[briansnat]

Worms should be working for sunfish in most NJ waters, even in the summer heat. Is your bait getting stripped? If so you probably aren't detecting the fish biting. Maybe try a small bobber with about 3 feet of line below it and when you see it moving you know something is playing with your bait. Give it time to take the bait in its mouth, then set the hook.

Sunnies have small mouths, so don't use too large a hook. Size 4, 6 or 8 should be fine. Sunnies will be anywhere from in a few inches of water, to down pretty deep, but about 5-15 feet deep will be the most productive zone for them. If you are fishing very shallow water perhaps you're scaring them away. An adult and a few kids can create a lot of motion on the shore and send them scurrying. So try deeper water where the fish won't see you as easily.

A previous poster mentioned trying for carp. That is a good idea, but if you hook into a big one you may get more than you bargained for. Catfish can also provide some entertainment. Cast out a piece of hotdog or a large nightcrawler on a 1/0 hook, with a few splitshot or a slip sinker on the line and let the fun begin.