If you’re fluke fishing (or summer flounder fishing), you may want to try this setup. One manufacturer shows how to use their lures in this post. According to the manufacturer, “this Flounder fishing and Fluke fishing rig is truly the perfect one.”

In Barnegat Bay, the influx of freshwater Read More]]> The wind shifted to out of the South last week which drove the water temperature down inshore and turned off the fluke fishing along the beach. Offshore, shark action is reaching its summer peak with some makos and big threshers being caught just 18 miles from the beach.

In Barnegat Bay, the influx of freshwater and colder temperatures had a positive effect on the weakfish as bigger fish were being found near the inlets. Despite the influx of colder water, some cobia were caught along the beach last week.
Brielle Fishing Report

In Brielle, good yellowfin action occurred over the weekend in the Hudson Canyon. Joe  trolled 10 yellowfin to 93 pounds and six dolphin in the 18-pound class. Most of the action was on spreader bars and Billy Baits.

At Hoffman’s Marina the catches coming in last week were again a combination of fluke, stripers, and sharks.

The Chicken Canyon was one hot spot for makos last week. Greg, Kurt, and Greg boated a 180-pound mako there while fishing, while Bob and crew on the Megan landed a 231 pounder. Harry on the Strike found his 148-pound mako at he Glory Hole while Mike Chap of the Renegade gaffed a 148-pound mako at the Fingers.

On the big 125′ Jamaica, Captain Howard Bogan reports bluefishing was excellent again last week on both the day and night trips. The best areas in the beginning of the week were 20 to 24 miles ESE and East of Brielle. The blues are being caught on bait or jigs while chumming and weigh from 6 to 13 pounds, with a few larger fish taking the pool. High hooks are catching their limit. Sand eels, mackerel, and butterfish are thick offshore so the blues have been staying in the same general areas. Monday the Jamaica was chumming and caught the blues on bait and jigs although jigging was the most productive method. Monday night fishing started out slow along the edge of the Mud Hole. After moving a little further offshore, Captain Dale found a large school of blues and the action turned wild. Rich did not catch his first fish until midnight but boated 13 by the end of the trip. Thursday they were chumming again and bait was the most productive method for most of the day. By noon the blues were schooled up heavily under the boat and jigs were also effective. Over the weekend bluefish were found as close as 15 miles east of the inlet. There are presently two large bodies of bluefish within a short distance of Brielle, one area to the East and another South that is moving slowly to the North. There are also schools of smaller fish 6 to 12 miles from the inlet. Prospects for this week are excellent.

Point Pleasant Fishing Report

Fluking picked up considerably in the inlet with squid/spearing combos producing the best catches. There are still weakfish being caught in the pockets though darker colors are working better in the off-color water from the rain.

According to the folks at Reel-Life Bait and Tackle there were some nice fluke caught last week both north and south of the inlet though the action slowed some over the weekend with the south wind and a drop in the water temperature. The Sea Girt Reef produced a 9.75-pound doormat for Vinny  while Ed  netted a 5.75-pound fluke drifting off Mantoloking.

On the Norma K III fluke fishing has  been  good with nice fish being caught everyday. The pool winners have been in the 4 to 8-pound class. They have been fishing in about 60 feet of water because that’s where the larger fish have been congregating. There has not been the large number of keepers this year like the last couple of years probably because of the 16-inch size limit. The bluefishing was excellent Thursday night There was action at night last week from the time the boat stopped until the time they went home.

d but not great. Captain Bill is still waiting for the big weakfish to arrive so he can start fly rodding. Bluefish are everywhere.

Toms River

At the Nautical Shop, crabbing is excellent below the Route 37 bridge and in the local lagoons. Blowfish moved into the northern end of the bay last week and fishing for fluke was better for the big ones in the ocean. Chris netted an 8.3-pound doormat while fishing in 60′ feet of water off Spring Lake.

According to the folks down at Murphy’s weakfish action picked up some in the bay last week especially down by the 42 buoy. There are also plenty of fluke around but its running about 5 out of 30 keepers. Crabbing is fantastic.

Bayville Fishing Report

Tony at Eastern Bait and Tackle reports fluking picked up in Barnegat Bay last week with decent numbers of 3 to 5 pounders being caught. There are a few bigger weakfish around but to catch them Tony recommends whole shedder crab fished early in the morning or late at night. Crabbing is very good in the back bay.

Forked River Fishing Action

Dominick at Bay Way Bait and Tackle told us the ration of keeper fluke to shorts in the bay was running about 1 to 6 last week. Some bigger weakfish moved into the bay last week, and trolling white shad buoys north and south of the inlet is producing some slot-size stripers.

Waretown Fishing Action

Mike at Mole’s Bait and Tackle told us fluking really picked up in Double Creek Channel last week. Yes there are still plenty of shorts being caught but id stick with it sooner or later a big flattie will take your spearing bait. Joanne Butler, 12 years old, checked in with 5-pound flattie while Eric Roessner brought in a big 8.9-pound fluke. Kid’s Doormat Honors of the Week went to Rich Lofring who managed to lift a 10.4-pound summer flounder up onto the scale. Weakfish action picked up a bit last week but it still mostly smaller fish with the shrimpers scoring best. Shark action is hot at the Reasor. That’s where Gary and Rich DeMartins fished with their mom Laura and brought a 105-pound mako to the boat.

Barnegat Fishing Report

Weakfish turned on in the bay for Captain Dave. Shrimping in Meyers Hole was producing non-stop action with short fish of fish but by sticking with it you could put together a decent catch of keepers. At Dave’s “secret spot” near the inlet, shrimping produced less as far as numbers are concerned, but some big sea trout are showing there like the 6-pound trout nailed by Jeff G on Sunday.

The Manahawkin Fishing

John at Causeway Marine told us bluefish at the Barnegat ridge broke open last week with choppers from 6 to 14 pounds hitting jigs during the day and bait at night. Sea bass action on the local artificial reefs wasn’t as good last week as it was the week before and neither was the fluke bite in along the beach. This may be because of the drop in the water temperature caused by the south wind.

Ship Bottom Long Beach Island Fishing Report

Sean at Fisherman’s Headquarters told us offshore shark action is reaching its peak right now. Weakfish action chumming with shrimp picked up in the Middle Grounds last week though the fish are still on the small side. The fluke in the bay are mostly shorts but if you stick with it you’ll find some keepers. There was a big cobia caught right in the surf over the weekend.

The Latest Barnegat Light Fishing Action

Captain Sam  mixed it up again last week with big sea bass and ling on the inshore wrecks and slammer blues out around Ole’s Lump. In addition to the sea bass and ling on the snags, some nice blackfish are showing up such as Tony’s 6.5 pounder.

Terry W and his friends from Philly went night bluefishing early last week and had a total of 65 fish from 6 to 12 pounds. Friday it was Donna K and a group out bluefishing and they caught 75 blues 8 to 12 pounds. On Saturday afternoon a vacation family from Long Beach Island, went out for choppers and caught over 50, all 8 to 12 pounds.

Beach Haven Fishing Report

Captain George was on the inshore artificial reefs a few times last week and bailed sea bass to 4 pounds. Saturday a few hours fishing produced a cooler full of humpies. Fluke fishing has been fair with mostly shorts in along the beach. Captain George also mentioned that canyon dates for tuna are going fast so if you want to take advantage of discounts for early booking, call now.

Tuckerton Fishing Report
Over at Clarke’s Marine Supply the word is flounder and weakfish action in the bay was decent during the week but it slowed considerably over the weekend.

The best fishing last week was on Thursday and Friday. There are plenty of short summer flounder around but the keepers you find are big. One regular went out Friday and came back with four keepers that went 5.5, 7.5, and 9.5 pounds with one 18 incher. This was after releasing about 80 shorts. Most of the hot fluke action seems to be centered on the clam stakes in the back of the bay. For some reason the fishing tailed off on Saturday and Sunday was a blowout and washout with wind and rain in the morning. Keeper weakfish were hard find most of last week

Fishing Mullica River

Bruce  was out Thursday with some friends from West Virginia and found only a few keeper trout while fishing hard in the river and throughout the bay. Bruce went on to say that there are plenty of summer flounder in the bay but it was mostly short fish last week though some bigger flatties showed Saturday. Crabbing is very good right now in the creeks and back bay areas.

It looks like fishing should be good, barring any weather Read More]]> Fluke fishing in northern water continues to tease anglers with a ten to one mix of shorts to keepers, and bass fishing remains an evening bite. Increasing amounts of smaller bluefish are moving into the bays, and inshore bluefishing caught fire as the full moon arrives.

It looks like fishing should be good, barring any weather problems. Good numbers of weakfish are also moving into the bays. However, it’s still about 25 shorts to every keeper. Bottom fishermen are enjoying a solid mix of sea bass, ling and tog, along with increasing amounts of porgies. The first bonito, albacore and croakers have been caught in northern waters, and we got the first reports of yellowfin being taken.
Our first report of the week was upbeat information on the fluke fishing from Moe at Moe’s Bait and Tackle. Bigger fish are coming from the deeper channels in 50 foot plus water. Ambrose Channel and Chapel Hill Channel have been the best bets, with the moving tides giving up the fish on killies, squid and sand eels. Moe said there is also a decent amount of fish  around Chapel Hill.

We got a second report of better size fluke from Dan at the Outdoorsmen who told us he too got word of bigger fluke in Ambrose. However, wind against the tide for a good part of the week and the midweek holiday cut down on the reports that he got.

JERSEY CITY

The better fluke action is along the New York side of the lower river, says sources at MM Bait and Tackle. Most of the fish being caught are in the 2 to 4-pound class on large killies. Striper fishing has slowed down. However, some of their regulars are pulling schoolies at Breezy Point. Bluefish have taken over the fishing in the East River, with the slammers taking plugs and tin.

Liberty State Park and the Hoboken Pier were the two spots mentioned by the folks at Har-Lee-Rods. They said there is no heavy action. However, daybreak is seeing some cocktail blues and short bass, with worms taking the bass and tin catching the blues.

The Tin Can Grounds and the north side of the Ambrose Channel served up some good catches of fluke for anglers. Captain Andy said Steve and Mike “P” started the week off with good bottom fishing by boating a solid mix of sea bass, porgies and fluke. Harry the “Indian” took the pool with a pair of 4-pound fluke. On a sad note, Andy asked me to mention that one of his regulars on the boat, police officer Dominick Infantes, was killed while on duty this past week. Andy said Dominick was a good fisherman and a gentleman who will be missed by all who knew him.
STATEN ISLAND

Fluke fishing has been good along the New York side of the bay, according to sources at Michaels Bait and Tackle. The Narrows Channel and Bug Light have been the top spots for their customers. Along with fluke, there are also a good amount of blues on the top, and anglers homing in on the birds and casting tin and poppers are finding some brisk action.

PERTH AMBOY
Captain Marty Haines was one of the first boat captains who told me of the big improvement in fluke fishing this past week. Marty said the boat is seeing a better amount of keepers on its daily trips. Greg Hansen was aboard on Wednesday for a good pull of fluke, topped by a 7-pound pool fish. Mike Daniwicz and Roger Miller boated their limit of flatties to 4 pounds on Saturday’s trip.

SOUTH AMBOY

Better fluke fishing also ruled the decks of the boats according to captain Gary Bouchard, with pool fish ranging between 4 and 6-1/2 pounds on most trips. Some of the boat’s recent pool winners were Ernie Topper on Monday with a 4-pound fluke, and Bill Wille on Tuesday with a 3-1/2 pounder. Mike Barfeild won the pool on Wednesday with the top fish of the week, a 6-1/2-pound flattie, and Barbara Ust and Bob Scluye landed 4 pounders. On Saturday, the Rich McDunna party scored a good catch of fluke, with Sal Delucia being the pool winner.

Back bay fishing gave up limit or near limit catches of fluke for anglers fishing the bay states captain Kevin. On Tuesday, the John Topolosky charter limited out with flatties to start the week. Near limits of fluke to 19-1/2 inches were scored by the Gary Delisanti and Jim Havlin charters on Wednesday and Thursday. Weekend charters saw near limit catches of fluke to 20 inches for the Ross Buckalow and Terry Lee parties while fishing off Mount Loretta.

PORT MONMOUTH
Captain Bill called to say he fished with Bob and Bill who bagged a catch of big blues. They also caught some bass. After catching the blues and stripers, they then switched to fluking for a few keepers on the way home.

KEYPORT
Dennis over at the Keyport Marine Basin was another shop owner who spoke of good fluke fishing. Eleven-year-old Bernie Simpson boated three fluke to 20 inches while fishing with his grandpa by the Yacht Club. Tony Massa checked in with a 6-1/4-pound weakfish he caught by the 1 Can in Keyport, and Ed Gryzeski picked up a 7-pound, 14-ounce and 7-pound, 3-ounce pair of doormats by Buoy 1.

The Ammo Pier served up good catches of fluke, according to Chris at Crabby’s Bait and Tackle. Roger Houseman tipped the scale with a pair of 6 and 8-pound fluke, and his son Roger junior topped him with an 8-1/2 pounder. On the weakfish front, Becky Pagliugh caught her first weakfish, a 6 pounder, while her dad Dave decked a 7-1/2-pound trout. The shop’s weekly contest winner was Joe Fischer with a 9-pound fluke taken off Keansburg.

HAZLET

A 6-1/2-pound fluke by Mark Flalley started the weigh-ins at the Tackle Box. Phil told me the biggest fluke of the week were 8-pound doormats by John Flemm and Joe McPherson, who also boated a 6-pound flattie. Bobbie and Pete Daley limited out with fluke to 3-1/2 pounds on Friday.
A mix of weakfish and blues kept rods bent according to captain John said the crew fished with Ray on Saturday, putting them into weakfish to 6-1/2 pounds and blues, then hit the fluke for a decent pull. On Sunday, the Chris’ party hit the slammers to a good catch, then finished up their trip with eight keeper fluke.

LEONARDO

The reports of good fluke fishing continued to come in when we spoke with captain Freddy Coles of the Freddy C. Fred said the fluking really broke open about midweek, with his best fishing coming on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. “Blackfish Scissors,” one of the boat’s regulars, limited out and boated a 6-pound, 9-ounce fish for the pool on Friday. Most pool fish are in the 4 to 7-1/2-pound class, and limit catches are becoming a lot more common for seasoned fishermen.

MIDDLETOWN
The waters off Keansburg are giving up better catches of fluke, reports Alan at T and A Bait and Tackle. Judith Mikilitus used spearing-squid combinations to boat a good pull of fluke to 4-1/2 pounds. Top flatfish to tug on the scale was a 10-pound, 14-ounce fluke-a-sauris taken by Barry Heffernan on Killies off Sandy Hook. Joe (age 7) and Nick (age 4) caught their first fluke topped by a 3-pound, 14-ounce fish. In addition, Alan said he is starting to get reports of weakfish being caught in the Navesink River on worms and Fin-S Fish.

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS

Rental boat catches of fluke are still heavy with short fish, according to Rob at Atlantic Highlands Bait and Tackle. Boat fishermen are starting to pick up some weakfish in the Reach when the traffic is light. However, the better weakfish activity is in the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers. Rob said he has been seeing some good fly rod action with the weaks in the late afternoons on orange and brown clousers.
Larger fluke have been putting smiles on the faces of anglers fishing aboard the Prowler. “Bucktail Pete” came up with a good catch of flatties to 6-1/2 pounds on a midweek trip, and John W decked a 7-1/4-pound doormat for the pool on Friday’s trip.

Raritan Reach Channel and the Knoll are serving up bigger fluke to fisherman sailing on the Sea Tiger. He too said he is seeing a big improvement in the fluke fishing, with most pool fish being in the 4 to 7-1/2-pound class. Rich “L” picked up the 7-1/2 pounder for the biggest fish of the week.

HIGHLANDS
Over at Julians Bait & Tackle we also got word of better fluke fishing at the Reach and along the channel edges in the bay. Weakfishing has been picky at best, and here too, the word was to fish the rivers for the better fishing. Some boats are still catching bass on the troll and on worms at the Knoll after dark. As with other shops in this area, we were told surface feeding blues are starting to pop all over the bay.

SEA BRIGHT
Fluke fishing is showing signs of life in the Shrewsbury River. Five good-size keepers to 6-1/2 pounds were boated by Doug C, Mike P and Boomer G during the week. Mike E checked in with a 5-pound, 11-ounce flatfish he caught by the Oceanic Bridge. Fly rod fishermen are picking up mixed size weakfish on the flats in the Navesink River on streamers, mostly in the late afternoons when boat traffic is slow.
BRADLEY BEACH

Fluke fishing is still holding up along the inshore waters, reports Scott. Most of the better fishing has been off the Red Church, Spring Lake and Deal in 35 to 50 feet of water. Fluke fishing in Shark River is starting to see more short fish, and small weakfish have also been reported mixing in with the fluke.

SHARK RIVER

Fluke fishing remains good in Shark River. I fished with Greg on Tuesday afternoon and despite the gale force winds, we still managed 26 fluke and a weakfish. That’s a better ratio then I have been seeing elsewhere. Most of the bigger fish were by the party boats and in the North Channel, and light tackle is a must. Fluke fishing along the inshore waters off the beaches is also good. Ed Kirschenbaum limited out with fluke to 7-1/2 pounds off the Red Church, and Sharon Kunz and party boated some keepers to 6 pounds off Asbury.

BELMAR
Over at the Fisherman’s Den we were informed that the fluke fishing has been hot and cold in Shark River because of the recent windy conditions. Here too, we got word of some better fluking along the inshore waters at the Red Church and off Spring Lake. The deeper waters there are producing bigger fluke when drifting conditions are favorable, Tom said.

Commonly called “fluke,” summer flounder invade bays, inlets, rivers, and shallow ocean areas, close to shore. Read More]]> The Summer heat continues to dry many freshwater fisheries, but saltwater fishing action is now reaching its peak. For the angler who is looking for decent light tackle saltwater fishing, summer flounder offers fine angling in bays and inland waters.

Commonly called “fluke,” summer flounder invade bays, inlets, rivers, and shallow ocean areas, close to shore. These bottom-dwelling fish prefer water ranging from 20 to 50 feet, but can sometimes be found in shallower (and deeper) water.

Not Deep Sea Fishing

Most think about fishing for saltwater species as “deep sea fishing.” However, anglers can catch fish in relatively sheltered water, where renting a mere skiff will prove effective – and an enjoyable day of angling.

Summer flounder tackle ranges from heavy freshwater gear to light saltwater. Either heavy spinning or baitcasting outfits work fine. Be sure to keep bait on the bottom, usually done with a three-way rig.

Three-way rigs should have a large hook (number two to 2/0) on one side, and a weight on the other. Fluke take a variety of baits ranging from live bait (killies), frozen squid, sandworms and bloodworms, and many other baits.

Fishing for fluke is not always as fast and furious as other types of saltwater fishing (such as bluefishing), but once an angler finds water where flounder are summering, pickings will usually be steady depending on tidal flow.

When looking for a good spot to fish for fluke, look for abnormalities in the water bottom, such as a deep hole or an area where a river runs into a bay. Drifting for fish can cover good amounts of ground and find fish relatively quickly.

You Can Catch Big Fluke

Fluke vary in size from ten inches to over five pounds. The minimum size for fluke depends on the state, so check the Resources page for the state that you are fishing before fishing for fluke.

Summer flounder fishing can be enjoyable for those looking to relax and catch some fish. Fluke fishing can be a productive fishing experience for those looking to beat the dog days of summer.