A searing heatwave blanketed the state through early July, most likely setting the stage for a blistering August. If that’s the case, tropical currents will be upon us in the waters and we should be seeing plenty of exotic species moving up into the area we usually aren’t privy to, including cobia, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and who knows, maybe even tarpon again! On a more traditional front, fluke fishing will be in its summertime prime, bluefish will be hanging off the inshore humps and ridges and tuna fishing in the canyons could be lights out. Who knows, weakfish may even show up in the back bays. Regulation-wise, blackfish season reopens again from August 1 to November 15 with a one-fish limit at 15-inch minimum size and black sea bass season is still open through August 31st with 1 fish at 12.5 inches. Let’s get started on the final month of “summer”!
RARITAN BAY
The big bay will settle into its summertime pattern of small beasties running about. Off the Bayshore piers at Keansburg and Belford, croakers, spot, small bluefish and even some weakfish will be hitting Fishbites and Gulp baits. Further into the bay, the deeper waters will be where fluke are gravitating to. Chapel Hill Channel, Ambrose Channel and out by the Sticks are hot spots for large fluke hunkering down to cool off in the 50-to-75-foot depths. Break out your biggest fluke belly strips and whole Peruvian spearing to drop down on fishfinder slide rigs to target doormat caliber fluke over 10 pounds, but more realistically 3 to 8 pounders. There’s a chance of bluefish sticking inside the R-Bay and they can always be caught off the backside of Sandy Hook on topwater poppers, while big fluke will be hanging right off the tip of the Hook. The bay at this time of year also seems to bring in weird species like cobia and all sorts of sharks prowling about. Hardcore striper anglers still looking for a fix can fish during the night hours with wooden swimming plugs off the Hook to score with resident stripers.
NORTHERN COAST
A wild array of speedsters could be available off the northern coast. Spanish mackerel and bonito are two top targets for anglers dragging feathers and Clark spoons off the coastline, but there could very well be some mahimahi pushing in close to shore, even off the Asbury Park jetties, where they have been caught by jetty hoppers as well as trollers. Reef sites at Sandy Hook and Sea Girt will also have oddities congregating around the wreck structures if you want to set a gameplan. Cobia also wind their way into the waters and it’s always a good bet to bring some live eels in the livewell to pitch out to the brown clowns if you happen to see one on the surface. Bottom fishing options are limited to sea bass and tautog, as they are both at a one-fish limit, but there should be plenty of porgies around to nip at clam and squid baits. Bluefish seem to be hanging around and will be available to chunk up at all the Mud Hole wrecks and ridges, such as the Lillian and Oil Wreck areas, with nighttime sorties producing choppers. If you are into catching and releasing big brown, dusky and hammerhead sharks, now’s the time to set up a bunker chunk slick and to send balloon baits back.
CENTRAL COAST
I’m gonna start hopeful and say that weakfish will be showing inside Barnegat Bay. Spots like Myer’s Hole or anywhere behind LBI are good places to set up a shrimp slick to bring weakies up to 3 or 4 pounds into the fray. A simple bobber rig and size #4 hook baited with a ball of shrimp can have you into dozens of weakfish, along with other beasties like spot, croaker, juvenile cobia, blues and so on, whatever may be running inside the warm bay waters. Fluke will take top billing in Barnegat Bay as Oyster Creek Channel is always a good bet to drift light ½ ounce bucktails tipped with Berkley Gulp 4-inch swimming mullets. Outside of the inlets, fluke will be stacking on hard structure like the Deal rocks and the Axel Carlson Reef as 1 to 2-ounce bucktails bounced along the bottom, especially between the low-lying structure like reef balls and tank units of Barnegat Light Reef are good bets. The lobster pot hi-flier flags will usually have any mahimahi ranging from 1 to 5 pounds hanging around en masse, as you can send a bucktail back to them and fill the cooler with a 50-fish limit. Sometimes larger mahi pushing 20 pounds will push into the inshore waters too, so don’t be surprised. A multitude of jacks, banded ruderfish and cobia will also be hanging around the hi-flier flags. Trolling 3-inch flash feathers or Clark spoons are money to trick up Spanish macks, king mackerel, bonito and little tunny during the sunrise hours.
OFFSHORE
As of early July, the yellowfin tuna bite in the canyons and the 60-to-80-mile wrecks were lit with activity as 20-to 60-pound yellowfin were commonplace to hit squid spreader bars, daisy chains and cedar plugs. Larger model yellowfin usually show up near the latter part of the season and by mid-August, we should be seeing some 60-to-80-pound bracket yellow birds take over the offshore grounds, providing plenty of action for butterfish chunking through the night. Bluefin tuna will also be on the menu and they can move in super close to 5 miles off the beaches, but more likely anywhere from 40 miles and further off at spots like the Resor Wreck, Texas Tower and Triple Wrecks. If you’re lucky, the tuna schools will be actively feeding on the surface chasing mackerel, herring and bunker schools around and topwater poppers or slashbaits can get walloped for explosive topwater strikes. August is prime time to target billfish in the form of blue and white marlin as the world’s top billfish tournaments take place. White and blue marlin will be hitting ballyhoo baits in a spread rigged on some Islander lures. Most white marlin are in the 50 to 60-pound range, while blue marlin can sometimes reach 600 pounds plus if you are lucky. The best bet on any trip is to study the forecasting weather eddy charts and see where they are spinning off in the canyons anywhere from the Hudson down through the Baltimore Canyon and it may be worth the ride if the bite goes off. If tuna and marlin seem to elude you, always be prepared with some heavy sticks to drop down on the canyon flats of 400 to 650 feet for golden and gray tilefish that can push upwards of 40 pounds and are absolutely delectable on the dinner table.
Summertime heat is upon us in a big way. The fishing is following suit. Bring the sunscreen and head out to the saltwater. Inshore, offshore or back bay, you are destined for a good time!