If not now….when?

If you are not fishing this week… you should find someone to buy all your gear from you and take up something else. I’m sure there are a few good excuses that have something to do with health or family emergency, but all kidding aside, it is time to get up, gas up, gear up, and get out.

Boat jockeys and beach bangers alike are on the bite. I’ll take you to the shop reports by region in a minute but varying degrees of “Red Hot” to “a steady pick” are all part of what is going on. With the sunrise air temps a couple days a week in the 30s, the surf temperature plunging, the remarkable upwellings of literally billions of sand eels inside the 3 mile limit, and a really nice weekend forecast for wind and wave…. NOW, is the operative word.

Two more things, and these may be a little obvious so excuse me for insulting some of you…. if you see something in your local tackle shop that looks like a sand eel, buy it. If you throw plugs and don’t tie on a small teaser above them, you are not thinking like a striper fisherman should.

Let’s take a lap of some very happy Tackle Shop and Charter boat owners that finally are cranked up over the fall run, which has officially arrived.

Garfield Fishing Report

The crew from Meltzer’s Sporting Goods was banging the bass pretty hard on a jig bite last week but that dropped off and the world seems to have turned around for the trollers. Umbrella rigs with smaller sand eel looking tubes trolled a little higher up in the water column put fish in the mid 20-pound range in the box.

Keyport Fishing Report

This is a direct quote from some very busy guys at the Keyport Marine Basin. “There are more stripers, right now, at the point of the hook (Sandy Hook) than anybody has ever seen before”. ‘Nuff said?

Middletown Fishing Report

Pete from Atlantic Bait & Tackle says it is lit up from the Hook to LBI. Charter guys are back to the dock with limits by 9:00. Pulling umbrella rigs is getting too easy. On the beach, it is a pick-um. Plugs, jigs, clams…. all seem to be connecting.

Sea Bright Fishing Report

Plenty of action in Sea bright and surrounding beaches, says Ernie at Giglio’s Bait & Tackle. All on lures and guys are catching 5-8 bass each. Most of his weigh ins were in the 8- to 14-pound range with a few 20-pound fish mixed in. Top producer has been Ava jigs with red tails but Daiwa SP Minnows and just about any sand eel looking profile has been on the money as well.

Bradley Beach Fishing Report

Dominick at The Bait Shop says the joint is jumping. From Long Branch North it is hot on the beach and in the boats. From Long Branch South, the bite seems to move about two miles off and guys are throwing anything they want and connecting.

Robbinsville Fishing Report

Joe from Harry’s Adventure Outfitters says the boats are really hot in about 50 feet of water as far down as the N’ Jetty in Belmar with trolling being the top producer. From the beach needlefish or long profile plastics like the Tsunami eels.

Belmar Fishing Report

Speaking of Belmar, Joe at Joey’s Bait Shack has had a 42-inch 27-pounder and a 37” 15-pound bass on the scale from around the Leonardo Beach area. He is taking lots of orders for green crabs with the bump up in Blackfish limit starting on the 16th. Calling ahead to reserve is always a great idea.

Brielle Fishing Report

The hot stuff continues when you connect with Eric and Dave at The Reel Seat in Brielle. Lots of peanut bunker mixed in with the sand eels further north, but pretty much just sand eels down south which explains why shad rigs are not doing the trick in more Central NJ waters…pull the tubes boys. Some bigger bass being taken on bunker spoons up north, by the way. Some unconfirmed rumors about some bluefin in the Glory Hole area, but no meat has walked in the shop yet.

Point Pleasant Fishing Report

Ron at The Fisherman’s Supply Co. has more guys having success from the boats than the beach, but beach anglers are still connecting. Boat jockeys off of Spring Lake have been on the bite pretty consistently but the entire area between Manasquan and Belmar inlets has been good. A couple of his anglers on the beach actually had 8-inch squid grabbing teasers meant for stripers. Little calamari with your bass for dinner tonight? Beaches in the Bayhead – Lavalette area from about 3 p.m. to dusk have been spotty, but producing.

Brick Fishing Report

Rick from Jersey Hooker has mostly the same news the rest of the boys have. Point Pleasant Canal is still holding both blackfish and stripers if you can’t get to a boat, but moving just off to about 50 feet of water and trolling is the ticket.

Best Bets for the Weekend

When you talk to 20 different people in the network, and they all tell you the same thing, it’s a pretty good bet the you are getting the straight dope. If you have a boat, drag umbrellas with tubes, but have a couple rods with top waters and/or jigs handy for when the surface lights up. Many of the trolling bass are not on the bottom so go easy with the drails or run one up high and the other down low.

My fishing buddy Craig Rogers has had 3 fish over 30” from the beach in Island Beach State park this morning (Thursday). One blind casting to birds, but the other two came from wading out on the dropping tide and sight casting the water between the bars. He was catching while many others were driving or BS’ing during lower water. Be a stalker.

Let’s also note that the blackfish limit bumps back up to a respectable 6 fish at 15 inches on Saturday the 16th. HOWEVER, if you striper fish first and take your inside the 3 mile limit stripers out to a wreck outside the line, you are in violation and may be fined. This is no joke, and I will tell you that the Coasties have been very active recently so don’t “stupid” yourself into a corner.

Saturday’s inshore forecast is for 2-foot seas and 5- to 10-knot West winds in the morning turning Southeast. If there ever was a day to get out there … this is it. I’m gassing up the boat this afternoon, but heading to Island Beach in the truck tomorrow! What are you doing?

Stay Tuna-ed!