New Jersey & Delaware Bay - Southern New Jersey Fishing Reports

Customers at Dockside Cafe and Marina are hitting up the bay and finding a mix of flounder, croakers, triggerfish and spot. The flounder are mostly short fish with the occasional keeper being found for anglers fishing live baits like croakers, snappers or spot. Anglers fishing with small hooks tipped with clam, bloodworm or Fishbites are “bailing” spot and croakers and there are also some smaller triggerfish in the mix.

Mike at Tuckerton Bait and Tackle tells us that the bay continues to produce countless numbers of short flounder. Reports from the nearshore reefs also saw more shorts than in past weeks. In either location this week, it was a game of numbers and culling though those shorts in order to find an 18-inch fish. All the typical baits were working but spearing seemed to have a moment for both number and quality of fish caught. Inside the bay, anglers are still loading up on the panfish of summer. Some are out there using clam chum in search of blowfish, and while the blowfish aren’t thick, that chum attracts plenty of croaker, porgies, and huge spot. Customers continue to find that crabbing is good but the shallow creeks are so warm that the crabs are moving out to slightly deeper water.

“Its hot at the pot,” was the quote this week from Justin at Allen’s Dock. I assumed he meant mahi on the fish pots, but no, he was referring to chum pots in great bay. His customers are taking a few logs of clam chum out into the bay, anchoring up and having a ball catching spot, croakers, blowfish, and triggerfish. There are also plenty of flounder in the bay, most are shorts but a couple this week made the mark and came home for dinner. A much better keeper ratio can be found at the GSS and Little Egg Reef sites where fish to 5- pounds are being caught on ball jigs tipped with strip baits like spot, croaker or mackerel. Each evening as the sun begins to set a good striper bite develops in the river on schoolie size fish. Anglers are scoring on soft plastics such as paddletails fished on quarter-ounce leadheads. White perch continue to show up for anglers in the river, especially for the anglers using live grass shrimp.

Customers at JerseyDevil Marina seem to either be fishing for flounder in the bay or white perch in the river according to this week’s report from Wally. It has been the feeder creeks along the Mullica producing the larger perch recently with anglers reporting that live grass shrimp are outfishing bloodworms by a huge margin. In Great Bay, the flounder are abundant but keeper fish are the exception. Wally says you can go out and catch 20 to 30 fish in a half-day of fishing and “maybe….maybe, one of those is a keeper”. While there is a lack of quality size fish, many anglers are more than happy with the quantity of fish being caught.

The stripers are again starting to turn on in the Mullica River according to Mayanne at Chestnut Neck Boat Yard. Anglers are making more of a targeted effort as of late by trolling and drifting life eels. Fish to 27 inches were reported south of the Parkway Bridge. Croakers, spot and “tons and tons” of flounder are being caught from the mouth of the river out to the inlet.

Capt. Andy at Riptide Bait and Tackle reports that the flounder bite is strong both in the back bays and at the reef sites. The back bay is still “loaded” with short flounder, many of which are between 16- inches and “just shy of 18 inches”. Boaters fishing the deeper water reefs fared much better with up to a dozen keeper flounder to 5 pounds (many on spearing), plus keeper sea bass and some hefty triggerfish. Triggers are also being found at the jetty and along the back bay bridges, mixed in with tog and sheepshead for anglers fishing with crab baits. Along the inlet and front beach, there is no shortage of action with bluefish, kingfish, spot, croakers and some large sharks.

Tog have arrived at the Atlantic City Jetty and according to Noel at One Stop Bait and Tackle, the action is “smoking hot”. Every rock and crevice seems to be holding a tog just waiting for a green crab or sandflea. There has been constant action on short fish and anglers who persist are eventually finding their one keeper. The action on flounder is similar with tons of fish along the inlet and jetties with persistent anglers finding a keeper or two. Flounder fishing doesn’t get much simpler than it was this week with squid and live minnows fished on top and bottom rigs getting it done. Triggerfish, sheepshead, snappers, kingfish and croakers round out the week’s catch. Lastly, Noel advises that you put a “save the date” note on your calendar as One Stop will be hosting the 2026 Casting for A Cure Tournament on October 11th in support of breast cancer awareness.

The flounder bite continues to be strong in the back bays of Margate according to Scott at Scott’s Dock. The Captain Robin pontoon boat, rental boat customers and the private fleet are all experiencing some exceptional flounder action. Keeper fish have been tough to grind out, but with reports of 40 to 60 short fish per trip, there is plenty of action to keep everyone busy. The back bay is also seeing plenty of action on croakers, spot, triggerfish, tog and sheepshead.

The Ocean City Reef Site has been producing a variety of species according to reports out of Waterfront Marine. Triggerfish, blues, cobia, sea bass and ribbon fish were part of the catch in addition to the flounder being targeted. Keeper flounder were taken in good numbers with boaters reporting near limits of fish to 5 pounds. Large strip baits or 6-inch Gulp grubs fished on chicken rigs or ball jigs were most productive for keeper size fish. Minnows, squid, spearing and smaller baits were being harassed by short flounder and smaller sea bass. The flounder bite in the bay was similar with smaller baits producing huge numbers of short fish while larger baits increased the chances of finding a keeper.

Billy at Fin-Atics tells us that weakfish are making a showing along Corson’s Inlet and from the Ocean City Surf. Anglers are finding fish to 18 inches on squid, bloodworms, live minnows and on soft plastics or Gulp fished on small bucktails. Mixed in with the weakfish are some snapper blues and plenty of short flounder. The back bays are "absolutely loaded” with short flounder. To weed out the shorts and put a keeper in the boat, anglers are opting for strips of mackerel fished on bucktails. Croakers, spot and tiny sea bass are also abundant in the bay where they are taking bloodworms, clams or Fishbites fished on hi-lo rigs. Sheepshead continue to feed on crabs under the bridges, but the tog have really turned on this week with fish to 17 inches. Customers fishing the river report that white perch are just about everywhere, but the bigger fish are being found in the deeper holes where they are taking bloodworms, grass shrimp and even Fishbites.

The flatfish “beatdown” behind the Wildwoods continued this week according to the crew at Pier 47 Marina. Boaters had up to 30 fish per trip, fishing the ICW out to Hereford’s Inlet. Gulp was a big producer with the 3-inch Mullets in pink and chartreuse taking the most fish. Some slightly larger flounder were found along the inlet along with snapper blues, sand perch, croakers and porgies. There are also reports of bait moving out from the shallow water creeks and making their way to the inlet. Anglers are intercepting stripers as they feed on the peanut bunker and mullet as they start their fall migration. The best action has been at night with fish to 30 inches falling for 4- to 6-inch rubber shads and paddle tails. Purple, black and blue have been the hot colors for this night bite.

Hand’s Too Bait and Tackle reports that the week was full of chickens around the pots and flounder on the reefs, plus plenty of action for land based or inshore anglers. With two weeks to go in this year's flounder season, the offshore action couldn't be much better. The deeper water wrecks and reefs are producing limits of keepers to 6 pounds. The Old Grounds have been especially productive recently with numerous customers reporting quick early morning limits, plus sea bass and triggerfish. That has allowed those anglers to do some exploring while out there and have found that the pots are loaded with chicken mahi on some days, and bulls on other days. Moving inshore, the summer flounder bite is fantastic, but keepers are hard to find. Dozens of shorts have been making up the catch for the back bay boaters, but the keepers are elusive. Other back bay action includes croakers, spot, and sheepshead, while the inlets are giving up tog, porgies and triggerfish.

Flounder continue to be caught from the back bays, the inlet and the nearshore reef sites according to Cameron at Boulevard Bait and Tackle. There are lots of short fish everywhere, but the last week or so has seen a few more keeper size fish in the mix. Top baits are still live minnows and spearing for landing large numbers of fish, while those looking for keeper size fish are having better luck on bucktails or ball jigs tipped with salmon bellies. The warm back bay waters have seemed to attract a larger number of triggerfish this season. Fish to 5 pounds were caught this week on sand fleas from the back bay docks, bridges and bulkheads. Snapper blues and cocktail blues showed up in the Sea Isle Surf and along the inlet over the last few days. Anglers are finding that chunked bait has been most productive with chunks of fresh spot hard to beat.

Big Dave’s Tackle customers are reporting good action all along the Delaware Bay on flounder, croakers, spot and even some weakfish. EP Tower is the spot we keep hearing about which was giving up keeper flounder to 20 inches on live minnows along with plenty of spot and croakers. Some anglers even had black drum to 12 pounds this week taken on clam baits. Fishing the lighthouses or other bay structure with sand fleas produced sheepshead to 8- pounds and lots of triggerfish and tog. Reef Site #11 was one of the hot spots for keeper flounder this week with fish falling for bucktails tipped with 6-inch Gulp. If making the trek offshore, Big Dave advises that you bring along a handful of live eels because more and more anglers are coming across cobia on the feed, including fish to 49 inches this week.