Well, it’s great to be back. Our report will grow as more tackle shops open for the 2017 season. It has been a relatively mild winter, although we have had some swinging temperatures so far in March. As the temperatures become more Spring-like, our fishing will improve. This is prime time for White Perch, which are a great species to target with kids. A pint or quart of live Grass Shrimp will get you into the action, so scoop those piers and bulkheads. Striped Bass in the schoolie class remain a pretty steady pick in our back-bays and some oceanfronts. Some areas are better than others, so be sure to target any areas that have warmer water. This weekend will mark the opening of our Spring Tog season, and anglers will be allowed to keep four fish at 15 inches. After speaking to several tackle shops this past week, anglers need to exercise good responsibility as leaving trash behind will surely ruin access for all in semi-public fishing spots. If you are given permission to fish certain areas, leave it cleaner than you found it.
So here’s this week’s rundown:
Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported winter flounder being caught toward the southern end of the Point Pleasant Canal and also around the Mantoloking Bridge. Heavy clam chumming will help draw in these fat blackbacks. Be sure to stir up the bottom as winter flounder feed on small marine worms and invertebrates. Clam or small pieces of bloodworms fished on winter flounder rigs should produce good results. Stripers in the school class (15 to 27.99 inches) have been hitting small soft plastics and swimming plugs around the bridges. Jason said to be ready to target the inshore wrecks and reefs for the start of Tog season this weekend.
Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park mentioned some shorts being released from the beaches and backwaters of Island Beach State Park. Most Striped Bass have been up to 27 inches and have been mostly caught on Bloodworms and salted Clams. The shop just received some nice flats of Bloodworms for this upcoming weekend and will be opening at 4:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. The west side of Barnegat Bay has also had some good schoolie Striped Bass action around some of the warmer water areas such as Oyster Creek.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported some good schoolie Striped Bass action on the west side of Barnegat Bay. The Oyster Creek area has produced some decent “cabin-fever” action on soft plastics and small plugs. Fin-S fish, Swim-shads, and Crystal Minnow plugs have been producing fairly consistently. There has also been some Winter Flounder and Striped Bass taken on Bloodworms.
Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine reported some of the surrounding locations have started to pick up some short Striped Bass. Graveling Point, a known local early season hotspot, has been producing for anglers fishing clams and bloodworms. Most fish have ranged from 20 to 26 inches, with the occasional keeper. The water temperature has been hovering around 45 to 46 degrees. Anglers fishing the backwaters and up the Mullica River have been getting into Striped Bass and White Perch action.
FinAtics in Ocean City has also been reporting some Striped Bass action as the water starts to warm. Small Striped Bass and White Perch have been caught on Bloodworms from Brigantine to Ocean City. The backwaters of Beasley’s point, the Great Egg River, and the Tuckahoe River have produced Stripers up to 25 inches and some White Perch. Some of the inshore wrecks should have decent keeper Tog on them for this weekend’s season opener.
Anglers fishing the Cape May areas are awaiting the Tog season opener this weekend as most of the reef sites should have fish on them. As more boats make this season’s splash, many anglers are preparing for the May Drum bite in the Delaware Bay.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for getting into fishy action this weekend would be to fish the backwaters using artificials and Bloodworms for Striped Bass. The surf has had some schoolies, but the temperatures in our bays are warmer than the ocean and this will generally produce better action. It’s early in the season, so remember to fish SLOW! White Perch in some of the tidal creeks and rivers should be “another shore bet” this weekend as they can be easy targeted with Bloodworms or fresh Grass Shrimp. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!