Memorial Day Weekend Fishing Report From LBI

As hard as it is to believe, Memorial Day Weekend is upon us. Back in January, it seemed as though this unofficial start of summer on Long Beach Island would never arrive. And then, suddenly, here it is.

So far, this spring has been a decent one for fishing around LBI. The month of May especially was a winner with a steady striper bite, a surprisingly good run of bluefish, and decent catches of fluke in both the lower reaches of Barnegat Bay and Great Bay. Current water temperatures are in the high 50’s in the ocean, and 60-65-degrees in the bay depending on the tide, water depth, and naturally the air temperature.

In addition, black drum have been showing up on both the beach and in the bay. Usually, these fish fall for clam baits meant for striped bass. A few weakfish have been caught along with a smattering of kingfish from the surf. Although anglers are not targeting them, some big, smooth dogfish provide excitement when the other action slows down.

In the ocean, anglers fishing structure are finding black sea bass, with limit catches common. This season is open until June 19 with a daily limit of ten fish per angler with a minimum size of 12.5-inches.

One of the most noteworthy catches on the beach as publicized by Jingles Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven was young PJ Shapiro catching a doubleheader recently on a high/low rig. He reeled in a 23-inch striper on one hook and a 31-inch black drum on the other hook. That sounds like a handful to reel in.

The striped bass action has been spread out the length of Long Beach Island from one end to the other. There is a constant stream of reports of successful anglers fishing both on the beach and in the bay. As is typical in the spring, most of the bass success stories come from natural baits including bunker, clams, and a few on bloodworms. 

In addition to the natural baits, a considerable number of fish are also being reeled in by anglers casting lures. Both plastics and plugs as well as metal offerings are working. One angler recently reported fishing at night on the beach. He was fishing the mid-island surf on the incoming tide when he managed to reel in four stripers to 40-inches and eight bluefish to 30-inches. The bass were caught on bunker heads and the bluefish on bunker chunks.

Inshore anglers have been paying a great deal of attention in the bay and inlet waters to fluke. Even though the water is a little cooler than usual for this time of the year, the flatties have been biting. The biggest problem of the spring for catching fish has been the winds which never seem to slow down.

Fluke have been caught on both the outgoing and incoming tides. While there are many anglers who still use natural bait while drifting, most are using jigs of some sort tipped with Gulp and an assortment of plastic offerings. A safe bet to find fluke is to fish the edge of channels and holes with the fish seeming to prefer depths of 4-9 feet.

The LBI Spring Derby is still running at full speed ahead with striped bass and some bluefish being weighed in almost every day. There was a new leader in the bluefish category this week when Tom Daly reeled in a 12.28-pound fish to take over the top spot. Jonathon Kelly still holds the top spot in the striped bass division with his fish weighing 21.80-pounds. Close behind are Patrick Shapiro with his 20.44-pounder and a fish weighing 20.42-pounds caught by Andrew Federico.

The Derby runs until June 25 with a $20 registration fee giving you the chance to win a cash prize. Registration can be done at any of the official weigh-in stations including Jingles Bait and Tackle in Beach Haven, Surf City Bait and Tackle, and Fisherman’s Headquarters in Ship Bottom.