September 24, 2020 New Jersey/Delaware Bay Fishing Report with Jim Hutchinson, Jr.
Staff from The Fisherman Magazine hasn’t manned a booth for a local boat or outdoor show since the Asbury Park plug show in March, so it’s safe to say we’re pretty excited to return to action this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 25-27 at First Energy Park (Blue Claws stadium) in Lakewood. Get your new or renewing subscription at the show and walk out with a Savage sand eel package, a great bait for the fall run. Of course, if you’re like us, you also picked up a plug or two in Asbury Park earlier this year which you’re hoping to soak in the fall surf; the latest NOAA Weather forecast has W/NW winds predicted most of the day Thursday which could help cool water temps and kick those peanuts and mullet in the tails in jumpstarting the fall action. Many folks are checking the NOAA offshore weather forecast on the hour to look for windows to sail towards the tuna grounds; not much to report in recent weeks due to turbulent seas, but there looks to be a shot or two in the upcoming forecast. Another red drum makes the South Jersey forecast this week, and many folks in Cape May County in particular are hopeful for another speck-tacular run of spotted trout this fall. Meanwhile there are a few stripers being reported by those fishing off the beach and in the back along the sedges and sod banks. Welcome to official start of fall!
So the flounder season petered out for most anglers as the wind and seas conspired against us this past week. Very few were able to make it offshore to the reef sites that were producing flounder throughout the summer. Those that got their last trip in found that the fish had either moved, scattered or simply had lockjaw. A couple fish were reported here and there, but it was by no means the Grand Finale that we all had expected would end an epic summer of flounder fishing. Anglers did have plenty of other opportunities this week to catch fish. The kingfish, spot and croaker bite from Atlantic City down to Cape May is still going strong. Tog fishing continues to be good from both the jetties, bridges and they have also moved to the deeper undercuts of back bay sod banks. Weakfish and blues are being caught on bait and artificials, especially from the bridges and lighted docks at night. The stripers are giving us a little taste of whats still to come this fall. They can be found cruising the points and feeder creeks along the sod banks chasing mullet, peanut bunker, silversides and rainfish morning, noon and night.
According to Mike with Tuckerton Bait and Tackle, the final week of flounder season saw very few boats venture offshore due to the poor weather conditions. One of Mikes regular customers did get ou...
According to Mike with Tuckerton Bait and Tackle, the final week of flounder season saw very few boats venture offshore due to the poor weather conditions. One of Mikes regular customers did get out and came home with a limit of fish over 6 pounds including a 12-pounder to end his personal best season. Many anglers have already shifted their angling efforts to different species such as blowfish, perch, sheepshead, triggerfish, tog, stripers and blues. Blowfish have finally schooled up in good numbers and are being caught behind Beach Haven off the Red Tower and in Barnegat Bay. Anglers are catching up to 120 fish per trip with small clam baits and Fistbites taking most of the fish. There are also some kingfish and 2-pound bluefish mixed in with the blowfish schools. The bayside lagoons in the New Gretna area are seeing plenty of perch and short stripers being caught on bloodworms. The local bridges, rip-rap and sod banks are seeing some nice catches of sheepshead and triggerfish on clam baits while tog are taking green crabs in the same area. More
Mitch with Chestnut Neck Boat Yard checked in with a report and didnt even mention flounder fishing. Perch, stripers, weakfish and large catfish were caught even in the less than favorable weather ...
Mitch with Chestnut Neck Boat Yard checked in with a report and didnt even mention flounder fishing. Perch, stripers, weakfish and large catfish were caught even in the less than favorable weather conditions this past week. The perch fishing is just insane, with fish up to 12 inches according to Mitch. He tells us that he cant give up any specific spots, but in general, anglers are fishing from Lower Bank down to the mouth of the Mullica. He advises that if you're not catching fish within 5 minutes, move. The fish are schooled up tight, but once you find them the action is non-stop and there are some nice catfish mixed in with them, especially in the Wading River area. For weakfish, get your hands on some shedder crab and fish the mouth of the river either at the top or bottom of the tide. Some real nice fish to 23 inches have been caught. Also in the river, the stripers have really turned on and are hitting live eels, plugs and Stretch 25s on the troll. Most fish are in the 20- to 27-inch size range. More
As predicted by Capt.Dave with Absecon Bay Sportsmans Center, Mother Nature shut down the flounder season this year with steady winds out of the northeast making it impossible for anglers to get out...
As predicted by Capt.Dave with Absecon Bay Sportsmans Center, Mother Nature shut down the flounder season this year with steady winds out of the northeast making it impossible for anglers to get out to the wrecks and reefs. Just a couple fish were caught in the back bays including a 20-incher on shedder crab. The water was dirty and disturbed all week making for poor striper fishing as well. The peanut bunker and mullet are schooled up tight waiting for a break in the weather, a drop in water temperature or some other sign before starting their migration. Based on the number of baitfish in the back bay creeks, the striper and blue fishing should be epic once these bait pods start to move into open water. For now, anglers are finding shelter from the wind by fishing for perch up the river's creeks. More
Bluefish, kingfish and spot are still being caught all along the Brigantine Beach according to Capt. Andy with Riptide Bait and Tackle. The kingfish and spot are hitting bloodworms while the blues ar...
Bluefish, kingfish and spot are still being caught all along the Brigantine Beach according to Capt. Andy with Riptide Bait and Tackle. The kingfish and spot are hitting bloodworms while the blues are being taken on small strips of fresh bunker and small slender metals. One 20-inch flounder was reported during the closing week of flounder season and Andy is tallying up totals from the Riptide Summer Fishing Tournament. Striper action on schoolies is starting to heat up with the Huber crew out one night this week for a fantastic night of catch and release striper fishing on leadheads tipped with Gulp. More
Robin with Ray Scotts Dock reported that a couple days this past week were fisable for the smaller boats and rental boat fleet in the back bays. Not far from the dock the flounder season came to an...
Robin with Ray Scotts Dock reported that a couple days this past week were fisable for the smaller boats and rental boat fleet in the back bays. Not far from the dock the flounder season came to an end with a few boaters managing a keeper or two. Some anglers have shifted their attention to the awesome tog fishing along the sod banks, at the 50-foot hole, under the bridges and over the sunken barge north of the Margate Bridge. Most anglers are finding their one keeper tog in these areas along with the occasional trigger fish and there was even a 27-inch black drum reported on green crabs. Slack tide has seen the best fishing for the tog. Plugging the sod banks with topwater poppers has been fantastic with stripers in the 17- to 24-inch range being taken every morning. One of the reasons why popper fishing is so good is because of all the mullet around. So many so that on flood tide they are literally flipping themselves out of the water onto Robins dock. Back bay is also full of crabs as reported by a recent crab charter, lots of big male crabs for all on board. Lastly, be sure to contact the crew and register at Ray Scotts Dock for the upcoming 2020 Pat Erdman Memorial/Atlantic County Surf Fishing Derby. More
After a summer of catching literally thousands of flounder, Capt. John of the Keeper finished up his season and is now headed to the Florida Keys for the winter. Safe travels and we will see you in Ma...
After a summer of catching literally thousands of flounder, Capt. John of the Keeper finished up his season and is now headed to the Florida Keys for the winter. Safe travels and we will see you in May for opening day of the 2021 season. More
Slow week of fishing due to the weather according to the crew at Waterfront Marine. The bigger boats couldnt get offshore until Wednesday or Thursday, and when they did, the many couldnt get the ...
Slow week of fishing due to the weather according to the crew at Waterfront Marine. The bigger boats couldnt get offshore until Wednesday or Thursday, and when they did, the many couldnt get the flounder to bite. There were some triggerfish, blues and sea bass caught, but the week was mostly a washout on the wrecks and reefs. The back bays did see some tailor bules on metal, cut mullet and soft plastics. A couple weakfish were also caught under the bridges on pink and white Fin-S, while the sod banks were giving up short stripers on bucktails tipped with Gulp mullet and topwater poppers. More
A few flounder were caught in the back bays of Ocean City this week according to the folks at Fin-Atics. Most boaters did not venture too far due to the windy conditions. Very few made it out to the...
A few flounder were caught in the back bays of Ocean City this week according to the folks at Fin-Atics. Most boaters did not venture too far due to the windy conditions. Very few made it out to the Ocean City Reef Site, and those that did saw dismal results. More attention was paid this week to the back bay sod banks, bridges and lighted docks where stripers, blues and weakfish were caught. All three species were taking leadhead and bucktails tipped with Gulp twister tails. Top of the tide seemed to be best, but the blues were active most of the day while the stripers and weakfish were caught at dusk and throughout the night. The bridges also gave up a few more sheepshead and tog for kayak anglers fishing clam and green crabs. More
Perch fishing was fantastic this week according to customers at Bait N Hook. With all the wind and unsettled weather, the rivers and creeks offered plenty of shelter especially for kayak anglers. ...
Perch fishing was fantastic this week according to customers at Bait N Hook. With all the wind and unsettled weather, the rivers and creeks offered plenty of shelter especially for kayak anglers. The Mullica River and Absecon Creek produced plenty of fish up to 12 inches on bloodworms. More
Tammy with Avalon Hodge Podge reports that the back bay is loaded with peanut bunker and mullet, but they are schooling up and moving closer to the inlet every week. The strong winds may have put a p...
Tammy with Avalon Hodge Podge reports that the back bay is loaded with peanut bunker and mullet, but they are schooling up and moving closer to the inlet every week. The strong winds may have put a pause to their migration this week, but they are schooled up tight and being harassed by snapper blues and schoolie stripers especially along the points and cuts of the sod banks. Here, topwater poppers are taking both the blues and stripers with slack high tide being your best shot at landing some fish. The blues are in the 1-pound range while the stripers are in the 18- to 22-inch range with the occasional slot fish thrown in for something to take home for dinner (with a bonus tag). A couple boaters managed to fish the inshore fish pots this week and found that the mahi action continued to be good even after the water cooled down a couple degrees. Live peanut bunker got the mahi all lit up and Ben weighed in an 11-pounder which stretched the tape measurer to 32 inches. More
While most anglers threw in the towel early due to the weather, both the Tomlins and Petersens persisted and got their last flounder of the year this week according to Debbie with Grassy Sound Marina....
While most anglers threw in the towel early due to the weather, both the Tomlins and Petersens persisted and got their last flounder of the year this week according to Debbie with Grassy Sound Marina. The Tomlins managed two at 22 inches fishing mile mark 442 with new penny Gulp. Wayne Peterson stuck two himself at 20 and 23 inches on a Spro bucktail and minnow combo. Anglers fishing the pier saw some small flounder as well as some kingfish, spot and snapper blues. The sod banks from behind Wildwood to Cape May are loaded with stripers laying in wait for schools of mullet. Anglers are capitalizing on this fishery by throwing small topwater plugs as well as leadheads tipped with Gulp mullets. Low light conditions have been most productive, sunrise and sunset being prime, but dont overlook mid-day when there is considerable cloud cover as this seems to put the fish into a frenzy. More
Lots of boaters were crabbing this week due to the windy conditions according to Pier 47 Marina. The crabbing was really good way back in the creeks with the New Moon high tides. Rental boat custome...
Lots of boaters were crabbing this week due to the windy conditions according to Pier 47 Marina. The crabbing was really good way back in the creeks with the New Moon high tides. Rental boat customers and slip holders reported dozens of keepers crabs per trip, and with any trip possibly being the last of the season, they are extremely grateful for the time on the water. A few anglers found small flounder along the ICW behind Wildwood, but with the strong winds, most anglers stuck to fishing the sod banks with artificials for stripers and blues. Small metals worked well on blues in the 1- to 2-pound range. Stripers were taking a variety of baits including walk-the-dog type topwater lures, Bomber Long-As and leadheads tipped with 4-inch chartreuse Gulp Swimming Mullet or Gulp Paddleshads. More
Tough week to end the flounder season was the sentiment around Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May. It was almost impossible to get out to the Old Grounds this past week where fishing was the best ...
Tough week to end the flounder season was the sentiment around Hands Too Bait and Tackle in Cape May. It was almost impossible to get out to the Old Grounds this past week where fishing was the best prior to the relentless northeast winds. Instead, Wednesday and Thursday were just settled enough for boaters to make it out to the Wildwood Reef, Cape May Reef and Avalon Shoals. None of those spots saw the flounder biting like in prior weeks. They either moved on or just werent on the feed. Some boats reported getting skunked for the first time all season while others picked up a keeper here and there, but nothing spectacular. Anglers who opted to fish the Delaware Bay are finding croakers, spot and a few kingfish around especially along the edges of the sloughs in 15 or so feet of water. In back bays, stripers and small blues are chasing peanut bunker and mullet all over the place. Finding them is easy, but catching them with all that bait around is proving to be a bit more difficult. Anglers who are cast netting and fishing live bunker and live mullet are scoring better than those fishing artificials. The stripers are mostly in the 16- to 26-inch range, but there have also been several More
With only two of the last six days fishable, the party boat fleet fishing out of South Jersey Marina wrapped up the flounder season with a big SMH (shaking my head). No final buzzer beater this y...
With only two of the last six days fishable, the party boat fleet fishing out of South Jersey Marina wrapped up the flounder season with a big SMH (shaking my head). No final buzzer beater this year as the inshore wrecks and reefs failed to produce many fish for the flounder finale. Some boaters will be gearing up for sea bass season on October 8, while others will be taking advantage of the smaller offerings in the area, namely cocktail blues, kingfish, spot and croakers. More
Capt. Mike of Cape Queen Charters will be spending the next few weeks anticipating the opening of sea bass season which is one of his specialties, but he will also be filling the time with trolling tr...
Capt. Mike of Cape Queen Charters will be spending the next few weeks anticipating the opening of sea bass season which is one of his specialties, but he will also be filling the time with trolling trips for mahi, bonito, mackerel and bluefish. With better weather predicted next week, he expects lots of action due to the amount of bait that is moving out the inlets. More
