September fishing is underway on Long Beach Island and while the calendar says fall is getting close, the water is still holding onto summer. Warm and relatively clean / clear waters are present on the LBI surf with plenty of bait (spearing and other micro minnows). This has kept a diverse mix of fish around the LBI suds. Here’s my recent fishing report video from Tuesday morning 9/8/26, followed by a test report below…
Variety On Tap For Those Fishing LBI
Fluke, kingfish, weakfish, blowfish, croakers and small bluefish are all in the mix, while bonito and false albacore continue to offer opportunities when they find the schools of spearing along the beaches or inshore waters. Tog fishing as well as crabbing and clamming are also options too!
Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Seminar 9/12 9AM
This Saturday September 12, 2026 from 9am to 12 noon the LBI Surf Fishing Classic presents their annual Surf Fishing Seminar at the Ship Bottom Fire House. This year it’s $5 at the door but registered tournament anglers are FREE. It’s $40 to sign up for the 13 week tournament which runs from 8/28 to 11/28/26. Sign ups are available at the door. There will be coffee and doughnuts as well as door prizes from AFW. Everyone in attendance will get more than $5 in quality tackle from AFW plus the sweets (coffee and doughnuts). If you have attended in the past you already know! See you there!!!
The Late-Season Fluke Countdown
There are only 15 days remaining in New Jersey’s 2026 fluke season, which closes September 25. Now is the time to make those final fluke trips count!
Surf fishing continues to produce fluke, with plenty of shorts and a few keepers mixed in. The inlet remains a great location, while the best opportunity for numbers and quality fish continues to be the ocean wrecks and reefs.
Store staffer Sam recently fished one of the inshore wrecks with friends and reported a four man limit along with a pile of shorts. His best was a fish around five pounds. That’s a great example of the action available when conditions cooperate.
More recently (the past couple of days), strong current has made ocean fluke fishing challenging. With the upcoming full moon Friday, expect that current to eventually back down. If the weather cooperates, bottom fishing could get back to firing later this weekend and into next week. We could be looking at an excellent final stretch of the 2026 fluke season.
For ocean fluke fishing, keep it simple. Gulp, strip baits and appropriately sized bucktails or jigs are all excellent choices. Carry enough weight to stay in contact with the bottom, especially during periods of stronger winds / current.
Weakfish Reports Are Picking Up
One of the more encouraging developments over the past couple of weeks has been an increase in weakfish reports.
Store staffer Emmet reports plenty of spike weakfish on the west side of Barnegat Bay. Salt Sam also recently got into a serious weakfish frenzy while surf fishing for fluke. He had then turn on late in the day, into sunset and the dark.
He started the trip targeting fluke with a small lead head and Gulp Jerk Shad, catching several shorts and one keeper fluke. Then the trip completely changed gears when the weakies. He got into a pile of spike weakfish and his fluke trip into a weakfish whacking.
Small soft plastics and lightweight jig heads are perfect for this fishing. When weakfish are feeding on small bait, there’s no reason to overpower the presentation. Small metals and a teaser also work great. Fish light tackle, keep the bait moving naturally and pay particular attention to low-light periods and slower current winds which weakfish love.
Blowfish Finally Showing Better
Blowfish reports have also improved. We’ve heard more positive reports during the past two weeks than we did for much of the summer.
They certainly aren’t everywhere but there are enough reports now to make them worth mentioning and targeting. The bay is also holding croakers and small bluefish, creating the classic late summer/early fall mixed bag fishing that can be a lot of fun for families and anglers looking for action.
On a recent nearshore trip with the kids, we caught a complete smorgasbord that included triggerfish, sea bass, small porgies, blowfish, spots and croakers. If the warm water remains warm we will continue to have a variety of species. But expect them to wane once October comes, he days get significantly shorter and temps fall.
LBI Surf Fishing: Fluke, Kingfish & Hardtails
On the surf, fluke and kingfish remain two of the most dependable targets.
The wild card is the hardtail fishing. Bonito (more) and false albacore (less) have been around, along with small bluefish, and they should remain possibilities all month.
There are plenty of spearing around right now. When the hardtails find them, the action can happen quickly. Small epoxy jigs and other compact metals that imitate 1-4″ slender baitfish are ideal. Keep a rod rigged and ready because these fish can appear and disappear just as fast.
Kingfish remain another excellent option from the beach. Small pieces of bloodworm, Fishbites or cut mullet on a small hook hi/lo kingfish rig will produce.
The Bait Transition Is Beginning
The bait situation is something to watch closely over the next few weeks.
Spearing are still a major part of the current picture, but eventually that will transition toward mullet and peanut bunker. There are already mullet in the bay, and as September progresses we should see more bait begin moving.
Shorter days, cooler nights, moon phases and weather systems can all help push that transition along. Sometimes a good northeast blow gets things moving.
Once mullet become more abundant along the beach, they become an important factor for surf side bluefish, striped bass and fluke. Fresh mullet fished on a traditional mullet rig is a longtime LBI fall favorite, while smaller pieces and strips can also be excellent for fluke and kingfish.
Porgies & Black Sea Bass
Don’t overlook the changing September regulations either. New Jersey’s porgy/scup season opened September 1 with a 30-fish bag limit and 10-inch minimum size.
Looking a little farther ahead, the New Jersey black sea bass bag limit increases to 10 fish beginning September 23. That gives bottom fishermen another option just as the fluke season reaches its final days… last day for NJ Fluke is Sept 25, 2026.
September Is Just Getting Started
Labor Day might mark the unofficial end of summer, but it certainly doesn’t mark the end of fishing on Long Beach Island.
In many ways, we’re entering one of the best stretches of the year. Warm water keeps things active as we eventually transition into fall. But the immediate focus should be making the most of the final fluke season stretch. After that, attention will increasingly shift toward sea bass, tog, weakfish, bluefish and eventually the fall striped bass fishery.
There’s a lot to look forward to!
Fisherman’s Headquarters is open daily in Ship Bottom with live, fresh and frozen bait along with everything needed for surf, bay, inlet and offshore fishing. Stop in and see us or shop online at Fisherman’s Headquarters.
