific reports surfaced in this cycle's regional feeds, so this update leans on general seasonal knowledge for the corridor rather than fresh on-the-water testimony from local sources. Bass anglers working comparable summer conditions elsewhere are finding fish by dropshotting deeper cover and working moving baits over submerged vegetation early and late in the day, per Tactical Bassin's recent summer coverage, tactics that should translate well to Delaware River tailwater pools and Pine Barrens pond edges. The Pine Barrens' tannic, slow-moving cedar streams continue to favor chain pickerel and panfish over trout, which are typically pushed into thermal refuge by late July. Expect a slow, steady bite rather than a hot one until temperatures ease. Full moon nights this week may also shift feeding toward overnight hours.
Full moon current fuels fluke, sea bass, and shark action across NJ
Croaker are showing up thick in NJ back bays right now, with Grumpys Tackle (NJ) reporting anglers finding 'plenty of them, and decent size' while fluke in the surf show 'steady improvement' on bucktails and scented soft plastics. In Atlantic Highlands, Capt Ron's crew has been limiting out on sea bass with jumbo fish finally showing around structure, best on bait, jigs, and Gulp. Offshore, Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) describes recent striper trips as 'the best Striper Fishing possible,' and shark fishing has 'busted wide open,' with multiple mako sharks hooked and released. Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) is seeing bluefin tuna push inshore behind what it calls a 'massive squid invasion,' alongside bluefish and fluke in the bay and inlet. No live buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, so treat water temperature as unconfirmed. It's a full moon week, which typically sharpens current and moving-water bites across NJ's bay systems.
Doormat fluke and jumbo sea bass headline the Sandy Hook bite
A 6-pound, 12-ounce fluke topped the monthly pool at Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands this week, edging out a 6-pound-4-ounce runner-up from the same boat, a sign the doormat bite around Sandy Hook Bay and the nearby reefs is running strong under this full moon. Capt Ron's crew is also finally connecting with jumbo sea bass, working bait and jig-and-Gulp combos for the bigger fish. To the north, OTW's Northern New Jersey report has the fluke bite 'solid from the rivers to the reefs,' with midshore bluefin working stickbaits, jigs, and live bluefish, and cocktail bluefish stacking up in the rivers and inlets. Fishermans HQ on Long Beach Island is seeing a similar late-July mix of bluefish, fluke, and stripers in the bay and inlet. Striped bass remain a steady side dish here rather than the headline act, with the hottest keeper action reported farther down the Jersey coast.
Stripers, sea bass and fluke stay red-hot up and down the Jersey Shore
Blue Chip Sportfishing says this is about as good as striped bass fishing gets right now, crushing stripers on every trip, while sea bass limits are coming fast and shark trips have "busted wide open" with multiple mako hookups this week per the same operator. Fluke are cooperating too: Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands reports big doormats near the top of the pool board, including back-to-back 5-plus-pounders, with bait, jigs and Gulp all producing. Fishermans HQ on LBI adds bluefin tuna pushing inshore behind a heavy squid run, with 20-to-30-mile drifts and jigging both working, plus blues and stripers mixing into bay and inlet catches. Northern Jersey reports via On The Water back up a solid fluke bite from the rivers to the reefs, with midshore bluefin and canyon yellowfin rounding out the offshore picture on this full moon.
Dog-days bass fishing shifts deep on the Delaware and in the Pine Barrens
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for the Delaware River or Pine Barrens today, and the regional fishing feeds are dominated by the Jersey Shore right now — Capt Ron's out of Atlantic Highlands, Fishermans HQ LBI, and Blue Chip Sportfishing are all locked onto ocean fluke, sea bass, and bluefin, not the inland freshwater scene. Absent direct reports, this is a general-knowledge read on a late-July full-moon stretch: expect classic dog-days behavior, with catfish and some bass activity concentrated around dawn, dusk, and after dark as daytime water warms. Tactical Bassin's summer bass advice (get off the bank, work submerged vegetation and offshore structure) and Fishing the Midwest's weedline notes are broadly applicable to warm-water patterns like the Delaware and Pine Barrens systems. Also worth knowing before you head out: NJ Fish & Wildlife News has seasonal closures in effect at select Wildlife Management Areas through September 7, so check access at any WMA-adjacent bank spot.
Delaware Bay flounder bite holds strong into August push
Keeper flounder in the 20- to 22-inch range are coming out of Delaware Bay on Gulp baits, with fish pushing 7 pounds at the Cape May Reef Site and Old Grounds, according to Big Dave's Tackle. Hands Too Bait and Tackle reports the deeper reef sites, especially Reef Site #11, producing flounder to 8 pounds, with fish keyed on sand eels making longer, thinner baits the better call. Along the surf and jetties, Hands Too Bait and Tackle's Cape May report notes triggerfish holding good size at the Cape May Jetty, with sand fleas and strip baits needed to get past them to sheepshead, while croakers stack up on Delaware Bay beaches for clam and squid. Kingfish were slow through mid-July but are still mixed in. Fin-Atics adds that the back bay flounder bite is riding the incoming tide on live minnows and squid strips, with plenty of shorts to sort for every keeper landed.
Fluke and Sea Bass Fire Up Around Sandy Hook as Full Moon Rolls In
Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ landed back-to-back pool-fish fluke over 6 pounds this week, a sign the summer flatfish bite is running strong in Raritan Bay's home waters. Sea bass are riding the same wave: Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) calls the bite 'red hot,' with boats limiting out on nearly every trip, while Capt Ron's crew is 'finally catching the jumbo sea bass' on bait, jigs, and Gulp. Bluefish are mixed in throughout the bay and inlets, per OTW Northern New Jersey and Grumpys Tackle (NJ), which also notes croaker and spot still showing in the back bay on FishBites. Striped bass remain part of the rotation, with smaller fish working the beaches per OTW Northern New Jersey. With no fresh buoy or gauge readings available this cycle, check a local forecast before heading out, but the bite reports alone put this stretch of Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook squarely in peak summer form.
Sea bass and stripers running hot along the Jersey Shore
Black sea bass are red hot out of Atlantic Highlands right now: Blue Chip Sportfishing (NJ) reports limiting out on almost every trip this week, and Capt Ron's Atlantic Highlands NJ says the boat is "finally catching the Jumbo Sea Bass" after a slower stretch. Striped bass are keeping pace, with Blue Chip calling the striper bite "crushing" on every trip, while Grumpys Tackle (NJ) notes stripers still mixed in with bluefish along the beach. Fluke are trending up too. Grumpys describes "steady improvement" in the surf on bucktails and scented soft artificial baits, and OTW Northern New Jersey's July 23 report has the bite "solid" from the rivers to the reefs. Offshore, midshore bluefin tuna are eating stickbaits, jigs, and live bluefish per OTW Northern New Jersey, arriving alongside a squid push that Fishermans HQ LBI (NJ) says has bluefin "in striking distance." Blue Chip's shark charters have also busted wide open, with three Mako sharks landed and released on a recent trip.
Full moon sets up a low-light bass and catfish bite this week
It's a Full Moon over the Delaware River and Pine Barrens as we close out July, and this cycle's feeds didn't return a buoy or gauge reading for the region, so treat river stage and clarity as unknowns until you check conditions bankside. No river-specific angler reports came through the wire this week either — this week's coverage leaned coastal (ocean-side fluke, striper, and tuna reports) and out-of-region, so what follows is grounded in typical late-summer freshwater patterns rather than a fresh local report. For NJ's freshwater stretches this time of year, expect smallmouth bass working current breaks and rock seams on the main river, largemouth bass and chain pickerel holding tight to weed edges and shaded, tannic backwaters through the Pine Barrens, and channel catfish becoming the most reliable after-dark target, especially with a full moon lighting up the water overnight. Plan trips around dawn, dusk, or moonlit hours rather than midday heat.