Striped Bass Still Biting As Fluke Slowly Come Around

Editor's note: Whatever is happening fishing-wise in New Jersey is likely to happen along our coast in the next week or so. So while Tackle Box is away, think about fishing in the Garden State.

More reports of summer flounder came rolling in over the past week, but low water temperatures in both the ocean and bay kept the bite down a bit. The sea bass bite has been particularly slowed by the chilly ocean waters, captains reported.

Anglers contending with tough limits on fluke still managed to fling some keepers over the rail in the past week. Tom and Becky Marple of Manchester (see photo attached to this article) fished on board the Jamaica II party boat out of Brielle and hauled in a multi-fish catch last week.

Good reports were heard from the other party boats, including the Gambler out of Point Pleasant Beach this week, indicating the ocean fluking was picking up after a slow start. A strong west wind on Thursday caused some upwelling, however, and it isn't yet known how that might affect the weekend bite.

Most anglers in the ocean took to striper fishing this week, however, and the bite was steady but relatively unspectacular. Surf anglers came upon the occasional blitz area-wide, but the action has slowed a bit from a week ago, when the bite seemed like it was on fire. Anecdotal evidence (don't ya love that phrase?) suggested the bay was still the hot spot for striped bass, and the folks at Murphy's Hook House in Toms River said bunker pods were abundant near the mouth of Barnegat Inlet.

Fluke fishing on the bay has been reported as decent further inland, like near the BI and BB buoys and along the Double Creek Channel out to th 42 marker. But water temperatures remain relatively chilly, and the back bay fluke bite isn't as hot as in past years around this time. Even the Manasquan River, usually an early season sure-thing, doesn't seem to the producing keepers to the level it normally does this time of year.

For all you LBI anglers working the suds, the folks at Oceanside Bait and Tackle in Brighton Beach tell us that it's all about bunker, bunker and bunker as far as bait goes. Val, the shop's owner, is always getting fresh bunker in, so stop by on your way to the beach.

As for the action, well, you'll have to put your time in. But that's part of the fun.