Even though it’s December, the striper bite is going strong in New Jersey from Sandy Hook all the way to Cape May. Schoolies are starting to dominate the catches in some areas, but fish to 50 pounds hit the scales this week, which means there’s still time to catch a cow.
Island Beach State Park is on fire reported Rob at Harry’s Army Navy. The fish are taking chunks of fresh bunker and swim shads. Metal lips have been working as well when the wind is from the west. The peanut bunker are still running, which has kept the bass around. Long Beach Island has also been good, Rob reported, with fishermen taking 40-inch plus stripers from the surf there this week. Rumors of sand eels hitting the beaches have made fishermen hopeful that the good bass fishing will last a few more weeks. If the sand eels do come in strong, Rob said Harry’s is well stocked with Super Strike Needlefish. He also mentioned that he has the newest reels from Van Staal in stock, the VSX and VR Series, in case you wanted to treat yourself to an early Christmas present.
Steve said the ocean was a little lumpy on Thursday, but the tog fishing has been good. He had a couple full-boat limits this week, with pool-winning fish between 8 and 10 pounds. The tog have been favoring rocky bottoms in 40 to 50 feet Steve said.
The surf fishing was pretty good from Sandy Hook to Monmouth Beach over the weekend, reported Tom at Giglio’s. Fishermen were catching stripers on bucktails and poppers mostly. Bluefish appear to be gone, Tom said.
John at Betty and Nick’s said the red hot striper fishing of November is tailing off a bit as schoolies have begun to dominate the catch. Nevertheless, John said, surfcasters are still encountering blitzes on Island Beach. Clams and bunker are working for bait dunkers, John said, and bucktails and big metals are catching fish as well, but the hottest lure has been the Daiwa Salt Pro Minnow.
The tog bite beats on aboard the Mimi VI. Fishermen continue to catch quality blackfish on any day the weather is nice enough to sail.
Aboard the Norma K III some anglers are catching limits of keeper blackfish, and most anglers are going home with at least one keeper in the box. The pool winner on their most recent trip tipped the scales at 9 pounds.
The Gambler continues to put fares right in the mix of the striper bite, with anglers jigging up stripers to 20-plus-pounds aboard the headboat.
The best action for big stripers is off South Jersey right now where a massive school of monster bass has been feeding on bunker for close to a week.
Riptide Bait and Tackle weighed in a 50-pounder this week, caught on Sunday trolling in front of Brigantine. That fish was part of a tremendous catch of 30-plus pound stripers. The angler hit the water again mid-week, and found great fishing for big stripers once again, with all of the action between Great Egg Harbor Inlet and Brigantine. Fishing from the beaches, however, has been tough.
There is similar action off Ocean City where Billy at Fin-Atic’s said the fishing is the best it’s been all year. Trolling Mojo Rigs accounted for big numbers of big stripers, most of which are over 40 inches Billy said. The biggest Fin-Atic’s weighed in this week was a bunker shy of 50 pounds at 49 and change. Like Brigantine, the beaches of Ocean City have been slow, despite the epic fishing a mile offshore. A few small fish are being caught from the jetties, Billy said, but the best shot for a keeper from shore is in the back bays. Soft plastics on jigheads are doing well on schoolie stripers, with the occasional keeper. Bridges and sodbanks are holding the fish, and the best action has been after dark.
Team Tackle Direct said the mojo rig is the hot lure for the big stripers off Atlantic and Ocean counties. Offshore, fishermen are picking up tilefish, as well as a few swordfish and bigeye.
The striper fishing off Cape May County is good as well reported Mike from Peace Token Bait and Tackle. Some bluefish are mixed in, but big stripers have dominated the catch. Tog fishing is very good on the wrecks and reefs off Cape May, but sea bass fishing has been slower than usual for this time of year. Mike suggested that the mild late fall has kept water temperatures a little higher than usual which has delayed the hot winter sea bass action by a couple weeks. The canyons are still producing some bigeye tuna, Mike said, along with a few yellowfin.
Best Bets for the Weekend
It’s all about the Mojo Rig right now in South Jersey, but if you haven’t heard of it before or don’t know what it is, you’re not alone. This southern striper tactic recently made its way North from the Chesapeake Bay, and was covered in detail in the October Issue of On The Water Magazine. To learn the way of the Mojo, you can read that article online HERE.
The best bet for stripers this weekend depends on whether you’ll be fishing from boat or surf. From the surf, LBI north is the ticket. Have bucktails and SP Minnows on hand, but don’t be afraid to toss cut bunker or clams if the going gets tough. Keep an eye out for fast-moving blitzes as well.
By boat, head south of LBI and troll the mojo in the 25- to 45-foot depths.
For tog fishing, it’s good all over. Hopping on a headboat will give you a great shot at tog up to 10 pounds. For sea bass, the fishing should improve as the month wears on, so save yourself a long trip to the mid-shore wrecks and focus on blackfish this weekend.