Author: FishHead.Greg

What a great taste of Autumn we had this weekend! Perfect days on Long Beach Island with warm water, sunny, low humidity and plenty of great fishing with a little bit of juicy swell too. Let’s dive into the details on the great fishing. Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report for Sunday August 20, 2023.

The shop was buzzing this weekend with lots of positive vibes and so many great fishing reports…

Reports from the Inlet…

Fluke, bluefish, tog, sheepshead, striped bass and other species are all on tap at the Barnegat Inlet.

Tog fishing is the most popular and easiest fishery to take advantage of right now for land based angler working the rocks. Fishing green crabs and/or sand fleas on a rig or jig is the way to do it. This same approach has scored sheepshead and triggerfish. For all of these you do not need a big hook. We suggest #1 size.

Photo above is a weigh in from the Barnegat Inlet on Saturday afternoon.

Inlet Fluke Fishing – As fluke depart the bay the inlets are the doorway in which they funnel through. Fishing the inlet in August produces quality fluke each and every year. Here’s a 7# fluke weighed in by Brendan Craig on Saturday.

Casting lures like SP Minnow, Hogy Epoxy Jig, Hopkins, Kastmaster, Bucktail will come tight with striped bass or bluefish.

At this point in the year/season the waters are warm and full of various species and lots of bait. There is a possibility to catch just about anything in and around the Inlet this time of year. Case and point – this jack crevalle that was speared by on of the Jetty Jockeys on Saturday. We also had reports of a few cobia near the inlet.

Reports from the surf…

Small but powerful swell was on the beaches on Friday and Saturday with west winds. Today the swell dropped out and the wind swung around. The surf looks to be in the 1-2-3′ range this week. Tuesday snd Wednesday look to be nice days but cranking north east winds in the mornings and afternoons that will fade in the afternoons. Possibly a hard southerly blow Friday 8/25.

On the surf fluke fishing is the main game. Other players are small blues at times and a few kingfish. Be warned, certain beaches at certain times can be weedy. Awful, unfishable conditions in some areas were reported by Kristi Reillo Cooper on the north end Friday. She shared this photo below.

Reports from the bay…

Still plenty of fluke hanging around in the bay but the mix is dominated by under size fish. Reports continue from the main thoroughfares by anglers fishing the channels. There are slots and keepers to be had so this will be an option for fluke anglers this week with the hard north east winds in the forcast.

This past week we saw an uptick in both weakfish and blowfish activity. Snappers are active in most local lagoons. It’s prime time crabbing and clamming!

Summertime striped bass offering fun at the right times. Dan DiPasquale had the striped bass cracking said the striped bass are having their way with peanut bunker schools. best action is sunset, all night and early morning. when the traffic is a minimum and they can slap and feed without hinderance.

Reports from inshore…

The albies popped up Saturday, Sunday and again today in the local waters. It’s early for them in this close but with the bluefin abnormally close it makes sense in a way these are closer. Dan DiPasquale was out and got into them. There are a few spanish mackerel chasing bait too. Friday head of bluefish blitzing on this same bait outside the inlet and along some beaches.

Patrick Odendahl enjoyed one day this weekend on the water aboard Reel Fantasea Charters with his dad and Captain Steve Purul. He caught a false albacore among other fish. Let’s hope they stick around.

Mahi bite kicked on a week or so ago and has rolled on strong. Store staffer Paul was out and caught some smaller ones with Captain Mark with Laura Sportfishing, photo below. We have also heard of bigger class further offshore. Mullet Outdoors Adventures reported, “Totally crushing mahi. And nothing sub 20″ about 25 miles out.”

Reports from offshore…

The inshore-mishore tuna fishing has been really great this year. NJ isn’t really known for having a great bluefin tuna fishery nearshore. It also isn’t know for having squid stacked up near shore in the summer either. This year we have both!

The 30-40fm areas are producing too. Not as consistent as some years past but the highs and lows with variety in areas is a great thing in today’s world of fast flying info. Store staffer Tyler was out a few days ago and got into another great trip with no other boats around, “Nothing beats popper feeds!”

54th Beach Haven White Marlin Invitational

Another successful WMI tournament. Congrats to all of the boats and crews that took home some bacon and especially the Crisdel and the Shark Byte! The Crisdel won $147k for the heaviest tuna. Shark Byte won $81k for first place billfish. No matter how big the fish it always comes down to ounces in a tournament. The crew aboard the Crisdel 62′ Titan took the largest tuna at 116.1# and the second place tuna caught by the Bandit 41′ Albemarle was 115.9#.

Mid August is full of different species and styles of fishing. From fishing the surf, jetty and bay to inshore, mid-shore and offshore there’s something for everyone. Ocean fluke fishing (when the weather allows) is good and there are still fluke in the backwaters. Bluefish ranging from snappers up to cocktails offer great light tackle fun in the surf, inlet and bay. There are a few blowfish and a few kingfish around. Sheepshead and triggerfish offer some fun fishing as well as tog. Bluefin and yellowfin tuna reports continue on strong too! There’s cobia and mahi being caught too. Let’s get out and enjoy good fun summertime fishing now!

6:00 – Watch a blue marlin take off screaming on a topwater popper!

Early August Fishing Report Update For The Long Beach Island Area

Sitting right about at the mid point of summer we have great fishing here on Long Beach Island with a variety of light tackle to big game options for beach and boat anglers. This is the time when bait starts balling up; peanut bunker, spearing and sandeels are all here in out local waters. I’ve seen all three in recent days either spit up on my deck by a fish or snagged on one of my lures’ treble hooks. With the recent northerly winds the bait was stacked up in the inlet just like we would see in the fall. Anglers got into some fun on the Jetty. Small blues, striped bass and fluke. It’s a great place to fish for fluke this time of year because all of the fish exiting Barnegat Bay only have one way to leave.

So we kick off August with a full moon and some great weather, sun and low humidity, with a northerly and onshore flow. This bumped up the ocean a little and also pushed the sun warmed surface waters into the beach (downwelling).

Surf Fishing Long Beach Island

With the warm surf temps come good fluke fishing on the surf as well as the local reefs and wrecks. A really nice fluke was pulled from the mid-Island surf on Tuesday by Michael Palumbo fishing the incoming tide. Photo below

Local angler Konrad also reported good fluke fishing off the north end surf, “I caught two keepers in a short after work session!”

The LBI surf fluke fishing is great this summer. The best way to approach it is with a bucktail and teaser rig or a super simple one drop rig. A one drop is exactly what the name spells out, the rig has one dropper loop and then a loop at the bottom for the weigh/sinker. It is basically a low of a high low rig. Either rig you’ll want to bait up with Gulp! in the 4-5-6″ sizes. By far Pink Shine has been the best sell this year and for good reason. The past couple season it has been my best producer and a lot of customers have shared the same theme. I also catch on white, white/glow and fire tiger , which I prefer over chartreuse on the dirty water days which call for a hi-viz color. I have heard good things about the new metallic color which makes sense because every baitfish has shine and that is something most softbaits don’t have until now!

On the beach there are a few kingfish. We expect this to improve throughout this month so long as the waters stay warm. There is a few spot on the surf. Photo below is a recent catch by Karl Chen.

Both spot and kingfish can be caught with a similar set up. Fish a classic “Pompano Surf Rig” which is a hi/lo rig fitted with small hooks. Bait up with Live bloodworms, Dyna Bait Freeze Dried Bloodworms and/or Fish Bites.

At times bluefish offer fun for surf and jetty anglers. These fish are running anywhere from snappers to 2-4# class. The majority are small but larger bluefish have been caught, case and point shared in the last report update.

Blues are best targeted off the surf with an assortment of lures such as a small swimming plug (SP Minnow 13), a metal (Hopkins, Kastmaster, Crippled Herring), spoon (Krocodile) or jig (Diamond Jig – Hogy Epoxy Jig – Hogy Sandeel Jig). Another option is to fish baits but you’ll want to fish strips. Mullet, bunker and mackerel are three good choices.

Barnegat Bay Fishing Report (also good for Manahawkin Bay & Great Bay)

Fluke fishing the bay is mostly made up of feisty and active short size fish however there are still some keepers to be caught just don’t expect a high keeper ratio.

Be prepared for snappers, spot (here in good numbers), blowfish (few and far between) and other small bait stealers. These critters will ransack Gulp baits and steal your curly tails quicker than you can jig. Ya, a shaky jig or staccato jig can keep them off but sometimes nothing can help but one thing… Live Bait! Fishing with large live minnows, peanut bunker and/or small live spot are a great way beat those pesky critters and catch quality fluke in the month of August

There’s some weakfish around. I personally tried on Tuesday to shrimp them up but was unsuccessful. I only managed to shrimp up a fluke in the 16 inch range and a couple snapper blues. I’m expecting this to get better this month.

Try your luck at Sheepshead! They are here and being caught in the bay, but it isn’t easy.

August means that Tautog is open for NJ anglers. One fish at 15″ until November 15th. On November 16th it opens to 5 fish at 15″.

NJ August Cobia

Cobia are lurking the inshore waters and have been for the better part of a month now. Most catches are from tuna anglers fishing bait for tuna however these can and are specifically targeted. I tried but failed so far but I’m not giving up. I was super stoked to see store staffer Tyler caught a 38″ one on this past Sunday. Tyler was out looking for bluefin. He didn’t find them but he hooked and landed a keeper size cobia on a No Live Bait Needed swim bait.

He reported, “A large cobia came up and attacked one of the balloons in our chunk spread. It never came back so we didn’t get a shot at it, but another one, smaller in size came into the spread and I was ready putting a small NLBN right on front of it. Bang! It ate.

Gotta Love The NLBN’s! The last couple years these bait have shined for a variety of species like striped bass and tuna, now cobia!

Near Shore Tuna

The inshore bluefin tuna fishing continues on. We first shared the report on July 11th. Since then there has been a lot of bluefin caught and some good size fish. The best way to get bites right now is fishing live squid. There are also bites coming on live mackerel as well as jigging, popping and trolling.

Store staffer Paul got one on Sunday fishing live bait with Capt Mark Finelli of Laura Sportfishing.

Jonni was in the shop Wednesday afternoon and reported, “Thanks to Tyler helping me gear up right, I caught a cooler full of squid. I also had a tuna bite the squid jig/squid when reeling up. We got another bite and got it in the boat. I’m heading back out tomorrow. Thanks for the lesson of catching squid.”

Those boats that are catching and fishing live bait are producing best. However, there are fish being caught on the jig too. Brian Sabarese was on the water with his son Sawyer about 10 miles out of BI Monday. They were fishing live baits when they had a good tuna mark pop up on the sounder. Sawyer dropped a jig and must have hit the fish on the head because a couple seconds later the line was screaming out. After a fun battle they boated his first tuna.

Mondo King Mackerel Caught

Father and son duo, Capt Don & Mate Joseph Vricella aboard the Crime Scene caught a 67.45# King Mackerel on July 30, 2023. This catch crushed the long standing record Fernando Alfaiate’s 1998 54# catch by over 13#! Here’s the story that Don shared, “Lost an engine while out on the bluefin grounds around 12 o’clock and started limping home. Being on one engine I figured we’d put out a little spread with two wide trackers and two Clark spoons for a Spanish Mack or Bonita. At around 2 o’clock we got a knockdown on a Clark spoon that just about spoiled our Avet MXL twice. Couldn’t back down the boat so we put some heavy drag on him and was able to turn him. I still can’t believe that we landed this fish in under 10 minutes on 30lb leader.”

Mullet Outdoor Adventures left a comment on our recent video report… “I had a wahoo or king mackerel eat my shark float on Monday. The thing launched 10ft in air with my float in its mouth. It sliced off everything clean but I got the float with a big bite out of it. I also lost about an 80# bluefin that took a live spot on the kite.

Reports of cocktail blues yesterday afternoon/evening and today on the LBI surf add spice to the already good surf side fluke fishing! Also during this time some areas have had weedy conditions.

A morning report in from Carl from American Anglers, “Three casts, three blues! Great way to start off the morning.”

Todd Luyber shared a report today from the surf not far from the shop, “Cocktail blues on every cast! The sea weed is terrible but fishing is good. Also wanted to share something big is feeding off the beach too. Not dolphin. Big shark or tuna. Most likely a thresher. I’ve never seen anything like this aggression before this close.” That’s saying something because Todd has fished the beaches here as well as OBX for many years and caught some very big fish.

Yesterday evening Chris Moffitt, “Tons of cocktails on the north end surf. I’m catching on metals. These little guys tail chopped several Gulp before I gave up on the fluke and switched over.”

Steve George from Night Strikes Guide Service is into fluke and blues on the surf. If looking for a surf fishing guide to help you with learning the finer parts of fishing get in contact with him today via email nightstrikes@comcast.net or call/text 609-276-6983. He has been in the game for a long time and knows the ropes. There’s no better way to jump start a rookie surf caster to novice.

Store staffer Frezza was fishing the bay down in his area of Tuckerton. He said, “I snagged a small croaker. Dropped it down and BANG! Got a 25.5″ fluke. I wasn’t expecting anything to eat it because it was a big bait. Managed five keepers on the trip. I’ve been working the same area for the past two weeks and fishing has been great.”

Here’s a report video I took yesterday after my morning charter.

Fluke Fishing Continues Despite A Minor Upwelling & A New Swell Arrives That Will Linger

Today Sunday July 16th was a wash out for the majority of the day with heavy rains in the afternoon. But the weekend for the most part was fishy for anglers fishing the beaches of LBI as well as the bay. Fluke (summer flounder) are the mainstay, offering good action in the surf. Many of the pockets and sloughs up and down LBI have fluke. Finding fish should not be too hard if geared up right, but finding keeper size fish might be more challenging. That said there has been beautiful size fluke taken in recent days. Reports from the south end, mid-island and north end are all promising. Don’t overlook the pools in tight to the beach. Fish those right up to the lip of the beach! Areas in the bay continue to produce too, from the wide open bay to the main thoroughfares. In the area we also have great clamming and crabbing to spice up a family day with fun in the sun. Stop by Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom if looking for more information and we’ll help you enjoy the best of Long Beach Island.

We start off the new week with 3-4′ swell that will linger 2-4′ all week long and possibly longer. Be in the know with Don (storm) out there and other activity in the central Atlantic ocean. Watch the tides, especially if transiting the inlets. Monday in the time frame of 12-4pm could be hairy with the max ebb tide at 1:45pm. Also the New Moon will make for more extreme tidal flow. Outgoing tide and a powerful swell make for a washing machine.

Barnegat Inlet Max Ebb Tides:

Monday – 1:45 PM
Tuesday – 2:30 PM
Wednesday – 3:00 PM
Thursday – 3:45 PM

Hot and humid with chance of thunderstorms – What else would describe Jersey in July? Well, good fun fishing inshore, offshore and from shore! If you haven’t been out and are looking to beat the heat, I got news for you… it’s cooler than inland but it’s still HOT! Be prepared with sun protection and stay hydrated!

Local Water Temperatures

• LBI Surf – Harvey Cedars 71º, Ship Bottom 71º
• Barnegat Inlet – 70-80º range depending on tide
• Barnegat Bay (Waretown) – Low to mid 80’s
• Barnegat Ocean Buoy – Mid to upper 70’s

Recently we’ve had a nice run of fair sea conditions although some foggy mornings. Some days the marine layer was dense and stuck around more than we would have liked. If heading out and it’s pea soup fog be sure to have your radar on and keep your speed slow. If you don’t have radar you shouldn’t go out until it clears. Being caught out is one thing but leaving the dock is responsible and puts others at risk.

Barnegat Bay Fishing

The streets are busy and so are the main thoroughfares. Boat traffic especially on the weekends make bay fishing challenging, some areas more than others, but there is great fishing to be had all this month in the bay. Fluke fishing remains strong. At times cocktail blues offer light tackle fun. There’s good action with the summertime striped bass either early or late in the day. Houndfish are around in the bay. Blowfish don’t seem to be here in great numbers like last year. But I know there are some because I get plenty of the unmistakable buckteeth bits out of my Gulp while fluke fishing many different areas on the bay. Let’s hope this great fun summertime fishery pops up as summer progresses.

Dan D has used his light tackle approach and caught some striped bass in the backwaters. Also Captain Zach Fly Away Charters is getting bass on the fly. We shared on last report post.

Inshore Fishing

This is the time of year that I enjoy getting out into the ocean and fishing the wrecks and reef sites. For one it’s a great way to beat the heat and the gnats, a much needed relief. I’ve been out a few times and had inconsistent results. One trip was active with both shorts and keepers, no garbage fish. The next trip had a keeper on the first drop but then went dead and had a slow pick of only shorts. As long as the waters stay warm and don’t upwell, expect good fishing at the reef sites to fire back up and rock all July and August. While there are sea bass on tap (present inshore), remember it’s only one per person right now at 12.5″.

A few cobia were been caught locally. Jake Adair released a nice one. “Talked about this one for years. Let him go for karma.” Triggerfish and sheepshead are also around and being caught at inshore snags.

Surf & Jetty Fishing LBI

Fluke is the dependable mainstay on the Island’s beaches the past couple weeks. With the consistently warm surf temps it has been steady for the whole stretch of the island. Some years the surf fluke bite can be hot and cold following the fluctuations in the water temperatures. Not this year, so long as the south wind upwelling stays away.

Other species cruising the sand bars; cow nose rays, assorted shark (know the laws – if you don’t know let it go), occasion bluefish, kingfish few and far between.

Weakfish are hanging around. Some days a couple are picked off the surf, inlet and bayside waters. The next 4-6 weeks should (if they stack up like the last two years for me) offer a fun summertime fishery. Please understand these guys need all the help they can get. Please practice catch and release!

“Cocktail” (2-4# range +/-) bluefish are scattered around in many different areas; bay, beach, inlet. With the warm water Spanish mackerel and bonito should make a showing any day (if not already). It’s common to find them this time of year under one or more common terns. These same birds can tip off where blues are chasing bait. Recently we have had a good amount of small sandeels hanging around. A few days they have been in the inlet and I know they hit the beaches in different areas recently too.

Mid-Shore & Offshore Fishing

The offshore fishing has been good to both anglers fishing the mid-shore waters as well off at the edge. The Fishers, father and son team just took delivery of their new Freeman, an epic fishing machine and already put tuna and a nice swordfish on the deck.

Sloane was out fishing offshore and reported, “Back from the deep! Loaded up with tilefish and then not two minutes into the troll hooked a real one. My first big eye! A few yellowfin in the box too. Nothing better than being offshore… Sushi Time!”

There’s no better way to beat the heat than fishing the waters of Long Beach Island. The bluefish and fluke action continues and there’s resident summertime stripers, some weakfish and other warm water critters (blowfish, triggers, sheepshead, sharks). Also we expect kingfish action to fire up soon on the surf. Get out and enjoy summertime fishing LBI.

Quick update on the fishing front from Long Beach Island brought to you by Greg at Fisherman’s Headquarters.