LBI NJ Fishing Report – LBI Surf Fishing, Barnegat Bay & Inlet

With the new moon of June upon us and recent hot weather, the spring to summer transition is underway. Long Beach Island has a variety of fishing opportunities for both beach and boat anglers to enjoy. Water temperatures have climbed into the low-to-mid 60s and fishing remains productive across a variety of species. While beach crowds are beginning to grow as schools let out and summer visitors arrive, the fishing has remained surprisingly consistent. The key now is adjusting your approach and focusing on the prime windows.

Check out the latest Fishing LBI fishing report video below for details on what’s happening right now and what to expect in the weeks ahead.

Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Report

This spring the LBI surf was blessed with 8 great weeks of solid surf fishing for striped bass and black drum. It all started up mid-April and has rocked strong since. It’s still going now! Today (Sunday June 14) “Bayside” Dave and Glen from the Village Harbor Fishing Club has a great morning soaking clams and catching striped bass and large black drum.

How much is left in the tank? Only time will tell. If you haven’t got into the action or didn’t get your fill yet don’t wait… go now!

Utilize these strategies to help during the transition to summer.

• Soak Clams – A 5/0-6/0 hi/lo rig or single drop rig is simple and effective for tangel free surf fishing and long casting (not always needed). Bring elastic bait thread “clam tie” to help hold the clam on when casting. This is essential when fishing soft clam. At times due to weather and clam boat/delivery schedules it’s not possible to have live especially in the heat. Clams die quick. There’s nothing wrong with a sweet smelling clam, striped bass love them just the same if not more! Thread isn’t needed when the clams are live as they tighten up when hooked. Salted is also a great alternative and convenient too. Anglers can choose to fish a whole clam or half clam depending on clam size and hook size and rig.
• Chunk Bunker – Chunking bunker is a classic approach to spring surf fishing for striped bass on the Jersey beaches. But this year there isn’t much bunker if in the local waters. Fortunately our bait guys are doing the hard work and scratching together small batch catches. Fish bunker heads to stay away from pesky skates and smooth dogs. This can be helpful if the bunker are big and the doggies are small but if the bunker are small and the doggies are big it doesn’t pan out as well.
• Use Live Sand Fleas – An overlooked surf fishing bait that is super effective on a variety of species on the surf. Striped bass, fluke and kingfish love them (obviously tog too). Fish them on a 1/0-2/0 hook tied up with a 20-36″ long leader 30-40# with a 1/2 – 1.5oz egg sinker. Cast and slowly retrieve working the lip of the beach as well as the bowls and gutters.
• Use Live Eels – When the waters get warm in the late spring there is no better time to target striped bass than at night with eels! It’s usually best on the flood tide for the cooler stage of the current. Ebb can turn into an armed robbery when bluefish slice and dice every bait. Ebb can also be weedy so plan according.
• Choose lures to stray away from junk fish like skates and dogfish. Surf caster’s can’t go wrong with Daiwa SP Minnow and/or Yozuri LC Minnow lures. A metal lip is always a good call and pencil popper should be in every surf bag too. Walk the beach at night and slow crawl a metal lip or darter in the cuts to score nice late spring striped bass.

As mentioned striped bass and black drum continue to be caught off the LBI surf with fluke and bluefish occasionally joining the cast on the surf and jetty. Some years we have striped bass and drum on the beach right into July.

Other Action – Fluke, Sea Bass and Bay Action

Fluke fishing so far this season has not offered up much. The first part of the season was plagued with chilly water temperatures and weedy conditions. It seems this weekend’s warm up improved things a little. We expect it will get better over the next couple weeks as more fish arrive into the bays and call Barnegat Bay home for the summer.

I haven’t got out as much as I would have liked but I did put some time in this morning (Sunday) fishing slack and outgoing tide for fluke. Just like last spring the fluke were hammering the Gulp Turbo Shrimp, most likely because the fluke and feeding and focused on grass shrimp. In the two hour window we had one keeper just over 18, one close one that was a hair under as well as 15 other shorts.

Based on some others anglers I talk to it seems that the south end is doing better than the north end. Live minnow and spearing remain the go-to baits, with Gulp Grubs, Swimming Mullets and Jerk Shads proving year in and year out they are very effective.

Sea bass fishing is also an option. too. Captain Kevin Schmidt fro Olde Barney Charters put his crew on fun sea bass fishing and they also caught 4 fluke up to 21″. Some wrecks have ling and a few porgies too.

Many days schools of bluefish can be found chasing bait in the inlet and bay with a few popping up for sand beach anglers too. Small sand eels (3″ and thin) are abundant in the north end area and schools of blues were feeding on them. My charter had fun with bluefish ranging from 1-3# range up to larger “gators” pushing the 30-inch mark.

In the bays, anglers are seeing the arrival of classic summer species including spot, pufferfish and houndfish.

From Surf To Supper – Seafood Cook Book

Local angler and certified master Chef Tom’s new seafood cook book is sure to teach even the savvy catch and cook anglers a few things. Whether buying for dad, a grad, your fishing buddy, or yourself… Seafood to Supper is one’s for the people who love the whole story, from the first cast to the last bite. This Father’s Day, download it for just $9.95, that’s half off the regular price of $19.95. Instant download, keep it forever, cook from it all summer. Link to e-cookbook 👇 https://bit.ly/4e8fY7n

Summer Fishing Season Is Here

Summer is almost officially here!!! Are you geared up and ready for fishing this season? Stop by Fisherman’s Headquarters for all of your bait and tackle needs as well as many specialty fishing items. We’ll help you gear up and make the most out of it.

If planning a fishing trip to LBI this report will get you up to speed Gear Up Today for your next fishing trip at Fisherman’s Headquarters for bait, tackle and much more!!!

We are catching blues and fluke in the bay and inlet along with some stripers in the mix. We are available every day for these trips, even the days I have announced as Open Boat Tuna Trips below. 

The bluefin tuna have moved in to our area hot on the heels of the massive squid invasion that is happening off the Jersey coast right now. These fish are in striking distance. 20 to 30 mile runs to the grounds. Drifting with bait will be the primary tactic, though we always have the jigging arsenal on board, for those that want to try while we are bait fishing. Expect to be jigging squid for a good part of the trip as these are the live hookbaits we want out, and it’s a lot of fun while waiting for the violent strike on the tuna rod. We only troll if we are in search mode or it is productive.

The bluefin tuna regs came out last week and as a charter boat we can keep three fish between 27 and 47 inches, one of which can be 47 to 73 inches, or all three can be between 27 and 47 inches. 

Sailing Open Boat or Charter for Bluefin Tuna:

Sunday June 7, Monday June 8, Tuesday June 9 and Wednesday June 10

5AM to 3PM $450 person, 4 people max, all fished are shared.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on board!

Thank you,

Dave

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cellhiflier.com

June is finally here and the Long Beach Island surf side spring striper fishing remains strong. With the full moon yesterday (Sunday) we are now in the final chapter of the 2026 spring, but don’t overlook it! It can be one of the best periods for quality size bass. Historically speaking we see a large body of striped bass the first and second week of June. We’ll see how to plays out. There’s other opportunities on tap too… Let’s dive in! Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for Monday June 1, 2026.

This spring has been a good one to surf anglers fishing the beaches of LBI. It’s a steady run of action since mid April and it just might keep on going. We had a beautiful weekend here on Long Beach Island with lots of sun, some swell and stripers (among other catches too). Anglers continue to find striped bass in the suds soaking clams and bunker. There’s dogfish around so switching over to lures is a great alternative to bypass the junk. Weedy conditions have been frustrating some days and some locations but nothing like it was a few weeks back.

As seen on the report video, yesterday’s groundswell lingers on while fading but what not seen on the video is the current winds. At the time of the video it was light but now in the afternoon stiff 15-20mph east north east winds are blowing. Anglers fishing bait will need extra lead.

Striped bass remain the main attraction on the beach BUT black drum still here and more bluefish have arrived this past week. Also there’s a few nice fluke in the mix. Photo above is Mark Roczey with a black drum from the Beach Haven surf. Below, Andrew LeFante holds a 35.5″ bluefish he caught off the mid-Island surf. His dad Ray reported, “Had to weed through a bunch of big nasty dogfish and a few skates but Andrew landed a big blue on a bunker chunk. We weighed it in at Fish Heads, 11.9#. All of our action came on either bunker chunks or heads. We also had quite a few runoffs and bite offs.”

Water temperatures are running in the mid-to-upper 50s along the LBI beaches.

On the bay side, fluke fishing has been a little slower, but there are fish being caught. The bay is also holding striped bass, black drum, bluefish, some weakfish. Some warmer water – summertime species are starting to appear with the first signs of blowfish, spot and some rays. As the water continues warming, we expect better fluke fishing to materialize.

Stop by Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom for fresh bait, tackle, local intel as well as everything you need to get dialed in. We’re open daily, loaded up for the season and ready to help you catch more fish!

Tightline Charter’s Captain Jeff Warford had Frank and Paul aboard fishing this past weekend. They both scored fun striped bass fishing live baiting with spot in the Barnegat Bay. A big surprise came when a monster 55# black drum took a spot!

Late May is delivering Long Beach Island some spring magic. After a wet holiday weekend, the beaches cleaned up and the sun is back out. The surf is fishy with good looking white water, clean – clear green water and very little weed along the tide line. (We got work the north end had some weed.) It’s prime-time for spring striped bass and with water temperatures in the mid-50s, the next couple of weeks could offer some of the best opportunities of the spring run. The LBI Spring Derby is in full swing with a great spread of catches on the leaderboard and there’s a bluefish and black drum on the board. The Derby’s Surf Master Catch – Photo – Release Division is lit up daily with submissions of over sized striped bass.

More info on the Derby >>> https://www.lbisfc.com/lbi-spring-surf-fishing-tournament

Here’s the Long Beach Island fishing report update brought to you by Greg at Fishermans Headquarters. Let’s go fishing!

On the local fishing front, the surf continues to be the standout. Clams remain the top producer for striped bass. There’s quality striped bass catches (fish in the upper 30″ range and over 40″ range) reported daily. There have also been some nice fish taken on lures, including the classic surf casting swimmers and larger glide baits. This is normally the time when anglers start mixing bunker into the game. We got a beautiful delivery of fresh bunker this evening (Tuesday 5pm). We have live eels in stock which are a great option right now for those hunting a bigger class of bass especially at night.

Fluke fishing is start but slowly. The waters have been chilly. Everyone’s fingers are crossed that it will come alive once the waters warm up… maybe this week or next, it will come soon. Reports from the beach, inlet and bay are popping in. Below is Kayla Kovalak who sent in this recent catch photo.

There’s a few bluefish showing up with a couple being caught off the surf, inlet and bay. Gary Grippaldi weighed in a 11.78# gator this evening that he caught off the mid-Island surf on bunker. We had a few other report from small to large size range. They are showing up! A few weakfish, spot and blowfish have showed up too.

Captain Steve Purul reported strong fishing this past weekend even though the weather wasn’t the best the bass were chewing. On Monday, “perfect and productive morning!” He’s dialed in so if you are looking to get out on a charter give him a call today! Call / Text Captain Steve – 609.290.1217

Stop by Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom for bait, tackle, fresh line, reel service, rod repair and the local intel you need to make the most of your next trip. Also 24/7 at www.FishermansHeadquarters.com

Remember Amazon Don’t Fish!

LBI Surf Striper Bite Still Cranking! Big Bass Showing, New Moon Shift & Memorial Day Outlook

The spring surf fishing season on Long Beach Island continues to fire on all cylinders with striped bass dominating the action up and down the beaches. Anglers fishing clam are seeing the best success, while some are also finding fish on bunker chunks and lures. Another less popular but very effective method is fishing live sand fleas, mole crabs. That’s what these fish rooting around the suds are eating!

After several weeks of incredibly consistent fishing, there’s been a slight taper in the overall abundance of bass BUT quality fish are now becoming a bigger part of the story. The catches of 40″+ striped bass are becoming more common the season transitions through the recent new moon phase. We are now in the final chapter of spring fishing with only one month to summer on June 21.

Water temperatures remain cool and it has helped keep the striped bass locked into the area longer. Currently the Long Beach Island surf is in the mid-50’s. It seems like for the most part they have been parked on the LBI beaches and fortunately for us they are hungry. Surf anglers continue catching even with salted and frozen clam. The black drum bite has slowed but they remain here and a viable target for at least a coup-le more weeks. Bluefish are beginning to trickle into the mix and some fluke reports are starting up in the bay, inlet and surf. Offshore, black sea bass season is underway with better reports coming from deeper water trips (80’+). Once the inshore waters warm up in a couple week we should have a better shot with a shorter run.

Penn Van Tour Event

Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial kickoff to summer on LBI and here at Fisherman’s Headquarters we are ready. RAIN OR SHINE – The Penn Van Tour rolls into Fish Heads this Saturday May 23, 2026 from 10am to 2pm. There will be special deals, new apparel, tackle blowouts and plenty of popular best selling fishing gear for the spring and summer fisheries. Spend $50 on Pure Fishing Brand Products (Penn, Fenwick, Abu, Berkeley, Spiderwire, Stren) and score a chance to win a Fenwick rod & Penn Fathom 300 low profile reel outfit. Also bring your recent catch to the event… Live Fish Prints by Tim at Tiger Shrimp Prints.

Whether you’re chasing striped bass in the surf, gearing up for fluke season or looking for the latest local fishing intel… Stop by Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom or shop online at www.FishermansHeadquarters.com

The spring fishery is as good as it gets for surfcasters working the sands of Long Beach Island. The past couple of weeks were great and it keeps on grinding. There’s NOT blitzing fish breaking under birds; however most of the cuts, bowls, toughs and gutters have fish. The spring run is alive on the LBI surf and anglers putting in the time are being rewarded with great catches. Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for Monday May 11, 2026.

Anglers are finding striped bass and black drum on the beaches of LBI both day and night, many times in all of the tide phases and some days in gorgeous and others foul weather. Here’s my latest fishing report video that was published on Friday May 8, 2026.

Last week we have had a lot of firsts…

• First week of fluke fishing season! The opening on May 4th and the first week wasn’t lit up with great fluke fishing but we did here some scattered catch reports. Two challenges were chilly ocean water on the incoming current and weedy conditions at many areas. Let’s hope it get’s better.
• First bluefish of the season! Store staffer and Van Staal Reel Tech caught a toothy yellow eye chunking off the surf. After sharing Frankies catch a few other bluefish reports have come in. Usually around Mother’s Day we see some. Maybe a bunch! Happy belated Mother’s Day to all of the moms!
• First sheepshead of the season! Cooper Adams caught a 21″ sheepshead while hunting striped bass and drum on the LBI surf.
• First 50# black drum of the season! Jamie Gramley shared a photo that he took of a friend’s catch, a monster surf side black drum.

The LBI surf bite is on! Striped bass are cruising the surf and feeding. Reports are flooding in daily with anglers catching from the north end to the south end. Fresh clam is leading the charge, but anglers are also catching on lures and frozen bunker. We hope to have fresh bunker one of these days. There are also some black drum on the beaches. The water on the surf has warmed up to the 50º mark and it’s currently clean. The second half of April set up for great fishing, but don’t wait! Now’s the time to Go! Go! Go!

The spring surf fishing has officially shifting into a higher gear on Long Beach Island. After a strong run of bayside action over the last couple of weeks, the surf has really turned on over the past three to five days with quality striped bass and some black drum along the beaches. Clean green water, defined sandbars, bowls and cuts, and water temperatures pushing right around 50 degrees are all positive signs that the second half of April is gonna be a good one.

Most of the surf action right now has been on clam and that’s our recommendation for anglers targeting striped bass and black drum off the beach with bait. That said, it hasn’t been easy to come by so salted and frozen are a backup and have caught good recently. There have also been fish caught on frozen bunker. One anglers had multiple fish two days on a row on it. We are trying to get fresh bunker as soon as possible. As far as reports go, they have come in from all over Long Beach Island, north to south and everywhere in between.

Here’s three photos sent in by Jon Kelly this morning (4/21/26) fishing the incoming tide on the south end with clam. He caught a bunch of them up to the mid 40″ range. He has also been catching on most all of his recent outings.

The Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Classic Spring Derby is also underway, adding even more excitement to an already strong stretch of spring fishing.

The bite is not limited to the surf either, as there are still striped bass holding in the bay, rivers and around the inlet, although some inlet water has been dirty on the outgoing tide. Overall though, this is that classic window from around April 20 through Cinco de Mayo when things traditionally start firing on all cylinders, and that’s exactly what is happening now. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to get in on spring striper fishing at LBI, this is it.

Stop by Fisherman’s Headquarters for fresh bait, tackle, and gear, and get in on the action.

A sunny spring is here this week on Long Beach Island and things are warming up fast. With it, the fishing picture is getting better by the day. With a beautiful stretch of weather, sunny skies and slowly rising water temperatures, the early season bite has expanded. Good reports are now coming in daily from customers fishing the bays and rivers for striped bass. One of the expected developments this week is the arrival of black drum. Check out our latest LBI Fishing Report video published today April 14, 2026.

The progression is positive and right on track for mid-April. The second half of the month looks promising with drum rolling in now! John Haugh caught a big black drum on Sunday fishing fresh clams he got from Fish Heads. He reported that the bite came at slack high tide. This fish was caught locally on a backbay sedge. The next couple weeks are prime time drum fishing in the bay with clam. We have fresh surf clam in the shell in stock now! For help getting geared up to target them stop in.

Our expectations are for a better second half of tog season as the waters warm. We hope to see the Barnegat Inlet rocks come alive before the month is over. So far it has been slow. The sand fleas are just now starting to show so that positive on the tog bait side of things.

This month local white perch fishing is an option too!

On the striped bass side of things, the bays and rivers remain the best bet for anglers looking to get into fish. However that may change over the next couple of weeks. Late April is when things usually begin, with the window from around April 20 through Cinco de Mayo often bringing the first real surf side activity worth talking about. The ocean water remains chilly in the mid 40’s but expect that to warm up this week.

Striped bass are being caught on bloodworms, clam and lures.

Now is the time to get geared up, get out there and take advantage of the season as it starts to unfolds. Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom is ready with bait, tackle and expert assistance, just like every year since 1962.

Spring is officially underway and while the Long Beach Island surf remains quiet, the bays and rivers offer good striped bass action. After the full moon and warming trend more fish are showing up adding to the resident population but the recent cold snap will keep things suppresses but not for long. Here’s my lastest fishing report video published on Thursday afternoon, April 9, 2026.

LBI Surf Conditions

Right now a light easterly wind and small 1–2 foot swell are keeping ocean conditions clean but cold. Expect 3-4′ ESE swell on the beaches this weekend. With the surf temperature in the low to mid 40s (42-45º) we need a warm up before things start happening. AC ocean temp gauge recorded a swing from 45-48º however that isn’t recorded locally here on LBI. One report from a boater hunting tog today reported 41-43º nearshore on the LBI south end.

The chilly surf temps will hold back the surf bite, but the progression is happening. As soon as we see consistent temps push into that 48–50° range, things should start popping along the beach. Usually that is in the April 20 – May 5 time frame. By Mother’s Day on May 10 expect the surf to have good fishing opportunities with striped bass and possibly black drum and bluefish.

Bays & Rivers Are The Place To Be

In the meantime, the back bays and rivers are the place to be. They have offered up a range of good early season striped bass fishing over the past couple of weeks. And they should continue to do so throughout this month.  Most of the striped bass bites are on live bloodworm. However lure bites are to be had. Anglers finding fish in the back bay and west side of the bay.

Water temps in the bay currently range from the mid-50s up to low 60s in some areas, especially during sunny afternoons with the outgoing tide. That warmer water is key and it’s why the bayside continues to outproduce. Certain areas with warmer waters and more active fish have fish coming on lures. It will improve as we slide deeper into April and experience a real warm up… coming soon. Looking ahead, we have some warmer days with the highs in the 80’s and lows above 60. These temps will be warmer inland away from the water and expect cooler, chilly sea breeze days here on the water. Clams will soon come into play, and we’re expecting the arrival of black drum and possibly the first bluefish any day now. Last year the teens of April produced great black drum fishing… Are You Ready?

Tautog Fishing

As for tautog, the bite around Barnegat Inlet has been SLOW. But it usually is the first week or two of April. Due to the cold water temps the fish have been lethargic. Also inactive… green crabs. They aren’t moving and potting so the bait guys are struggling to catch. It’s the same story each April. The sand fleas have not showed locally yet either. So bait has not come easy for us. When sold out of crab, anglers can turn to clam, shrimp and worms as backup options. Typically, the second half of April brings the better half of the one month tog fishing season. So there’s still tog fishing time look forward to, just don’t sleep on it because it will turn on and then the season will be closed.

Reel-ie Busy Here At Fish Heads

In the shop, it’s full-on spring prep mode. We are “reel” busy servicing reels and spooling line. We’re fully stocked with everything you need for striped bass, tog, and the upcoming fluke season. We also have a lot of new items and much more on the way. Stop by seven days a week and our team here will get dialed in to catch more fish this season.

We got beautiful delivery of Salty-C Wood Lures by craftsman Bob Campi. He has been making some great stuff for many years now and really wanted us to stock his stuff. We are stocked to have his proven fish catching lures on out wall for spring.

We got a monster delivery from JYG! They make some really nice fish catching stuff. It’s all tops, but don’t skip over the new 4″ chubby paddle tail which is pre-molded to fit perfectly with their heads. A match made in heavy.

Here’s four of the top fluke teaser hooks for fishing 5-6″ Gulp Grub Curly Tails. Sure the classic baitholder style hooks work but they don’t hold a bait securely. I fell in love with the BKK Motherfluker late last fluke season but I’m also like some of these other new options from Eagle Claw & Mustad. I can’t wait for fluke season!s this year.

How Brutal Was This Past Winter?

PS: I have heard a lot of talk about the brutal winter and the cold temperatures. While I agree this past winter seemed really cold and far too long, the stats don’t agree! Did you know?… As per the Office of the NJ State Climatologist, “With a statewide ranking of 12th warmest, March 2026 is the eight over the past 26 years to rank in the top 15 with records dating back to 1895.”