The New Jersey fishery has hit its late-spring peak this week. The striped bass run is at full strength from the inlet zones through the surf, summer flounder season opened May 22 and the bay fishing has come on hard, and bluefish are building rapidly. Mixed weather this week — a couple windy afternoons but productive dawn windows daily.
Stripers — Surf, Inlets, and Bays
The striper bite has been excellent this week. The surf from Sandy Hook down through Long Beach Island is producing daily on the dawn tides. Sand eels and migrating menhaden have stripers feeding aggressively in the wash. White or bone pencil poppers, SP Minnows, and Atom 40 Junior plugs are producing the topwater hits. Cut bunker on circle hooks for the bigger fish at anchor.
Manasquan Inlet, Barnegat Inlet, and the Great Egg Inlet are all holding fish on the moving tides. Live eels on heavy spinning gear are the high-percentage approach for the bigger keeper-class and over-slot fish. Bucktail jigs in white or chartreuse with Gulp! Swimming Mullet trailers are the artificial standard.
Raritan Bay continues to produce big fish on the bunker pods. Trolled tube-and-worm or live-lined bunker on circle hooks are the standard. The Old Orchard Shoal and the Reach are reliable.
ASMFC slot rules apply (28-31 inches, one fish per angler) — verify current NJ DEP regulations as inter-state coordination continues. Use circle hooks with bait, pinch barbs if catch-and-release fishing, release oversized breeders.
Summer Flounder (Fluke) — Season Opened
Summer flounder season opened May 22, 2026 with current regulations at 18-inch minimum size, 3-fish bag limit (verify NJ DEP at trip time). The Manasquan River, Barnegat Bay, Great Bay, and Great Egg Harbor are all producing fluke this week.
Standard rigs — bucktail jigs (1/4 to 1 oz depending on depth and current) tipped with Gulp! 4-inch Swimming Mullet in white, chartreuse, or pink. Drifted along the channel edges with the tide. The Manasquan River channel, the Barnegat Bay channels, and the IBSP back bay are the consistent producers.
A few summer flounder are showing on the nearshore wrecks and reef structure in 30-60 feet of water as well. Heavier bucktails (1.5-2 oz) drifted along the structure.
Bluefish — Building Fast
Bluefish numbers are building rapidly. Schools of 8-12 lb choppers are pushing through the back bays and along the beaches. Cast diamond jigs, white bucktails, and Got-Cha plugs to surface-breaking schools. Trolling tube-and-worm or umbrella rigs from boats produces consistent action.
A few big “alligators” (15+ lbs) are mixed in with the bunker pods. Live bunker on stinger rigs produces the trophy-class fish.
Black Drum, Weakfish
The Delaware Bay black drum run is past peak but fish continue to be caught on cut clam and live bait through the upper bay. The Crab Alley and the Cape May rips have produced.
Weakfish numbers have been spotty but a few fish are being caught in the back bays on light tackle with Fin-S Fish and small bucktails. The Mullica River and Great Bay system has produced the better catches.
Surf — General Mix
The surf is producing the spring mix — stripers on cut bait and plugs at dawn and dusk, bluefish on cut bait and metals through the day, a few summer flounder being caught from the beach on bucktails, and the occasional weakfish at night.
What’s Ahead
The new moon is June 5. The summer pattern is settling in. Water temperatures climbing through the 60s with the back bays already in the low 70s. The summer flounder bite will dominate from now through August.
For this weekend: dawn surf for stripers, fluke in the back bays mid-day, bluefish wherever they appear.
Tight lines.