A windy, cold start to the New Jersey fluke season at the Atlantic-Cape May County shore was salvaged by an 18-inch keeper, a fried-fluke breakfast and the promise of warming bay temperatures over the next week, according to The Fisherman Magazine's Jim Hutchinson Jr.
In his New Jersey/Delaware Bay edition video fishing forecast for Thursday 7 May 2026, Hutchinson called Monday's start to the 2026 summer flounder season as windy, cold and in many cases not worth the run.
"Windy and cold to kick off the 2026 fluke season here at the Jersey Shore on Monday," he said. "Monday's start to flatties was met with some howling winds out of the southwest. Chilly temperatures at night. Water temperatures were pretty cold as well."
Hutchinson admitted he had been tempted to leave the boat in the slip but pushed out anyway. "Probably would have left the boat in the slip on an ordinary day, but I had to get out, and still it was fruitful for me," he said — turning his catch into mango, pineapple and habanero salsa over fresh-fried summer flounder. "Didn't get skunked, mind you, but one 18-incher and then ditching out to go for a warm breakfast — I just had to do it. And I think a lot of folks did."
The Friday on his calendar was set as the last cold night for at least a week. From there, daytime temperatures were forecast to climb into the 60s and approach 70 over the next week, with bay water temperatures rising in tandem and the fluke bite expected to follow. "Hopefully that's the way it is all the way through October at this point," Hutchinson added.
The Margate framing for the report came courtesy of Scott's Dock, the historic 34-slip Atlantic County marina that opened in 1959 and returned to its original Scott's Dock branding in 2021 under operator Ray Scott. Scott — a self-described 'Bay Rat' who grew up on the local water — has 14 rental boats slated for the season, a six-pack charter and a 25-passenger pontoon boat, plus live music and a new hot dog shack out the back.
Scott has also expanded into apparel and is now producing his own Bay Rat rods, which Hutchinson rated highly: "This is a $200 price point rod, very similar to the rod that I was using to start my day in the shallow water on Monday." The rods slot in alongside the marina's full season fleet — including the Captain Robin, named after the late Robin Scott, a long-time New Jersey angler ambassador.
For New Jersey and Delaware Bay anglers eyeing the next week, Hutchinson's message was straightforward: brace for one more cold night Friday, then expect 60-degree daytime weather and a steadily warming bay through the weekend. The fluke fishery may have come in cold, but the forecast had it running ahead of the calendar in everything except temperature.
The upcoming weekend, Hutchinson signalled, would be the first realistic shot most New Jersey anglers had at clean conditions for the early-season flatty bite. Boats were available at Scott's Dock for those without their own rig — and the bay rat rods, in particular, were getting an in-season endorsement from one of the magazine's most experienced shore-area correspondents.