Southern New Jersey Fishing Report - November 23, 2016

I want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers.  Take the time and enjoy family and friends over the next couple of days.  Hopefully getting out on the water will be one of your priorities after the Thanksgiving holiday.  The Striped Bass action has been “EPIC” for a good chunk of southern New Jersey and Wildwood south will get their share of fish coming down.  The long-range forecast looks as if we may have fish well past January.  Blackfish are starting to show at the inshore and offshore wrecks with more consistency, so now is the time to either get out or plan a trip.  Again, have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

So here is this week’s rundown:

Gates Bait and Tackle in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the beach busted wide open from Sandy Hook to Island Beach State Park.  Peanut bunker have been getting annihilated along the beach by hungry Striped Bass and Bluefish.  Most of the Stripers have been in the 24 inch to 20-pound range.  Snag-n-drop on Peanut Bunker, Swim Shads, and pencil poppers have been the hot baits.  Blackfish have been boxed from the Axel Carson and Sea Girt reefs and also from the sides of the Manasquan Inlet.  Sea Bass has been good, but it’s taking runs of 40 to 60 miles to find quality keepers.

Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported “Good as it gets” along the surf from Monmouth and Ocean counties.  Pencil poppers, Tsunami Swim Shads, metal-lipped swimmers, and snag-n-drop on Peanut Bunker.  The Striped Bass have ranged as small as 24 inches to over 30 pounds, so there is a wide range of fish out there.  There has been gator Bluefish in the mix approaching 21 pounds.  The fishing has been “real” close to the beach for boats as the winds have been blowing hard out of the West, keeping bait close to the shoreline.  Blackfish have been in the 30- to 70-foot range, while Sea Bass continue to be far offshore.

MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant will be running a Turkey Thursday open boat Blackfish trip from 6:30am to 1:30pm.  The cost per person is $70 which includes Green Crabs.  The skipper notified me that they will be rolling out some Open Boat dates for December weekdays.

The Gambler out of Point Pleasant has been on the Striped Bass and Bluefish with some nice fish coming over the rails.  Some days has lots of Striped Bass landed, while other days have more Bluefish.  The boat will be running a special 1/2-day Thanksgiving Day Striped Bass special from 730am to 12pm.  The fare is $50 for adults, $45 for seniors, and $35 for children.

Norma K III out of Point Pleasant has been hitting some of their favorite wrecks and snags, but it has been a varying bite.  A few anglers have caught their limits and White Leggers have been working best.  The pool winner this past week weighed over 10 pounds caught by Skip Reese.  A few days the boat stayed dockside due to heavy winds, but they will be fishing hard with the calmer conditions by the end of this week.

Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park has been very busy with anglers baiting up, luring up, and weighing fish as the “Park” has been on fire.  There has been blitzing conditions at times with surf casters getting over 20 fish in just over 30 minutes.  The best bite as of late has been the top of the tide and the start of the outgoing.  The water is warm and there is plenty of bait, so there should be Bass around for better part of December.

Dock Outfitters in Seaside Park reported “EPIC” fishing as it’s the best way to describe the bite over the past week.  Large schools of bait were pinned to the shore line by jumbo blues and keeper bass.  This action was going on from Manasquan Inlet to Island Beach State Park.  The snag-n-drop with both full size and peanut size bunker has been doing the trick for the bait side.  Pencil and Polaris style poppers along with SP style swimmers and swim baits have been working.

 

Super Chic out of Barnegat Light has been Striped Bass fishing by either running up the beach or fishing the inlet with live bait.  Anglers throwing metal jigs or swimbaits have also been hooking up with equal success.  Fish in the 24- to 34-inch range have been boxed which make for great fillets.  The boat has a few Blackfish trips available, but you need to call and talk to the skipper.

The Carolyn Ann III out of Barnegat Light has been fishing the weekends (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) and reported sluggish Blackfishing on the inshore wrecks.  Believe or not, they released a couple of keeper Fluke, which tells that the bottom temperatures are still warm.  Some of the pool winning Blackfish have been in the 6-pound range.

Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported good fishing outside of Barnegat Inlet with boats scoring well on Striped Bass with either artificials or live bait.  Some boats headed South and got into bigger sized Bass which were feeding on adult Bunker.  The inlets have been producing both schoolie Striped Bass and keeper Blackfish along the rocks.

Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported a very good snag-n-drop bite and troll bite along Long Beach Island over the weekend.  Although Bunker stayed down on the bottom, they still could be snagged off Surf City, Ship Bottom, Spray Beach and Beach Haven in 30 to 40 feet of water.  Anglers trolling white bunker spoons also did well in the same areas.  Fish were in the ranged in weight from the low 20’s to upper 30’s.  Smaller bass have been caught on live spots in the Barnegat Inlet area.

Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine reported great Striped Bass fishing for the boats and rather poor fishing for surf fisherman.  But this can change if the bait moves close as it is up North.  Stretch 30’s, Mojo’s, and Maja spoons have been doing the trick for most boats, while some opportunities for snag-n-drop popped up.  Some fish have been in the 40- to 50-pound class.  The shop will be open on Thanksgiving Day from 5am to 11am, and Andy has “sales” planned for Black Friday.

Absecon Bay Sportsman of Absecon Bay reported good fishing for boats outside of Brigantine and Atlantic City with 40-plus-pound Striped Bass being caught by a variety of techniques.  From trolling to snag-n-drop, “They’re here!”, reiterates storeowner Dave Showell.  The backwaters of Brigantine still have plenty of fish to be had in the 24- to 30-inch range with most biting soft plastics, live spot, or live eel.  The shop will be open, but call for details.

One Stop Bait & Tackle in Atlantic City had lots of Tog along the jetties in Atlantic City.  There has been a lot of shorts, but there are some nice keepers in the mix to 6 pounds.  Striped Bass have been hitting during the hours of sunset to sunrise.  Herring and Bluefish have been hitting soft plastics and metals in the inlet.  Caspian Avenue and the T jetty are still the hot areas for most of the reliable fishing.  The shop will be open Thanksgiving Day from 6am to 5pm, and will have all types of live bait in stock.

Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported good Bassing off of Atlantic City, Brigantine, and Ocean City for boats trolling spoons or hitting the snag-n-drop.  Most Striped Bass were found in 30 to 50 foot of water and ranged in size to the upper 40 pounds.  There has been some consistent bird play off the beaches of Ocean City with Striped Bass working bait just outside the reach of surf casters.  There has been some Bluefish in the surf and they are pushing their way South.  The story for the nighttime bite has been the top of the tide and first half of the outgoing.  Soft plastics in pink or white have been doing the trick on schoolies to 28 inches.  The tog bite has remained great and fish are now inhabiting the inshore/offshore wrecks from 30 to 65 feet.  Sea Bass action has been a far run with the closest, Atlantic City Reef site, having some keepers with a lot of shorts.

The Cape May and Wildwood area has been waiting for the Striped Bass bite to occur and boats trolling Maja’s, Mojo’s, and Stretches are finally seeing some nice sized Stripers to 40 pounds.  There word has been a ton of schools North, so it is somewhat of a waiting game as the fish move South.  There has been some schoolies caught around the jetties along with keeper Tog.

South Jersey Fishing Forecast

We are officially in “Striped Bass Fever!”  Now, is the time to get out there and enjoy the action.  With some areas witnessing scenes that are EPIC.  The key is finding the fish whether by marks or birdplay, and staying on them.  Tsunami Swimshads have been the hot lure due to the perfect Bunker profile and the fish have been on them from Sandy Hook down through Ocean City.  Boat anglers and surfcasters have equal chances of getting into the action, but you have to be out there.  If your concentration is Blackfish, then hop on one of the local headboats or charter boats to box up some keepers as most areas are experiencing a decent Blackfish bite.  Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!