New Jersey & Delaware Bay - Central New Jersey Fishing Reports

The crew of the 125? Jamaica said they had numerous limits of bluefish around the boat early in the week. Some nice size bonito and some Spanish mackerel offered good action. They saw several schools of fish on the surface. Most were bonito and albacore, but they weren?t feeding like they were hoping they would. The pool winner caught a large bonito.

Capt. Joe said the Jamaica II had a slow week. Some fluke were still biting before the blow, but not as many keepers lately. They were stuck at the dock over the weekend of September 23-24.

Matt at the Reel Seat said things were starting to heat up just before the blow. Anglers said albies were showing up and the mullet run kicked off. Bass were seen out in the surf biting poppers and shads. Some blues were also reported in the river. Matt said, ?Offshore, folks were slamming the yellowfin, but now we aren?t sure what to expect after this storm.? Everyone will just have to see what the bite is like in the final week of September, and hope things turn back on.

Spencer at Fishermen?s Supply said there is a lot of mullet around and on the move. Stripers are chasing it out front and back in the bay along with smaller blues. Some folks are catching blackfish in the canal. Surf action in the Point Pleasant area was picking up nicely at the end of September and surfcasters are pretty optimistic about the action come October.

If you?re looking to do a little offshore tuna fishing this fall, let Capt. Bob on the Gambler be your driver. The boat typically makes a few offshore overnighters, some going 36 hours, during the fall run during good weather windows.

Capt. Alan of Mushin Sportfishing said they have been weathered out due to the wind and rain. Capt. Alan said, ?While this is a great time of the year to fish, it?s often a challenge to get offshore to the tuna grounds,?. They had to cancel a lot of trips this month. The tuna fishing has been great when the boats can get there. Fluke action was good before the blow. He is looking forward to the sea bass season in October, and said stripers should be in full swing by November.

Capt. Danny said the Norma K III left them biting on Wednesday. The fluke action was great. They had a good bite on Thursday until the wind dropped out and lost their drift. They were stuck at the dock the remainder of the week.

Frank at Gabriel Tackle said the weather doesn?t look good for the final few days of September, but if there is a break, he urges anglers to hit the Manasquan Inlet. It was producing plenty of fluke with a mix of keeper and shorts. Stripers were biting at night at the bridges on eels. You could also hit the Point Pleasant Canal. There have been plenty of reports of fluke at the mouths of the canal. Stripers and blues are coming up livelining spots or eels. Also, blackfishing has been good.

Our friends at Jersey Hooker Outfitters said it?s tough to give a good report. Things were silent for the past few days with the storm rolling through. Anglers reported some blackfish at the canal since then. Before the bad weather, some fluke continued to bite in the inlet.

Pete at Charlie?s Bait & Tackle said the fishing was good before the blow. Blues, fluke, and weakfish were all bending rods. The mullet was running strong, and everything was good until the storm blew it all away. The snapper bite in the bay died too. Bass were in the Manasquan but it since slowed down.

Things were mostly quiet at The Dock Outfitters over the weekend of September 23-24, but in the days prior folks were out on the dock looking for snappers.

Mullet were on the move at the end of September, and John at Betty & Nick?s is looking forward to the first few weeks of October in particular to see what the double-shot of tropical storms may have pushed in to feast on those morsels.

Connor at Grumpy?s Bait & Tackle said not many anglers are out fishing. Before the poor weather came through, bluefish action was hot! They were chasing mullet along with bass mixed in. Fluke were biting as well.

Dennis at Hook House Bait & Tackle said the canal is offering blackfish on green crabs. It has been on fire with bass and blues at night on live eels. Once the water settles, the Toms River should pick back up with some nice snappers. Anglers were trolling for them in boats or casting small metals off the docks. Fluke were biting in the bay near Double Creek, but that closes soon so by the time everything settles the season will be over. In the surf, blues are being caught up to 3 pounds on bait, poppers, and SP Minnows.

Dan at Lacey Marine said fluke fishing was good before the storm at the Tires and wrecks near the Ridge. Blowfishing has been great east of the Research Buoy and along the Waretown flats. Chumming heavy and clams were the ticket. Lots of small seabass, snappers, and plenty of spot mixed in. Crabbing picked back up in the bay and snappers are all getting bigger by the day. With the amount of nice sea bass guys have been reporting they are getting while fluke fishing, it should be a great start to the sea bass opening!

Capt. Ray Lopez of Miss Liane Charters said the mahi and tuna action has been good through the latter part of September, but he said they will also start targeting sea bass on October 1.

Capt. Joe Rizzo of Barnegat Bay Fishing Charters said blowfish action was great before the storm came. Sea bass, porgies, and fluke also offered action. He had to cancel his charters this past weekend but is excited to see what this coming week offers. Some crabs went in his traps so that was a positive note.

With all that bait stacking up in the lagoons and throughout Barnegat Bay, Liza and crew at Creekside Outfitters are expecting the bay bite on striped bass to heat up quickly this month.

Capt. Sam Rescigno of the Mary M IV said they were out before the storm and had great fishing. The local lumps offered a ton of mackerel, bonito, and bluefish. Plenty of sea bass were there on open bottom along with some porgies. Hopefully things settle this week so they can get back into good fishing.

Capt. Lenny of Miss Barnegat Light said they had a decent trip earlier in the week. Only downside was there was no drift. Despite that, their keeper ratio was 50/50! Some sea bass came up as a by-catch and had to go back. Gulp, squid, and spearing all produced. Fishing improved as the week went on, but by the weekend they were stuck at the dock due to the storm.

Greg at Fisherman?s Headquarters said before the storm, a little bit of everything was biting, but nothing spectacular. The best choice would be to go for tog in Barnegat Inlet. There are a lot of fish but keepers are hard to come by. As for the bay, blowfish, spot, and weakfish are offering some action. Stripers are coming in as the bait moves around and stages up in different areas. Mullet are being seen in the surf and pelicans are diving down for them. Peanut bunker remains in the back. Greg thinks that the blow will move bait around and the bass bite will kick off strong.

Steve at Jingles Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven said folks are getting weakfish and blowfish in the bay. The surf is offering fluke and snapper blues. The storm wiped out any chance of offshore fishing this week. For folks fishing the south end of LBI this fall, be sure to register at the Beach Haven shop for the nine-week LBI Surf Fishing Classic kicking off on October 7.

As the captains of the Beach Haven Charter Fishing Association look at the weather forecasts for the final weekend of the 2023 summer flounder fishing season, things do not look promising. A storm coming up the eastern seaboard brought strong winds, high seas, and above average tides in the days leading up to the official close of the fluke season, and hopes were mixed for fluke action once the storm passes by. A report from the Star Fish with Capt. Carl Sheppard noted that there was some good ocean bottom fishing action on structure the latter part of September, with very good rod bending action on black sea bass in advance of the October 1 reopening, as well as some triggerfish. There were also good stories about panfish action in the bay waters including some very good catches of blowfish. These fish are not considered great action, but they cook up very nicely. It is no accident that they have been dubbed ?sea squab.? Other fish showing up in the bay include kingfish, weakfish, and others. If the ocean waters remain stirred up, this type of fishing might be an option for anglers. Also popping up in bay and inlet waters have been some decent numbers of bluefish. These fish are often found under feeding birds and are in the 1- to 3-pound class, perfect for eating. There has also been a surprising bite of mahi in the waters off Beach Haven. Although these fish have been on the small side, their appearance close to shore is unusual.

Capt. Steve Palmer of the Miss Beach Haven said they were docked due to the weather but are running a special the last day of fluke season on the 27th.

The LBI Surf Fishing Classic kicks off for nine weeks starting October 7, and Tom at Surf City Bait and Tackle said he?s all geared up for the tournament. Quite a few blackfish are available at the south jetty at Barnegat Light, one of the target species in this year?s Classic. Stop by and check out the shop, as Tom and his son have put a lot of work into it this summer, with a whole bunch of new offerings.