I feel bad for the fisherman in Wildwood and Cape May as they are still waiting for the schools to arrive. Trust me, they are on their way – don’t pull those boats just yet. The past week was a banner week for fisherman from Sandy Hook to Brigantine with most anglers able to hook up on varying sizes of Striped Bass moving through our area. With the large amounts of bait in the water coupled with relatively mild temperatures, Stripers should be in South Jersey for a better part of December and possibly through January. The Blackfish bite has been good, but it all depends where you are and if they are biting. The water temperatures on the bottom are still warm just below 60 degrees. Just a reminder, the Barnegat High School’s Fisherman’s Flea-market will be on Saturday, December 10th from 9am to 1pm and all proceeds benefit the high school students involved in the club. Hope you can make it!
Gates Bait and Tackle in Point Pleasant Beach reported phenomenal action for Striped Bass from Manasquan Inlet south to Barnegat Inlet. Trolling, casting artificials, and deep-jigging have been good tactics to box Striped Bass. On the wreck fishing side, jumbo Sea Bass and Porgies are being taken at some of the deeper wrecks.
Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported excellent trolling action on 30 plus pound Striped Bass just inside the 3-mile line from Ortley to Lavallette. Chartreuse and Pearl Shad rigs, Niners, and Mojo’s have been consistently enticing fish over 43 inches. Just inshore, snag-n-drop and pencil poppers have been good for schoolies to fish up to 20 pounds. There are also some nice 12 to 15-pound Bluefish in the mix. Tog action has been hot on the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reef sites with fish hitting the scales up to 8 pounds. Blackfish jigs in the 1oz to 1.5 ounce tipped with Green Crab have been the ticket to the white chins. The surf along Island Beach State Park has been the place to be over the past 2 weeks, and it looks to continue to be good through the rest of this week.
MIMI VI out of Point Pleasant has been sailing for Blackfish every day and when not booked with charters, Capt. Ken runs open-boat trips limited to the first 25 fishermen leaving promptly at 7 AM. It is best to check the website for updates. The bite has been picking up each day, and anglers are getting lots of action but must pick through 20 plus shorts to find 4 to 5 keepers. There have been a few fish topping 8 pounds, and the bite should only get better as the water starts to cool.
The Gambler out of Point Pleasant has been getting into steady action with a variety of size classes for Striped Bass up to 36 inches. There have been some big gator Bluefish in the mix. Most anglers are getting their slot and a plus 28-inch fish for the table, and the boat has been fishing from Point Pleasant to Island Beach State Park. The boat still has some room for offshore Sea Bass, so give them a call.
Norma K III out of Point Pleasant reported nice Blackfish coming over the rail as most range between 4 to 7 pounds. The pool winners have been in the 8-pound range, but you must be patient as the bite has been a little on the slow side. The fish have been biting equally well on Green Crabs and White Leggers.
Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported Island Beach State Park has been “going off” on Stripers from 22 to 36 inches. The wind, weather, and tides affect the bite as baitfish have been getting trapped over the bars on the outgoing. This has rung the dinner bell for hungry Bass. Tsunami Swim Shads, pencil poppers, and metal-lipped swimmers have been the red-hot lures. Boats have been hitting up the acres of bird play and trolling the edges to bag Bass over 40 inches.
Dock Outfitters in Seaside Park reported the bite being on and off depending on location from Seaside to Barnegat Inlet. First light and dusk are still the prime Basing times, while the mid-day tides become more of a hit or miss attempt. Poppers, swimmers, metals, and plastics have been the “go-to” lures for most anglers. Some of the Striped Bass have been coughing up Sand-eels which may bode well for an extended season.
Super Chic out of Barnegat Light had good fishing the last three days and all the fish were on jigs or shads except one on bunker. Nothing real big, slots and fish over 28 inches. There is still a large area of fish North and the mild weather this week should help to keep them around.
The Carolyn Ann III out of Barnegat Light reported sporadic action over the weekend with the skipper working hard to find fish on the wrecks. The wind, current, and warmer bottom temperatures have been a factor in the slower bites. Once the cooler weather comes in, it should be game on for Tog.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported good Bass fishing from Seaside to Little Egg Inlet with fish over 30 pounds being caught from the beach and boats. Trolling Mojo’s and spoons or fishing artificials has been doing the trick as of late. Angler’s surf casting the beach have been hooking up on pencil poppers and shads near the high tides. Blackfish continue to be boxed from the inshore wrecks, but you must sift through a lot of small fish and sometimes that bite is a little slow.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin had anglers reporting red hot Striped Bass action from Seaside to Brigantine. Basically, it’s been good from the beach to the 3-mile line. Several different size classes have been mixed in. While one cast may produce a schoolie, the next might produce fish in the 30-pound range. It’s been an amazing Fall so far! If you plan on fishing the surf, go early or late to get the best shots at fish.
Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine reported good action for boat anglers pulling Mojo’s or tandem rigs with 9″ Swim shads as fish up to 40 inches have been taken on the troll. The shop warns of fishing within the 3-mile line as they heard of several boats being boarded for fishing over the line. The surf has been rather slow as it’s more of a boat thing right now, but that could change especially with the west winds forecasted this weekend.
Absecon Bay Sportsman of Absecon Bay reported Bass from Brigantine to Surf City last week, and fish further North. The shop said some anglers have been running from Cape May to get into the adrenaline-fueled Bass action with fish over 30 pounds. Black fishing has been great in terms of fishing, but it’s been a pick on keepers as you may have to sort through 40 to 50 fish to box a limit. The inshore reef sites have been solid, especially Little Egg Reef and some to the North.
One Stop Bait & Tackle in Atlantic City reported good Striped Bass and Tog fishing along AC’s jetties. Green crab has been very good for Blackfish up to 5 pounds, but you need to pick through the shorts. There has been some nice Striped Bass up to 44 within shots of the beach and jetties as they make their way down the coast.
Fin-Attics in Ocean City reported a decent troll bite off Surf City down through Ocean City with Striped Bass over 43 inches being iced around the 3-mile line. Mojo and Spoons have been the drag-bait of choice. There have been some sporadic areas of bird play, but you must get on them and not spook them. Anglers getting ahead of the birds or playing the wind and current have been hooking up with good success by drifting live bait or jigging artificials through the schools. Blackfish continue to be caught, but again it’s a lot of short fish to weed through to ice some meat.
Anglers fishing the Wildwood and Cape May area continue to have a difficult time finding consistent Striped Bass action. There has been some fish caught over the past week in the Delaware Bay on Bunker. Atlantic City and Brigantine have been the closest locations with consistent Striped Bass action. There have been reports of anglers running up to Long Beach Island from Cape May (via trailered boat) to catch some nice fish on the troll, and snag and drop fishing with Bunker. The Sea Bass fishing is holding up well on the wrecks on the 20-fathom line. There are a lot of Big Blues around these wrecks as well. There have been some good reports from the offshore Rocks inside the Wilmington Canyon of good numbers of jumbo Sea Bass. The tog fishing has slowed down on the Rockpiles, but has picked up on the reefs and inshore reef sites. There was a little surf bite this week on the Delaware Bay side off North Cape May and the rest of the beaches were slow with just short fish.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
If you want Striped Bass from the suds, then Seaside beaches down through Long Beach Island continue to provide your best chances at Bass. Early morning and late afternoon are still the best times to hook a bass. Pencil poppers, metal-lipped swimmers, swim-shads, and bucktails are the hot lures of choice. Boat fisherman will have good shots from Lavallette down through Ocean City on Stripers and should look for bird play or marks on the sonar. As a charter captain, I tend to see some stupidity out there. You will put more fish across the deck by working with other anglers than having the “I” mentality. Don’t drive or troll through the birds as it puts Bass down for everyone, rather work the outer edges casting into the birds. Troll the outer perimeter. Your hookups will increase dramatically, and you might make some friends out there. Blackfish continue to be at the inshore wrecks, and state reef sites have provided some good action. The Sea Girt, Axel Carlson, Garden State South, and Little Egg reefs are some good spots to try. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!