Species guide · New Jersey
Bluefish fishing in New Jersey
Pomatomus saltatrix, a nearshore species also called blues, choppers and snapper blues. Listed for the Mid-Atlantic region. Shoulder season, about 1 more week.
Right now it scores best in Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM at 66, one of 4 New Jersey bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Shoulder seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Mid-Atlantic
Shoulder season, about 1 more week- Jan: Not present
- Feb: Not present
- Mar: Not present
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Peak season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Shoulder season
- Aug: Shoulder season
- Sep: Shoulder season
- Oct: Peak season
- Nov: Peak season
- Dec: Off season
Peak: May, Oct to Nov. In season (shoulder or peak): Apr to Nov.
Research notes, Mid-Atlantic region
Spring run of large fish in late April and May (VMRC citations for Virginia cluster April-May), summer fish on inlets and ocean lumps, fall run October-November as schools move south. ASMFC 2026 bag is 5 fish for private anglers and 7 for for-hire.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 4
New Jersey bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's bluefish score this hour.
Best window today 5-9 PM (71) · Best day Wed, Sep 30 at 5 PM (76) · 100 named spots
Best window today 5-10 PM (68) · Best day Wed, Sep 30 at 4 AM (76) · 38 named spots
Best window today 4-7 PM (71) · Best day Mon, Sep 28 at 7 PM (75) · 72 named spots
Best window today 4-7 PM (70) · Best day Tue, Sep 29 at 3 PM (75) · 147 named spots
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 55°F to 84°F, best between 64°F and 75°F.
- Water depth
- 3 to 70 ft of water.
- Structure
- Rip, inlet, shoal, surf, point, jetty, pier and bay, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers moving water and outgoing tide, with strong current.Bluefish feed where current concentrates bait: rips, inlet mouths and shoal edges on a hard-running tide. The ebb out of inlets pushes bait to waiting fish. Slack water usually slows the bite.
- Light
- Bites best around dawn and dusk; feeds at night too.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 20 kt of wind and 5 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
- Methods
- casting, surf casting, trolling, chunking, jigging, fly fishing
- Lures
- metal spoons, diamond jigs, topwater poppers, swimming plugs, bucktail jigs, soft plastic jerkbaits
- Bait
- cut menhaden (bunker), cut or finger mullet, live peanut bunker, squid strips
Regulations
New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. Synced with NJFW Sep 17, 2026.
No reviewed bluefish rule for New Jersey is on file yet. Check with NJFW before you keep one.