The Jersey Shore is into its summer pattern, with fluke fishing producing in the bays and inlets, the last of the spring stripers still around the surf and back bays, and black sea bass stacked on the offshore wrecks. Bluefish are around, and the first Spanish and the early offshore action are not far off. Plenty to fish before the heat of summer.
What’s Hitting
Summer flounder (fluke) are the inshore highlight, with the bite on in Raritan and Barnegat bays, the inlets, and along the nearshore lumps. Striped bass are still around the surf, back bays, and rivers as the run winds down. Black sea bass are stacked on the wrecks and reefs, and bluefish are along the beaches and in the bays. Weakfish and kingfish round it out.
Where to Find Them
Drift the bays, channels, and inlets — Raritan, Barnegat, and the back bays — for fluke on the moving tide, and the nearshore lumps and reefs for the bigger fish. Stripers are in the surf, the back bays, and the rivers. Black sea bass are on the wrecks and reefs offshore. Bluefish and weakfish are in the bays and along the beaches. Surf anglers find kingfish and blues.
Tides & Conditions
Fluke fishing is best on a moving tide, with the incoming bringing cleaner ocean water into the bays. Stripers bite the low-light tides in the surf and bays. Black sea bass chew on the wrecks with a moving current. Water is warming through the 60s. Early summer weather can still turn sporty offshore, so watch the forecast and fish the bays when it blows. The incoming tide brings cleaner ocean water into the bays and inlets, sharpening the fluke bite along the channel edges and reef lumps.
Tackle & Tactics
For fluke, drift Gulp on a bucktail or a minnow-and-squid combo along the channel edges and drop-offs. Stripers want bunker chunks, clams, and plugs in the surf and bays. Black sea bass take squid, clams, and jigs on the wrecks. A bucktail-and-teaser rig tipped with Gulp, bounced along the bottom on the drift, is the Jersey fluke standard.
This Week’s Tip
For keeper fluke, work the edges where the bottom changes — channel slopes, sandbar drop-offs, and the edges of the lumps where current sweeps bait. Drift with the tide, keep your bucktail ticking the bottom, and when you find a concentration of better fish, mark it and re-drift. The doormats hold in specific structure, not scattered across the flats.