New Jersey & Delaware Bay - New Jersey & Delaware Bay Surf Fishing Reports

At the Tackle Box in Hazlet, Phil said the Sandy Hook surf lit up with bass action as the clam chew went bananas. Plenty of keeper slot fish were on hand. Big blues up to 14 pounds infiltrated the bay as the Keansburg Pier, Belford, Leonardo all had choppers hitting chunk baits and even some plugs.

John of Betty and Nicks in Seaside Park has had a steady showing of stripers gobbling down clams off the Seaside surf as fish in the slot range and over slot seem to be moving into the area in some good numbers. The Seaside piers are still giving up bass too on clams and bloodworms. John did hear that some stripers were starting to hit thin metals like Deadly Dicks and ava jigs.

At Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach, the local sands are starting to cough up some stripers as clammers are finding a lot of fish mainly on the incoming tides. I found that the turn of the tide from low to incoming was red hot as I literally ran out of clams and released six bass in 30 minutes time. Some bluefish are being taken off the Mantoloking Pier on plugs and darters.

Greg at Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom said the mid-island bass bite is really picking up now as fresh clams are key but they are willing to strike a darter or swimmer as well. Bluefish of 8 to 13 pounds invaded the surf area as well as bunker chunks were getting chewed up with regularity. There are still a few black drum milling about around the south end of the island and if you feel your clam baits are getting nibbled up its most certainly blowfish that are in the surf line.

Jason of Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant said big blues up to 14 pounds kept moving through the Manasquan Inlet waters, mainly during the afternoon into evening times as plugs and mag darters worked well to get their attention, though they were sluggish on the take. I managed to tangle with two brute blues on a white Mag Darter and barely felt the hit, just a lot of weight on the line. Bass fishing is starting to shine in the surf as clammers are in the glory hanging fish from Point to IBSP. Be on the lookout for fluke off the docks and concrete walkways this weekend.

The surf is picking up steam every day according to Frank at Gabriel Tackle in Brick. Most of the fish out front still want the fresh clams on circle hooks but some plug throwers are seeing action as well. Bluefish are in the backwaters hitting white mag darters and small plugs with the fish upwards of 12 to 14 pounds.

I stopped in for some clams at Grumpys Tackle in Seaside Park and the snot (clam) has been working to score stripers along the IBSP and Seaside sands. A lot of fish are in the 26- to 36-inch range with some larger and some smaller. Plugs are also hanging a few fish during the dark hours as Tim Brackman found with a blurple Bomber. Occasional bluefish are being caught off the back docks and there are roamers in the surf. There are still a few small puppy drum hanging around to eat up clams.

“Fresh clams are moving out the door rapidly,” said Dennis of the Hook House in Toms River as stripers are whacking them all along the Seaside and IBSP surfline. Both fresh in the shell or salted clams seem to be working but always go with fresh if you have the option. Bluefish are being caught off the local bayside docks.

The Beach Haven area surf has picked up considerably for stripers according to the folks at Jingles Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven. Most anglers are tossing clams and coming up with slot caliber fish on the incoming tides and it’s a good bet you’ll at least find one or two fish on a day out. Some bluefish of 6 to 12 pounds were taken on bunker chunks this week and there could very well be more on the way.

At Fin-Atics of Ocean City, Justin brought word that blues moved through the Corsons and Great Egg inlet areas and were hitting soft baits intended for bass. Bring some single hook small plugs out to get bit. Bass fishing remains good along the bridges and pilings with dark hours n stealth mode your best chance at hooking up.

Down in Cape May at Hands Too Bait and Tackle, all fish seem to be biting. Bass are being clammed off Poverty Beach and all the Bayshore beachfronts. Big blues are also found at both those spots if you toss out some unker or mackerel chunks. Some weakfish were found around the jetties on bloodworms and soft plastics in the early morning predawn hours. Black drum moved in in more force this week so you can always tangle with a Clydesdale when tossing clams for bass.

The AC are jetties and boardwalk were lit with activity said Noel of One Stop Bait and Tackle. Bass are aplenty off any of the jetties and the boardwalk beaches as clam baits are key, though you can use bloods too. A steady showing of slot dinner fish are in the area if you are looking for a meal and there are plenty “over-slot” fish to release. Bluefish of 3 to 6 pounds pushed into the area waters too hitting plugs and even clam baits. The first real nice weakfish was taken on a white spook plug this week which may be a sign of more moving in. Tog season was ending with a bang as the whitechinners were all over the jetty rocks eating crabs.

It was an “unbelievable” bite on surf bass off Brigantine this past week according to Andy of Riptide Bait and Tackle as fish were sucking down Riptide Rotter clams nonstop. And a lot of the fish were big in size reaching 40 inches or more along with the usual shorts and slot fish. The south jetty had plenty of activity going on there too as pluggers were into stripers with some larger model fish straightening out hooks. Bluefish of 6 to 8 pounds also moved into the area and were aggressive to hit on plugs. Even kingfish started to infiltrate the area as the whiskered fish bit on bloodworms with some fish reaching 13 inches or more. Look for more black drum to begin showing in the surf again as they head into prime spawning season.