The fall run of striped bass definitely doesn’t spread along the New Jersey coast evenly. While some anglers had a slow week of fishing, for others, the past few days have been outstanding.
The center of the action has been a little farther south, off Seaside and Island Beach State park, which is where Steve from the Skylarker was fishing today. Steve was live-lining bunker off the Governor’s Mansion and had stripers to 38 pounds. A large number of boats got in on the action with live-lining bunker being the technique of choice. Dead bunker also accounted for a few nice fish reported Steve.
Some of those fish have hit the beaches as well. One angler reported great action on bass from 20 to 40 pounds on Island Beach State Park in the early morning hours Thursday. The fish were taken on a variety of plugs and soft plastics.
Bottom fishing for sea bass and porgies is going well, but the fish are beginning to move out Steve said. Along with the sea bass and porgies, Steve also caught triggerfish and cod. The ling bite is also picking up Steve said.
The Miss Belmar is reporting red hot fishing for blues and sea bass. Some anglers on the Thursday trip limited out on both bluefish and sea bass, with a smattering of cod to boot. The bluefish continue to run large with 12- to 17-pounders being the norm.
Compared to last week, the surfcasting around Sandy Hook and Sea Bright was slow this week, reported Tom. He still weighed in fish to 23 pounds, however, and decent numbers of smaller bass were taken. Clams are producing more action from the surf lately, Tom said. He expects the slowdown in his area to be temporary. The Monmouth County waters are still loaded with sand eels, peanut bunker, and adult bunker.
Pete from Parker Petes has been getting in on the bass bite off Seaside as well, catching quality striped bass on live bunker.
In a little over a week, the tog limit will be increasing to 6 fish for the rest of the year. The tog fishing has been good at nearshore structures, and even inside the rivers. By the time the season opens, the fishing should be excellent at the reefs and wrecks off the coast.
Best Bets for the Weekend
For stripers, head south. The bulk of the run is off Ocean County right now. For more details on that bite, check Captain Brett Taylor’s Southern New Jersey Fishing Forecast.
The bottom fishing and bluefishing is still excellent, so if the bass become scarce by the weekend (as they’ve been known to do), that is the best fall back plan. Teen-sized bluefish are attacking jigs and chunks and put up a great fight.
From the surf, if you aren’t seeing bunker, clams are your best bet for action. Plugging will also be productive at first light and in the dark.