New Jersey & Delaware Bay - Southern New Jersey Fishing Reports

Dockside Cafe and Marina tells us that it was a good week and a very busy Labor Day Weekend. Many of their customers got out to either crab or fish this week under just about ideal conditions. The flounder fishery has been consistent the last few weeks with dozens of short flounder for anglers fishing the bay with minnows and spearing. Anglers grinding it out and culling those shorts are “eventually” rewarded with a keeper size fish. The local wrecks and reefs are seeing the same problem with many more short fish taking up residence there recently. White perch are a bit further up the creeks and rivers right now while the crabs have been moving into deeper water with the creek temperatures still on the rise.

Mike at Tuckerton Bait and Tackle reports that the local crabbing is “hot” right now. There are tons of crabs from the back bay creeks on out into the bay. The shallow creeds are seeing lots of small crabs while the slightly deeper waters are producing more keeper size crabs. The same has been true for flounder fishing with the shallow waters giving up all the shorts you care to catch, but keepers are being found in the deeper waters. Fishing the creeks and bay, customers are reporting anywhere from 30 to 50 fish per trip with “maybe” a keeper in the mix. There are plenty of other fish in the mix as well including croakers, spot, sea bass, and sharks. Mike is waiting for a good blowfish bite to materialize in the bay, but thus far there has only been a couple fish here and there.

I spoke with Justin at Allen’s Dock as he was finishing up their annual “Mini-Rod” invitational. Justin says they had a record setting turnout for the tournament and the afterparty. Longtime slip holder “Mako Bob” took the top spot with his 26-inch striper, which was the biggest fish of the tournament except for Bob's 47-inch cownose ray. The rest of the week saw the stripers turning on to live eels and shedder crab baits. Anglers are still picking away at flounder in the bay with short fish for most anglers with that keeper being elusive. Keeper found are being caught in good numbers with consistency from the Garden State South and Little Egg Reefs. Justin has customers using clam chum in the bay in order to chum up some blowfish, but the blowfish have been scarce so far this season. Instead, that clam chum has been bringing large numbers of “stud” triggers to these boats. Anglers are loading up on triggers using clam strips, and there have also been some nice keeper size weakfish caught. In the river, the white perch are again bitting well especially for anglers fishing with live grass shrimp.

Wally at Jersey Devil Marina reports that there were lots of anglers out fishing this week and they are keeping their rods bent. For the most part, it has been short flounder and white perch that's kept anglers busy. The perch bite has been upriver on bloodworms or live grass shrimp if you can find them. Flounder are in the lower river and spread out throughout the bay. There are just an unbelievable amount of short fish right now being caught on all types of baits such as live minnows, spearing, squid and every flavor of Gulp.

Maryanne checked in with this week’s report from Chestnut Neck Boat Yard. “Not much change since last week” pretty much sums it up. There are short flounder being caught throughout the bay and in the river on minnows, squid and Gulp Baits. Many customers are fishing the wrecks and reef sites in order to put some keepers in the box, but even here as of late they are seeing lots of smaller fish. The amount of bait that is currently in the bay, river and creeks has gotten the attention of resident stripers. Anglers are catching fish to 30 inches on live eels and some are finding that the bite on the troll has started.

Captain Andy at Riptide Bait and Tackle reports that there are plenty of local options right now for putting a fish on the end of your line. The easiest way to hook up might be fishing the beach, inlet or jetty for snapper blues, croakers and kingfish, all of which have been abundant this week. Boaters are keeping their rods bent with dozens of short flounder from the back bays. These fish are small but are aggressively taking live minnows and Gulp Mullets. There are some larger fish still left in the bays, but these fish have been the exception. Anglers are increasing their odds of finding that “exceptional” keeper by fishing live snappers, live peanuts, or live spot along the deeper holes in the inlet. Fish to 6 pounds were caught recently using these live baits. Boaters with the range to fish the offshore wrecks and reefs are finding more keeper flounder along with triggerfish and have reported that there are a lot of bigger mahi at the pots.

Noel with One Stop Bait and Tackle started off this week’s report with the status of the bait “situation” in and around Atlantic City. He tells us there is bait everywhere from the beachfront to the back bays creeks. Spearing, minnows, peanut bunker and other white bait has got the stripers feeding along the jetties and back bay docks and sod banks. All this bait also attracted some exotics this week with a bonita and a cobia being caught from the T-Jetty. Nighttime has been best for stripers and weakfish, both taking soft plastics fished slow. The rest of the day you’ll find Noel’s customers fishing for tog, kingfish, triggerfish and croakers from the jetties. Some jumbo croakers were caught from the beachfront on bloodworms along with decent size kingfish. Tog action has been “unbelievable” with every bit of crab lowered off the jetty getting smashed by a toggie. A large majority of these fish are shorts, but the action is non-stop and a great way to get new toggers in the game.

Those fishing the inshore wrecks this week brought home limits of flounder to 5 pounds according to Scott at Scott’s Dock. Larger bucktails tipped with salmon strips or Gulp grubs were the preferred bait which also discouraged smaller fish from biting. Smaller fish seem to be mostly what's left right now in the back bays of Margate. There is plenty of action here with dozens of short fish per trip and only some anglers reporting a keeper out of all those fish. The back bays are producing some sheepshead and tog for anyone fishing sandfleas or green crabs along the bridges, docks and sod banks. There have also been plenty of croakers and some spot being caught along the ICW on bloodworms, Fishbites and clam.

Customers from Waterfront Marine reported a great week out at the nearshore reef sites. “Plenty of life out there” was what we heard as it related to not only the good flounder action but also to the additional species being caught such as blues, cobia, triggerfish, and ribbon fish. Several boaters said they found quick early morning limits of flounder to 4 pounds. Anglers scored on spearing, strip baits and Gulp Mullets. Anglers who slept in reported a tough grind in order to find a few keepers, proving that “the early bird gets the worm”. Both sets of boaters did agree that there are plenty of triggerfish hanging on the rougher parts of the reefsite. Green crabs, clam and squid were all working for triggers to 5 pounds.

Billy at Fin-Atics reports that a few more keeper flounder were caught from the back bays this week, along with a couple of weakfish and small blues. Incoming tide has seen the flounder bite really turning on while the outgoing tides are mostly producing croakers, spot, sharks and rays. Minnows and squid combos, along with spearing and Gulp are producing plenty of throwback flounder. Keepers are being found closer to the inlet, along the beachfront and from the Ocean City Reef Site. Anglers are using larger baits to coerce these bigger fish to strike. By far large strip bats and 6-inch Gulp Grubs have been the favored bait this week putting fish to 5 pounds in the box.

Pier 47 Marina reports a busy Labor Day Weekend with lots of people on the water. Rental boats came back with stories of up to 25 flounder caught and released in a half day excursion. Slip customers sticking to the back bays reported similar action while those that fished the Wildwood and Cape May Reef Sites were able to find some keepers to 5 pounds. Those reefs also gave up some nice triggerfish, tog and sea bass. Boaters fishing the overnight hours report that there are stripers and some weakfish hanging out along the lighted docks and bridges in the back bays. Stripers to 27 inches and weakfish to 19 inches fell for peanut bunker livelined on 3/0 circles with no weight.

There is “tons and tons” of bait everywhere, from Delaware Bay to the waters behind Cape May and the Wildwoods, according to Nick with Hands Too Bait and Tackle. All that bait has attracted bluefish and weakfish along the Delaware Bay beaches and jetties, and have gotten the stripers moving around the back bay sod banks. Soft plastics and bloodworms were responsible for weakfish to 4 pounds this week while anglers throwing hard plastics like SP Minnows found bluefish to 6 pounds. In the back bays, it has been the stripers chasing the peanuts along the sod banks. Fish to 30 inches were caught this week on small rubber shads, SP Minnows and there was even some topwater action reported on small spooks like the J-Walker.

The Delaware Bay has been giving up plenty of keeper flounder this week according to Higbee’s Bait and Tackle. Several customers found a boat limit of fish to 22 inches while fishing minnows, spearing and squid strips. The party boats are seeing some decent catches of flounder while also having a mix of croaker’s, spots and blues, and recently black drum to 20 pounds. Anglers report more blues and weakfish in the mix than in past weeks. Lastly, for anyone crabbing, all the local creeks have been producing dozens of meaty jumbo size crabs.

Boulevard Bait and Tackle reports that the flounder bite is still going strong in the bay, but finding a keeper there has been a challenge. Anglers are finding some keeper size fish along the oceanfront and in the inlet. More keepers are coming from the Cape May Reef Site or the Wildwood Site where the catch also includes small blues, tog and triggerfish. Triggers and tog, including some keeper tog are being caught from the jetty on green crabs.

Boaters fishing Delaware Bay are seeing a nice mix of flounder, weakfish, blues and croakers according to Big Dave and Big Dave’s Tackle. Drifting live minnows, spearing or squid strips has produced flounder to 23 inches and weakies to 19 inches. There have also been reports of some black drum in the teens being caught on clam baits. The lighthouses and sea walls are seeing tog and sheepshead being caught on sand fleas or green crabs. In the ocean, the deeper water reefs like the Old Grounds are giving up quick limits of keeper flounder to 6 pounds, especially for boaters getting out early in the morning. Anglers are finding these fish by fishing ball jigs tipped with fresh bluefish fillets or larger Gulp baits. Dave suggested anyone going offshore take some live eels with them as anglers have been coming across feeding cobia on a regular basis with fish to 48 inches caught this week.