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

There are 30 to 50 lb bluefin in the 50 to 60 mile range of our inlet. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the perfect day. No storm activity forecasted, light winds, nice sea condition. I know this is short notice, but I just got the intel. 

3AM to 4PM, $450 person, all fish are shared. We can keep 2 fish between 27” and 47”. It’s unlikely that we will fill all four spots with this short notice, but I had to try. Better shot if you have your own group that wants to charter the boat. The best way to get me is to call or text, not email.

Still catching stripers, blues, and fluke every day on our bay/inlet trips. Available every day for those trips.

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing 

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

Summer if finally here and the heat arrived too! With the hot sun and longest days of the year, the water temperatures will be ramping up… a new season of fishing is upon us. Here’s the LBI Fishing Report Update for Friday June 20, 2025.

Right now the LBI surf has primarily fluke and bluefish with kingfish popping up and still some spotty striped bass and black drum catches. With the surf temp today at 65º expect this theme to continue.

The fluke bite on the Long beach Island surf has been consistent for the entire month of June so far. The most recent report came in from Chef Tom who fished the mid-Island surf in Brant Beach yesterday. “Great day fishing! I caught 15+ fluke fishing a nice bowl of water in the late morning. Pink and white were working great with an active bite until noon and then nothing. Another angler fishing close by also caught a bunch but between the both of us no keepers.”

At times the blues are crashing the micro peanut bunker in the bay, inlet and surf. The past couple days 1-3+ pound cocktail blues have popped up in the Barnegat Inlet offering good light tackle fun. Some are chewing on the suds and can be caught on lures or bait (bunker or mullet).

There are a few kingfish on the LBI surf and with summer here, this fishery should only get better. Fish live bloods and/or Fish Bites baited on a small hook rig for these guys.

At the Barnegat Inlet the catches are primarily fluke and bluefish. There’s also striped bass at the right time/tides and will be all summer long. Sheepshead and triggerfish as well as out of season tog are also on tap at the rocks. A couple (not rare but) uncommon cobia catches have turned up recently. We also heard of a couple caught in the local ocean waters.

In the bay the fluke fishing has been good when the weed/snot grass isn’t bad. At times, the outgoing tides in some areas has been loaded. The classic live minnow, spearing, stripe bait (squid) and of course GULP! are all catching. I shared in a previous report that a lot of the fluke I’m catching (all spring) are spitting up shrimp (both grass shrimp and larger sand shrimp in the 2-3″+ range). This is common year after year as the primary diet of summer flounder is crustaceans; grass shrimp, sand shrimp, baby blue, mole, mud, calico crabs. Most trips the aggressive fluke have been keyed in on these shrimp baits, doing a number on the Gulp Shrimp. This year I fell in love with the new Gulp! Turbo Shrimp for it’s improved tail action. But with all that said it’s hard to go wrong with the curl tail grubs and swimming mullets as well as the slender profile sand eels and jerk shads.

The Miss Barnegat Light is running ocean fishing trips and reported on Wednesday’s trip, “the fluke and sea bass took the back seat to some bluefish and a good showing of bonito.” It’s great to hear they were scattered around chasing bait, sand eels. With summer here expect other hardtails (spanish mackerel, albies) to offer some warm water variety.

When the wind is blowing and the fishing conditions are tough head out crabbing or clamming. Now’s a great time to harvest some shellfish and enjoy the good eats! We have all the gear necessary for these targets.

Looking for a LBI Surf Tide Chart?

Here’s my most recent video report posted on Wednesday June 18, 2025

We are catching a few stripers at the Barnegat Inlet jetty on bait and soft plastics. There has been a good amount of 2 to 4 lb blues in the mix, with a few bigger ones. Still fluking in the bay as the colder ocean water has not started to push them out yet. Between the three species, it’s a good day of fishing. Sailing Open Boat for Stripers, Blues, and Fluke: Sun June 22, and Mon June 23. 6AM to Noon. $200 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared.

Right now, Sat June 21 has perfection weather. No storm activity and single digit wind velocity. We are headed offshore for bluefin tuna. Casting, jigging, bait fishing, trolling, we are bringing it all. 4AM to 4PM $450 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared. Only going on a really good forecast. We are a long way from Saturday as far as weather updates. If any storm activity or heavier wind velocity, enters the forecast, I’m out. I have, in the past, gone out the inlet a few miles, or less, and turned around because the forecast was wrong. This is why I always tell people, if you want a better chance of sailing for tuna, pick a bigger boat to book, as our rate of cancel is higher than most. Not that the boat isn’t capable. She’s a seaworthy 25 ft. World Cat catamaran with twin Suzukis, a 6 man Viking life raft that is always kept current, an EPIRB satellite search and rescue beacon, and a Garmin/Sirius XM on board satellite weather system that allows us to see the storm cells as they are born. With all of that, I am still looking for near perfection weather to sail. I tell people about all of this instead of bragging on our rods and reels, which are also top of the line. 

Any of these dates, including Saturday, are available for your private charter to fish for anything you like.

Thank you,

Dave

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

It’s Father’s Day tomorrow. You get to do what you want. Go fishing early and be back in time to join the festivities.

Looks like the rain is moving out and we have a good stretch of weather for Sun to Wed. Cooler air temps, 60 to 70 degrees every day with very little rain mentioned. We will be running Open Boat trips every day for stripers, blues, and fluke. We are fishing the inlet jetty and the bay.  The wind is dropping out for Tues and Wed, so we can also mix in some sea bass fishing, if you guys want, on those days. The clock is ticking on that season, as it closes on Friday June 20.

Open Boat: Sun June 15, Mon June 16, Tues June 17, and Wed June 18. 7AM to 1PM. $200 person 4 people max. All fish are shared. These dates are also available for your private charter.I look forward to seeing you on board.

Dave

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

The “June Gloom” foggy marine layer days have finally given way to some sunshine! The Long Beach Island area’s late spring fishing currently offers a mixed bay of variety for anglers to enjoy; striped bass, bluefish, fluke, black drum, sea bass, sheepshead and weakfish among others. Here’s the Fishing LBI Fishing Report Update for Tuesday June 10, 2025 brought to you by Fisherman’s Headquarters.

LBI Surf Fishing Report

The Long Beach Island surf has spotty striped bass catches with bluefish, fluke and dogfish in the mix. The Strawberry Moon (June’s full moon) is upon us tonight marking a change in the season which officially comes Friday June 20th at 10:42PM… The Summer Solstice, the longest day and shortest night and the start of summer! Historically speaking the month of June can offer great striped bass fishing off the surf and jetty as well as good fishing around back. Some years we have good bass fishing into July. Remember last summer? We had ’em almost all summer thanks (no thanks) to the summer upwelling.

This is normally when pods of bunker and hungry striped bass schooled up along the central Jersey coastline. But the lack of both bunker and bass, the main ingredients, make baking the cake tough. We could really use a week of light to moderate westerlies to get what bunker is around here schooled up. Maybe it comes together but this spring I’m not holding my breath on this one this.

Here’s a couple recent reports of anglers who are catching on clams, bunker and mullet.

Erik Moritz (above) caught this striped bass off the south end surf fishing clam Sunday.

Jason Wilk (above) had a fun weekend surf fishing the LBI surf catching some bluefish, fluke and doggies.

Wayne Smith fished the surf with his buddy TJ O’Reilly (above) Sunday. He shared this report, “TJ, got a bluefish this morning on a clam fishing the mid-Island surf before heading back out west. We had tons of doggies. Last night we fished both mid-Island and the North End. We got some short fluke and saw a couple keepers caught. The night tide mid-Island was loaded with doggies and skates. I lost what might have been a big bass or a drum around 11:15pm. I hit it in the head on a cast. It was ripping line and fighting for a while. Eventually turned it and swam towards the beach but popped off.  The Sea Monster lives on!”

Black drum continue to roam the local surf and bay. While fluke fishing Little Egg Inlet Sunday Nick Feindt caught this monster black drum.

Fluke season is off to a great start. The bay, inlet and surf all continue to produce good fishing. Over the past week it has been the most consistent target for anglers. Gulp is an uber-successful fluke bait that can be fished on a jig or a plain hook. I find it’s most effective on a jig or a hook via a dropper loop, either single drop or double drop (hi/lo – chicken rig). Strip baits and live baits are great options too.

Those that love fishing live baits, minnows have been tough. They are always a great bait but this season they are hard to come by. There isn’t a lot around and what is, just isn’t potting well. It’s possibly due to the spring’s chilly weather but also might be due to the early spring’s drought which ran over from 2024 and into a large part of this year until recently. Then the more recent rains have reversed the dry to heavy soakings flushing out the creeks. Most likely it’s a combination of things. The minnow shortage has been a statewide things. We have had customer driving from all over to get them. Unlike others in the state we are not jacking up our prices to gouge. Today we got another delivery of minnows so right now things are looking good. But only time will tell.

With the season progression comes new species… weakfish and sheepshead are somewhat old news. But New News! Alex Martone caught this 26.5″ cobia while hunting for fluke off the rocks at the Barnegat Inlet Jetty.

Looking ahead, the next few days will be a change from the past trends of wet, foggy and cool. Things look to be sunny Wednesday, Thursday and Friday but then we might see some unsettled weather again. What perfect timing for the weekend, not! By now everyone has their lightweight summertime rain jackets ready. For those who do not, we have you covered. Stop in and get a new Lightweight waterproof jacket from Grundens. The Grundens Tourney is a great choice! Get your today.

Nice stretch of weather coming up. We will be sailing daily for stripers, blues, and fluke. 

Casting lures and fishing bait at the inlet jetty for bass and blues. We are also catching some stripers anchored up with clam in the bay channels, mostly in Oyster Creek. 

On the west side of the bay we are throwing topwater lures for blues and drifting for fluke.

We can do all of it or whatever combination you guys like. If it’s a nice ocean, we also have the option to bounce out to the tires to try and jig some sea bass. 

Open Boat: 

Thurs June 5, Fri June 6, Sat June 7, Sun June 8, Mon June 9. 6AM to 1 PM. $200 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared. 

These dates are also available for your private charter.

FYI: Just planting the seed, as I have not heard anything solid on bluefin tuna, yet, but it’s coming. We will be targeting the 27 to 47 inch fish when they show up. Right now, the new regulations are allowing us to keep two fish within that size bracket. We are not allowed to keep any fish between 47 and 73 inches, so we will also be targeting fish over 73 inches. We can only catch one or the other. You can’t possess a 27 to 47 inch bluefin and then try to catch a Giant, and vice versa. We can make a decision based on reports, weather, and recent activity. 

If pursuing the over 73 inch fish, we are usually trolling ballyhoo or drifting with live bait, usually mackerel, bunker, or small bluefish. This fishing can be a lot of waiting for the rod to go off, so it is not for everyone. When the strike happens, it goes from the most boring to the most exciting thing you have ever experienced. We have three custom built stand up 80 class outfits to fight the fish with a belt and harness, rather than fight it out of the rod holder. I chose to do it this way to make it more interactive, but the rod holder is always there if you need it. 

We might have to spend a good amount of time trying to catch the live bait, as mackerel, bunker, and blues need to be caught the day of the trip, as they do not do well in containment, such as a bait pen. I could put a live spot in the pen in July and release him in November and he would look perfect. Try putting a full size bunker in a pen and the next day his face will be half ripped off from trying to escape. Likewise with the blues and mackerel. Of course, all these species of bait are readily available, until you need them as hookbaits, then they become elusive. On the other hand, if we are lucky, we will cast lures at the inlet and boat a handful of small blues in short order and/or stumble on some bunker pods along the beach or on our way to the fishing grounds. This is all part of the process of catching a Giant. It’s a commitment. It doesn’t happen by chance.

The good news is, we are usually targeting either size bluefin in the 20 to 40 mile range, and a lot of that mileage is north. As opposed to hunting yellowfin in the 50 to 70 mile range, which is mostly east (offshore).

Thank you,

Dave

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

June is here and a warming trend is upon us! We have a variety of good fisheries and all offer great catching opportunities; striped bass, fluke, bluefish, sea bass. Whether fishing the beach or boat, now is a great time to score some fun on the water. Here’s my latest fishing report video from today Monday June 2, 2025.

This past weekend had shifty weather. It’s rare we see breezy westerly winds with rain but we had it. At times it was brutal but there were window of prime fishing.

The American Angler Spring Grand Slam tournament was held on the beach of LBI this past Saturday May 31 and the participants went hard and caught fish. Tournament director Carl Hartmann reported, “The anglers fishing caught a variety of species; striped bass, bluefish, black drum, fluke and yes… King Fish Are Here! It was a successful event.” Here are some catch photos…

While on the topic of surf fishing tournament the LBI Spring Derby is on until June 22.

Surfside striped bass remains a prime time target. Historically speaking the firrst two weeks of June are a great time to bass fish the beaches of LBI. This year the water is running cool so depending how things go we might have another full month of good bass fishing. With a warming trend coming, let’s hope it doesn’t warm up too fast.

Vince Russo of Russo’s Italian Restaurant in Ship Bottom shared an awesome report today (after my afternoon video recording so it was not included). “I had a great day on the surf today in the afternoon… three big striped bass and one slot.”

The inshore / surf ocean water is very clean and green… on the verge of tropical. But… who let the dogs out? There’s lots of dogfish are on the beaches. There’s also striped bass, black drum, bluefish, fluke and kingfish in the suds too.

PSA: The cow nose rays arrived! Be on the lookout as snagging one of these on light tackle turns into a nightmare tug of war.

Fluke fishing remains good… in the bay, inlet and surf. Clayton caught his limit fishing this weekend. He reported catching his three keepers in 30 minutes! 

New Bluefin Tuna Fishing Regulations take effect tomorrow June 3, 2025 – Know before you go. For full details refer to NOAA Fisheries Retention Limit Adjustment: Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Angling Category Fishery

Fishing is heating up. We are catching stripers at the inlet jetty and anchored up with clams in the bay. They are keepable size fish, as we have bonus tags for everyone on board that allow us to keep 24 to 31 inch fish. Bluefish are mixed in at the jetty and on the west side of the bay where we are throwing topwater lures for visual surface attacks. I still struggle as a fluke captain but I know some areas to try and I am willing to mix it in for an hour or two, depending on our success on the bass and blues and what you guys want to do.

Sailing every day Open Boat or Charter.

Thank you,

Dave

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com

The Memorial Day Weekend was a good but breezy one. The coastal storm (Nor’easter) that was then followed by stiff westerlies and sunny yet cool temperatures had it feeling more like Labor Day or Columbus Day as opposed to the unofficial kick off to summer. The neighborhood was buzzing and good fishing went down on the beach and bay. Here’s the Long Beach Island Memorial Day Weekend Fishing Report Recap brought to you by Fisherman’s Headquarters, Long Beach Island’s full service bait and tackle shop.

LBI Surf Fishing Report – Striped Bass, Bluefish & Fluke

The Long Beach Island surf scene is alive with activity; however spotty at times. The striped bass are still here in good numbers cruising the suds and clam theme continues as the top producing bait. Live sand fleas is another great bait on the surf which may attract a bite from a variety of species. At this point in the spring season fishing the surf both day or night, no matter the tide will offer a good shot at striped bass.

In addition to the bass, there’s a solid showing of bluefish ranging from cocktails to gators. A number of anglers have reported hooking up on plugs and bait. Both mullet and bunker are what you want to soak for blues and you might also score bass! Some rig up with wire leader however I suggest using extra heavy and hard leader. I prefer 80# Seaguar Fluorocarbon when chunking the surf and blues are present. While considering the rig it’s best to choose a circle this way if a striped bass is caught it will be in compliance with the coastwide circle hook striped bass regulation/mandate. More info on Fishing For Striped Bass With Circle Hooks.

At times the surf has been loaded with big dogfish so that can add some line pulling action as well as a let down once landed. To stay away from doggies fish lures or larger chunk baits. At times fishing through them provides a big bass reward.

Long Beach Island / Barnegat Bay Fluke Fishing Report

The 2025 fluke season is also off to a strong start. We’re seeing quality and quantity from both beach and boat anglers. Land based anglers are doing really good on the surf and jetty with many limit catches reported and some large size fluke. Some large fluke were shared in recent reports, but nothing close to this monster caught by Simon Barlett! He scored a 29″ 8.12# fluke off the LBI surf this past weekend. It fell for a 5″ white Gulp Jerk Shad fished on his teaser hook.

Gulp scented softbaits are doing its usual magic, especially the Grubs and Jerk Shads in white, pink shine and chartreuse among others. For me fishing the bay, the Gulp Shrimp’s have out fished my usual MVP Grubs. The three boats best fishing the pack of boats two days in a row were all using shrimp too. Color didn’t matter as much as profile. A lot of the fluke we caught were all stuff and spitting up grass shrimp and (what I believe to be) tiger shrimp.

As far as rigging up… Use a single jig, a jig with a teaser above or a high / low set up with a looped on weight at bottom. Baiting up with live minnow, spearing, squid strip and Gulp will all do the trick.

This fishery will offer fun fishing a tasty table fare all spring and summer. It’s an easy access fishery that land based, paddle board, kayak, small boat anglers can score. In many situations the small floatation approaches provide an advantage over bigger boats that can’t fish the backwaters.

In addition to fluke, schoolie striped bass remain active in the back, especially around dusk and dawn, when boat traffic is least. There’s great light tackle fun. The bay also offers bluefish and occasional weakfish. The past week’a chilly weather has kept the waters cool and will help prolong our spring fishery from warming up too quick.

Crabbing and clamming are other opportunities to mix it up too.

Fishermans Headquarters Bait & Tackle

Whether you’re working plugs or bait in the surf, heading offshore for sea bass or tuna, or exploring the backwaters for fluke, striped bass and bluefish, the current variety is what makes the spring time of year so exciting. Now is the time to go fish!

Before you go, swing into Fisherman’s Headquarters for premium baits and the right fishing gear to make the most of your next outing. We have what you need to dial in!

Pretty good day today. Two keeper stripers, some bluefish, and short fluke, no keepers for us. Caught the blues on plugs and soft plastics. Got the first striper drifting a bobber with a sandworm into the inlet jetty and then a little later caught another one on clams in Oyster Creek Channel. Keeper fluke were elusive for us today but there are fish around.

Available for Open Boat or Charter tomorrow, Monday, Memorial Day, May 26 and Tues, May 27. 6AM to Noon. $200 person. 4 people max. All fish are shared. 

Pic: Dave Estey of Lake Hopatcong, NJ with his keeper striper he caught on a clam.

Thank you,

Dave

Dave DeGennaro

Hi Flier Sportfishing

732.330.5674 cell

hiflier.com