LBI's Premier Fishing Report By Fishermans Headquarters
Author: FishHead.Greg
Greg Cudnik is a Long Beach Island native with lifelong experience fishing and navigating the local waters. He is a distinguished Master Captain—the highest level of operator licensing—holding a U.S. Coast Guard Masters 50-Ton Near Coastal License with Towing Endorsement.
Raised in and now managing his family’s bait and tackle business, Fisherman’s Headquarters (est. 1962, The Saltwater Fishing Bait & Tackle Experts), Greg is immersed in fishing on a daily basis. He is the Chief Contributor of FishingLBI.com, Long Beach Island’s leading fishing report blog, and serves as the administrator of Fisherman’s Headquarters’ social media channels on Instagram and Facebook, where he shares real-time fishing reports, conditions, and tactics. Be sure to follow along.
More unsettled weather with Nor’easterlies in the forecast for this week with E-ENE swell on the beaches of LBI. Right now it look like later in the work week things finally settle down wind wise and the sun comes out for the weekend, BUT the surf stays up right through the forecast period.
On the fishing front, anglers getting out and roughing the conditions are primarily targeting and catching striped bass, bluefish and tog. That three way play will be prime for the entire month of October aheads so I suggest putting focus on those. There’s also weakfish and blowfish. The mullet run has slowed down to a trickle the last couple of days. With the new moon on October 2nd, I’ll go out on a limb and say this is the final innings. Maybe another wave or two, then some scattered pieces but I wouldn’t hold your breath. Please let time prove me wrong!
Tune into my latest report video which I recorded and published on Saturday later in the day…
Greg Davis report… “I caught my first surf side striped bass of the 2024 fall. Thanks Paul at Fish Heads for the recommendation on the mullet colored Yozuri Long Cast Hydro Minnow.”
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Many other striped bass reports came in this weekend from angler fishing the bay, inlet and surf. We were stoked to heard another great report from Randy Edwards, “Pretty decent bite fishing metal lips and top water. Had 8 fish total but only landed three. Both striped bass and blues doing acrobatics on my popper. It was a fun day!”
Tog fishing has been a consistent opportunity that lots of anglers have taken advantage of. We are fortunate to have such a robust, fun fishery with lots of public access, especially areas to fish that are protected from the wind. Haha, funny, not funny! I don’t want to sound like a broken record but the wind just keeps going.
The NJ Summer Flounder fishing season came to a close this past Thursday (Wednesday 25th was the last day). And with one season closing another opens. NJ Black Sea Bass fishing opens on October 1 (same 12.5″ minimum length all year) with a 10 fish bag. Then come November 1st the bag increases to 15 fish. For more details on the NJ Saltwater Fishing Regulations, here is a convenient pdf download.
Next weekend is the start of the 70th Annual LBI Surf Fishing Classic, Saturday October 5th. The surf fishing tournament runs for 9 weeks with lots of prizes. For more details www.LBISFC.com.
Don’t miss out on the opening day Surf Fishing Seminar! It is a FREE EVENT at the Ship Bottom Fire House hosted by me, Greg from Fisherman’s Headquarters and Bayside Dave where lots of surf fishing info will be shared. Also there are free doughnuts (Crust & Crumb Bakery), free coffee (How You Brewin’) and free goods aka door prizes from American Fishing Wire. We will also give away a couple reels from Penn, another key sponsor of the event. If you have attended in the past, you know this is a great low key fun event. It’s a perfect opportunity for new anglers to get involved and also intermediate and expert anglers to network and meet new faces.
See you there, this Saturday October 5th from 9-11am.
A persistent low pressure has meandered off the East Coast for awhile now and with high pressure to our north over Easter Canada the wind machine is (and has been) on from the north and northeast directions. From the look of things the nearly two week blow isn’t stopping anytime soon and the run of easterly swell will stick around most of the week ahead.
No one is happy at the way the weather patterns have played out for the majority of September clamping and cramping many of the hot local fisheries, but it’s FALL!!! Time to play the cards that are dealt and get into some fun fishing the waters of Long Beach Island.
Tune in now to my fishing report video update from yesterday Saturday September 21, 2024…
The full moon of September really got things moving especially with this persistent blow. Coming down off the backside things got interesting with both lots of bait and game moving. The mullet marathon rolls on. Check out this video from our friends @JettyJockeys. This past week we have seen significantly more striped bass activity in the bay, inlet and surf.
Randy Edwards had himself a great Saturday morning plugging the north end. He reported catching a handful of striped bass with some slot and over slots bass hamming metal lips and darters. Randy shared that his Firmanator metal lip swimmer was the ticket.
For more details on how to take full advantage of the mullet run right now, here are some NJ Mullet Run Tactics. Anyone looking for a new metal lip or two, we have a limited run of Firmanator custom woods lure by Joe Firman in stock now. They are all one off customs so we do not list online for sale. They can be purchased in store or via phone.
Tog fishing continues to offer good fun action fishing crab on jig or rig. Both sand fleas and green crabs are catching. Get up to the north end of LBI and enjoy these quick hitting bulldogs.
The local inshore fishing has been solid even with the windy conditions. In the final days of the 2024 fluke fishing season (ends Wednesday Sept 25th), get your last hura fishing the bay, inlet or surf. The back bays and bridges are also loaded with bass feeding on smaller baits like spearing, grass shrimp and rain bait. The most effective method for this application is small soft plastics like a 3” NLBN and bucktails ¼-3/4oz range tipped with a curly tail or jig strip in white, red or yellow. Store staffer Frez reported over a dozen bass from 18-26” fishing 3” NLBNs bayside this past week. He also had a few fluke (no keeper size) and some bluefish to 4lbs. He was just missing the weakfish for the inshore slam!
Before the blow, the canyon chunk bite was happening with some sizable yellowfin coming over the rail. Store staffer Tyler fished an overnighter a couple days ago in a marginal weather wind and scored 8 Yellowfin on the chunk. He reported, “They all ate butterfish both freelined and weighted baits. Tyler said the mahi were jumping in the boat and the tilefishing on both squid was good too. I got a couple tilefish on the jig too.”
PSA1: Coastal flooding continues as the persistent onshore winds stack up waters in the back bays. Yes that water in the streets and roadway flooding (at times of bayside high tide) is the bay backing up through the storm drains. Don’t be a ying-yang and blast through it!
PSA2: Something is brewing down in the Gulf… developing, strengthening and moving north. Keep an eye on the models.
Awesome September weather rolls on! With schools back in session the broader area is significantly less congested and fishing is just as good, if not better! The mullet run continues strong and the beach, inlet and bay are bustling with well rounded variety.
Tune in my latest fishing report video from this afternoon…
With the mullet run in full effect here are some NJ Mullet Run Tactics for fishing right now!
For specifics on other approaches right now take a look at my previous report blog from 9/5 (link below) where I detail solid suggestions on targeting inshore hard tail pelagics (false albacore, bonito, spanish mackerel), back bay blowfish, spot and weakfish as well as a couple options for the surf. There blues, kingfish and fluke on the beach. And some big fluke as Dave Werner and his class showed us! See the report video for details.
PSA1: The beaches are opening (some already are) to 4×4 access. Stay tuned for a detailed LBI 4×4 Beach Buggy Access Info blog coming in the next few days.
PAS2: Oyster Creek dredging which started in mid August continues, but is schedules to wrap up any day. The work is being done to clean up the shoaling in the Buoy 38 – 40 area in the western area of Oyster Creek Channel. Boaters have run over the dredge pipe so if you are unaware, please slow down and proceed with caution. The dredge monitors VHF 13 if needed hail.
PSA3: Another round of beach replenishment is coming to LBI this fall. Equipment is already moving into position and sand will be pumping most likely later this month. First on the south end, Beach Haven and Holgate, and then up to the north end; Harvey Cedars as well as some of Loveladies and North Beach. I started writing a blog on the topic of beach replenishments a couple years ago which I never finished. Earlier this summer, when I learned about this fall action, I resurrected it but haven’t found time to complete. I’m hoping to find some time and post sooner than later. Maybe before the end of the year. Be on the look out.
PSA2: The Ship Bottom Wawa is currently closed for renovations. It is scheduled to reopen on Friday October 4th. If plan be is hit the 7-Eleven just a stones throw away… think again as it closed in the fall of 2022. Plan accordingly.
The New Jersey Mullet Run is a distinct segment of Jersey’s Fall Run. It’s the starter fluid that fires up the Shore’s inlets and beaches. As summer winds down the days get shorter, less sunlight and cooler nights get the air and water temperatures trending colder and the weather starts to turn. This transition it when things flip on and the Jersey Mullet Run comes alive.
The run can be short, so get after it and strike right away when the mullet start moving. Some of the fall’s best fishing can take place during the season’s first couple Nor’easters so surf anglers should be comfortable, ready to fish and able to capitalize in stormy conditions. It’s also important to point out that Mullet Run Tactics can be effective even when the mullet run is over.
There are basically two different NJ Mullet Run Tactics than anglers can choose… Bait Up & Soak or Pack Up & Plug!
Bait Up & Soak
Mullet can range in size from finger muller (small baits ranging from 3-5″) up to corn cobs (large baits weighing a pound or more). Cast net your own bait or buy fresh / frozen from the bait shop. Mullet can be fished a variety of ways; whole, chunk, strip.
A classic skewer style mullet rig (Tide Rite Mullet Rig) is the most popular way to fish a whole mullet in the Jersey surf. These have a 1/0-5/0 size double hook which has has a slot for the rig’s stiff wire skewer to be attached or detached. This allows the hook to be fixed at the tail of the bait which is where bluefish tend to strike. Some of these rigs also have a float added for attracting color and also bring the bait up off the bottom, away from the crabs and gets it to swim in the current.
TIP: When rigging be sure to slide the mullet back down and either settle the hook as deep as possible into the bait (as shown in the photo above) or put one of the two hook into the tail. Be sure to always have at least one hook exposed for best hook ups.
Other popular rigs are the classic bluefish chunk rig (Tide Rite R854 shown above with a half of mullet chunk) as well as the Doodle Bug, Fire Ball Rig and a Hi/Lo or One Drop rig. These rigs can be used to fish a whole mullet, a chunk of mullet or a strip of mullet. Below shows a strip of mullet fished on a simple hi/lo rig with 3/0 hooks which is perfect when small cocktail blues are present. These rigs will also catch fluke when cast and slowly retrieved off the surf.
Mullet is awesome fished live on a plain hook and it can also be deadly fished live off a popping cork on top or a small egg weight on bottom. It all comes down to what the situation calls for.
Pack Up & Plug
Plugging (casting lures) during the mullet run is very effective because mullet tend to swim in tight to the beach and they are a small-medium size bait. This makes it east for anglers to match the hatch.
Match the hatch!
Size: 3-5+”
Profile: Big head for their size
Colors: White, Silver, Blue, Grey
Movement: Distinct v-wave,
Depth: Tends to hang around the surf line in shallow water
Mullet move in a unique way, in schools on the surface, commonly in tight to edge. Their wide nose puts out a v-wave on the surface. Some perfect matches are wake bait – metal lip swimmers and Red-fins as well as floating poppers, Bomber Wind-cheater, light swim baits and darters.
Rather than diving into specifics here , I’ll reference a detailed blog on the best mullet run lures. For more on top producing fishing lures for the Jersey Shore Mullet Run check out this blog article…
A lot of game species chase mullet. The main game here are striped bass, bluefish, fluke, weakfish and occasionally speckled trout and redfish. Yup Jersey surfcasters get a window each year.
School sizes striped bass that are mostly made up of residents striped bass that have hung around the area all summer long. There’s also a better class occasionally with fish in the 30″ but rarely in the 40″ range during this part of the run.
Bluefish love mullet and get active during the run. Commonly small class ranging from the year’s young (snappers) ranging up to cocktails in the 2-4# range and occasionally there’s times when bigger blues show up to the party.
The 9th Inning of fluke normally coincides with the mullet run too making it one of the best time to fluke fish the surf and inlets in search of good size fluke.
Fishing the jetty’s is a great option to find exiting mullet. But if creeping the rocks… Be Careful!!! Rocks are slippery but there’s more to consider. Always wear Korkers Footwear for safety! This time of year the region gets long period tropical swell energy. What look like a calm flat ocean can sometimes have very spaced out inconsistent wave action. The lully set waves can easily catch an angler off guard.
September is here! With cool dry air and easterly swell in the water, it sure feels like fall! The new moon was Tuesday and it marked a new stage in the season’s progression, an exit from summer. I’ve shared recently that the bait is staged up and abundant. Some is moving out front; peanut bunker, bay anchovies, spearing, soon to be mullet!
Yesterday might have been the best weather day of the week for those looking to get our front and fish the ocean via boat. However areas of the bay in the leeward side of the island and sod banks will offer protection. The surf will be a little churned up but that isn’t a bad thing for surf anglers. The second half of this week, we will have onshore winds and easterly swell. A large slow moving low pressure system offshore will keep the conditions sloppy and fall like. Expect 3-4’ surf on the beaches Thursday – Friday – Saturday, then fading Sunday. The tropics are waking up so all should keep an eye and ear out for developments.
Tune into my latest LBI Fishing Report video…
Current Fishing Info – What’s on tap?
My morning charter yesterday wasn’t bad today. We had a fun trip starting out with quick action with small blues on light tackle. After a few minutes everyone aboard caught a few and we went to hunt albies. It was sloppy with the north easterly blow making it more challenging but we founds some not far from Barnegat Inlet. Since the trip’s main focus was fluke we didn’t spend too much time with the albies before running out to the Barnegat Light Reef. First drift we had a 20″ keeper, a handful of shorts and some perky sea robins. The fish were not cold to the touch, so the bottom temperature was not cold. That was great news and most likely the reason the bite was active for the rest of the trip. The cold bottom was a curse for most of the summer season.
We finished the day with three keepers up to 21″ in about a three hour fluke session drifting the reef. Somehow I caught all of the keeper. The best action for me was on the jig. I was using a Magictail Round Head Jig 6oz Glow baited with 8″ Gulp Grub, rigged with a naked 6″ Gulp Grub teaser above. Salmon (orange) and Fire Tiger (orange /chartreuse) were best. Pink shine and white glow, my two favorites over the past couple of years didn’t come close in terms of productivity.
September Offers Lots Of Good Fishing Opportunities
We are in the final stretch of the fluke season, but in my opinion, some of the best weeks of the season. NJ summer flounder (fluke) season closed on Wednesday September 25, 2024. There’s still good fluke fishing right now in the bay and inlet. The west side of the bay as well as the main thoroughfares linking the open bay to the inlet are great spots to fluke fish all season long and they are producing right now.
With water temperatures hovering around the 70 degree mark, both in the bay and the ocean offer an active bite. With regards to the bay even on both side of the tide.
Summer Flounder
This is not just a boat game. Surf and jetty anglers get good late season fluke fishing too. The inlet is a great area to fish as all fluke departing Barnegat Bay in route east funnel through. These same fish can staged up along the sand beaches feeding on shellfish and other baits (fluke love mullet) in the pockets and wash.
Tautog
There’s action but mostly smaller critters. Anyone looking to go is just about guaranteed to get into an active bite but go into it knowing you will need to earn a keeper size fish. While the water is still warm in addition to the tog, there are sheepshead, triggerfish and porgies as well as smaller class of black sea bass on nearshore structure. We expect tog fishing to only improve from here. Once colder weather and water settles in the tog bite will be prime.
False albacore, bonita and Spanish mackerel as well as mahi are present in the nearshore – inshore – midshore waters. If wanting to hunt these fun and fast small pelagics feeding under the small quick moving bird plays you have to use light tackle. The only way to effectively use small lures which are needed to match the hatch, is to fish light line and a light outfit (rod/reel) to long cast.
My three favorite and best producing lures this season and previous years…
Color is the least of my concern. I’m most particular with the weight and size/length. Fish the smallest possible. On calm days I use the smallest sizes (3/8, 1/2, 5/8) and these are fished on my lightest rods. When fishing windy days I will go up to the 7/8-1oz sizes. I would suggest staying away from anything over 1oz and larger than 4″ unless you are fishing a heavy rod or looking to fish deeper in the water column. I refrain from both in this scenario
With regards to rigging, light line and leader is a must. I prefer 20# braid with a 20# fluorocarbon leader which connect via line to line knot (FG, double alright, uni to uni). I tie a perfection loop at the end of the leader and then loop on the jig. There’s no hardware needed and I can quickly change the lure if needed. I’m not a fan of jewelry (terminal tackle hardware).
In The Bay
Blowfish and weakfish are active in the bay and should offer good fishing all month. Also fluke (mentioned above), blues and striped bass are on tap.
Blowfish are a fairly easy approach; anchor up in 7-10′ of water in the heart of Barnegat Bay, drop a chum pot down and then a rig (small long shank blowfish hooks – Blowfish Rig) baited with clam and/or small pieces of Fish Bites. You very well may catch spot, croakers and some spike weakfish.
Targeting weakfish is a little more challenging. They are occasionally caught by accident/bycatch when targeting fluke or blowfish. To best target them you’ll want to anchor up and chum with live grass shrimp.
Fishing for blues and striped bass is best done earlier or late in the days with light tackle utilizing plugs in the 3-5″ range. Expect this fishing which was really great all summer to continue if not get better as we exit summer.
On The Surf
Kingfish, fluke, blues and a stray striped bass are surf side opportunities. Fishing a small hook rig baited with live bloodworm or Fish Bites is best for kingfish. Catching fluke on the surf is easy use a Gulp baited jig, with or without a Gulp teaser or a simple hi-lo rig baited with Gulp. Fish slowly yet actively working the pockets of water in the cuts and troughs. Blues will hammer any type of lure, but I suggest fishing an epoxy jig or a 4-5″ Jerk Bait. Striped bass and fluke will also eat these two.
Chris Moffitt shared the first surf side striped bass we have heard about in a weeks. Bass have been active in the bay and inlet all summer long and we are looking forward to an increase of linesiders in the suds as the mullet run rolls on.
Speaking of the mullet run, here’s mullet run blog from 2018 that is just as valuable today as it was then.
The 70th Annual LBI Surf Fishing Classic kicks off October 5th with the opening day seminar at the Ship Bottom Fire House 9am. Registration has already begun so now is a great time to sign up and score the free goods while supplies last! Be sure to participate in the main event as well as the Surf Master Catch and release division. If you have questions or want to learn about getting into surf fishing and the event I welcome you to stop by the seminar. See you there!
Since my last post, Ernesto gave us a weekend full of waves and that has petered out into the new work week. Monday’s full “super” moon gave us extreme tides/currents which will slowly wane. The water temperatures have been somewhat stable and warm making fishing more active and consistent.
The past couple days we have had a taste of fall with some northwest flow and cool dry air. The outlook shows somewhat fair winds and fair seas. So now is a great time to get out and enjoy what’s left of summer… Let’s go fishing!
On the fishing front, we are still playing the same old record with a new addition. There’s a variety of species from fluke, bluefish, striped bass and weakfish to tog, sheepshead and triggerfish. Recently we’ve had some larger (then the common summertime cocktail 1-3 cocktail blues) size bluefish. ALSO… Albies were cracking the past two days! Now is also prime time fluke fishing with great opportunities in the bay, inlet, surf and ocean.
Just a heads up the tropics look clear however towards the end of the month things very well may get active again so keep an eye out.
Prize Categories: 1st – 5th Place Single Heaviest Fluke: (Entrants may take a only a single place) 1-2nd Place Single Heaviest Fluke Female Angler (18+) 1-2nd Place Single Heaviest Fluke Jr Angler Ages 12 and Under 1-2nd Place Single Heaviest Fluke Jr Angler Ages 13-17 1st Place Single Heaviest Fluke Land Based/Kayak Angler
$1,000 BONUS DRAWING: A random tournament entrant who weighs in a legal sized fluke (18”+) will be selected to win $1,000 thanks to sponsors: Fisherman’s Headquarters, Jingles, The Boatyard and Beach Haven Yacht Club
Entry Fee
Private Vessel: $225 (Early Bird Entry $200 Before August 10th) Land Based/Kayak Angler: $60 (Early Bird Entry $50 Before August 10th) Miss Beach Haven Angler: To Be Announced
Single Entry Calcutta
Private Vessel $300 Single Angler $60 Calcutta Payouts: Single Entry Calcutta Makes you Eligible for the following prizes 1st and 2nd Single Heaviest Fluke (1 Entry can win both places in Calcutta) 1st and 2nd Combined Three Heaviest Fluke 1st Place Heaviest Sea Robin
The good weather window this past week has come to a close and a big powerful swell is here. Hurricane Ernesto slammed Bermuda early Saturday morning and tracked northward. It is a very large somewhat slow moving storm that has sent the greater region large long period swell. The forerunners showed up Friday evening and all day Saturday was pumping on the beaches. Expect the same all weekend and into the early part of the work week.
Once things settle down we are looking forward to picking up where things left off with good fishing in the area.
The past week things were significantly better than the week before. Ocean fluke was sharping up with the reefs and wrecks producing Many areas have an abundance of sea bass as well as ling and most snags have tog too. The sea bass have made fluke fishing in some areas frustrating. We really wish we had the two fish summertime (July & August) bag limit like 2022. Just a reminder NJ Black Sea Bass closes at the end of August. Fluke is open until September 25.
In the bay there are plenty of spot and anglers targeting them are starting to catch some blowfish. Maybe we get a strong late summer showing? Still plenty of fluke, bluefish and striped bass in the bay. Crabbing and clammer are also to great options.
In the inlet anglers are catching tog, fluke, stripers, sheepshead, bluefish, striped bass and weakfish. Take your pick just be careful out there. Its not suggested to fish the outer portion of the jetty while the swell is in town.
We have a full moon on Monday so expect extreme high tides. Not sure that we will get the extreme lows too. Be on the look out for the mullet to start moving even more than they have during this next lunar cycle. Ocean water temperatures are warm ranging in the upper 60’s to low 70’s.
The ocean has settled down from Debby’s moderate swell and wind event. Fortunately the waters have warmed up and with it, fishing has picked up. We have a great run of tranquil weather this week. Now is the time to go fishing and enjoy summertime fishing the waters of Long Beach Island. With the lighter winds and also west winds, be sure to have some quality big spray on hand! Our two favorite very effective all natural bug repellants are Captain Rons and Incognito Mosquito.
Tune into my latest fishing report video from Sunday night….
The warmer inshore – nearshore waters are promising an awesome second half of August. Since this past weekend’s blow the action has been good, significantly better than the cold water lockjaw fishing many experienced at times the past few weeks.
Summer flounder aka fluke hang around the LBI surf, inlets and bays all summer long. Right now is prime time to target them from the beach or boat. Store staffer Mark Finelli Jr found solid life on the Surf City recently but nothing keeper size. Work at it and a keeper to two are in there. Open sandy bottom areas (clam beds, inshore lumps) are great places to find fluke this time of year as well as the many wrecks and reef sites.
There’s tog, triggerfish and sheepshead around most of the near shore structures. Lance Kim had a great day fishing the Barnegat Inlet rocks, landing five sheepshead.
Kingfish are biting in the surf on live bloodworms, FishBites. It doesn’t hurt to fish a combo, a small piece of both real and artificial. Just don’t crowd the hook point. Using the same small hooks/rigs and bait as surf fishing for kings will yield spot and croakers on the bayside. There’s also a shot at snappers, blowfish, spike weakies and sand perch too. The spot and croaker fishing has been phenomenal recently using sabiki rigs tipped with FishBites. Now’s the perfect time to load up on spot for the fall run and they are also great baits right now for striped bass and doormat fluke!
Store staffer Frezza and Grey got on some light tackle striped bass fishing the bayside. They caught all their fish on 3” NLBN lures. Fish Heads Alumni Bill Bassant caught this striped bass (below) fishing light tackle in Barnegat Bay.
Weakfish are being caught by anglers who are dialed in and targeting them. John Bonner caught this one the other morning.
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Public Service Announcement
Be on the lookout for a swell from an offshore storm coming up this weekend. Boaters transiting the inlets should always know the tides and current windows for safe passage. Outgoing tides with the addition of powerful ocean swells can make for a treacherous ride.
August offers a good variety of fishing opportunities to saltwater anglers fishing the Central Jersey Shore, Barnegat Bay and the Long Beach Island area. During this time of the year the waters have a large variety of species from the fluke, bluefish, striped bass and tog to weakfish, sheepshead, triggerfish, kingfish and more!
Tune into my latest fishing report update video for more information about what’s biting…
Here in the first week of August on the south central Jersey Shore fishing front we have the same situation as most of July. Chilly ocean water temperatures and warm back bay temps making for radical temperature swings through the day’s tide cycles. This is much more prominent and important to track and consider when fishing areas closer to the inlets. A good steady bite can go from hot to cold in a matter of minutes. The opposite can also play out.
Due to the upwelling’s chilly ocean waters anglers on the water have had a marine layer most mornings which some days persists through the day. This is advection fog. All boaters must be aware of it and know how to safely navigate the waters. Fog is challenging and will bewilder any novice operator. For your safety and the safety of others, if you don’t understand and know, don’t go out!
How long will this continue?
I see a short term break with onshore winds Wednesday and Thursday. This will hopefully offer a rebound in surf temperatures as onshore winds winds push the surface waters into shore creating downwelling (opposite of upwelling, cause of the cold). BUT! I don’t think we are totally out of the cold. Stiff southerlies are currently in the forecast for Friday and Saturday, then west south west Sunday and Monday. At that time there looks to be lighter winds in the forecast. But a lot can change especially with the remnants of Debby coming up the eastern seaboard. Keep your fingers crossed for anything but hard southerlies day after day and we will be ok.
The cold waters have resulted in a great summertime striped bass fishery this summer. There’s bass throughout the bay chasing peanut bunker (what’s left after many large large fish kills in lagoons due to low oxygen) and mullet.
Local caught fresh mullet is back in stock! Weakfish, fluke, bass and bluefish… they all eat them!
More recently fluke fishing has been better at times. I expect now until the end of the season to be strong. But anglers need to play their cards right in order to capitalize. Fish deeper areas that are consistently cold or fish shallow areas where the fluke will lay up to warm in the sun. These deeper areas could be the main channels (ICW and thoroughfares) in the bay as well as the many holes and sloughs. These shallow areas could be the many pockets in the flats or edges and table top shelfs along a channel edges as well as the rolling sandbars in the surf. Also bluefish are around the bay, inlet and surf spicing up the action.
Kenny Huff
The bay is loaded with spot and they are aggressive for their small stature. Small hooks baited with just about anything will get bites. Worm or artificial worm options are best. Many who are looking for blowfish are catching a bunch. There are plenty of areas to fish for spot from LBI’s landbased bayside access points.
Weakfish are also on tap with some nice ones around. Mostly spikes in the mid-bay with some better size class fish in the classic weakfish honey holes. Reports from the north end and south ends (around the inlets) are promising.
Owen Alquist
Fluke and tog at the Barnegat Inlet are good. There are plenty of both however primarily shorts. Some anglers are working and finding keepers. This is a prime time to find big fluke near the Inlets as they making their way out of Barnegat Bay. It seems that tog fishing has started off strong with quantity but not quality. Maybe once we progress into the month of August we see a wave of fish move in and take up residence along the jetties. Sheepshead, trigger fish are also here.
This end of July fishing report wrap up cover a quick overview of the current fishing in and around the Long Beach Island and Barnegat Bay waters. The fishing during the month of July (as well as June) was dominated by cold water temperatures. Fishing activity and success has been very dependent on working through these challenging conditions to trigger strikes when fish for the most part have been lethargic. The past week we had a warm up of water temperatures; however in the past 24-48 hours we have seen a break in the warming water trend. How low does it go? How will the fishing action be effected? Only time will tell. Right now it doesn’t look like the 30 day low will be touch so that is great news. A little more on this topic at the end of this post.
Here is my latest video report from Monday afternoon…
Currently on tap in the local fishery…
Fluke fishing has been more active recently in all of the areas; surf, bay, inlet, open bottom ocean, reefs, wrecks. This is the time where the inlet, beaches in the vicinity of inlets and the ocean get going with quality size fluke. This year has been a weird one so it’s hard to say how things will play out. But there is no denying this is my favorite time of year to be fluke fishing. It’s a prime time and we should have a great shot at quality fluke fishing from now to the end of the season (ending Sept 25th). Yes the bay is full of fluke, primarily smaller sized fish but there are keepers if you work and weed through them. On a recent charter we earned two keepers, both on Gulp. We had more fish on live minnows but no keepers. When the water was colder the live bait excelled for me.
Below is a photo of a recent weigh in from Gavin Black… a 10.5# summer flounder.
The bay (north, mid-island and south) are loaded with spot. These make for fun light tackle fishing from the many bayside bulkheads, docks and crabbing piers found on Long Beach Island. Now is the time to load up the pen with premium fall striped bass baits. Use small hooks baited with live bloodworms (in stock now) and/or FishBites Bag’O Worms and/or a great new product Bait Fuel GO2 Bloodworms. With this same approach an angler can fish the surf side and catch kingfish which are in the suds. With the great spot activity it is surprising that more blowfish aren’t being caught. Yes there are some around; however, not as strong as past years. There are some spike weakfish in the bay too.
Bluefish continue to race around the bay, inlet and surf. At times mini blitz feeding frenzies pop up. These cocktails are chasing peanut bunker, small mullet, spearing and bay anchovies. These same baits the resident striped bass are feeding on. Speaking of striped bass… The striped bass fishing over the past month has been great. We always have a summertime striper fishery but this past July was one for the record books, both the quantity and the size class. Tons of light tackle fun! I’ll chalk it up to the chilly water temps.
This chilly water has also kept a good body of tog in the coastal waters.
Tomorrow August 1 NJ’s Tautog Fall Season opens!
Anglers fishing the Barnegat Inlet jetty have been reporting tog all summer long, especially those looking for sheepshead (at the right location and time there are a few sheeps to be had). Store staffer Max was hunting sheepshead but all he caught was tog, one was 6#! That is a really good size one considering the time of year. Game time for tog! Tomorrow, August 1st NJ’s Tautog Fall Season opens!
August 1- November 15th: 1 Fish Bag At 15″ minimum size
Chart below shows the past 30 days of data at the Barnegat Inlet tide and temperature gauge. This shows the water temperature fluctuation from the outgoing bay waters (warmer) and the incoming ocean water (colder). The more radical the swing from highs to lows the further the bay temp is from the ocean. Moreover the large swings portray upwelling events as they come and go. It shows a large part of July had cold ocean water due to upwelling.
