September on the Jersey coast is the changing of the guard. The fluke season is winding down and the fish are staged on the reefs and the inlet edges, the first false albacore of the fall have shown up along the beaches from Sandy Hook to Cape May, and the canyon boats are on yellowfin and the first longfin of the season. I fished this coast every fall for decades, and this is the week the switch flips.
What’s Hitting
What’s hitting this week starts with fluke — the reefs off Sea Girt, Axel Carlson, and the Cape May reef are producing keepers, and the inlets and back bays still have fish on the deeper edges. False albacore have arrived along the beaches and at the inlets, with bonito mixed in. Kingfish, croaker, and spot are in the surf and the bays for light-tackle anglers. Offshore, yellowfin are on the 30-fathom lumps and in the canyons, longfin are showing in the Hudson, and there are mahi on every pot ball. Sea bass and porgies are on the wrecks, and the first blackfish are starting to show on the inshore rock piles.
Where to Find Them
Fluke on the Sea Girt and Axel Carlson reefs in 50 to 70 feet, and in Manasquan, Barnegat, and Cape May inlets on the moving tide. Albies are along the beach from Manasquan to Island Beach State Park and at the Cape May rips. The Mud Hole and the Chicken Canyon are producing tuna, and the Hudson and Toms canyons have the overnight bite. Surf anglers should hit the Island Beach and Long Beach Island beaches for kingfish and the early albies.
Tides & Conditions
Ocean temps are in the low to mid-70s, ideal for the albies and still warm enough for the fluke. The moving tides at the inlets are best for fluke, and the incoming tide with clean water is the albie tide on the beach. September swells from distant tropical systems can close the inlets to small boats and stir up the surf — check the marine forecast before heading out.
Tackle & Tactics
Fluke take a bucktail tipped with a Gulp swimming mullet or a strip of squid, drifted on the reef edges. Albies want small metals and Epoxy jigs on 20-pound braid and 20-pound fluorocarbon, retrieved fast. Kingfish take bloodworms or Fishbites on small hooks. Offshore, skirted ballyhoo and spreader bars for tuna, and a chunk of butterfish on the overnight drift in the canyons.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the Manasquan River ramp at Point Pleasant, the Barnegat Light ramp, the Great Bay Boulevard ramps near Tuckerton, and the Cape May Harbor ramp. Fish are concentrating on the reefs and inlet edges for fluke and along the beaches for albies. New Jersey fluke season ends in September, so check the exact closing date, slot, and bag limit with the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife before keeping fish. A federal HMS permit is required for tuna.
This Week’s Tip
When the fluke season is down to its last week, fish the deeper reef edges and the inlet mouths where the fish stage before heading offshore. Upsize your bait — a whole squid or a big strip on a heavier bucktail sorts out the keepers from the shorts.
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