Summer isn’t over, not even close. But the first hints of fall are beginning to show here on Long Beach Island. Cooler nights and mornings, lower humidity and the back-to-school transition are reminders that September is right around the corner. More importantly for anglers, the bait and fish are beginning to respond. Spearing have shown up big time along the LBI surf, peanut bunker are abundant in the bay and mullet are moving around. There’s plenty of micro bait in the mix too. Bonito and false albacore showed this past week and are chasing bait along side bluefish. Fluke fishing is good and we have a tremendous variety of late summer species on tap right now. Here’s my latest fishing report vlog from Monday 8/25/26…
Clean Water, Warm Temperatures & Lots of Bait
The past couple of weeks has featured some of the warmest water of the summer. Ship Bottom lifeguards have reported 75º water during the day, while my own sunset reading at the water’s edge came in just under 70 degrees. The exact temperature will fluctuate with time of day, tide and wind, but the theme has been warm and clean water without any major upwelling events that can plague our summer fishing.
That consistency has helped keep the inshore fishing active and it has welcomed in some uncommon surf catches. Spearing have been plentiful in the bays all summer, but this week they showed up in force along the surf. There are also peanut bunker, mullet and tiny one-to-two-inch micro baits.
This is an important time to start paying attention to those bait movements. We’re approaching the period when mullet become an increasingly important forage along the beaches, inlets and bays. That mullet theme should only become more important over the next eight weeks or more as we progress into the Mullet Run, through September and into the Fall Run.
Bonito & Albies Are Here – Match the Hatch
One of the most exciting developments has been the arrival of bonito and false albacore. In my opinion it is one of the best light tackle and fly fisheries we have. The action isn’t everywhere and it isn’t necessarily a consistent everyday thing, but both species are here and showing in different areas around the inlets and along the beaches.
I recently had two great trips with Lexi Pepe and her father Rob. Lexi is a passionate fly angler and we set out looking for an opportunity on light tackle. We found bonito feeding on very small bait and she put together an awesome day catching a handful on the fly. Small epoxy anchovy style flies, surf candies and 1/0-#2 Clousers are good matches for the smaller forage.
Danny Frederico with LBI Surf Fishing Services found bonito off the south end surf earlier this week (Tuesday). He reported, “They were breaking about 100 yards out and then 50 yards and closer. I was stoked to be able to catch a couple!” Danny shared he needed a diamond jig for distance and rigged up with a sand eel teaser. This is a very effective way to get a small “fly” a long distance on the surf and can be just effective right now as it is all fall.
For spinning tackle, Hogy Epoxy Jigs, Stack Tackle Chovie Jigs, Savage Glass Minnow Jigs are my three favorite choices right now. All of the different sizes and colors have their place especially when considering if fishing from surf, jetty or boat. You must choose a lure size/weight based on the rod you are fishing as casting distance is many times a very important factor. Distance helps for long cast to reach a school or moving bait. It’s also important for covering more water when searching via blind casts. This style of fishing is not always run and gun blitz chasing, but it is always best with light tackle. and I commonly use Hogy’s two smallest sizes, 2.5″ and 3″ (3/8 and 5/8oz). These can’t be fished with heavy line and heavy rod. 15-20# braided mainline with a 15-20# fluorocarbon leader is as heavy as I would ever go.
Hardtail Essentails
Don’t overlook the teaser either. Small epoxy Surf Candy flies are great teasers to match the tiny bait and spearing we’re seeing right now. Sand eel teasers are always worth carrying when fishing the Jersey surf too. Pairing a small teaser with a diamond jig gives you an excellent long distance presentation when the fish are feeding outside normal plug range.
Speed is another important part of this fishery. Bonito and albies are fast predators and a fast retrieve can be extremely effective. Don’t be afraid to occasionally get the jig skipping across the surface. That sudden burst of speed and erratic action can trigger a reaction strike. It’s also a-o-k to employ the stop and go retrieve to let the lure free fall at times too.
Ocean Fluke Fishing Is Still Going Strong
Late August and September is my favorite times of the year to target fluke in the ocean. The reefs and wrecks have been producing and that is most likely due to the consistent warm ocean waters. The Barnegat Light Reef has received a tremendous amount of fishing pressure as it always does being in close proximity to Barnegat Inlet. But it’s location also makes it a great staging spot when fluke exit the Inlet. But it’s not the only place holding fluke. Great reports have come in from anglers fishing all of the local reef sites; Garden State North, Garden State South, Little Egg and many inshore wrecks. Any and all nearshore and midshore pieces can produce. Learn the bottom and better your fishing!
We’ve had some excellent trips recently, including limits and a few quality sea bass mixed. When the bite is on there isn’t much better bottom fishing than ocean fluke fishing!
My approach is simple: bigger baits and simple rigs.
For Gulp… I like the 6″ Grubs (White/glow, Pink Shine, New Penny and Salmon are some of my favorite colors) rigged on a long shank wide gap hook. My favorite hook is the Trokar TK135 by Eagle Claw. I fell in love with this “Monster Flipping Hook” last summer because of it’s unique plastic bait keeper which has exceptional holding ability. It grabs and holds better than any other hook I have tried. I also really like the hook gauge, bend, length and GAP! The 7/0 is perfect for 6″ Gulp Grubs and has room to tip off with a good size strip bait. The only other hook I suggest is the BKK Mother Fluker which was made just for us Flounder Pounders featuring a large gap and long shank that has two (welded on) extra large bait keeper barbs. Both of these are great hook and far superior to the standard offset baitholder hooks.
I almost always tip off the Gulp with a long strip baits in the 7-9″+ range.
There’s no reason to overcomplicate the rigging with terminal tackle. My rigs are made of only mono and hook(s). No swivel, no clips, no terminal tackle gadgets nor gizmos. A single jig, jig with a teaser, hi/lo chicken rig or simple single-drop rig will all catch fish. I generally tie up with 40-50 pound Ande monofilament leader. I’ll use fluorocarbon when I want a stiffer longer dropper loop that helps stands the bait away from the main line.
I tend to stay away from the classic long-leader three-way rigs loaded with beads, spinners, floats and other jewelry. They certainly catch fish for some, but for the way I like to fish the ocean tight to structure, a simple presentation is best. They are easy to tie up. Require only two ingredients (line and hook). Snag less and are way cheaper. I also like to be in direct contact with bottom and bites which a long leader three way or long leader hi/lo doesn’t provide. What they do offer is great freedom for live bait fishing. Use them if fishing spot, snappers, mullet or peanut bunker.
On nice days, 2-3 ounces is commonly enough weight. Wind, current and tide can require 4-6 ounces, but I rarely want to fish much more than 3-4 ounces. Instead, I’ll work to control the drift. Short drifting while bumping the engine into reverse against the sea/current back trolling to slow the drift or commonly use my Rhodan trolling motor to hold my position and creep around productive bottom. I will also utilize a drift sock making longer drifts. By controlling the drift speed one can fish without the burden of unnecessary weight.
My goals are simple… Fish as light as the conditions allow while maintaining consistent contact with the bottom. Fish structure with large baits.
Don’t Give Up on Bay & Inlet Fluke
The ocean isn’t the only fluke option. There are still quality fish inside Barnegat Bay and around the inlet. Don’t abandon the bay just because September is approaching.
As summer progresses, more fish begin filtering out of the backwaters and using the main channels and thoroughfares leading toward the inlet. The inlet itself becomes a natural funnel, but that doesn’t mean every fluke has left the bay. There are still plenty of fluke with some very respectable size ones left inside.
Live minnows, mullet, spot, snappers, peanut bunker and spearing can all be excellent fluke bait choices. Gulp is also a dependable producer. One recent surf angler told us he struggled fishing Gulp while an angler nearby was doing very well using live minnows. This is a good reminder that sometimes changing the bait and technique is more important than changing locations. Speaking of the surf…
Surf Fishing – Kingfish, Croakers, Fluke & Blues
The Long Beach Island surf offers a mixed bag right now. Kingfish remain one of the most dependable targets . Croakers have been a major part of the 2026 summer story. There are also spot, fluke, bluefish and other species like bonito in the mix.
For kingfish, keep things small. A traditional kingfish rig with #4-#6 hooks is a great setup. Either J-hooks or circle hooks work. Bloodworms are excellent bait, and Fishbites are convenient and very productive alternative. Red is my first choice in the clean water we’ve had, although pink and chartreuse also catch.
For sinkers, a pyramid is the standard surf choice. Two to four ounces will cover many situations, but always select enough weight to hold bottom based on the swell, wind and current.
Also remember that fluke frequently close to the sand if there is a tough or pocket at the lip of the beach. They are rooting around the shell piles picking off sand fleas and other crustaceans. We’ve had reports of anglers catching numbers of shorts with many of those fish sitting right at the lip. Don’t automatically start bombing every cast. You might be casting over the fish and not working it in slow enough. Work the trough and water immediately in front of you by stepping back and taking your rod from the straight up 12 o’clock position and come down to the 2-3 o’clock angle to side arm fluke off the lip.
The Summer of the Croaker
If there’s one fish that has defined the variety of this summer it is the croaker. After being relatively scarce for a number of years, croakers returned in good numbers this season and have stuck around for many weeks.
Croakers are being caught throughout the bay and along the surf. We have heard reports of croakers and spot closer to and outside the inlet. That could be an early indication that some of these warm-water “summer time saltwater panfish” are beginning to move out. On a recent trip I caught both croakers and blowfish in the ocean less than 2 miles from Barnegat Inlet in 35′ of water. We started getting our Gulp baits pecked alive. Then snagged a few jigging. Eventually switched over one rod to a small hook spot rig and lit em up catching double headers every drop.
Hopefully the croakers stick around into the fall. Years ago we enjoyed some very good croaker fishing from the LBI surf. It would be great to see that develop again. Time will tell.
Blowfish have been a different story. We never really experienced the strong blowfish bite we’ve enjoyed during recent summers. However, more anglers targeting croakers and spot have begun picking a few. There are also more spike weakfish around to add to our current mixed-bag fishery.
Did you know weakfish are members of the drum family, Sciaenidea… along with spot, croakers, black drum, red fish and sea trout. These fish can make a drumming or croaking sound by using special muscles around their swim bladder. Below is a weakfish store staffer Emmet caught fishing in the bay on the evening of Friday August 28th. He reported the area he was fishing was, “Loaded here!”
Bluefish From 6″ to 6 Plus Pounds
Bluefish continue to provide action with a tremendous range of sizes. On one recent trip, our first cast of the day produced a yellow-eyed bluefish around six to eight pounds. Then the last baited drop of the day produced a six inch snapper. In between those extremes are plenty of cocktail blues racing around the bay, inlet and occasionally the surf.
For the larger and medium size yellow eyes, a slender swimming plug such as the Daiwa SP Minnow is one of my favorite choices. They’re easy to cast, easy to fish and extremely effective day in and day out. Don’t be afraid to retrieve them fast. Also adding aggressive rips and sweeping movements can really bring the lure to life and trigger a strike.
For snappers, it’s hard to beat the classic snapper popper with a miniature metal trailer, often called a Snapper Zapper. This popping-cork-style rig is an easy and productive way to fish bayside bulkheads without the need for bait.
If you want to bait fish with spearing, a spear/skewer rig is another excellent choice. It uses a stiff wire with a removable hook and is essentially a miniature version of the classic mullet rig. This rig can be fished on bottom with a leader and weighed three way or it can be fished off a bobber or popping cork/float.
As the mullet become increasingly abundant, larger blues can be targeted with mullet on a Fireball Rig or traditional mullet rig. Keep this technique in mind because the importance of mullet should only increase as we move into and through September.
Tog, Sheepshead & Triggerfish Around the Structure
Barnegat Inlet and other local inshore structure continue to offer another mixed bag opportunity. Tog, sheepshead and triggerfish are all possibilities. Expect the tog fishing to improve in both size and abundance as the water temperatures cool during September.
Anthony Butch (above) scored this triggerfish, one of many wreck fish catches fishing with his dad aboard the Wreck Taco. Below, late summer mixed bag success aboard the Wreck Taco this past week; fluke, tog, triggers, sea bass, bluefish.
Green crabs and sand fleas are the two most popular baits, but if I could only pick one right now I’d go with sand fleas because of their versatility and ease of access. Tog and sheepshead love them, but so do so many other game species like kingfish, fluke, sea bass and striped bass. Just about anything will eat a mole crab aka sand flea.
For anglers specifically hunting sheepshead, gathering fiddler crabs or ghost crabs can be the golden bait. But catching them can be a lot of work and at times a dirty job.
Small Bottom Sweeper Jigs and Magictail Back Bay Jigs in the 1/2 to 1-1/2 ounce range are excellent options. Choose the lightest jig that allows you to effectively reach and hold bottom or maintain a depth if elevating without sliding back in the current. Traditional rigs don’t need to be complicated either. A simple hi/lo with a loop for the sinker at the bottom or a single-drop rig gets the job done.
Bottom Sweeper Jigs
Bottom fishing jigs that are great for Tog & Sheepshead!
Keep an Eye on the Tropics
Late summer marks the time of year when every boater, surfer and coastal angler needs to start watching the tropics more closely. Tropical activity is beginning to ramp up and even distant systems can send long period ground swell toward New Jersey.
Long period swell combined with an outgoing tide deserves particular respect in and around our inlets. Barnegat Inlet as well as BI’s east bar can become especially dangerous when incoming swell begins feeling the shallow bottom and standing up. The same general caution applies around Little Egg Inlet and its shoals. Conditions offshore can appear manageable and then a set wave pops up out of no where.
Know the conditions. Know the location of shoals. Understand the tides and current. Don’t underestimate the energy of long-period swell!
To learn on this topic…
Late Summer Is One of LBI’s Best Times
We’re entering one of my favorite stretches of the entire fishing season. The crowds begin to thin, mornings become cooler, the water remains warm and there’s an incredible variety of fish available with tons of bait! Summer isn’t over yet, but the hints of fall are showing.
Right now inshore you can target fluke, bluefish, striped bass, sea bass, bonito, albies, croakers, kingfish, spot, weakfish, triggerfish, sheepshead and tog! That list will continue evolving as the water begins cooling and our fall bait migrations develop. Pay attention to the bait, water temperature, wind and tide. Be willing to change techniques and don’t get locked into fishing the same way you did a few weeks ago. The transition itself creates some of the best opportunities.
If you’re heading out fishing Long Beach Island, stop into Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom for the latest local fishing information, fresh and live bait, rigs, Gulp, jigs, plugs, leader and any tackle needs. We’re open daily year-round.
Helping anglers catch more fish since 1962!
Get out there and enjoy it. Local summer is just getting started and some of the best fishing of the year is still ahead this fall!
