After a week of above average temperatures, it would seem we are about to experience some give back to pay for brief interruption of our normal fall festivities. I like to think of it as an opportunity to get my duck in a row. With Black sea bass coming to a temporary close however, it does arrive at an inopportune time. But such is the sport we call fishing.   Hopefully some good will arrive along with this stretch of foul weather. In this writer’s opinion, water temperatures need to start drifting lower to turn on the fall run.  To date, it has been somewhat of a mediocre fall in regard to the main event, that is to say the striper run.  We are heading into a full moon and there seems to be plenty of bait in the area which are all indicators that the big push south is about to commence. But Water temps hovering in the mid-sixties seem to be holding back the rush. Like a false start at a track meet where some of the runners leave the block before the gun fires, it can be a little frustrating at times.  But that’s fishing; we just get back in our stance and get ready to run the race. Eventually, the race will get going. You just need to be ready to enjoy the run.

With this warn Nor’easter bearing down on us for a few more days, you might want to visit your local Bait and Tackle shop to get all those pieces you need to fill up that tackle box. Rich Wilkowski at the Jersey Hooker in Brick has brought back his WOW program to help you towards that end. For every $100 you spend on regularly priced items, you will get a $20 store gift certificate. Works for me.  And now would be a good time to stop in and register for their Striper Tournament which runs through the end of November.

Spoke with Ernie at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright and even with this nasty weather, there are anglers charging the beach with some success. Ernie tells me that the Daiwa SP Minnow has been the hot lure this year. Mark Niedzel of Shark River Surf Club recently weighed in a 14.5-pound bass he took on one. There are blues in the area as well, some of nice size. Ernie also tells me that with the warm water, the Shrewsbury River has been active. Bass and nice blues on metal are around from Sea Girt south. Ernie feels with the wind of this storm the river will probably be the best option until the weather shifts.  There are still spot and croakers in the area as well.

I spoke with Captain Steve Spinelli of the Skylarker II who told me that while the rest of this week didn’t look too good, the season as a whole has been shaking out real nice. They hit the sea bass hard while it was open and expect to do so again when it reopens. As a bonus, they also whacked the porgy which has been on fire of late. Once the weather turns Captain Steve expects the striper bite to shift into high gear.  The 60’ Skylarker II is licensed up to twenty and usually runs on a charter basis with 12 passengers. If you are looking for a quality ride for more than the standard six pack, the Skylarker is your boat.

Captain Bobby Quinn of the Ocean Explorer in Belmar has been on the sea bass and expects to continue to do so as long as the season is open and the weather lets him untie the boat.  It’s been hit or miss lately with the weather being the deciding factor. Both jigs and bait fishing has been good. With the warm water Captain Quinn predicts that the fishing will only get better as the waters cool down.

The 120-foot Miss Belmar Princess doesn’t stay in port much but when they do, you know it must be due to bad weather. And that is exactly what we have now. Prior to this storm, The Princess has been on the bluefish and hitting them hard.  Toss in the occasional fat Albert and you are talking some real fun. Blues up to 20 pounds have been the pool winners of late and once the seas lie down, I expect them to pick up right where they left off.  The Princess sails daily at 7:30 a.m. and returns 2:30 p.m. She also runs evening trips on Friday and Saturday.

Like most of the other boats, the Big Mohawk and Captain Chris Hueth are being held hostage at the docks until this weather turns, hopefully soon.  Sailing out of Belmar, the Big Mohawk is one of the top party boats in the area when it comes to bottom fishing and this sea bass run has more than proved that point again.

Like most of the other charter boat Captains in the area, Pete Sykes of Parker Pete Sportsfishing in Belmar is also being hampered by the rough seas of this nor’easter. But you can count on him using the time to get his 35’Donelle ready for action as soon as the swells ease off.  Built in Newfoundland, this custom cruiser is ready for almost anything Mother Nature can throw at it, which is for certain.  Pete also runs open boat charters when the boat isn’t booked privately.  Check out his Facebook page for contact info and touch base with Pete for details.

If you can’t get out to the slat because of the weather, there is always the fresh water action, which one would think presents more options. Especially with the warm spell we just went through. So I shouted out to Joe Loretti at Harry’s Army and Navy in Robbinsville. I assumed that Joe would be telling me that with the states fall trout stocking program being moved up, anglers would be knee deep in the fresh water chasing trout.  That was not to be the case.  Apparently the NJDEP had to move back its stocking program due to low water levels in most of the stocking areas. It has certainly been a dry fall. With any luck at all, this current blast of weather will address that.  Joe did tell me that most of the action on the fresh water side has been south and the action has been limited to largemouth bass.   Well, I guess that is something.  Joe also told me that his customers have been still doing well in the salt but mostly in the back waters in rivers like the Toms, Shrewsbury and Raritan. Stripers seem to have developed a taste for the Daiwa SP Minnows but are also grabbing at top water lures with slender profiles. As always eels are a go to if fishing in the dark in the back waters.  Blue fish are there for the taking with alost any bait or metal.

I had the opportunity to speak with Captain Gary Bouchard of the Celtic Stoirm in Belmar Marina this week about their boat. A 38’ custom Henrique’s Fly bridge, the captain tells me it is equipped to take on all and any fishing adventures. Lately they have been putting their clients on bottom fish with sea bass season open, and have also been on the slim limits of blackfish. They have several more sea bass trips planned before the temporary close next week and will then be switching over to striper. Gary tells me they have some opening left on their charter schedule but are filling up the calendar quickly. So if you are looking for a ride, I would advise making that call ASAP.

It doesn’t look like the offshore crowd will have much to do until this small blow moves through in a couple of days.  Just to verify this, I put a call into the crew at the Reel Seat in Brielle. Owner Dave Arbietman wasn’t available but I did have a nice discussion with John at the shop. He confirmed what I had heard over the weekend about the bite in the canyons. The Hudson and the Toms had some great yellow and long fin action. Most fish were taken on the jig but chunking and some trolling also produced fish. Hopefully this storm will keep them in the target area. The northern canyons have been the red headed stepchild this year and they deserve a little better treatment. Inshore, John recommends the rivers and back waters.  Unless the water temps come down a bit so keep an eye on the thermometer.  There has been some action off the beaches, mostly by boaters trolling bunker spoons. Big blues are also in the vicinity. Fish up to 19 pounds have been reported of late. Get that wire out.  John asked me to pass along that the Reel Seat is has green crabs and eels in stock.

With nothing else to do because of the storm, now is the perfect  time to start planning for that fall striper charter you have been saying you want to do but never seem to get around to.  Check out these rides out of Belmar if you need a quality charter. I have passed along these names before but they bear repeating.

• Last  One!  35’ custom Sea Hawk – up to six passengers.  Inshore and wreck fishing. (732) 556-7156
• Katie H Sports Fishing  46’ custom Hatteras.  Up to six passengers. Inshore and offshore.  (908) 600-6413
• Teri Jean Sports Fishing  45’ Hatteras. Up to six passengers. Inshore and Offshore (732)280-7364

I have been following the daily reports of John Bushell Jr. of Betty and Nicks Bait and Tackle for some time now and have come to rely on them as a harbinger of things to come for us south of Island Beach. With this storm in our gullet, they are even more important to me.  This time of year, he is an early warning system to let us know when the fish are on the move south.  And if you are heading to Island Beach State Park there is no better source of up to the minute data on the area.  According to John, the beach was still fishable at the start of this storm and the damage did not look like it would be too severe. But only time will tell as this weather unfolds. I spoke with Paul at the shop as they had some teasers (rainfish) that were some of the best I have ever seen and had to get me some. The beaches are experiencing some nasty tides and wind gusting well over 35 has stopped all activity there. Paul also said that depending on the duration, he believes it will be fishable as soon as we get through the worst of the blow.  Just before the storm, they had some nice blue and striper action along with some albie action.  They even had a redfish brought into the shop, a definite rarity.  The back bays obviously will be fishable first.  Only time will tell.

Best Bets for the Weekend.

This is going to be a tough call. I have fished nor’easters off the beach and had success but it isn’t for everyone. The draw and the undertow can be horrendous and deadly.  Bait can be almost impossible to hold and finding the right lure is a challenge to say the least. Based on the weather reports I have been seeing, the worst of this may be north of us come Saturday. But there are no guarantees. As with most nor’easters, they have a tendency to stall and even back up at times. So the best advice is to monitor the weather. The back waters are still holding plenty of fish.  If you cannot go without a weekend, that may be your best bet. For the most part, all boats are staying double tied in their berths.  Even fresh water plans have been put on hold as the long awaited fall trout stocking has been put on hold. My plans include re-spooling a few reels and attacking my tackle box for a long needed purge. I might even tie some new rigs in anticipation of new prey. Tackle Direct is having its first ever clearance sale at its Egg Harbor shop which might be another option. Whatever option you choose, please be very, very careful out there. It is nasty and unpredictable. You only get so many days in the game, spend them wisely. See you on the incoming.