Jumbo blues crash Jersey surf as fluke bite heats up in back bays

The Jersey Shore is absolutely on fire right now, and I'm telling you — this is what we wait for all spring. Water temps finally hit that magic mid-60s mark, and everything from Sandy Hook to Cape May is waking up hungry.

The big story this week is the return of jumbo bluefish to the Monmouth County surf. We're talking legitimate 10-plus-pound choppers that haven't been seen in these numbers for years. They're crashing bait right in the wash at first light, and if you're not out there by sunrise, you're missing the show. I watched a guy at Island Beach pull three blues over 12 pounds on consecutive casts Tuesday morning — all on 6-inch SP Minnows in wounded bunker. The key is working that first hour of light when they're pushing peanut bunker against the beach.

Fluke fishing has finally turned the corner in the back bays, and it's about time. Barnegat Bay is producing steady action on the drift from the Route 37 bridge south to Good Luck Point. The fish are holding in 15 to 20 feet, and they want movement. White Gulp Swimming Mullets on 3/4-ounce bucktails are the ticket — drag them slow on the bottom, pop them up, let them flutter back down. I'm seeing keepers to 24 inches, with most fish running 18 to 20. The bite's been best on the outgoing tide when that bay water dumps into the inlet and stirs up the bottom.

What's really got me excited is the black drum action in the surf. These fish are thick from Long Beach Island south to Brigantine, and they're not picky about bait. Fresh clam on a fishfinder rig will get you bit, but I've been having better luck with chunks of bunker fished right in the first trough. The drum are running 20 to 40 pounds, with a few pushing 50. Fish them on the incoming tide when the water's moving up the beach — that's when they're most aggressive.

Raritan Bay continues to be the striper factory it's been all spring. The fish are still there in good numbers, feeding on the massive schools of bunker that have set up from the Amboys to Sandy Hook. Live-lining peanuts on a circle hook is deadly, but don't overlook the plug bite at dawn and dusk. Those big SP Minnows and Daiwa Salt Pros are getting crushed in the rips off the Hook. Most bass are running 28 to 35 inches — solid keeper fish that fight like freight trains in the current.

The sea bass bite is absolutely stupid good right now, but remember — we only have until June 21st before the bag limit drops to one fish. Get out there while you can still keep 10. The Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs are loaded with fish, and they're not being shy. Drop a clam on a high-low rig and you'll be bent over in seconds. I'm seeing limits in under two hours on most trips.

Weakfish are starting to show in the back bays — nothing crazy yet, but enough to get your attention. The Manasquan River has been producing a few nice ones on the evening tide, mostly on small bucktails tipped with Gulp. These fish are spooky, so keep the noise down and work the edges of the channels.

Water temps are sitting pretty at 65 to 66 degrees from Sandy Hook south, with the back bays running a few degrees warmer. That temperature differential is key — it's concentrating bait in the inlets and creating feeding opportunities on both sides of the tide. The new moon this weekend means big water movement, which should only make things better.

Looking ahead, if this weather pattern holds with light winds and warm nights, we're setting up for an epic summer bite. The bunker schools are thick, the water's clean, and the fish are hungry. Get out there early, stay late, and bring plenty of ice — you're going to need it.