August offers a good variety of fishing opportunities to saltwater anglers fishing the Central Jersey Shore, Barnegat Bay and the Long Beach Island area. During this time of the year the waters have a large variety of species from the fluke, bluefish, striped bass and tog to weakfish, sheepshead, triggerfish, kingfish and more!

Tune into my latest fishing report update video for more information about what’s biting…

Here in the first week of August on the south central Jersey Shore fishing front we have the same situation as most of July. Chilly ocean water temperatures and warm back bay temps making for radical temperature swings through the day’s tide cycles. This is much more prominent and important to track and consider when fishing areas closer to the inlets. A good steady bite can go from hot to cold in a matter of minutes. The opposite can also play out.

Due to the upwelling’s chilly ocean waters anglers on the water have had a marine layer most mornings which some days persists through the day. This is advection fog. All boaters must be aware of it and know how to safely navigate the waters. Fog is challenging and will bewilder any novice operator. For your safety and the safety of others, if you don’t understand and know, don’t go out!

How long will this continue?

I see a short term break with onshore winds Wednesday and Thursday. This will hopefully offer a rebound in surf temperatures as onshore winds winds push the surface waters into shore creating downwelling (opposite of upwelling, cause of the cold). BUT! I don’t think we are totally out of the cold. Stiff southerlies are currently in the forecast for Friday and Saturday, then west south west Sunday and Monday. At that time there looks to be lighter winds in the forecast. But a lot can change especially with the remnants of Debby coming up the eastern seaboard. Keep your fingers crossed for anything but hard southerlies day after day and we will be ok.

The cold waters have resulted in a great summertime striped bass fishery this summer. There’s bass throughout the bay chasing peanut bunker (what’s left after many large large fish kills in lagoons due to low oxygen) and mullet.

Local caught fresh mullet is back in stock! Weakfish, fluke, bass and bluefish… they all eat them!

More recently fluke fishing has been better at times. I expect now until the end of the season to be strong. But anglers need to play their cards right in order to capitalize. Fish deeper areas that are consistently cold or fish shallow areas where the fluke will lay up to warm in the sun. These deeper areas could be the main channels (ICW and thoroughfares) in the bay as well as the many holes and sloughs. These shallow areas could be the many pockets in the flats or edges and table top shelfs along a channel edges as well as the rolling sandbars in the surf. Also bluefish are around the bay, inlet and surf spicing up the action.

Kenny Huff

The bay is loaded with spot and they are aggressive for their small stature. Small hooks baited with just about anything will get bites. Worm or artificial worm options are best. Many who are looking for blowfish are catching a bunch. There are plenty of areas to fish for spot from LBI’s landbased bayside access points.

Weakfish are also on tap with some nice ones around. Mostly spikes in the mid-bay with some better size class fish in the classic weakfish honey holes. Reports from the north end and south ends (around the inlets) are promising.

Owen Alquist

Fluke and tog at the Barnegat Inlet are good. There are plenty of both however primarily shorts. Some anglers are working and finding keepers. This is a prime time to find big fluke near the Inlets as they making their way out of Barnegat Bay. It seems that tog fishing has started off strong with quantity but not quality. Maybe once we progress into the month of August we see a wave of fish move in and take up residence along the jetties. Sheepshead, trigger fish are also here.