How to conquer that unwanted upwelling on the fluke grounds.
Typically, July is one of my favorite months to target keeper fluke in all sorts of waters. The back bays and creeks are usually chocked full of mixed-sized fish while the inlets get a good push of high-quality fluke with some doormat fluke funneling through. Depending which port one fishes from, the offshore, structure bite can also light up like a firecracker.
July and parts of August 2024, however, were challenged with a steady weather hurdle that persisted so much it hampered summer flounder fishing for the masses. Unrelenting south and southwest winds blew for days on end causing dramatic upwelling events that cooled the water temperature and put the fishing on ice. Every summer we fishermen encounter these winds, but I can’t in memory recall looking at the wind apps only to see forecasts without an easterly breeze for 10 days straight.
Wind coming from the east and northeast drive warm water to the beach despite making for milder days at the beach. Hot south and southwesterly winds churn cold water from the ocean’s floor and raise it to the surface where it invades inshore and estuary waters. The hotter the day, the harder the southerlies crank. For instance, water temperature that hovers into the 70s can drop 10 degrees overnight when upwelling takes place. Hard upwelling winds that howl for days can take the water temps into the upper 50s and low 60s very easily.
So how does all this affect fluke fishing? When the water temperature first drops, the fish often get lockjaw for 24 to 48 hours depending how precipitous the downward swing is. Usually, the bite will rebound and the summer flounder will take baits in the chilly water once they acclimate from being stunned from the drop.
July 2024 was something of an anomaly though as fishing struggled to reignite in many locales. Places that should have yielded great days were fishing poorly. Which leaves the question – what’s the playbook when your chosen waters suffer significantly from Mother Nature’s impolite breezes?
What To Do
None of the options I’m going to present are exactly fan favorites for anglers. They require change and additional effort. The first option is to leave the fishing area that has shut down. Those who trailer all the time have a leg up because they are used to highway time. Those with larger vessels that are difficult to trailer often have the speed and power to run the beach or ICW. New Jersey’s coastline isn’t that long and tournament anglers have been trailering or running to the hottest bites for decades, hence the reason for tournament boundaries.
Waters from about Sea Isle to Long Beach Island seem to suffer the worst upwellings. The nearby Cape May and Delaware Bay system sometimes dodge the big drops so they are worth considering for South Jersey fishermen. There are plenty of limits waiting to be had on the fishing grounds in the Upper Bay and the area can be an extremely productive choice during the freeze. In addition, boats that sail or launch from Cape May County can consider ocean runs off Delaware.
Satellite services sometimes show beautiful, warm water veins and eddies that are fluke-tastic despite the long, but very doable, boat rides. And sometimes the journey isn’t even that far. Places like Reef Site 11 and the Old Grounds have historic reputations for big fluke and they don’t get plagued as much by upwelling circumstances.
Waters in the northern sector of New Jersey’s “Fluke Nation” usually don’t receive as bad an upwelling as the aforementioned territory. Their beaches drop off better than South Jersey’s gentle taper. Shallow water equates to swell friction, sediment in the water leading to colder water. Deeper ocean drop-offs maintain their temperature better under duress from a puffy south blow.
Despite geographical advantages, starting in July 2024 those to the north did have to digest a far larger and impactful dose of south wind that tormented the ocean bite. They too had to examine some different options even if they weren’t the easiest or most attractive. The further recesses of the Raritan Bay saw decent fluke action in stretches. If a captain could locate a pocket of cooperative fish, they enjoyed outstanding days.
Stay Slow & Tight
When fishing is suspect, it’s especially important to shorten and repeat drifts to stay on a patch. The Minn Kota trolling motor comes in handy when creating a slower drift in order to stay on a good patch of fish for longer periods. Ideal drift speeds ranging from .5 to 1 mile per hour can be achieved in the most precise manner with a trolling motor. If keepers start flying over the gunwale in one, small area, the Spot Lock can be enabled and anglers can fancast around the boat to clean up.
Places like the entrance to Great Kills Harbor, the Keyport basin and Jamaica Bay put up fish in 2024 when things where slow elsewhere. Stretches near and within the Hudson, Raritan, Arthur Kill and Shrewsbury Rivers held fish as long as the salinity was 100 percent. Often quality fishing took place on the sly because those locating fish when the statewide bite was slow didn’t want to expose too much of what they tapped into. Therefore, the social media brag board during south wind upwelling events can be far less reliable than picking a new spot and putting one’s skills to the test.
Slightly to the south, Shark River and the Manasquan River were viable options during July and into August last season. Neither are known for being at their best during July and early August, but they functioned far better than the metaphorical dead sea that was just offshore. Still other captains sailing from areas as far south as Manasquan Inlet ran all the way north to Long Island, New York where the wind, land and sea interact differently than Jersey. Hence traversing the Raritan complex and breaking into the backwaters behind Debb’s and Jones Inlets are strong choices.
Of course, there is plenty of natural and artificial reef structure that can be fruitful not far offshore in NY waters. Numbers for anything set down by their state program is readily available online.
Closer To Home
Anglers unable or unwilling to change their hailing port are tasked with overcoming a stalled bite within their own stomping grounds. The positive is that they are familiar with the fishing grounds. The negative is that a spotty fluke bite can be a tall task if the fish simply don’t want to comply. Creeks and flats that are farther from the inlet within the estuary system remain warmer even on high tide thus aiding in potential.
Any shallow flat that has a groove of slightly deeper water is like to hold summer flounder. Flats also boast ovular ditches in the middle of shallow water. They too should be inspected for fluke hunkering down during a frosty upwelling. Furthermore, fishing high tide well into the ebb flushes warmer water across the flats and through the channels as it exists the skinny-water system. That might be just enough to find a feed taking place considering the small grass shrimp, juvenile fish and tiny crabs will accompany the falling tide flush.
Ocean anglers that don’t want to run parallel to the coast can go nuclear and run way offshore to structure or lumps that might be associated with nearshore or even mid-shore bluefin. Since upwelling primarily affects the estuaries and nearshore waters, the idea is to get away from the coast and get deep. Captains should evaluate what wrecks, reefs or ridges they can attack 25 to 35 miles offshore of the nearest land point. The sun, land and ocean all coincide for the worst afternoon sea breezes that are the root cause of upwelling winds.
Getting far away from land especially when the sun is high and convection is at its worst is a good strategy. The water is also deeper where the temperature remains more consistent. The later it gets in July and definitely as August unfolds, the more fluke will migrate to these spots. August is far from immune to upwelling and will see some cool-downs every year, even if not as high in numbers as July.
The same baits that work year-round work during an upwelling event. One tackle tip can produce is to move from the ever-popular and effective 6-inch Gulp Grub to a 5-inch variety. My experience has shown the small reduction in size to be extremely reliable when a slight change is needed to get bites.
The best live baits should be used right out of the gate because upwelling fishing usually isn’t a big tally day. Why save the largest, plumpest minnows for later if the bites could be scarce? It’s hard to quantify, but scent might enhance action so Gulp should be dipped in the secret sauce more frequently than usual. Some savvy anglers even tip their Gulp with shedder crab and swear by the results. And I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to add some spearing to the synthetic offerings. Spearing has been known to be a game-changer at times making it a good idea during a tough bite.
If fish are short striking, anglers should continue to jig until they grab hold again. Online, underwater footage displays just how long a fluke will swim behind and examine, even taste baits. Chilly fluke may not crush baits the same as when the water temps are where they should be.
Understanding how each habitat works when the ocean feels more conducive to a polar plunge then fluke fishing will make for far better outings. Observe, analyze and react so you can turn duds into doormats.
