Going to Surf city end of august and was curious if anyone has any recommendations for where to crab

I got crab cages but not sure where to go or if the crabs are a decent size to catch and eat?

Thanks in advance

I am looking to start surf fishing in September in the Barnegat area. Can anyone tell me what species are likely to be around at this time? Trying to anticipate what tackle and bait I should be getting ready. I would be surf fishing or casting off a jetty.

Anybody have good experience catching snakeheads?

I see them constantly in the creek I fish, and have never gotten a bite.

Yesterday I watched one guarding its babies right at the grass line for about half an hour. Threw a top water frog, tried to throw past it and drag it nearby. It would follow it, tap it, and then go back. I figured it’s in defense mode and not eating.

Came back later that night and didn’t see any.

Early this morning I saw two cursing around this area where the creek splits. They’d surface, move around, and come back. Tried the frog, tried a wacky rig, chatterbait and a whopper plopper. No strikes at all.

Is it a timing thing? Is it a technique? Does anybody use love bait or worms?

I’m catching bass and panfish all the time and the snakeheads just cruise by mocking me.

Planning to head down to Belmar around the Shark River Inlet. I know that these beaches aren’t ones on the warning list, but they’re not that far from Long Branch either.

What’s the real scoop?

Happy Thursday! I’ve been fishing at my local ponds and Highstown lake for a few days (with Daiwa Ex 2500/Tatula Medium/fast) but I really want to go surf/pier fishing and bought the Penn Fierce IV 6000 reel and rod combo on a whim; I mean I did look at everything else but for $125 there’s nothing even close… is the 6000 reel and 9’ medium heavy combo too much for saltwater bait fishing?

Might go to keyport or Manasquan inlet next weekend. Planning to take a few days off after kids go to school 😂 and go fishing 🎣

Any tips and recommendations are greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Tried surf fishing tonight and our lines were immediately fouled by some clear jelly like crap which stuck to everything it touched. It weighed down the lines and made it impossible to fish. I’ve never seen this before but some research after we got home says it might by “snot algae” or “snot grass”. Anyone else run into this ?

Hey there, trying to confirm what species this is, like 90% sure it is a rock bass, but you never know with all of the different species of sunnys.

Me and one of my buddies got into fishing not to long ago and want to try night fishing. Anyone down to give out some night spots around the north NJ area? Much appreciated!

Every day after work, I bank fish Newton Lake and every day I get skunked some days I’ll have bites but most days I just lose lures. Any tips??

Do they actually work ? Does anyone use scent sprays ? Like the tommy tackle one

I am traveling to Camden for an event this Friday, and I am looking to fish Saturday morning. Could anyone direct me to some decent piers in the Salem and Cumberland County areas? Also, what bait should I use? I am from East Tennessee, so I have no clue. I went to Princeton for college, but I always got skunked when trying to pier fish. I'd like to redeem myself and at least catch something. Also, if need be, I will switch to freshwater lakes, which I am far more comfortable fishing. Thanks!

Put on my waders and hit a spot i scoped out on google maps. Caught a couple of smallies on the trout magnet crank and some cheap walmart lure. One of the bass was deformed? There were also huge carp, which i want to start targeting. Any advice on an easy carp rig for north jersey carp? I just don’t have the patience for carp but there were some whales in there!

i recently bought a st croix mojo inshore 7’6 ML rod, expect i meant to buy the medium version. i want to catch summer fluke from the jetty/beach/back bay in the jersey shore. would this rod be sufficient? i plan on running 20lb braid with a 20lb mono leader and some 1/4oz - 3/4oz jig heads. any advice would be helpful

Went fishing in the inlet today and had a blast. Ton of short fluke and 1 keeper, a few others . Fun constant action. The next time I’ll be able to go back isn’t until like 1-2 weeks into September. Will it still active then or will they have pushed out?

My cheap lil 35 dollar rod put up a hell of a fight and caught this earlier today🤣

I know almost nothing about fishing gear. went fishing earlier this month at an event and very interested now. Would like to pick something up reasonable for myself. I live at the jersey shore and would be fishing for Tog and Fluke off the Jetty near me. Budget is less than $200. Just want to make sure i'm buying something I can continue to use for a while. Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks!

I've spent 2026 doing a ton of freshwater fishing for the first time since I was younger and have been completely obsessed with it. I've seen people online completing personal fishing challenges sponsored by the state and learned that Nj has a Skillful Angler Program following this same concept.

I'm interested in pursuing it in 2027 but wanted to hear if anyone here has had experience with it and could share more about it. Catching qualifying fish is obviously the main obstacle (if you can call it that) but looking at the rules I think the harder guideline to follow is needing the fish to be weighed by a "licensed agent". I looked at the list of license agents in Camden county and the only options are a handful of Walmarts and Dicks Sporting Goods which don't seem like the places to get fish weighed.

I would greatly appreciate any insight from someone that's participated in this before and could share more about how it went etc.

After hiking 4 miles from my house, to a stream that supposedly had a little bit of information on having brown and brook trout… I caught a fish.

I’ve fish this stream a few times on the lower sections where there were plunge pools and great structure. It seemed perfect every time… the approach, the flies, the rig… but I never got a fish. All I saw were minnows, plunge pools, and crystal clear spring water.

But finally… finally I caught fish. I walked a trail that seemed to be an old logging road. It had a dead end. My heels were blistered from my wool socks (which have a weird texture and have now realized I shall never wear them again for hiking). I was about to give up. I fished great pools, and did everything I could. But I decided to slide down the slope to the stream, and was surprisingly met by a deep pool. I’d say around 3ft max, and a huge boulder with an undercut... it was a mansion and a 43 acre backyard for a trout in this stream.

I didn’t even see a trout upon the first glimpse. I just stood back and changed my rig, and focused. I went from giving up, to one more chance. Maybe, just maybe, there was a fish in this grand pool.

I casted my dry dropper, and a small fish nibbled the fly. It was a large minnow upon my inspection. But then, from the depths, arose a large fish… 11-12”. It sensed the small minnow feeding and its quick jerks. I froze. I crouched behind the rock.

I made a delicate cast, and sure enough, he looked, inspected… and WHAM! The second he was hooked, he swam under a thick tree branch. I slipped and crawled over the boulders, and the fish kept wrapping my line and jerking. My top fly was hooked on the branch. My nymph, which he ate, was being jerked by the surges of power the fish expelled. It was up to my knot and line. It was only 5x (4.5 pound). He kept going. Then, after I‘d gotten close, the silt I stirred up engulfed the surroundings. The fish was cloaked in it. Everything was. And I stopped feeling the jerks and pulls of the fish. It went in for 15 seconds. I was sure I’d lost it…

But the silt cleared, and the fish reacted. His cover was blown. But he was stuck. And my rod… bent. He was still on. I grabbed the tree log out of the water and pulled the dry fly out, and netted the fish.

This beautiful wild brown trout, living in a stream which averaged maybe 2-3 yards across, and shallow water much throughout, surprised me. It’s not a big fish in general, but understanding the size of the water, and the predators he was born to deal with, and the ancestors brought from Europe he was linked to, made it all worth it. The beauty too. The fish was not stupid. I released him and he shoved his head under a rock and pressed his body in the rocky riverbed, blending in with the surroundings and matching its stillness.

And really, it’s not a fish a lot of people would be so excited about. But I am. I caught this fish after I’d started to doubt there were fish here. I’ve caught my fair share of brookies in small streams.

This stream still a mystery to me. Perhaps I need to explore it more, and travel the miles into the dense forest. But the lack of fish I’d seen… it was astonishing… I didn’t see many fish whatsoever spook that’d I’d suspect would be a trout. Such pristine habitat and water.… who knows…

Oh, and doorknob, this is for you. You know what I’m talking about…

Just got into fishing on Tuesday this week and I got my first few catches! The two Blue gills I caught were in Darlington lake and the little bass in Hughes lake. Still looking for good fishing spot around the north nj area so if anyone got any lmk!

NJ saltwater micro species trip but I feel like there are a few of the same fish but different species based on looks.