Summer has officially arrived this week and Long Beach Island is jumping! Summer means busy beaches, lifeguards and beach badges. This week’s fishing report covers the transition from the outstanding spring run into the new summer fishing pattern. Check out the latest fishing report video now!
Summer Is Here!
Summer has officially arrived on Long Beach Island and with it comes (as shared on previous reports and videos) the the seasonal transition that local fishing experiences and what anglers should expect. The LBI surf is currently hoving around the 60º mark and it’s safe to expect the waters to be in the upper 50’s to low and mid 60’s the next couple of days and possibly creep up as we get into July
While the incredible spring striped bass and black drum run has petered out, there’s a shot at surf side striped bass and drum all summer long. There’s also plenty of other opportunities for anglers willing to adjust their approach as the summer pattern takes hold.
Rick the fishing musician caught this 30″ 7# striped bass off the mid-Island surf on Wednesday late morning at dead low tide with old stinky salted clam.
Summertime Surf Fishing Tips
Soak clam in confidence for a late inning win! The Phillies got it done two games in a row working through the final out… you can too! In the summer heat fresh clams are hard to get because they are hard to keep alive this time of year. There’s nothing wrong with fishing salted clam.
Fish sand fleas on a simple Carolina Rig for stripers! Use the MaiTai Striped Bass Sand Flea Rig and work the pockets and gutters along the suds to find summertime striped bass. We have live sand fleas in stock daily and also carry beach rakes making bait DIY. The rakes are great for shelling at the water’s edge too.
Light tackle plugging early, late or at night to score a summertime linesider. Best times are going to be grey light, golden light or night… all times when striped bass commonly cruise the suds and beach goers are at a minimum. Fish an 3-5″ minnow style jerk bait. Top staff picks are… the Daiwa 13F SP Minnow and the Yozuri 3DB 110 Suspending Jerkbait. The 3DB is also a great options for surf plugging fluke!
Scale down with small hooks for kingfish and croakers. You might have a shot at spot, blowfish and/or bluefish this time of year fishing Fish Bites. Fish bites are an artificial bait that is super convenient and effective.
Target fluke! Rig up with a simple single jig and tip with Gulp Grub, Swimming Mullet or Jerk Shad. You can’t go wrong with white or pink shine but other colors and styles have their stand out days. Most calm days all that is needed is a 1/4-1/2 oz lead head fished on 15-20# line. Scale down with finesse and you might be surprised at the increase in catch rate. There are times when an ulta-light set up with a 1/16-1/8oz lead head will light ’em up! There’s also times when the wind is blowing, current is pulling and waves are rolling… these conditions commonly call for a heavier jig (add a teaser!), single drop rig or a classic hi/lo rig.
Barnegat Bay Fishing
Inside there’s a wide variety of fishing opportintues thanks to Barnegat Bay’s bounty. This past week the bay and inlet remained consistent for striped bass and blues as well as a little better on what has been a slow go for fluke.
Captains Dan DiPasquale of Hog Moon Fishing Charters and Captain Steve Purel of Reel Fantasea Fishing Charters are on the bite all season long and right now is no different. They are both reporting fun fishing for striped bass, bluefish and a few fluke. Live bait fishing with spot has been a sure thing as it’s the best summer time striped bass bait when fishing the area’s main thoroughfares. Captain day has been crushing bass and blues fishing pink softbait Zoom Flukes on a lead head.
Soon we may see blowfish show up to join the croakers, spot, kingfish and weakfish that are here. Our fingers are crossed they show up in good numbers this year because they offer a good eating fun summer fishery!
Crabbing and clammer are two other great options right now too
This week gave us improving fluke action. As mentioned earlier it has been slow going. It seems to be gaining traction especially for anglers moving out to the ocean. Numerous positive reports came in from the inshore wrecks and reef sites. With July just around the corner, those offshore structures should produce all summer long so long as the water temperatures remain stable and warm.
If fishing out there be sure to know that Black Sea Bass is still open (12.5″ minimum size) however the bag limit was reduced on June 22 and is now a 1 FISH BAG all summer (until Sept.22).
Summer also means sharks and rays. The brown sharks (sand bar sharks) as well as sand tiger sharks (not to be confused with sand sharks aka dogfish which are also here) arrived in good number over the past couple weeks. They are here for their summer residence and can be a nuisance bycatch when targeting other species. But they can also be fun game if approached properly with knowledge of the laws. Both sand tiger and sand bar sharks are federally protected species and possession is prohibited. Catch and release fishing for line pulling cow nose rays is allowed. If you catch a protected shark species, be prepared with the proper dehooking tool (these 12-18″ stainless dehookers work great!) and do not remove them from the water! There is an upcoming NJ Fisheries meeting July 9th where Jersey shore based shark fishing will be discussed. If you partake in this fishery you should attend!
Long Beach Island Beach Badges
Beach badges might be the worst part of summer! Yes they are required during daytime beach operations throughout Long Beach Island, every town and there are six different municipalities. There is NOT a single universal LBI beach badge that covers the entire Island. Visitors must have a valid beach badge for the municipality where they plan to access the beach.
For more information on LBI summertime surf fishing and beach access be sure to check out our complete guide – LBI Summer Surf Fishing Visitors Guide
For anglers it is best to fish before the lifeguards come on duty or after they leave for the day. Everyday lifeguards start at 10am Island wide. All towns run until 5pm except Ship Bottom who has guards until 6pm. When the guards are on so are the beach badge checkers who post up at most of the street access points and at times get active roaming their territory checking for badges. This is a loaded topic and can vary town to town (especially through out the state) however most of the time anglers who get out fishing before the guards and badge checkers post up are free to fish below the tide line and well outside (and down current) of the lifeguard designated swimming areas. But you can’t have a beach chair, cart, cooler, equipment on the sand or that’s calling out, “Come check my badge!” If fishing the water’s edge you can friendly explain accessing earlier and currently fishing tidal waters. Ask for allowance per the Public Trust Doctrine the public has a right to access up to and including the high water line. Ask nicely and share the common law that dates back to Roman law. But don’t be the entitled irate loud mouth or you are just asking to escalate the situation and soon to be trouble with the police.
Offshore Tuna Fishing
Things really popped off last week for the Tuna Open hosted by Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club. Since then reports are rolling both mid-shore and offshore at Canyons… bluefin, yellowfin and big eyes. If heading out we have all the essentials and more. We are fully stocked up on Magictail Hoo Magic and Joe Shute Trolling Heads as well as Tormenter and Chatter Offshore trolling chains and bars. We also got a monster delivery a couple weeks back of premium offshore baits from Baitmaster so we have the best quality ballyhoo and squid in the area sitting at 15º below zero waiting for you.
As always, stop by Fisherman’s Headquarters for the latest bait, tackle and local fishing information. We’ll help you make the most of the summer fishing season.
