Updated: Thursday, September 17, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, September 24, 2026
This New Jersey fishing report covers mid-September, when the mullet start moving down the beach and the fall run begins. Bluefish and false albacore are the lead targets in the surf, the fluke season winds down to its last days, and the first stripers on the mullet show along the northern beaches. Plan around the first and last hours of light and the morning outgoing at the inlets, and watch the dropping surf temperatures that set the mullet in motion. This is the stretch the surf rats wait for.
What’s Hitting
Bluefish and albies lead the list. Expect cocktail blues and some bigger fish working the mullet schools along the beaches from Sandy Hook to Island Beach State Park, and false albacore blitzing bait along the Monmouth County beaches, at Shark River Inlet, and off Manasquan and Barnegat inlets. Fluke still come from the ocean structure and the inlets for anglers making the most of the season’s last days.
The first fall stripers move onto the mullet along the northern beaches at dawn, mostly schoolies with a few keepers. Offshore, the canyons give up yellowfin and longfin, and the inshore lumps carry bonito and some bluefin. Blackfish season opens soon, and sea bass are steady on the wrecks.
Where to Find Them
Blues and albies follow the mullet and rainfish along the beach, so cover ground and look for birds along Sea Bright, Long Branch, Asbury Park and the Island Beach stretch. Albies are most consistent around Shark River Inlet and the Manasquan jetties. Target fluke on the ocean reef sites and the inlet channels.
Stripers work the beaches at first light around the mullet pods, and the Raritan Bay rivers on the tide. The Barnegat Light and Manasquan jetties offer all of it at dawn.
Tides & Conditions
Mid-September brings moderate tides between the moons, with the morning outgoing setting up the inlets. Surf temperatures run from the upper 60s to low 70s and drop, which is what starts the mullet moving. Expect light west and northwest winds most mornings with a flat surf, then a southeast breeze in the afternoon. Water clarity along the beach is excellent.
Tackle & Tactics
- Surf blues and stripers: a metal-lipped swimmer, a pencil popper or a 4 to 5-inch paddle tail on a 9 to 10-foot surf rod with 30-pound braid, plus a wire or heavy mono leader for the blues.
- Albies: a small epoxy jig or a metal on 20-pound fluorocarbon with a fast retrieve.
- Fluke: a bucktail tipped with Gulp, or a strip bait on the reef sites.
- Inlet stripers: a live spot or eel after dark.
Local Intel This Week
The Leonardo State Marina ramp serves Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook, and the Shark River, Manasquan and Barnegat Bay public ramps cover the central coast. Shore anglers can walk Sandy Hook, the Shark River and Manasquan inlet jetties, Island Beach State Park and the Barnegat Light jetty, working the beach around the mullet schools and the inlets on the outgoing tide. The fluke season closes shortly. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
When the mullet are running the beach, fish the first hour of light and the last hour before dark, and fish the trough right at your feet before you cast to the horizon. The mullet run tight to the sand, and the stripers and blues are usually right behind them in a foot of water.
Planning a trip to New Jersey?
This report tells you what happened. ReelAI tells you what to do about it — a briefing for your date, your target species and how you're fishing, built from our reports plus live NOAA and USGS data.
Powered by ReelAI — fishing.digital's intelligence layer. Answers are generated from fishing.digital reports and public NOAA, NWS and USGS data, and may be incomplete or out of date. Regulations and marine safety information are summaries only; always confirm with the responsible authority before you fish.
