Updated: Thursday, June 18, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, June 25, 2026
This New Jersey fishing report for mid-June puts fluke at the top of the list. The Jersey Shore settles into its summer pattern in the third week of June, with summer flounder working the bays and inlets, the last of the spring stripers in the surf and back bays, and black sea bass stacked on the offshore wrecks. Bluefish roam the beaches and bays, and the first Spanish and early offshore action are not far off. Plan around the moving tide, especially the incoming that pushes clean ocean water into the bays.
What’s Hitting
Summer flounder (fluke) are the inshore highlight in Raritan and Barnegat bays, the inlets, along the beaches and on the nearshore lumps. Striped bass hang on in the surf, back bays and rivers as the spring run winds down, so treat them as a bonus rather than the whole plan.
Black sea bass stack on the wrecks and reefs, and bluefish push along the beaches and through the bays. Weakfish and kingfish round out the mix.
Where to Find Them
Drift the bays, channels and inlets, including Raritan, Barnegat and the back bays, for fluke on the moving tide, then move out to the nearshore lumps and reefs for the bigger fish. Stripers sit in the surf, the back bays and the rivers.
Black sea bass hold on the wrecks and reefs offshore. Bluefish and weakfish work the bays and the beaches, and surf anglers can expect kingfish and blues from the sand.
Tides & Conditions
Fluke fishing is best on a moving tide, and the incoming is the stage to circle: it brings cleaner ocean water into the bays and inlets and sharpens the bite along the channel edges and reef lumps. Stripers feed on the low-light tides in the surf and bays, and black sea bass respond to a moving current on the wrecks.
Water warms through the 60s in mid-June. Early-summer weather can still turn sporty offshore, so watch the forecast and fall back to the bays when it blows.
Tackle & Tactics
- Fluke: Gulp on a bucktail, or a minnow-and-squid combo, drifted along the channel edges and drop-offs.
- The Jersey standard: a bucktail-and-teaser rig tipped with Gulp, bounced along the bottom on the drift. The teaser rides above the bucktail and gives a fish a second target.
- Stripers: bunker chunks, clams and plugs in the surf and bays.
- Black sea bass: squid, clams and jigs on the wrecks.
Local Intel This Week
The Belmar Marine Basin and the Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor ramp reach Raritan Bay and the nearshore grounds. Use Atlantic Highlands for the Raritan Bay fluke drifts and Belmar for a quick run to the lumps and wrecks. Brielle serves the Manasquan River and Manasquan Inlet, a good choice for inlet fluke on the incoming. Farther south, Barnegat Light State Park sits at Barnegat Inlet for shore anglers working the inlet and the beach.
Fluke season is open, with the fish building in the bays and along the beaches and stripers still in the surf. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
For keeper fluke, work the edges where the bottom changes: channel slopes, sandbar drop-offs and the edges of the lumps where current sweeps bait. Drift with the tide, keep the bucktail ticking the bottom, and when you find a concentration of better fish, mark it and re-drift. The doormats hold in specific structure, not scattered across the flats.
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