Things are starting to get better as the ocean and bay waters continue to warm with the recent seasonable Spring temperatures. I have put my best intelligence agencies on the beat, but I’m only hearing a sprinkling of unconfirmed reports regarding Bluefish, so I can’t officially report them as “real” fishing news yet. It may be a week or two for the start of another Bluefish invasion, hopefully reminiscent of our last two seasons. Striped Bass continue to be in play and some fish are in the 30-inch range compared to the 18 to 24-inch fish of the past two weeks. Bridges with lights are best, especially when you work the light-shadow line as hungry Bass patrol awaiting current-swept baitfish. Soft plastics worked along this line will produce a good portion of the strikes. Blackfish are continuing to get better, but there are only about 15 days remaining until the season closure & reopening in July. So, get out there and bag some Tog.
So, here’s this week’s rundown:
Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported good Striped Bass action towards the south end of the Point Pleasant canal to the Route 37 bridge. The shop’s fishing expert, Jason said, “It’s been an epic bite at night on 16 to 26-inch fish with an occasional keeper in the mix.” The 4-inch Shad body in white pearl or the Fin-S pink-ice fished on a 3/8oz jighead has been the “local” way to go. Winter Flounder is still a viable option around the Mantoloking Bridge and the fish are great in terms of quality. Most fisherman have easily got their 2-fish limit, taking home 14 to 16 inch blackbacks. Tog are biting up to 18 inches on Joe Bag’s tog jigs, but most boats are taking the run to our southern reef sites being south of Garden State North. The beach bite is giving up some Striped Bass up to 31 inches and the Raritan Bay is still on fire for Stripers.
Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park had a similar report to last week with not much changing in terms of influx of new species. Island Beach State Park, both out front and in the back, is still giving up small Striped Bass on Clams, Bloodworms, or paddle tail soft plastics. It changes and depends on the level of activity of the Stripers. The store-owner has not heard of any Bluefish invading Barnegat Bay yet, but that could change at any time.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported small Striped Bass at the mouth of Oyster Creek for anglers throwing Al Gag’s plastics or Bloodworms. Winter Flounder are still being boxed along the Oyster Creek outflow line, but you need to chum heavy. Bloodworms have been the bait of choice. Small Bluefish have only been unconfirmed from anglers fishing the mouth of the Creek. There have been some decent sized Blue claws taken directly in the outflow creek. Tog fishing has been good out-front and south of Barnegat Inlet. Boaters have been hitting the artificial reef sites and boxing keeper Blackfish to 19 inches along with some nice Cod.
Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine had lots of short Striped Bass invading the surf with some anglers catching up to 20 in a single session. The only problem has been that most are well shy of the 28-inch mark. The shop is still officially waiting for its first keeper Striper to be weighed in. Joe Connolly had 12 short Striped Bass on Bloodworm with the biggest at 22 inches. There are also a lot of Dogfish in the surf, but it still provides good action especially for kids. The shop has received some sporadic reports of Bluefish and Black Drum. On a tog note, the Brigantine and Atlantic City jetties are still providing action for anglers dropping Green Crabs.
Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported decent Striped Bass action throughout most of the back bay and even some on the surf fronts up to 27 inches. The back-bay areas along any tidal creeks or structure points are providing solid action on soft plastics and swimming plugs. Tog fishing has been good for most boaters throwing the hook around our inshore reef sites. It is recommended fishing from Garden State South reef site on southward as most of the better reports have come from these areas.
Togging has been fair to good in the Cape May vicinity with some anglers boxing their limits up to 9 pounds, but it all depends on your wreck or debris field. Most of the Tog have been in the 4 to 6-pound range. If you’re not getting bites, then move around until you find them. Striped Bass are being caught on Bloodworms and soft plastics from jetties along the beach and Delaware Bay side. Although it’s been a lot of shorts, some Bass to 31 inches have been iced but you must work hard for them. There hasn’t been any solid reports of Drum or Bluefish yet, but things should start to change in the coming weeks.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
We seem to be in that early season holding pattern as the water temperatures slowly creep up and fish migrate in to our areas. There are a couple of good options for anglers heading into this weekend. First, Tog fishing may be the best bet especially for anglers South of Barnegat Light. Land-based anglers should take the drive and drop on the AC expressway because some of those jetties have been very consistent on Tog. Schoolie Striped Bass are still providing a good portion of the action, Point Pleasant to Cape May, but as most of the shops have indicated the number of keeper Bass has slowly increased. And the third option is for anglers fishing the Mantoloking Bridge area as it has been absolutely on fire for quality-keeper Winter Flounder. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!