IBSP - late July

[wgmiller]

I just discovered that I’m going to be in the area of Island Beach State Park (NJ) next week and figured it would be a good spot to do some saltwater fly fishing. I have some experience with saltwater fly fishing, but not in IBSP. What can I expect to find in this area at the end of July fishing from the shore? Are the stripers well north by now? Are there any good areas to focus on with a fly rod? PM with info if you’re not comfortable sharing it publicly. I got my free NJ saltwater registry, so I’m squared away there.

Thanks in advance!

 

[afishinado]

wgmiller wrote:
I just discovered that I’m going to be in the area of Island Beach State Park (NJ) next week and figured it would be a good spot to do some saltwater fly fishing. I have some experience with saltwater fly fishing, but not in IBSP. What can I expect to find in this area at the end of July fishing from the shore? Are the stripers well north by now? Are there any good areas to focus on with a fly rod? PM with info if you’re not comfortable sharing it publicly. I got my free NJ saltwater registry, so I’m squared away there.

Thanks in advance!

No stripers reported, the water temp is in the 70's.

The reports I see are for fluke and bluefish.

Here are two shops in the IBSP are that both have daily reports >

Betty & Nick's

Grumpy's

I would check with them and maybe stop in the shop before entering the Park.

Here's a map > IBSP

Blues hit anything. I use my beat-up clousers and deceivers for them, they tear up your flies. I'm not sure what flies to use for fluke.

IBSP is a nice place to fish, but avoid the swimming areas and you should be good-to-go.

I always like to park around Gilikins which is the first parking area on the right, just before the maintenance building after you enter the Park, and walk north. There no driving on the beach there so it's usually less crowded and seems to have more structure to fish than the beaches south. Check out map. I suggest you check out Google maps in the satellite veiw mode to get the lay of the land...uh water.

Good luck and post a report.

 

[Dave_W]

I rarely fish the NJ shore in summer but am more familiar with IBSP in spring and fall...so take this for what it's worth.

I'd expect snapper blues and fluke (summer flounder). There might be some stripers but summer isn't prime time and it may be a night game. Spanish macs may be around too. Anyway, I'd tie up a bunch of Clousers for the fluke and some small, flashy streamers and bass sized poppers for the blues.

Snappers and fluke are a lot of fun. A 7 or 8WT fly rod is plenty. The fluke may be on the smaller side, >15," but they are still fun and can often be caught right in the beach wash - no need for long casts. A sinking line helps for the surf but a floater is best for the back bay.

As always in the salt, a moving tide and active birds are your friend.

IBSP is normally crowded in summer but I have no idea what it's like this year. Regardless, I'd focus on mornings and evenings for fishing the beaches. Finally, don't overlook wading, or better yet kayaking, on the backside. There are plenty of snappers around the grass islands and fluke in the channels as well as schools of cow-nosed rays.

Good luck, let us know how you made out.

 

[Baron]

wgmiller wrote:
I just discovered that I’m going to be in the area of Island Beach State Park (NJ) next week and figured it would be a good spot to do some saltwater fly fishing. I have some experience with saltwater fly fishing, but not in IBSP. What can I expect to find in this area at the end of July fishing from the shore? Are the stripers well north by now? Are there any good areas to focus on with a fly rod? PM with info if you’re not comfortable sharing it publicly. I got my free NJ saltwater registry, so I’m squared away there.

Thanks in advance!

For years we anchored our Sailboat on the inside near the last set of parking and bathrooms south on the Island (Tices Shoal, look it up on chart).
Fly rods are very useful in the scorching summer heat on the inside (bayside). We use neck flies in shallow water and really cleaned up. Bring your longest handled nets as well.
Cast the neck fly about 15 ft ahead and lift it back slowly when you feel a tug lower your net to the bottom and keep pulling it into the net. We filled the whole ****pit with these fish. Giant foods sell the neck flies labeled as Chicken Necks but whatever. This particular species is best eaten fresh with Beer, Coleslaw and Corn-on-the-cob.

 

[wgmiller]

Baron wrote:
For years we anchored our Sailboat on the inside near the last set of parking and bathrooms south on the Island (Tices Shoal, look it up on chart).
Fly rods are very useful in the scorching summer heat on the inside (bayside). We use neck flies in shallow water and really cleaned up. Bring your longest handled nets as well.
Cast the neck fly about 15 ft ahead and lift it back slowly when you feel a tug lower your net to the bottom and keep pulling it into the net. We filled the whole ****pit with these fish. Giant foods sell the neck flies labeled as Chicken Necks but whatever. This particular species is best eaten fresh with Beer, Coleslaw and Corn-on-the-cob.

I take it you didn't have good luck with the fly rod then? :-D

Thanks for all the feedback. It sounds as though summer IBSP fishing is similar to summer OBX fly fishing, which I would expect. Although some species may change, Mid-Atlantic summer saltwater fly fishing is what it is. My quiver is loaded with several different lines (sink tip, floating, sinking, etc.), and the fly box is stocked as well, so from that perspective I'm good-to-go.

It lists the park as being open from 8A-8P, with fishing be open 24 hours. Is it still possible to access the park after those hours? I'd like to catch some earlier fishing, before the sun comes up.

I'll be sure to post up a brief trip report after my visit. Regardless of how productive it turns out, it's hard to beat casting a fly line with the smell of saltwater in the air and waves crashing at your feet!

 

[Baron]

I take it you didn't have good luck with the fly rod then? :-D


Actually I had great luck. All those were caught on the fly rod using chicken necks. Works great as they can barely feel your tugging.

 

[wgmiller]

Ok, I wasn't sure where you were going with your OP as it is a bit "unconventional"! :-D

 

[Baron]

wgmiller wrote:
Ok, I wasn't sure where you were going with your OP as it is a bit "unconventional"! :-D

Yes, occasionally I make an attempt at dry humor. I usually crash and burn. Wife hates it.

The nice thing about the southern or lower parking area is that you have access to the bay by way of a nice little boardwalk to catch crabs, weakies and Fluke. Then of to the beach to catch Blues in the rips along the surf. I've only used spinning gear there with surface plugs.

Always loaded up on crabs in the bay but that was in the 90's and it may not be that way any more.


Best!

 

[sandfly]

fish the back areas with poppers early and late for blues along with chart./silver/white clouser in 1/0. same clouser for surf and flounder. just drag the clouser along bottom for fluke. fishing night a black fly that pushes water, retrieve slowly across surface. clousers in size 2-2/0 are good sizers. a all whiter deceiver with silver flash works well also.

 

[wgmiller]

Perfect. My plan is just to toss baitfish patterns (Clousers, Deceivers, etc.). I figure whatever happens in the surf, happens. I may sling up a shrimp or sand flea pattern if things turn ugly! :-D

 

[afishinado]

wgmiller wrote:
Perfect. My plan is just to toss baitfish patterns (Clousers, Deceivers, etc.). I figure whatever happens in the surf, happens. I may sling up a shrimp or sand flea pattern if things turn ugly! :-D

Very good.....having fun is what it's all about.

Your attitude of whatever happens, happens is the best way to approach your fishing.

The adventure of getting out there and experiencing something new and different is your reward, and not necessarily catching a bunch of fish, but you never know.

Good luck on your trip.

 

[wgmiller]

Thanks Afish. Just being at the shore fishing on the beach is all the success I need. If I catch a fish (see what I did there?) it'll be a bonus. I always view my fishing trips that way - time spent in nature is really what it's about. As anglers we generally put too much pressure on ourselves to catch a lot of fish or big fish. That often takes away from the enjoyment as it becomes "competitive" in a sense.

 

[Baron]

wgmiller wrote:
As anglers we generally put too much pressure on ourselves to catch a lot of fish or big fish. That often takes away from the enjoyment as it becomes "competitive" in a sense.

You're a nice man Mr. Miller!

Couldn't agree more!

Fishing is always great. Its the consistent application of our acquired skills that brings in a few of the bigger memories.

 

[wgmiller]

Thanks Baron. Life has humbled me and taught me to appreciate the simple things! One of the must humbling experiences as an angler have been those days when I walked back to the car with a "skunk" in my pocket. They have been fewer in number as time has gone on (hey, mop flies and squirmy worms have saved the day more than once!), but like all anglers, they do happen. It's then that I am forced to accept that just being out and being able to physically cover water is all the success I need.

 

[Baron]

wgmiller wrote:
Thanks Baron. Life has humbled me and taught me to appreciate the simple things! One of the must humbling experiences as an angler have been those days when I walked back to the car with a "skunk" in my pocket. They have been fewer in number as time has gone on (hey, mop flies and squirmy worms have saved the day more than once!), but like all anglers, they do happen. It's then that I am forced to accept that just being out and being able to physically cover water is all the success I need.

I hear ya. Less striving allows one to see the bigger picture sometimes. Learned so much more as the years roll by. Since taking up FF I’ve seen even deeper into the relationships in nature. Makes the whole time out more surreal.

 

[wgmiller]

I made it out to fish IBSP Tuesday morning from sunrise until shortly after lunch. Much like our area, the weather was scorching. However, walking along the beach was bearable. The winds were 10-15 MPH out of the west/southwest, which if you know anything about IBSP in the summer is not a good thing. It spells one thing: flies. Wow! The flies!

In short, I took a skunk. But I took a skunk with a smile!

The previous night I stopped in Grumpy's tackle for some recon and to poke around. The guy working the counter told me there wasn't much in the bay and fluke and snapper blues were around the oceanside. The catch report was fairly short and I knew the deck was stacked against me. I bought some tackle (snaps, swivels, etc.) and bug spray that he said was the absolute best against the flies. You know...you always buy SOMETHING for shop intel! He also told me fall striper fishing is heating up later and later in the year. He said Thanksgiving is a good time to come down and he's caught some of his biggest fish in December. I can definitely see a fall run for striper fishing...

I fished off of a fishing pier on 14th Avenue Monday night as a tune-up. No one else was catching anything either and even the crabbers were frustrated with how poor their catch rates were. I suspect the prolonged heat wave may have had something to do with it. The guy at Grumpy's told me the ocean just hit 80 the other day, so things are definitely warm.

I ended up parking at the southernmost parking area in IBSP and fished down to the jetty and back with no fish moved or seen. I tossed Clousers and epoxy minnows in several color combinations. The surf was several feet, which caused me to switch over to a full sink line. I was down where I needed to be, but the fish just weren't there. I did see two anglers come off the jetty with what appeared to be just keeper length fluke. Other than that, no one else was having any luck either. Such is a saltwater surf fishing!

Overall it was a lot of fun to be back fishing the salt. My expectations weren't high going into it as I knew that saltwater fishing can be very hit-and-miss. Toss in a summer heat wave and the deck certainly is stacked against a fly angler. It's such a nice change of pace from freshwater fishing and I wish I lived a little closer to salt water.

Sunset from the park on 14th Avenue Monday night

Birds and baitfish, but no fish!

The jetty - serious business!

Barnegat Light

Just like trout fishing, covering water is key!

IBSP sunrise

 

[Baron]

How can a day at the beach be better. I really like that exact area.

 

[wgmiller]

Baron wrote:
How can a day at the beach be better. I really like that exact area.

It literally can't. Despite the lack of tugs on the fly rod, all was good in life. The salt air, surf crashing, lack of people....ahhhh.

 

[Dave_W]

Walking a beach at sunrise or sunset with a fly rod is just magical... even if you don't make a cast.

Thanks for the report. We should try to do a salt jam again there sometime in the near future.

 

[afishinado]

Dave_W wrote:
Walking a beach at sunrise or sunset with a fly rod is just magical... even if you don't make a cast.

Thanks for the report. We should try to do a salt jam again there sometime in the near future.

Agreed ^

There's something special about SW fishing. Just being at the ocean and beach and watching the sunrise and sometimes the sunset, depending on where you are, has a special feeling. Good stuff.