Updated: Thursday, August 13, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, August 20, 2026
This New Jersey fishing report covers mid-August, the middle of the summer stretch, when the fishing spreads out. Fluke are the lead target, and the better fish move out of the warm back bays to the inlets, the rockpiles and the reef sites. Offshore, the canyon fleet finds fish on the flat days. The new moon at the end of the week means stronger tides through the inlets, so plan the fluke drift around the current and bring extra weight.
What’s Hitting
Fluke are the primary fishery, holding on the inlet rocks, the reef sites and the deeper channel edges rather than the shallow bay flats. Bluefish work the inlets and the beaches, and kingfish and croaker are steady in the surf at first light.
Offshore, yellowfin tuna, mahi and the occasional bigeye are in the Hudson, Lindenkohl and Wilmington canyons, with good mahi around the pot lines closer in. The first bonito and false albacore are along the beaches, and striped bass are mostly a night fishery in the back bays and rivers in mid-August.
Where to Find Them
Barnegat Inlet, Manasquan Inlet and the Shark River rocks are the reliable fluke structure on the moving tide, and the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reef sites hold bigger fish. Hard structure concentrates fluke because current sweeps bait across it, and a flatfish can sit in the lee and ambush whatever tumbles past.
Work the surf from Island Beach through Long Beach Island for kingfish and blues in the troughs at dawn. Offshore, the canyon edge is the tuna water; check the pot lines on the way out for mahi.
Tides & Conditions
Expect inshore water of 72 to 76 degrees, cooler when a southwest blow causes upwelling. New-moon tides mean a fast drift in the inlets, so bring extra weight. Plan for seas of 2 to 3 feet with a southerly building in the afternoon, and good surf clarity on light morning winds.
Watch for a west wind day, which flattens the ocean and opens the canyon trips.
Tackle & Tactics
- Fluke: a bucktail and teaser combination with a squid strip or a live killie, adding weight until you are tapping bottom on the drift. In heavy inlet current that can mean 4 to 6 ounces. The bucktail stays on the bottom while the teaser rides a little higher.
- Canyon tuna: troll spreader bars and ballyhoo to cover the day, and work a chunk drift at the edge at night.
- Surf: bloodworms or FishBites on a two-hook bottom rig, with a small metal ready for blues and early albies.
Local Intel This Week
The Barnegat Light and Manasquan River ramps are the practical public launches, along with the state ramp at Forked River; launch at the one nearest the inlet you plan to drift. Shore anglers target fluke and blues from the Barnegat Inlet jetty and the Manasquan rocks, and Barnegat Light State Park offers shore access on the inlet.
Fish concentrate on the inlets and reef structure rather than the open bay. Fluke, sea bass and striped bass carry size, bag and season restrictions that change during the summer. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
On a hard new-moon drift, most anglers are under-weighted and fishing above the fish. If your line streams out at a 45-degree angle, you are not on the bottom. Go up two ounces, get vertical, and you feel the difference in the first ten minutes.
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