Mullet Hit the Beaches, Weakfish Bite Continues
High seas, thanks to several offshore storms, may have kept many boats firmly tied to their berths, but it certainly hasn’t stopped anglers from wetting a line in the last week. Overnight temperatures dipping into the high 40s in some areas seems to have sent a signal to the hordes of baitfish stacked up in the back to start moving towards less crowded waters. The cool nights and west winds prompted me to hit the beaches several mornings this week in search of some early linesider action and I wasn’t disappointed. Great water for throwing a plug, some chop tempered by a west wind that made for a perfect presentation. And to my delight, small schools of big mullet pinned against structure on several areas of the Longport Beach. And while I didn’t hook up with any fish either morning, they were there, I could sense it. Best of all, I was back on the beach and the fall run was about to hit the starting line. Yes, I know, there are several weeks left in the summer flounder season, sea bass is closed, tog are open, and the kingfish are still basking in the warm water. But fall to me means striped bass and big bluefish in south Jersey. If you aren’t ready, you better get your butt in gear. If the weather patterns hold on to the current trend, it just may kick off early this year. Let’s see if our scouts see a similar trend developing.
Captains Mike and Bob Bogan of the Gambler Party Boat in Point Pleasant Beach are gearing up for their legendary canyon runs but that does not mean they have packed in summer fare yet. They will be taking out their final fluke trips on the 25th of September. Night wreck fishing will wind up on Thursday Sept. 13th and night bluefish cruises will cease a few days later on the 15th. Fishing has been a little slow this week, most probably due to the churned up seas but that could change in a heartbeat as waters calm down. If you haven’t fished off the new Gambler, I recommend you get a trip in before the fluke season ends. And if you are planning on hitching a ride on their offshore tuna hunts, make your reservations now, they fill up fast.
If you are a live bait angler and don’t catch your own, there are several tackle shops that I consider the kings of fresh bait, In the Absecon Island area, one of the best of the best is Absecon Bay Sportsmen’s Center and owner Dave Showell. When I stopped in there the other day, Captain Dave was in a flurry, gearing up for his annual Striper gear sale as well as loading his bait tanks up with live spot, mullet and crab. As far as the fishing goes, Dave informed me that he believed the winds will knock down the high seas and the flounder bite should turn back on by weeks end. Absecon Inlet has been the go-to place in the interim for fluke, and the Cans outside of Absecon Creek offer the best shot for weakfish. The bay is filled with small sea bass and spot, and mullet are saturating the sod banks. Plug tossers are capitalizing on the abundance of bait by throwing topwater and swimmer plugs tight to the banks at dawn and dusk, with fish up to 36 inches being their reward. Crabbing has remained good in the area with fresh bunker working best for local blueclaw trappers. All in all, according to Dave, there is plenty to do while waiting for the striper run to go into high gear.
Team Jersey Hooker Outfitters, of tackle shop and charter boat fame in Brick Township is on the canyon hunt. Captain Rich Wilkowski and his crew were heading out to deep water when I tried to get in touch with them this week. That can only mean the window has opened up and tuna are on the menu.
According to Mike Cunningham at Sea Isle Bait and Tackle, The mullet run is showing signs of starting south as well. Corn Cob mullet, always first out of the gate, have been spotted around the beaches of Townsends Inlet. Fishing there, already good, seems to be stepping up to the next level according to Mike. In the last day, he has seen catches of medium bluefish (up to 5 pounds), weakfish (up to 22 inches), keeper stripers (up to 36 inches),and get this, even a nice redfish. All were taken by anglers using live bait. There has been little action at the inshore reefs due to the churn, but Mike anticipates that changing soon as the waters have settled considerably. The back bay has been very active as well with tons of spot peanut bunker and some small blues. Flounder seem to be starting their migration to spawning waters, so the closer to the inlets, the better your odds of a keeper. Night fishing in the back for striper and weakfish has been great; Mike recommends a leadhead tipped with anything pink to attract keeper-sized fish. Off the beaches, kingfish and spike weakies have been the main attraction of late. Some floundering has been noted off the beach as well. The best is yet to come in Sea Isle.
The cold nights and west winds have definitely played a role in the change of fortune for anglers in the Point Pleasant these days. At least that’s the picture Al at Alex’s Inlet Bait and Tackle painted for me when I reached out to them this morning. Mullet are defiantly on the move, mixing in the river with nice spearing. Fisherman in the inlet using fresh bait, either mullet or spearing, are being rewarded with keeper fluke up to 24 inches. Off the Point Pleasant beaches, morning and evening anglers are doing well on schoolie striper using topwater plugs. Al also told me that the hot plug right now is the Daiwa Chugger Minnow, one I have definitely put on my “to try” list. Just what I need, more plugs! Bluefish up to 3 pounds are attacking bait on both the beaches and inlet, so keep those wire leaders handy.
Team Tackle Direct said to get to the beaches, the mullet are moving. And when the mullet move, the striped bass won’t be far behind them. Water temps are hovering in the lower 70s, but the charge that ignites the fires could occur at any time now according to Tom at the shop. Cool nights are stirring the bait fish up, and that is a good thing. Flounder, are travelling in and out of the local inlets along with croakers and small weakfish. In the back bay, along the pilings and bulkheads, spot can be easily caught using salted clam or Fish Bytes artificial baits. Now is the time to fill your bait pens for the October blitz. Along the beaches, kingfish, small weaks , croakers and spot are the talk of the day. Spro bucktails are also showing some good results for keeper flounder. Hot color is white, tipped with squid or spearing. Early reports from the southern canyons are showing that 40- to 70-pound-class yellowfin are finally staging and can be had on the chunk for those braving the elements. It should get better later in the week as conditions improve substantially. If you are in Egg Harbor Township. Swing over to Tilton road and check out the store.
This week when I caught up with Lenny Hahn at Captain Hippo’s Bait and Tackle in Toms River, he told me that anglers in the area have been bringing in puppy black drum in the small keeper range. From the bay in the Oyster Creek area around the mouth of the outflow pipe. Now that is something different! In other news, Lenny said that the blowfish still rule the bay. Bits of salted clam will put you on the way to a basket full of these funny looking puffers. Weakfish are being caught by anglers using both spot and peanut bunker. Fluking in the bay gets better the closer you go towards the open waters. Spearing and squid with Berkley Gulp are the best attractants right now. And with all the bait around, don’t hesitate to try catching some of the snapper blues in the river and transforming them into fluke bait. You may even hook into one of the small stripers tormenting the bait all over the area. And speaking of stripers, Captain Hippo’s month long Striper Tournament is still going strong. Stop in the shop for details or check their web site.
If you are anywhere around the beaches of Long Beach Island in the center of the state, you might want to grab your gear and hit the sand. Fluke Madness has been going strong for the last couple of days and according to Val at Oceanside Bait and Tackle in Brighton Beach, there is no indication of it slacking off. Mullet are in the surf and people using the shops special Willie Hits rigs are bring back fluke up to 6 pounds with more than a few shop regulars getting their limits. Not a bad way to close out the season. I spoke to one patron who was bailing fluke on a white S & S Bucktail tipped with a white curly tailed grub. Others told me that color isn’t as important as presentation. Whatever the case, the fish are there. In the back, Blowfish are all over the place, small hooks and clam bits are the key to success. Charter boats in the inlet are wailing medium to large blues in the 4- to 7-pound range on any metal they have in the box. The shinier the better! Some stripers are being caught off the beach as well, nothing large but with the abundance of bait around, that is to be expected. I need to get to Oceanside soon, they have one of the better custom plug inventories in the area. My bag has been feeling a little light lately.
There is some fine fishing available at the southern tip of the state, especially this time of year when all our esteemed tourists pack it up for the season and vacate the beach fronts. And if you are thinking of heading down that way and need a place to refill your tackle or bait box, stop in Hands Too Bait and Tackle and fill ‘em up! Owner Nick is also a wealth of information about the local hot spots. When I spoke with him this week he told me the Delaware Bay was filled to the brim with croakers. Nice bluefish in Herefords Inlet with anglers getting fish up to 6 pounds on metal. Nick also confirmed another rumor I have heard this week that more than one fisherman has returned with Redfish taken in the local inlets. The beaches in the Wildwoods and the Cape have been giving up some nice flounder, most taken on bucktails and tipped with a variety of baits including squid, Gulps, spearing or cut bluefish. The head boats are starting to move out again according to Nick and should start getting on the flounder which seem to have moved off the reefs and onto the flat sands. To top off his report, Nick said some pompano have been taken locally. Now I have heard of everything.
I love fishing the north point of Ocean City in the fall, and I always had great success in the mouth of the inlet once the leaves start to turn colors. And when I am over there, I always make it a point to stop in and visit with the crew at Fin-Atics Marine Supply. Ed Broadstien and the guys there have their finger on the pulse of the area. This week, when I spoke to Dan at the shop he told me the action was at the other end of the island, closer to Corson’s Inlet. The mullet, of the corn cob variety, have been moving out from the back with the crisp cool nights we have been experiencing. Some stripers and blues have been waiting there to ambush them. Off the beaches, it’s been flounder and kingfish. Fresh mullet for the fluke and FishBytes for the kings. Inshore trolling has produced some false albacore, skipjack and a dolphin or two. Dan also heard there was some activity out near the triple wrecks but was unable to provide any details. Offshore, there has been some activity at the Poorman’s and Washington Canyons with most of the action being white marlin. The overnight anglers have had some nice swordfish runs lately but the overnight tuna bite is still a little light. Plenty of squid out there so action should get better as the waters shift form the storms further out. The back bays have a mix of respectable weakfish, small blues and the occasional flounder. Most of the good action is moving closer to the inlet mouths as the bet is starting to get antsy. Overall, Dan feels we are right on the edge of some great fishing. Once the churn calms down, and the waters cool a bit, it should turn red hot. That’s music to my ears.
There is still an option available for those who want to spend a day on the back water throwing plugs at the sod banks or chasing weakfish. Especially if you are near Sea Isle City. Just head over to Two Chums Bait and Tackle, their fleet of rental boats is still in the water. When I spoke to Lou this week he was making up a batch of his special striper sauce and putting the finishing touches on the details of their local striper tourney. And with all that, he still had time to give me the local lowdown. Kingfish and spot are still crowding the beach front, with flounder running a close third. Bucktails and a slow retrieve off the sand is the key. The inlets are very active according to Low with fluke and blues up to 5 pounds being the main attendees. Tog is still open and the rocks at Townsends Inlet have given a few up. Two Chums is one of the few shops I know of the carries white leg crabs, which, as most toggers out there know, are the gold standards of tautog bait. Another use for the Two Chums fleet is to get out back for some blue claw crabs before they dig into the mud for a long winter’s rest. Crabbing has been fantastic around Sea Isle lately, with many patrons coming in with a bushel plus of big, juicy crabs. Just add beer and relax.
Best Bets for the Weekend.
As you may or may not know, I have lost all faith in our weather forecasters which makes it difficult to make a call on the weekend, particularly at this time of the year. That being said, it looks like the beach front, inshore and offshore programs may be a go for all this upcoming weekend. With the mullet moving out, the inlets and close to shore would be my guess as the bait tends to hug the shoreline and the fish follow the bait. If you are looking to do some reef fishing, I would suggest working the outer edges. With Sea Bass closed, what have you got to lose? Most of the charter captains I have talked with seem to feel that the flounder are moving to the sandy bottoms in search of new targets and that bait that is moving now would also lend itself to that theory. From the sand, throwing a tipped buck tail into the cuts could produce some fine keeper flounder. LBI is definitely the hotspot but all points south are producing as well. Kingfish are also a good option or croaker in the Inlets. Don’t neglect the tautog, they are still open and even though the limit is still one, this is some mighty fine table fare. But if I had to concentrate my effort on one species, I would throw plugs off the sand in search of striped bass. With the mullet responding to the cool nights, it is all together possible. Add in a west wind and a topwater rattler could give you some real fun. Worst case scenario, you attract a nice 7-pound bluefish which, as you all know, is about as fun as fun gets! Whatever you decide to do, please be careful out there. You only get so many days in the game, spend them wisely. See you on the incoming.