The countdown to the Sept. 25 summer flounder finale in New Jersey is underway!
As we enter the 9th inning for fluke fishing in New Jersey, anglers are hoping for a fruitful end a fairly inconsistent season overall. Chilly waters that began to dominate dockside talk at the Jersey Shore in mid-June prevailed throughout the entire month of July and made for some challenging days on the fluke grounds. The hard, southerly winds drove warm waters away from the beach and bubbled up cold, lockjaw-inducing water that overtook inshore and back bay waters.
The good news is that as the September swan song sets in, air temperatures subside to the 70s and 80s more often this month which, in turn, diminishes the force of the sea breezes. Therefore, the opportunity for calm days with warmer, bite-enticing conditions exist.
September, barring successive tropical events, can be an enormously successful final frame due some of the most level conditions of the season. Anglers craving ocean action are in their glory this month, the finest time to bottom bounce structure for some real brutes. True doormats eclipsing the 10-pound mark are part of the migration to the edge of the continental shelf where they’ll overwinter and spawn, but on the way, they’ll often stop to fatten up on sand eels, squid, bunker and juvenile bottom-dwelling fish.
South Jersey Ocean
From Barnegat Inlet south, ocean anglers will target wrecks and reefs with ferocity in September. Sandy, tapered beaches lack glacial rock on the bottom hence gaining knowledge of available structure is essential. Most fishable pieces lie anywhere from 4 to 25 miles offshore because the shallow waters close to the beach see peak wave turbulence and friction that either destroys or buries sunken vessels. That said, there are still some resilient wrecks and skeleton remains within a few miles from shore, worthy stops for a quick drop on the way to pieces lying further offshore.
Once any inshore prospecting is done, the Cape May, Deepwater, Ocean City and Atlantic City Reefs are good September spots for drifting rubble or high profile shipwrecks. Most wrecks hold fluke, but I prefer those with a low-profile debris field where big keepers intersperse themselves within the rusted metal chunks and sandy contours. Likewise, sunken barges tend to gather flatties on and around their surface more than intact tugs or lightships that rise high in the water column.
Some of the most prolific catches come from nearby Delaware waters. Reef Site 11 and the Old Grounds are hardly a secret and will stack up on the back end of the season. And when traveling from reef to reef, don’t forget to hit those maritime disaster wrecks that everyone fishes in cloak and dagger fashion! German U-boats torpedoed many U.S. merchant vessels and sent them to the bottom. Furthermore, storms have wreaked havoc on the shipping industry supplying the sand with even more structure.
Since fluke can populate a wreck at any depth and distance from shore, captains should always hunt until finding promising territory. Fishing wreckage or reef material in 40 to 60 feet of water before venturing to 60 to 80 and finally 80 to 120 is a sound strategy. Running over fish is a mistake that we all make time to time when prospecting without reliable intel. If anglers do receive dependable word of a strong fluke bite at a particular location, then it makes sense to head there. However, truly enterprising captains will instantly identify supplemental structure close to the referred area in attempt to find unpressured fish.
Skippers that zero in on the most productive portions of structure will continue to shorten each drift following their initial catches. Trolling motors and expert bump trolling are tactical advantages for helping fill the fish box. Long drifts sometimes work on the reef sites created by the state, but it’s still best to figure out the productive segments and hammer away. Anglers should expect company on the South Jersey wreck scene due to the barren sand that lies between pieces. I’ve made friends while keeping the boat in gear and hovering over the piece while the boat next to me does the same.
The most popular and equally effective rig on the oceanside places a jig or bucktail as the ballast while including a teaser hook about a foot above. Berkley Gulp is a mainstay and no angler worth their salt heads offshore without 5- and 6-inch Gulp Grubs in a variety of colors. Another approach some of the young hotshots of the region prefer is a one-jig terminal set-up that employs 20-pound test fluorocarbon “uni-knotted” to 20-pound test main line tipped with a 6-inch Berkley Gulp Grub. The anglers use their trolling motors or engines to back troll the lightest jig possible to the bottom, as single-ounce presentations in 60 to 90 feet of water is not impossible when the drag of heavy line and swivels are removed from the equation and backtrolling is utilized.
North Jersey Ocean
Key attributes to the scene from Barnegat north to Sandy Hook are highlighted by deep water and more natural, glacial remains on the bottom, the farther north you go. The depth combined with hard and live bottom equal a structure bite hundreds of yards from shore. The action can hang tough well into September, and additionally, fish readily move into the surf zone allowing casters a reasonable shot at banging some keepers. The depth also allowed the state to create reef sites closer to shore including Barnegat Light, Axel Carlson, Sea Girt and Sandy Hook Reefs, quick trips from locals inlet that often remain loaded with fish as summer creeps into autumn.
Standard attack plans for boaters include working the rocky bottom up and down the beach to see if a quality bite exists. The Shrewsbury Rocks are a well-known, sprawling area nearshore that holds keepers and doormats and is always worth attention. If fishing isn’t up to par in tight to the beach, it’s time to look deeper towards artificial reefs and rock piles. The Rattlesnake, Klondike, Farms and deeper stretches off the well-known Red Church are worth attention. The ridges, lumps and bumps shouldn’t be ignored either. Barnegat Ridge is underrated as a fluke-holding plateau because it contains some crusty, live bottom the fish like. Between all the main spots, tiny patches of productive bottom exist. The areas might only rise inches off the bottom and are difficult to detect unless utilizing a slightly better sounder or even side scan. The lowest of low-profile locations are go-to spots for some of the best captains and are the closest things to “secret spots” since many are barely detectable. Captains that hit these places at the right time can really cash in on fluke dividends.
The party boat fleet from Barnegat north is expansive and allows anglers that want to strike out for fluke gold a great opportunity to book ahead or walk on the day of the trip. They know the waters and when to pound an area versus actively hunt in order to tally keepers. The operations that post detailed reports will sometimes state whether Gulp or meat worked better on a day. I’ve always lauded the vessels that provide that information for their clients to digest.
Whole squid or squid tubes that are cut into long pennants still work great. Fluke belly still works like it did in the “old days” when our dads and grandfathers swore to it (just remember that any fluke strips you use in New Jersey must be accompanied by a corresponding rack in the box!) There’s also been a resurgence in the use of spearing, although I’m sure there are plenty of anglers that never stopped. Tipping a Gulp or meat ribbon with a spearing or two can draw strikes from more finicky fluke and be a difference-maker.
Beaches & Estuaries
Surf anglers in the southern part of the state are best to find the ditches and gullies. They manifest just past the suds and often close to the beach and then there’s a drop past the breakers if one can launch a cast far enough. Although, my time beach fishing for fluke has been far more limited in recent years, I can still recall days of drifting a bobber with bait through the first trough and catching well, a method still popular with some. Nowadays, anglers are mostly twitching a Gulp presentation or dead-sticking bait as common practice. The more substantial drop-off in the northern surf zone is more forgiving to novice anglers in the surf.
Though tangling with fluke in the ocean is the most desired place to fish in September, one should not totally discount the estuary systems. Though not reliable, sections of the Delaware Bay occasionally see surges of keeper fluke in September for anglers willing to seek out the overlooked. The back bays of South Jersey are not the best place for September fluke, but if the ocean is rough, anglers might be able to squeak out a keeper or two on days with good conditions. Up the road, Barnegat Bay, Manasquan, Shark and Navesink Rivers function like large forage-infested, bait bonanzas that can draw in and house a population of fish. Live bait fishing with killies, peanut bunker, spots or mullet is often most productive.
| SEPT. WEATHER CHALLENGES |
| The doormat detriment spawned by south winds have definitely been chronicled, but there’s the other looming issue of late season fluke, as tropical storms and hurricanes can put the brakes on this most glorious fluking period. One offshore tropical occurrence that kicks up a nice swell usually won’t completely end summer flounder fluking on the ocean. The fish may stop feeding for a few days or even move to deeper structure, but good fishing should resume. Three or more large swells from depressions or storms unfortunately will typically hinder the ability to catch as fluke hasten their way toward the wintering grounds. |
The Raritan Bay may in fact be the crown jewel of inshore fishing in September. The deep channels like Ambrose hold doormats while the Reach Channel and shoals near the mouth care capable of nice catches. Occasionally piles of fish hang around less likely spots too. I recall a year where September fluke stacked up in the harbor at Keyport. Boats drifted near the docks with peanut bunker to score limits. One thing is for sure, there are no certainties where the hot September bite can spark in the Raritan complex; albeit, keepers and mats are always possible in those waters.
When the weather is right and the bite reciprocates, get out there and catch them up until the 25th of the month, as flatfish hope springs eternal in September.
