Southern New Jersey Fishing Report- July 6, 2023

Fluke are biting well in the bays, inlets and in the surf, while bluefin, bigeye, and yellowfin tuna are active in the canyons.

by Captain Brett Taylor

The unofficial start to summer vacations began this past week with the July 4th holiday, and so did the offshore tuna bite.  The Wilmington and surrounding canyons was the place to be for tuna, but deep droppers also scored some nice tilefish along the flats and edges.  Anglers closer to home have been finding better action on the inshore fluke grounds, but the bite has been hampered by the south winds.  Sea bass have come back into play, but anglers may only keep one fish.  Bay action remained solid for most of southern New Jersey.  Surf fisherman had good shots at toothy critters during the night tides, while the daytime bite consisted of fluke, rays, bluefish, and some kingfish.  The only issue has been the changing water temperatures, but hopefully this week brings a little more stability. 

Here is this week’s rundown: 
 
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River had a few fluke weighed in to 4 pounds which were caught in the vicinity of the BB and BI buoy.  Surf fisherman are getting into some fluke up to 3 pounds off the beaches of the state park.  Anglers said there are bluefish and schoolie stripers hitting in the early morning hours around the north jetty of Barnegat Inlet. Crabbing is very good along the bayside of Seaside Park and areas around Good Luck Point.    

Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said the blowfish have been biting from the BI to BB buoys for anglers anchoring with double chum logs.  There has been a few kingfish in the area along with a good number of rays.  Fluke anglers are finding success around the inlet area and the Barnegat Light reef site produced some keepers.  Crabbing should be good coming off the recent full moon, but it’s been fair as of late.  The offshore bite has been good the past week with several boats making the run to the canyons to find yellowfin.  There was word of some cobia caught just off the Long Beach Island beaches on live bunker. 

Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown reported excellent bayside fishing with charters boxing 5 to 9 keepers up to 6 pounds.  One of the charters released a solid 8 pound fluke that was caught on a small jig.  With the ocean bite slowly beginning, the crew will be running ocean trips in a few weeks – but it’s all bay for the time being. 

The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light did not sail this past week, but the boat is booked up for bottom fishing and blues for the next several weeks.  The tuna bite has been developing offshore and Capt. Ted will begin running some yellowfin trips in the coming weeks. 

Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported a busy July 4th as the shop was bustling with anglers ready to hit the water.  The bite has been fairly good for fluke along parts of the Great Bay and the ocean bite started at the local reef sites.  Anglers are finding short fluke off both ends of Long Beach Island and pink Gulp has been the ticket.  There are some kingfish and small bluefish off the surf with the kings hitting Fishbites.  Offshore action continues to heat up with some bluefin tuna being reported from the Barnegat Ridge and Ollies Lump areas, while boats hitting the Wilmington and Spencer continued to put yellowfin tuna in the cooler bags. 


Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City received excellent reports of yellowfin and some nice bigeyes being caught from the offshore canyons.  Anglers deep dropping on the canyon flats and walls found some nice tilefish.  The beaches from Brigantine to Atlantic City have had some kingfish, fluke, and blues.  Bucktails or small jigs tipped with spearing or Gulp have been working on the fluke, especially around some of the jetties.  There were several nice sheepshead caught this past week. 

Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point said the surf fishing has come alive with some kingfish, bluefish, and small weakies being caught.  Anglers using bunker or kingfish heads are finding some toothy ones at night.  Summer flounder fishing turned back on with a good amount of shorts and keepers being caught.  Some of the flounder weighed 6 to 7 pounds.  The bigger news of the week has been a decent sheepshead bite, so it pays to have some crab and check the bridges.

Badfish Charters in Ocean City has been working the bay for flounder and small striped bass.  The skipper did make it out to the sea bass wrecks to find a few and take a colorful picture of a keeper sea bass.  Capt. Brian is running trips everyday, so give him a ring to squeeze into his schedule. 

The Cape May area reported the southern canyons continued to be the hot spot for yellowfin and the size of them are getting bigger.  The issue has been finding a quality weather window to make the run.   Flounder have been red hot from the reef sites and also the DE bay sites.  Reef site #11 has produced some nice flounder to 9 pounds.  Most action has been on bucktails tipped with large Gulp baits. Anglers are finding some better weakfish around and soft plastics seem to be the best baits for them.  The Fortascue area has a decent white perch bite on bloodworms along some of the river mouths.   

South Jersey Fishing Forecast

The best bet for the weekend will be to hit the ocean reef sites if you have the means as the weather looks great for once.  The ocean should be flat as a pancake with minimal to zero winds as of right now.  If drifting is an issue with minimal wind, down size your bucktail or jig, cast around, and slowly work the offering back to the boat.  Anglers opting for land-based fishing should work the beaches for fluke, blues, and weakfish.  A 1/2- to 1-ounce bucktail slowly worked along cuts, edges, and drop-offs should produce hits.  Bay boaters should definitely grab some fiddler crabs to enjoy sheepshead off nearby structure.  Bridges aren’t the only spots— pilings, docks, and even large buoy chains will hold the sheeps.  The offshore bite may be the top choice though, especially around the southern canyons for yellowfin and bigeye.  Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines! 

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