New Jersey’s summer suite is fully assembled: fluke have shifted to the ocean structure, the mid-range tuna grounds are producing both yellowfin and bluefin, and the back bays are giving up the usual warm-water mixed bag with a bonus triggerfish invasion on the wrecks.
What’s Hitting
This week, the better fluke have slid out of the bays onto the reefs and lumps — the Axel Carlson, Sea Girt, and Shark River reefs are producing fish to 8 pounds among the throwbacks. The mid-range grounds — the Chicken Canyon, Atlantic Princess, and the mudhole edges — are giving up yellowfin on the troll and chunk, plus bluefin on the jig early. Inside, kingfish are in the surf, triggerfish are thick on every piece of structure, and the back-bay evenings mean small stripers and cocktail blues on the sod banks.
Where to Find Them
Fluke: ocean structure in 40 to 80 feet, with the biggest flatties tight to the snags. Tuna: 30 to 50 miles on the mid-range grounds, with the bite best at gray light. Surf sharpies working the north-end jetties are finding fluke in the wash too.
Tides & Conditions
Tides strengthen into the full moon — the inlets will run hard, improving the back-bay evening bass window on the outgoing. Ocean water temps in the low 70s have the summer species settled in, and the weather windows for the mid-range run have been workable most mornings.
Tackle & Tactics
Reef fluke: heavier bucktails than the bay called for — 2 to 4 ounces with a Gulp grub and a teaser 18 inches up. Tuna: rig both the troll (small ballyhoo and spreader bars) and the jig — the fish decide daily. Triggerfish want a small hook and a clam bit dropped right on the wreck; they steal everything else.
Local Intel This Week
The Manasquan River ramp at Point Pleasant, the Belmar municipal ramp, and Leonardo State Marina cover the northern and central coast launches. Fish are concentrating on ocean structure — the bay flats are bathwater and mostly holding shorts. Check current NJ regulations before keeping fish; the fluke size and bag rules are strictly enforced at the busy ports.
This Week’s Tip
On the reefs, the trophy fluke aren’t on the open sand between snags — they’re inches from the structure. Fish braid, keep the rod high, and accept that losing a few rigs a trip is the entry fee for a doormat.