New Jersey fishing report for the week of September 24, 2026. I edited the New Jersey reports for years, and this week always had the same headline: the mullet run. The finger mullet are pouring out of the back bays and down the beaches, and everything in the surf is eating them. Add a Saturday full moon and it’s a great week to be on the sand.
What’s Hitting
This week on the water, the mullet run is bringing stripers and bluefish into the surf all along the Jersey Shore. False albacore are working off the inlets from Manasquan to Barnegat and down to Cape May. Weakfish are in the back bays and inlets, and kingfish and blowfish are still in the surf. Bottom anglers are finding porgies, triggerfish, and sea bass on the ocean structure. Offshore, tuna are in the canyons.
Where to Find Them
Stripers and blues are in the surf along the beaches from Sandy Hook to Cape May. Look for birds and bait. The inlets, including Manasquan, Barnegat, and Cape May, are holding stripers, blues, and weakfish. Albies are off the inlets and along the beaches. Porgies and sea bass are on the ocean reefs and wrecks.
Tides & Conditions
The full moon on Saturday is producing strong tides. The surf bite has been best on the dropping tide and at first light. Water temperatures are in the upper 60s to low 70s and falling. A northeast blow is always possible this time of year.
Tackle & Tactics
For stripers and blues in the surf, cast plugs, metal lures, or swimming plugs that imitate mullet. A live or fresh mullet on a fish-finder rig also works well. For albies, cast small metal jigs or epoxy flies into the breaking fish and retrieve fast. For weakfish, a soft plastic on a jig head fished at night. For porgies and sea bass, a two-hook bottom rig with clam or squid.
Local Intel This Week
Island Beach State Park is one of the best surf fishing spots on the coast (check park rules for buggy permits). The Manasquan Inlet and the Barnegat Light jetty also provide good access. Fish are concentrating along the beaches with the mullet and at the inlets. Fluke season has closed or is closing and sea bass seasons shift through the fall, so check current NJ Fish and Wildlife regulations and season dates before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
During the mullet run, the fish are often right in the wash, feeding on the bait that’s trapped against the beach. Don’t overcast. Fish the first trough before you throw to the bar.
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