Author: FishHead.Greg

Here on Long Beach Island the ocean surf temps are straddling high-60s/low-70s but soon we’ll see a flip of the switch and things will get colder. Let’s hope we have another week or two of these great September sessions. It really has felt like fall since Erin. The recent full moon nudged schools of peanut bunker and mullet closer towards the inlets. With some of the traffic lights already blinking yellow the Island looks like fall. Here’s the fishing report update for the Long Beach Island area for Sunday September 14, 2025. Be sure to check out my latest fishing report video from Friday linked below.

For the most part things are the same from my last report… there’s a variety of things going on.

If you want fast bend-the-rod fishing, start at Barnegat Inlet rocks for blackfish (tog / tautog) with green crabs or sand fleas. Tog fishing has been active since the season opened (lots of shorts, better size class should show as temps tick down). Sand flea soakers are occasionally finding sheepshead too.

Fluke are still in play fishing the bay’s main channels and inlet as well as the surf. The biggest are coming from the deeper edges and on bigger baits. Here’s a 12# 30″ fluke that was caught yesterday by Jimmy Nacion fishing live bait inside.

Channels, inlet, rocks and surf are producing as well as nearshore wrecks/reefs when sea conditions allow. The NJ Fluke season runs through Sept 25 (last day to fish) so don’t delay at scoring the final inning of 2025/s summer flounder fishing season. Below is Jared Zaum who sent in this photo of his recent catch. This 23″ 5# fluke was caught off the Barnegat Inlet rocks. This is the main funnel where fluke slide out on their way offshore for the fall and winter.

Anglers fishing the inshore waters are finding a variety of fishing. There’s tog and fluke. While the water is warm, there will be cobia, mahi and triggerfish too. Also here… albies! Tony Butch shared this report from yesterday, “What a day! We set out this morning hunting for cobia and caught a 40#. Then switched gears to bottom fishing and boxed up a couple tog. Then we put a hurt on the fluke… 3 man limit with Fish Heads Alumni Bill having the largest at 7#.”

Captain Greg Carr aboard LBI Charters reports, “It has been a 9 days since we sailed due to a stretch of poor weather. Saturday was good so we went out fluke fishing. Didn’t expect much and it’s kind of what we got. Some life at times with some beautiful sea bass going back (season is closed until October; October 10 fish bag and then November and December 15 fish bag). My guys fished hard and ended with 10 keeper fluke and a couple XL triggerfish.” One is photoed below. Looking to get our fishing with Captain Greg give him a call at 856.2640319.

In the surf, expect bluefish with shots at kingfish, fluke and possibly pompano. You might even get a striped bass. The bass will become more common along the surf and jetty areas as the peanut bunker, bay anchovies and mullet get moving. Keep an eye out for life along the edges as that’s where mullet trickles through.

The LBI Surf Fishing Classic started a month early and runs through Nov 30 with daily and weekly prizes for kingfish, bluefish, striped bass, tog and fluke. It has been a strong start. Glenn Curtis (above) caught this 3.25# bluefish off the surf and currently holds the lead in the LBI Surf Fishing Classic. For full details on the surf fishing tournament check out… www.LBISFC.com

Did you see the bullshark video we posted on Instagram? If not watch this crazy one now. Yes there was a couple nights where the boys, Austin Pounds and friends Jetty Jockeys got into them and it wasn’t just one. Crazy!!!! I question and ask are these guys just showing up for a long around or were they here all summer and just leaving now?

As the summer wanes and we approach the fall equinox anglers fishing the waters of Long Beach Island enjoy a good variety. During the transition there’s a smorgasbord of different species on tap. No one is stealing the spotlight, but that may change as the days continues to shorten and the weather and water temperatures cool. The full moon has sparked change and bait is moving. Here’s the Long Beach Island Fishing Report Update for Tuesday September 9, 2025. Check out my latest fishing report video from Monday 9/8/25.

Recent catches & Fishing Opportunities…

Monday morning Fish Heads Alumni Erik Hawrylo weighed in a striped bass for the LBI Surf Fishing Classic. He caught the 9.62# bass, 30-5/8″ line sider fishing the night shift. It went for a small NLBN paddle tail fished with the special E$ retrieve and twitch. His photo is part of the video thumbnail above. The past couple weeks has offered really great early seasons striped bass action for anglers fishing both lures and live eels. Here’s a link for more info on the LBI Surf Fishing Classic tournament and live results.

Keith Soycher weighed in a 5.68# sheepshead on Sunday. His photo is part of the video thumbnail above. Tog action has been good, but not a lot of keepers or bigger fish to be had. However anglers are catching and having fun using rigs and jigs baited with sand fleas or green crabs. We just got a restock on the Bottom Sweeper Jigs which are standout OG’s for their shape (many have tried to copy) and their small hook yet strong hook. They are still one of it not the best tog and sheepshead jigs.

Brandy Hillegass weighed in a 13-3/8″ 0.90# kingfish yesterday afternoon. She caught it on mullet and reported it was a great morning on the surf. “Lots of blues and almost as many kingfish, two small fluke and a shark.” Her daughter Savanah Hillegass weighed in a 17-1/4″ 1.90# bluefish on Sunday.

Another kingfish report came in yesterday from Dave Groeber who fished the mid-island suds. He too caught some nice size kingfish on small pieces of frozen mullet.

Kingfish have been spotty some days and some areas. We expect them to stick around another week or two, maybe more (fingers crossed). Pompano are still here being picked by anglers targeting kingfish. They most likely will be gone soon as the surf temperature is in the low 70’s. To catch kings while they are here tie on a small hook rig with or without floats baited with Fishbites, bloodworms, small pieces of mullet / salted clam / squid… small sand fleas also work.

Jamie Gramley shared Monday he was catching cocktail blues and fluke off the Long Beach Island surf. Fish Gulp or mullet to score these guys.

In the bay there’s snappers and cocktail blues depending on the areas. Some channels have plenty of fluke too. Store Alumni Sam shared he got a bunch of fish (40+, but few keepers) working a main thoroughfare a few days back. Blowfish action has not ramped up but there’s some around. You might get more spot and croakers than blow toads. Live bait striped bass anglers aren’t complaining as it’s a great opportunity to load up the pens for the fall run.

Albies have offered light tackle line pulling for for a couple weeks now. Spotty some days but It has been good some days and then others spotty. Expect them to be on deck for the next couple weeks chasing bait out front.

It’s about that time… Jersey Mullet Run!

Offshore – Yellowfin, Tilefish, Swords – Alec Derita shared a report from a recent trip… “I grabbed some rigged Baitmaster tentacles sword baits from you guys last minute before we ran offshore. Landed this nice pointy one.”

Here we are… Labor Day Weekend 2025! Since my last report, Erin and her associated weather side kick combo nor’easter pumped powerful swell which beat the bars and chewed the dunes in some areas. The ocean was churned up (turbidity), mixed (the stratification mixed) and was unsettled for awhile. I’m happy to report a lot of different AND GREAT things are happening right here, right now! Here’s the Long Beach Island fishing report update for Sunday August 31, 2025. First check out my latest fishing report video below from yesterday Saturday August 30, 2025.

Reg Reminder Sea Bass: CLOSED ALL OF SEPTEMBER – Come October it will be open for the entire month with a 10 fish bag at a minimum size of 12.5″. Then all of November and December it’s open with a 15 fish bag (12.5″).

Reg Reminder Cod: 5 fish at 23″ from Sept 1 to the end of the year

For more details on the 2025 fishing regulations…

LBI Fluke Fishing Report

Reg Reminder Fluke: 3 fish at 18″

Now’s a great time to be fluke fishing either beach or boat for the final stretch of the 2025 summer flounder season. The last day of the NJ Fluke Season is September 25. Let’s go catch ’em while the water is warm and they are active! It has been a really strong year for fluke fishing the sand beaches and inlet rocks of LBI. It will continue right to the end.

Yesterday Wayne Smith weighed in a 20″ 3.34# fluke for the LBI Surf Fishing Classic (which added the “new” species to this year’s event). Wayne caught it on a Gulp Jerk Shad rigged in a small lead head jig fishing light tackle on the north end surf. After weighing in he purchased a new fishing reel at our tent sale event and then heading back out to the surf and scored a pompano. More on that action later.

The Miss Barnegat Light has had good fishing on recent days, catch photos shown below. They are fluke fishing daily until September 19, 8am to 1pm. The wrecks and reef sites are producing again just like they were before the Erin. Now’s the time to score solid inshore bottom fishing for fluke. Despite blown marine forecasts (all depends on what you look at), we have had lots of great ocean fluke reports over the past week. The most effective way is 5 & 6″ GULP on a jig or rig. The classic squid, spearing, mackerel strip are all great options too.

Tony Butch smoked this 10.86# doormat on Sunday fishing a Magictail Jig with a pink shine Gulp Grub. He reported solid fishing in the slop, “Caught a two man limit with the second biggest at 6# and the smallest of the 6 fish was 20″!”

On The Surf

The following statement shared in my last report (8/15) still remains true. Actually a lot of the report details remain on point and current. “There’s a lot more pompano around right now then you might think.” In recent days more pompano reports have come in. Yesterday (Saturday) we had more pompano reports than we did kingfish reports. Four direct reports all themed around pompano on the LBI surf on Fishbites! John (photo below on left side), Drake from Penn (hit the surf after the event), Wayne Smith (went back after his fluke weigh in with his new reel, photo below on the right side) and another report came in from Evan Hoffmann (photo below in the center) “I caught a bunch of pompano off the surf today and plenty of kingfish too. All on a kingfish rig, baited with Fish Bites and placed in the wash.”

Kingfish action this season so far has not been spectacular but it seems to be picking up now in the later part of the summer. All summer was consistently warm so that can’t be the culprit. Heck, some years the kingfish bite can be good even though chill water spells. Our expectation is September will be a good month for kings and we hope these pompano stick around because they are fun to catch and good eats. Rig up with a small hook rig, added colorful pill floats can help and bait with Fish Bites, live bloodworm, clam or squid.

Also present on the surf; fluke, blues and croakers. There’s also a few XL butter fish which look similar to pompano and permit. The three later species will take small baited hooks.

Smaller size bluefish haven been around all summer, but there are some bigger yellow eye demons. This big bluefish was caught today (Sunday morning) by Chris (@cjb269) on a mullet rig. Chris was not in the LBI Surf Fishing Classic Tournament. That could have been a big winner on just day 2 of the three month event. If you are fishing the LBI surf… sign up now and score!

Many of the beaches are unguarded as the patrols are running on skeleton crews. This means more open beaches to fishing! More beach access coming tomorrow… September 1 means Holgate is open. Soon after most all of the LBI beaches will be open to beach buggies. Be sure to check out LBI 4×4 Beach Driving Info for helpful info.

It’s On – LBI Surf Fishing Classic Tournament

Yesterday was opening day for the 71st Annual LBI Surf Fishing Classic! Here at Fish Heads we had three weigh-ins. A fluke that I mentioned previously by Wayne Smith as well as these two other catches were checked in…

Eddie Kuestner caught an 8.3# 28.5″ striped bass on a lure fishing the north end at sunrise.

Matt Crawford caught a 0.92# 13.5″ kingfish on the mid-Island surf Saturday morning using Fish Bites. Matt also had a surf side bluefish but it did not meet the tournament’s minimum length of 16″.

More Tournament Info > LBI Surf Fishing Classic Website

Surf Fishing Seminar – Sept 6th

Next weekend, Saturday September 6th is the Surf Fishing Classic Seminar. This free event at the Ship Bottom Firehouse will be a great time to talk surf fishing and learn from other anglers. There will be free coffee, doughnuts and possibly bagels. Also door prizes and possibly some raffles.

Barnegat Inlet Fishing Report

The tog fishing for land based anglers working Barnegat Inlet is great. It’s the best it has been and September is lined up to be just as good if not better.

Reg Reminder Tog / Tautog / Blackfish: 1 fish at 15″

Reports from anglers tog fishing the jetty and Barnegat Light bayside were all strong this weekend. Anglers catching on both green crabs and sand fleas. Also on tap… fluke, striped bass, bluefish, SHEEPSHEAD and triggerfish!

Today (Sunday) Connar Kaufmann shared a couple catch photos from his morning fishing trip… a big trigger and a good size sheepshead. Connor said, “Triggers and porgies on the wrecks and sheep at the inlet.”

Reg Reminder Porgy / Scup: 30 fish at 10″ – No regulation on triggerfish nor sheepshead however please fish responsibility. There’s no reason for gluttony as these are important species to our diversified warm water fisheries.

Robert Martinez shared these two photos of sheepshead he caught on Saturday fishing the rocks at Barnegat Inlet.

While on the sheepshead roll, Dan Kiamie Weighed in a 23″ 9# sheepshead that he caught on a sand flea and tog jig.

Near Shore Waters

Albies are showing inshore! Some days better than others but for the most part this past week has been active Store staffer Frezza reported fire albie fishing before the weekend. On the bait other species such as but not limited to the following are here; spanish mackerel, bonito, bluefish and weakfish. Piles of weakfish (mostly spikes) and small blues are out front. Also… COBIA! Big ones are schooled up and roaming the near shore waters of LBI. Stay tuned to our Instagram page for a new cobia drone video post coming soon.

In The Bay

Snappers, some blowfish (anglers are catching but not loading up), spot, weakfish and croakers are good targets. There’s still plenty of fluke in the bay but for the majority of the bigger ones you’ll want to be fishing in close proximity to the inlets.

PSA – Barnegat Inlet Hazard

Barnegat Inlet Hazard to Mariners – There is shoaling in the area of nun 16 – 18 just a few 100 yds to the west of the Barnegat Lighthouse. The sandbar has grown over time and encroached the main channel. This August it has gotten much worse and it’s claiming victims almost daily. I shared the first mention of this about a month ago. I’ve already received a lot of thank you for the warning.

Stay Tuned – Striped Bass

Be on the look out for a striped bass regulation post coming soon. I’ll try to have it up asap to recap the NJ Striped Bass Advisory meeting I attended last week. More changes coming.

Thank You

Thanks to all of our customers for an awesome summer. It was a crazy busy one full of great weather and great fishing. Last but not least, sorry for the lack of updates in the past two weeks. I’m beyond too busy and have not been able to carve out the time to provide both a video and a text report so be sure you are subscribed to the Fish Head’s Youtube page and be sure to follow the Fish Head’s Instagram page as it’s the most frequently updated channel with shop info, weigh-ins and current events. Publishing these blogs take a tremendous amount of time. In the near future expect more infrequent reports as school’s back and my schedule becomes more limited. I’ll do my best.

As we hit the mid-August mark, there’s signs of summer winding down. College students are packing up with back to school prep AND we got our first fresh mullet delivery this week (sold out fast). Nothing hints at fall more than schools of mullet, a sure sign fall fishing isn’t far.

Today’s easterly winds brought some relief from the heat but kept many boats from pushing out into the ocean. Tomorrow looks more fishable, and I’m eager to get out on the fluke grounds. My recent trips have been consistently productive and the chatter in the shop backs it up.

A wave of fluke left the bay over the last week (last weekend was the full moon of August) lighting up the inlets with quality action for both boat and beach / jetty / surf anglers. I’ve mentioned before how the main arteries are the place to be. That still holds true. And the reef and wreck sites are all flukie. The stock is healthy (summer flounder spawning stock biomass was not over fished in 2024 and our fishing effort is not over fishing the stock – for details see the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s morning meeting on August 13 about Summer Flounder, scrub ahead to the 12:30 mark for the start), and the fish are feeding.

After a beautiful stretch of weather, we’re now eyeing easterly winds next week and the arrival of big swell from Hurricane Erin. Her development should be watched closely in the coming days as it intensifies and propagates west, north west and then north doing the classic recurve. Right now the models have it splitting the gap between Bermuda and the Outer Banks as a major hurricane. A large long-period swell will be pumping for the entire eastern seaboard with forerunners showing on LBI’s beaches early next week. As the swell arrives there will be east north east wind and windswell present so the surf will be sloppy and disorganized. If all plays out like the models are showing right now (most likely a lot of things will change) mid-week we might have the largest tropical swell LBI has seen in decades. Erin swell will be peaking  Thursday morning and fading through the weekend. Stay tuned to the National Hurricane Center for updates

Here’s the LBI Fishing Report Update For Friday August 15, 2025, but first a link to my most recent fishing report video from the 13th.

LBI SURF FISHING REPORT

Unlike last year which was plagued with ice cold waters due to upwelling (LBI Upwelling Explained) and a more dominant Labrador current (I mentioned on the 7/4/24 report update and then it was later detailed by NOAA Fisheries), the ocean water temperatures are warm and have been warm all summer. The Atlantic City gauge hit 79°F on August 12 and slightly topped it again on August 15, likely marking the seasonal high. Recent days the LBI surf has been in the mid-70º’s. Today, Friday 8/15/25 the Harvey Cedars Beach Patrol posted a surf temp of 77º!

With the warm water temperatures the fish on the beach are active. The fluke fishing continues with the majority of action full of shorts. But surf side keepers are there. So far this summer we have had a surprising number of classy surf side fluke making it one of the best summer surf fluke seasons in a while. Best of all it’s not localized to one spot. We have had great fishing north to south with a whole lot in between on the mid-Island beaches. A recent fluke catch photo we can share is from Patrick Socaciu who scored this 22” fluke fishing sun rise on the mid-Island surf. His photo is shown below.

The kingfish (northern kingfish) has improved and anglers are catching on FishBites with a small hook hi/lo rig with colorful mini floats. Also with these same baited rigs catch croakers and POMPANO!!! We received a video from Jack Keating from Stack Tackle showing what we believe to be schools of pompano with their yellow tails clearly visible cruising the mid-Island surf. The next day after he showed us we received three different reports of surf anglers targeting either fluke or kingfish catching pompano.

Father and daughter duo John and Jennifer Gottshall caught kingfish and pompano fishing Fish  Bites on the LBI surf Wednesday.

Dave C. stopped in the shop Thursday and reported good fishing off the mid-Island surf. “It’s the opposite of last year! The warm water has kept the fishing great up my street. All summer I have caught fluke. More recently the kingfish bite has been great and today, now POMPANO. All on Gulp!” Dave’s pompano catch is shown above on the left side of the fluke catch photo. Here’s another one that was caught on a sand flea by Seamus Stanicky.

There’s a lot more pompano around right now than you might think.

Bluefish are a surf opportunity too but spotty.

Register now for the LBI Surf Fishing Classic!

This year is the 71st Annual running of the event and there’s lots of new additions and exciting changes. The dates were shifted forward to add fluke (for one month of September) and due to popular demand broaden the tautog category. The event kicks off this August 30th and runs until November 30th. There is also a new prize structure so the event offers weekly and daily prizes for striped bass and bluefish, but no more segments. For kingfish, tautog and fluke there are weekly prizes, no dailies. There’s a bunch of special bonus dates and additional bonus prizes. Also the Surfmaster photo catch and release division is on again with the winning fish taking home a full size replica fish mount by Rinehart Taxidermy as well as a custom fishing rod by master craftsman John Parzaych. Be sure to sign up to score a free tournament hat while supplies last. Registration is $40. For more details check out www.LBISFC.com.

INLET FISHING

The Barnegat Inlet offers a good variety of action right now. And the newly modified bulkhead at the wall provides much easier fishing access. We are not sure how much this may change but right now the lowered bulkhead and removal of the railing and topping of a flat top dock like decking is a game changer for anglers. That area is offering tautog and fluke right now.

Did you see Jake’s Jumbo from a few days ago?

Further out the jetty walk there’s more fluke and tautog as well as cocktail size bluefish. Both Thursday and Friday on the incoming current (~11am – 2pm) the yellow eyes were active with bird play. It looked like both blues and birds were chasing bay anchovies and spearing.

On the tog side of things, most are underside but great fun to catch and release. There’s keepers in the mix and as the season progresses should only get better. Rig up with a hi/lo, single drop or single jig. Tog offer powerful bites on sand fleas and green crabs. So far our deliveries this month have been large size crabs. It’s all we can get, so if you want to fish small baits and don’t want to chop the large crabs with shears…use sand fleas. They are simple and effective! Best of all everything eats them from tog, triggers, sheepshead to sea bass, fluke and striped bass. Speaking of striped bass… two different anglers in the shop reported catching striped bass “tog fishing” with sand fleas on small light weight tog jigs.

At the inlet there’s also sheepshead, triggerfish and a couple black drum.

With Erin coming there will be great opportunities for striped bass with the easterly winds and swell! But be extremely careful for large long period swells and unexpected sneaker set waves next week! It will be best to stay away from the outer reaches of the rock. No matter the case, before venturing out there strap on Korkers Cleats for sure and safe footing.

OCEAN INSHORE FISHING REPORT

The ocean fluke fishing has been really good. Really really good! Some hard structures are loaded with sea bass and some areas are stacked bait robbing (sea) robins. But for the most part a variety of areas have great bottom fishing for fluke. Some snags offer triggerfish too! With tog open (one fish bag at 15” minimum size) that’s another target to bag as well. Photo below shows youth angler Juliana and her dad Tony as well as friend Bill with a fun day catching multiple species bottom fishing.

Compared to last season, it’s no contest. For all of August I’ve had great fishing out in the ocean fishing my favorite spots in 55-65’ of water. Just about every local wreck and reef site has good fluke fishing. My last trip (Thursday) was my worst in two weeks, possibly due to a ripping south current. First trip I didn’t have a solid catch in some time. All of my bites are on 5-6” Gulp Grubs in White Glow, Pink Shine, Nuclear Chicken tipped with meat; mackerel strips or belly strips. A friend of mine said the Salmon Red was lights out on his last couple trips.

Captain Greg Carr aboard LBI Charters runs a 28′ Crowley Beale Downeast boat the “Kev N Ash III” that is built for comfort, specializing in bottom fishing with full boat charters up to 6 people. He is always one the meat and shares that fluke fishing out of Barnegat Light this past week has been good, “LBI Charters has returned to the dock with good catches of nice sized fluke to 7-lbs. We are catching most all on 5 and 6” Gulp grubs from Fish Heads.  Our 6 hour charters ended with a boat limit of 21 fish Sunday AM, crew limit of 18 fish Sunday PM, 1 shy of boat limit with 20 fish Monday AM, boat limit of 18 fish Tuesday AM, and limit of 15 fish Thursday PM. We are booked for August but have a handful of dates still open in September. Now’s the time to reach out and book your dates for fall fishing. Call Captain Greg Carr today at 856-264-0318

Cobia are cruising around, lurking about the juvenile bunker schools. Photo bover is a big ones that was caught recently. These small bunker in the 4-7” range have been present for a couple of weeks so a variety of different species have found them. But their small size makes snagging them difficult. Most anglers fishing them are utilizing lures such as strong buckails, NLBN and Yo-Zuri Twichbaits (shown below) to target the cobia. Check out this video captured right off the LBI surf by Jack at Stack Tackle. There’s a lot more cobia around right now than you might think.

There’s lots of rays and toothy critters around; black tip, spinners, threshers, brown sharks, sand tigers and much more. Check out the latest video we shared on IG of a monsta manta ray.

The inshore to mid-shore waters also have Spanish mackerel and bonito. These hard tail speedsters are good fun on light tackle as well as good eats when cared for properly.

BARNEGAT BAY FISHING REPORT

The bay is very warm (upper 70º’s – low 80º’s on the Waretown temp gauge) which doesn’t offer the best fishing. It was significantly better 2-4 weeks back. But some of the channels and deeper areas are holding better size fluke, especially closer to the inlets and there are other species on tap too.

There is plenty of fluke still in the bay but a lot are on the smaller side. At this stage of the season a lot have made their exit. Fluke fishing the bay will be dominated by active shorts and small critters nibbling baits. Weeding and picking through you might be able to put together a catch. There are a few big ones still hanging around. Case and point look back at some recent catches from Jimmy Nacion (10.2#), Jake Smith (9.12#) and there were many others in the past couple weeks. August is a time when the big ones get caught trying to sneak out the Barnegat Inlet funnel.

Other species to target in the bay… blowfish are around but not stacked thick, spot, snapper blues, weakfish and croakers. Crabbing reports are better now than last week, possibly the slow down around the moon was due to the shed.

Clamming offers great fun and should be a great way to take advantage of the wind conditions and rough surf this upcoming week.

OFFSHORE / BIG GAME FISHING REPORT

With the recreational bluefin fishery closed (catch and release is allowed), tuna anglers are targeting yellowfin and big eye tuna. It’s a major disappointment as everyone was looking forward to a repeat of last fall into winter Bluefin Banger! Some bluewater anglers are enjoying the great billfish bite. Others are deep dropping for tilefish or pot hopping for mahi. There should be wahoo around too.

Store staffer Tyler was out fishing with Captain Jake Kline aboard On The Rocks Sportfishing and reported good deep drop fishing. “I chaffed off a big tilefish when the jig’s assist cord frayed and broke. I switched to a different brand on the re-rig and landed this monster on a JYG Pro Tilefish Jig fishing a Daiwa Tanacom 500 Electric Reel and a Magictail Wreck Rod. Tyler and the caught some deep drop gold and filling a cooler box.

The offshore tournament circuit is in full swing. Last week was the White Marlin Open in Ocean City Maryland. This week is the White Marlin Invitation in Beach Haven. Right here in Beach Haven, the WMI is the oldest white marlin tournament in the world. Mid Atlantic 500 is next week August 18-22nd.

As far as the WMI tournament, the weather and fishing have been great! Here’s a couple short reports from the WMI tournament chairman Dave Wittenborn on the first two days of fishing…

Day 1: Fantastic white marlin fishing for the fleet. Even Benita J got in on the action with the first fish of the tournament, going 1-4 on white marlin. Not real easy to catch them on tuna gear but this one took a pink chain intended for a big eye. No tuna bites for us but we’re on the board with 225 release points and will be back out Friday for our second day of fishing. 

Day 2: Incredible fishing so far as WMIT records continue to fall in the billfish categories, and a new BHMTC record yellowfin tuna was brought to the scale last night by Gray Fox, weighing in at 115 lbs. Not to mention, we have a record payout this year of $575,000. And we’re still only halfway through the tournament. Shark Byte Sportfishing has broken almost all previous billfish records with 15 daily releases (set twice on each day), overall releases totaling 30, and billfish points reaching 6,750, crushing their old record set just a few years ago. Jersey Nutz is currently in the tuna lead with a 167# bigeye. This is what happens when you put world-class fishermen in a world-class fishery… records will fall.

And it’s not just Shark Byte having an amazing week; several other billfish boats are reporting double-digit billfish releases, and we have multiple big eyes and huge yellowfins hitting the deck. This is some amazing competition and fishing and I’m back out Friday to see if I can get on the board… I hope they’re still snapping. Can’t wait until 5:00 today when the scales open at Dock Road Marlin Fest.

Here’s a link to the Leader Board

Long Beach Island has some really nice warm summertime waters and with it a lot of different species on tap. Currently we have the full moon of August so be prepared for more extreme tides. These higher highs and lower lows mean stronger tides at times so focus on the slower current windows for the best bite. Here’s the LBI Fishing Report Update video from this evening.

Long Beach Island Surf Fishing Report

The LBI surf is in the lower to mid 70’s; 72-75º. Just beautiful from the easterly winds. Despite a medium size (2-4′) summertime easterly swell churning the surf, fluke and kingfish as well as a few croakers are being caught off the sand. There are also cobia near shore as well as a few mahi. Check out the cobia and mahi video footage from 1/4-1/2 miles off LBI the other day! It was captured by Jack Keating at Stack Tackle. Check out the video report above and look for them at the 4:30 mark! Be on the lookout for blues, spanish mackerel, bonito and possibly false albies the next few weeks.

Barnegat Bay & Inlet Fishing Report

The inlets adjacent thoroughfares are particularly good as of late. The fluke movement out of the bays has been underway and will continue. These main arteries are where the fluke funnel on their way out. The past few days there have been many 4 to 8-pound fluke caught on Gulp and live bait (spot, minnows, snappers, peanut bunker. Jetty Jockey Jake Smith weighed in a big 9# fluke today. He speared it up at Barnegat Inlet. There’s also spot to catch as well as crabbing and clamming to enjoy.

Anglers fishing the rocks at Barnegat Light are finding a good multi-species bite, with plenty of action. Tog (opened August 1) and there’s mostly smaller fish but some keepers are possible, triggerfish, sheepshead, fluke, blues, weakfish and striped bass are all present. Here’s a spread from Keith Soycher.

Inshore / Near Shore Fishing Report

Inshore fishing has been good with great bottom fishing for fluke on the reef and wrecks. Depending on depth, some areas also have tog, sea bass, trigger, ling, porgy and other critters (sea robins, squid, mackerel). As long as the water temps (and bottom temps) remain warm and stable we should a have great fishing for the rest of the summer flounder fishing season.

Bluefins Tuna Recreational Tuna Quota Met

The recreational bluefin tuna fishing has been shut down because the quota has been reached. All anglers should check with NOAA Fisheries for updates.

Fortunately the yellowfin bite has been good so angler have them as well as big eye, tilefish and swords. We are looking forward to the 56th Annual White Marline Invitational Tournament hosted by the Beach Haven Marlin And Tuna Club this week… August 11-16th.

Angling category – All sizes, all areas CLOSED August 12, 2025, 11:30 p.m. local time – December 31, 2025. During a closure, recreational fishermen may continue to catch-and-release, or tag and release, bluefin tuna of all sizes, subject to the requirements of the catch-and-release and tag-and-release programs. Additionally, recreational fishermen may continue to recreationally harvest other highly migratory species, including other tunas, during this closure.

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Angling and HMS Charter/Headboat permitted vessels fishing recreationally for bluefin tuna.

Recreational fishermen aboard vessels with an HMS Angling or HMS Charter/Headboat permit, while fishing recreationally, may not retain, possess, or land any Atlantic bluefin tuna, including school, large school, small medium, large medium or giant-sized Atlantic bluefin tuna, from 11:30 p.m., August 12, 2025, through December 31, 2025.

Commercial fishery is not affected by this closure.

MORE INFO HERE

August starts with warm waters and solid variety of inshore fishing for Long Beach Island. The Barnegat Bay continues to deliver fluke, crabbing , clamming, uptick in blowfish, spot, bluefish, striped bass and boat flipping fun (whale gone wild – view on our Instagram page). Out front the surf has fluke and kingfish as well as a variety of Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays). Light tackle inshore anglers also have have Atlantic mackerel, Spanish mackerel and bonito. On the structure anglers are catching sea bass, tautog, fluke, triggerfish and sheepshead. For more details check out the latest fishing report video (see below) and also be sure to check back to the last blog post as all of the information from my last post is still current and just as accurate then as it is today.

Occasional striped bass have been reported. Captain Dan aboard Hog Moon Charters is catching some in the early mornings light tackle plugging. A recent surf side striper report came in from Brain Arrabito.

There’s still plenty of fluke in the bay and some nice ones. Tom Smith caught this 24″ fluke the incoming tide in the bay today (Sunday).

Blackfish season is open with a one fish bag at 15″. Best way to target these is green crabs or sand fleas on a plain hook or jig. There’s plenty of bites to be had up at the Barnegat Inlet Jetty however finding a keeper right now could be tough..

Whether you’re fishing the back bays, beaches, or heading offshore, there’s something happening right now on every front. Now’s the time to go fish.

The plentiful fishing opportunities on LBI and the surrounding waters continue on. Happy customers are catching a variety of species such as but not limited to fluke, kingfish, spot, bluefish, striped bass, sea bass, triggerfish, tog, sheepshead, weakfish, blowfish, houndfish, rays, sharks and tuna!

Not a lot has changed since the last report blog. I’ve been slamming busy so sorry for the lack of update in nearly two weeks. Hopefully you are subscribed to our YouTube Page as I shared two couple video updates just this past week and plan to get one or two out as this week too. Without getting too far off tract, this is the very reason I started the video reports. Typing takes a tremendous amount of time and this time of year I’m stretched thin.

On most every one of my recent trips I’m catching a lot of fluke fishing the bay and inlet. Most days have been active. I am fishing with live minnow and gulp. Some spots live minnow is the ticket, especially when blowfish, baby sea bass and spot are destroying the Gulp quickly. Friends fishing these same areas using a big fish approach with live spot / snappers picked some big fish this past week. These doormats can also be caught on large size Gulp baits too. To offer variety, I’m also fishing inshore wrecks targeting triggerfish. There we weed through sea bass (catching some nice keeper sea bass), out of season tog as well as many other critters from fluke and blowfish to bluefish and porgy. The triggerfish I’m catching on sand fleas using a hi/lo rig with #2 hooks. Some of the blowfish have been big.

Current Regulations:

• Fluke / Summer Flounder: Everyone should know by this point in the season… 3 fish at 18″ with the season closing Sept 25th.
• Black Sea Bass: 1 Fish at 12.5″ July- August 31, Closed For September
• Tautog / Tog / Blackfish: 1 Fish at 15″, August 1 – November 15th
• Porgy / Scup: Closed July & August, Open the rest of the year with a 30 fish bag at a 10″ minimum size
• Here is a downloadable chart with more details on the 2025 NJ Saltwater Fishing Regulations that includes many of the species the state chart leaves out.

In The Bay

Fluke fishing has been good in the main channels and there’s occasionally a coupe nice fish picked from the open bay areas. Fishing deeper water on the outgoing has been best for me and on the incoming I’m fishing some of the same areas that produced for me a month or more ago. Some of these spots are loaded with small fluke as well as spot and blowfish. Fishing the docks, bulkheads and deeper water lagoons with small hooks and worm (live or artificial) or squid/clam can offer an opportunities for spot and blowfish. These spots may also have snapper blues. Crabbing and clamming are two great options too! On the clamming side I’d suggest only harvesting from waters near the inlets as this is the time of year when the warm waters have high bacteria levels. Thinking of the Floatchella and the daily sandbar parties while considering the water’s residence time in the back bay… no thanks!

At The Reefs & Wrecks

Fluke fishing is firing up! We have heard some great reports from customers restocking this past week. Also today Sunday the Miss Barnegat Light reported, “After two slower days the fish decided to chew today.” They had some nice fluke coming over the rail. Inshore structures also have plenty of sea bass and some ares have ling too.

On The Surf

Anglers are catching fluke with a light tackle approach. I shared info on this numerous time over the summer so far. It has been a very good and consistent surf side fluke fishery this summer so far. Most all of the action is on Gulp Grubs and Jerk Shads fishing on a jig. You do not need much more than 1/2oz but you do need a light rod to get a good cast. When rough and windy the fishing is more difficult but if you cast on a 45º angle (if you are faced with a northerly or southerly breezes both of which we have had recently) into the wind it can make it more manageable. This similar technique works great in the fall when fishing lures off the surf. It helps fish the lure in contact with less belly or slack. Also on the surf… kingfish and Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays).

Other notes of particular interest…

• A surprise summertime showing of striped bass has been strong the past 5 days.
• Bluefish from snappers to cocktails are popping up in the bay, inlet and occasionally in the surf.
• The inshore – mid shore tuna fishing has been phenomenal!

Prime time summer is here and the summertime spotlight is on inshore fluke and offshore tuna. There’s great summertime bluefish and striped bass action that can be enjoyed on light tackle. Also sheephead and triggers on small crabs near structure with fouling. We have a variety of bait presence fueling the action; peanut bunker, spearing, cinder worms, grass shrimp, mole crabs and baby blue crabs. Fish the structure (rocks, rips, bowls, gutters) and match the hatch to connect.

The beaches and local waters are full of fishing opportunities, but they are also at peak season congestion. Fish earlier or later in the day for more breathing space.

LBI Surf Fishing Report

The best targets are fluke and kingfish on the LBI surf. One of the most effective ways to catch fluke off the beach is fishing Gulp on a jig. It can be fish solo or with a teaser. Another method is using a single drop or double drop rig (hi/lo). Do not use long leader hi/lo or 3 way style rigs as they cast very poorly and can tangle in the surf’s wave action turbulence. These style rigs are for drift fishing in a boat. 

For kingfish use a small hook hi/lo rig that is dressed with pill floats. Rig up a small weight 1/2-3oz is most common depending on the surf conditions and the rod and reel outfit being used. A light 7-8-9′ rod is great. Bait up with live bloodworms or Fish Bites.

TIP: Look for pockets of water, cuts, gutter and rips and focus on them first. If nothing is going on in the first 15 minutes, approach from a different angle and also try another bait. Then prospect another area (might be tough with the crowds) and then another. If three spots in the area don’t produce bites, fish a different tide. Once dialed in you will enjoy some fun summertime surf fishing fun.

Barnegat Bay & Inlet Fishing Report

The bay and inlet zones remain productive, especially for fluke and blues. Anglers drifting the channels and working the structure are catching fluke with keepers in the mix. In recent days we have heard of numerous 4-6# fluke caught by both boat and land based anglers.

Kyle Bucktail scored some nice fluke and a beautiful weakfish off the rock this week.

Also the blues continue to make appearances in the inlet and adjacent areas. Brendan Faust caught this bluefish (below) as well as many others fly fishing the waters of LBI with Captain Zach Flake aboard Fly Away Charters.

 I’ve been out fishing a bunch over the past week. I’ve have had great success catching fluke with Gulp Shrimp and Gulp Grubs 5/6″ both White and Pink Shine. Also live minnow! My best fishing has been n the outgoing, but for me the (past week or more) incoming tide has offered my best success with active fluke in the clean and clear water with little to no snot/seaweed. With the recent storm activity I expect things to be churned up but only time will tell. I’m looking to get back out there today after these storms clear. I’m expecting it might take a couple tides or days to settle down.

This past weekend I fished the 10th annual Fluke-A-Mania Fluke Tournament hosted by the Beach Haven Marlin Tuna Club. My crew and I caught a boat limit + but nothing bigger than 4#. We managed two really good size bluefish.

Congrats to the top three largest fluke…

1. 6.76# Jason Marti and Mike Green
2. 6.56# Philaay
3. 5.92# Morning Wood

Philaay’s 17.58# three fish stringer was the heaviest and earned the team a wad of cash. We managed to catch the only two bluefish in the tournament and took home the side bet calcutta with a 7.98# bluefish. Below is Mike Greene holding up a pair of his fluke.

Whether it’s dropping a couple hand lines from the dock or some traps off a bayside bulkhead, crabbing offers fun for families and kids.

Now’s the time to get dialed in and enjoy some time on the water. Enjoy the catch and then the cook! Here at Fisherman’s Headquarters, the shop is fully stocked with bait and tackle to outfit for inshore and offshore fishing. Stop in or give us a call and let us help you catch more fish this summer.

With the second moon of June behind us (new moon was Wednesday) and the recent extreme record breaking heat and humidity, summer is here and the recent fishing reflects it. It was so hot, the USGS Barnegat Bay Water Temperature Station at Waretown broke! Take a look at the screens hot below. The beaches and waterways are more congested now then at any point this year and it’s only getting busier as July is a few days away. Join the pack and get on the water to enjoy the great summer ahead. Here’s the LBI Fishing Report Update for Friday June 27, 2025.

With summer in full swing and the waters warm, the fishing is diverse making it perfect for anglers looking to mix it up. The mainstay of fluke, bluefish, striped bass are joined by triggerfish, sheepshead, cobia and houndfish among others. Surf anglers are starting to see kingfish show up, hitting bloodworms and synthetic baits like FishBites. This is a great time for lighter tackle action, especially when the wind lays down and the swell is mellow.

Summertime’s spotlight is always fluke (summer flounder) which offer great fun fishing in the bay, inlet, surf and inshore waters. Most fluke action is coming on Gulp and jig combo. Savvy anglers are keying in on the areas of structure, drop-offs, bowls of water, funnels and gutters and deeper channels where fluke love to stage. I’ve had a good week of fluke fishing. Below is a photo of Fish Head store staffer Emmet with his limit catch from our HOT trip on Wednesday.

Bluefish, which were aggressive all spring, remain a great fun target species. Currently cocktail blues (1-3# range) are around the bay, inlet and surf at times chasing small bait. It’s common to find the yellow eyes under the terns and laughing gulls which are eating the small forage too. There is a possibility of getting larger fish but they are few and far between.

Striped bass fishing on Long Beach Island has been spotty off the SURF the past couple of weeks. The push of migratory fish has passed. Looking back, we never saw a mid June wave (possibly missing now due to stock status?). As previously shared in other recent reports, the bay and inlet offers resident striped bass fishing all summer long. This will be a dawn or dusk approach with lures as bait fishing will most likely result in bluefish, skates and dogfish. Live bait fishing is possibly the easiest and most effective way to target summertime striped bass. Here’s a nice striped bass that was caught yesterday off the mid-island surf. Fish Head’s alumni and co-founder of Stack Tackle Jack Keating scored this 33″ linesider on a Stack Tackle Screwy Jig while fluke fishing the suds.

The triggers and sheepshead are present around structure with fouling… think rocks, wrecks, bulkheads, pilings, etc. Rig up with small but strong hooks baited with crab (sand fleas are the easiest to get right now).

Crabbing and clamming. This past week offered phenomenal lower low tides due to the new moon phase, making it a prime window for clamming. Everyone who got out scored. Crabbing is also a great activity to enjoy Barnegat Bay’s bounty which has noticeably picked up in the lagoons and creeks. 

The ocean was mellow and the winds were light earlier this week… And the tuna bite turned on. We received a bunch of great reports from boats fishing out of Barnegat Light making the 60 mile run south. We also heard of some big mahi in the area too. Let’s hope these fish stay put or slide up the thirty fathom curve and set up for the summer. Anyone looking to get geared up for big game fishing “we have the meats”!

Here’s my most recent fishing report video…