You could not have asked for a better day for the opening day of Sea Bass as our area had flat seas, calm winds, and great weather. It was a “Game On” for most boats willing to fish the offshore wrecks 10 to 20 miles from shore. Most of the wrecks were loaded with Sea bass, Triggerfish, and Porgies as reported by the charter and head-boats. Boats working wrecks and snags closer to shore found themselves having to pick through throwback Sea Bass to find keepers. The Striped Bass action has been getting better as there were quite a few weigh-ins with bass ranging from 20 to 40 pounds. It should kick into gear this week as we finally have typical Fall-like temperatures arriving and staying around. Offshore had plenty of boats making the trek with the good seas and many did cash in on Tuna, Mahi, and the occasional Swordfish. The Island Beach State Park area south through Barnegat Light had a good number of False Albacore crashing on bay anchovies. They offered tremendous fly and light-tackle opportunities for anglers over the past week.
Here is this week’s rundown:
The Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported a “super” few days of fishing as the boat has been on monster Bluefish to 23 pounds along with a bunch of quality Sea Bass. There were a few Albacore caught in the mix on hammered jigs, but majority of the action for the blues and sea bass was on cut bait.
Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant had a few reports from anglers who targeted Sea Bass over the weekend, and it seems that the most productive boats targeted the deeper water. The Striped Bass bite has finally started with some consistency with catches being reported from Sandy Hook to Island Beach State Park. Most fish have been caught on the troll dragging either Maja spoons or Mojo rigs. Most of the hook-ups have been in the 45- to 60-foot ranges. The Manasquan River and Point Pleasant Canal had decent action on small Striped Bass and Bluefish. 1/2 to 3/8 lead heads tipped with Pink or White soft plastics produced the best results. The surf and close to the beach had a decent run of False Albacore hitting small metals such as Deadly Dicks and Daddy Mac Albie/Bonito Jigs. It should be a banner Blackfish season once it gets started in November because the bite so far has been absolutely “EPIC”. There are tons of good sized Tog from the inlet and from the rock-piles in the 35-foot depths. Green crabs tipped on jigs have been hammering the biggest keepers.
Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach reported good fishing for the weekend and the beginning of the week. Sea Bass and jumbo Porgies were making it over the rail, but anglers did have to pick through quite a few short Sea Bass. The boat will be sailing every day for bottom species, and hit the Bluefish every Friday and Saturday night.
The Gambler in Point Pleasant reported lively offshore action on Bluefin, Yellowfin, and Longfin Tuna. The boat worked the Bluefin Tuna grounds keeping their limit and released 20 to 30 pounders for a couple of hours. As the skipper moved and worked the edge of the canyons, the boat connected on Longfin Tuna to 60 pounds and a few big Yellowfin. The boat will be back at it this weekend for back to back trips to the deep.
The MIMI VI in Point Pleasant reported a good trip for Randy Rode and his charter as the crew put them on a few nice Yellowfin. With the Sea Bass season open, the skipper will be running a few open boat Sea Bass trips. It is best to check boat’s Facebook page or call the captain.
Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported anglers hooking up with False Albacore closer to the Barnegat Inlet on small metals. The surf had a decent number of shorter Striped Bass caught on plugs, darters, and poppers during the low-light periods. Boats had the greatest success on bass in the 20 to 40 range being caught from Ortley to Seaside on the troll. The reports have been both on the snag-n-drop and trolled Mojos or Spoons. There are still a good number of Bluefish to 15 pounds hanging around the North jetty in Barnegat Inlet which can easily be caught on artificials or Bunker chunks.
Carolyn Ann III in Barnegat Light reported a solid opening day of Sea Bass with some nice quality fish, but a higher number of throwbacks. There were quite a few Triggerfish making it into the coolers along some big Fluke being released back to the sea. The boat will be sailing every day from 8am to 2pm, so check the website for details.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported a good number of weigh-ins for Striped Bass caught by a variety of methods. Snag-and-Drop on bunker schools off Ortley and trolled Mojo’s and spoons off Seaside were the top producers for stripers in the 25- to 35-pound range. Anglers reported that it was a spotty bite, but if you got on them early you had success. The reef sites had a few keeper Sea Bass caught, but most reported shorts and Porgies. Oyster Creek is still holding Bluefish to 15 pounds which can be caught with Bunker chunks along the banks.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported a good amount of False Albacore outside Barnegat Inlet to the “Range” buoy. Small Ava jigs and hammered jigs worked quickly through the schools produced the best percentage of hookups. There has been an afternoon striper bite for anglers trolling bunker spoons from the Bathing Beach up to Seaside. Most fish have been caught on or near the 3-mile line. The Tautog bite continues to be excellent on the South jetty in Barnegat Light with fish taking Green Crabs on both the rig and the jig.
Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine reported Striped Bass in the back bays for anglers dragging eels or spot. Bucktails or lead heads tipped with Gulp Nemesis have been doing the trick, especially along the tidal creeks and sod banks. The shop did have their first Striped Bass brought in and the angler received a $25 Gift Card for his efforts. The bass was caught drifting the backwaters with live bait. The shop still has a $25 Gift Card for the first keeper Striped Bass caught off the Brigantine surf. Tog are still biting along the jetties in Atlantic City and around the inlet.
Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported a good opening to the Sea Bass season with the Ocean City and Great Egg reefs holding some fish. The water is still pretty warm on the oceanside, but it is offering up some Striped Bass on lures during the early morning hours. The surf has plenty of 12- to 15-inch Bluefish, Weakfish, and Kingfish hitting metals and bloodworms. The back bay has tons of action with Tog around the bridges by day and 20- to 24-inch Striped Bass hitting artificials at night. The 9th Street Bridge and surrounding sod banks have been the hottest locations for anglers.
The Wildwood and Cape May area are starting to see more keeper Striped Bass showing up around the rock piles near the beach front and at Cape May Point. Most of the bigger bass were caught either plugging or casting bucktails. There are plenty of small Bluefish around in high numbers and they have been taking just about any lure or bait. The Sea Bass opener had the best results on keepers in the 30-mile range. The Cape May reef site and Delaware Reef site #11 did have some keepers, but anglers had to pick through quite a few shorts. The offshore canyon bite has been hot on Mahi with a few Tuna and Wahoo being caught around the pots. The boats chunking during the night shift have been hooking up on Swordfish in the 200- to 300-pound range.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this weekend will be for Sea Bass in the deep and early morning Striped Bass. The only factor will be the marine forecast with Saturday’s forecast looking the best. Sunday’s winds do not look favorable as South winds to 25 knots have been predicted for good portion of the day. Sea Bass fisherman need to hit the deeper wrecks to produce more keepers as the water temperatures are still pretty warm inshore. Some of the biggest Sea Bass will hit jigged Ava’s or Diamonds over the wrecks. With the poor wind-cast, Sunday might be the day to hit the jetties and rockpiles by foot to produce Tog. Green crabs tipped on ¾- to 2-ounce jigs during the slower current periods should result in biting fish. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!
I’ve been mopping up on Fluke at the local reef sites in central jersey since Labor Day. Fluking has never been better, all of the freezers are full and neighbors are happy. Cheers!
If you want to catch keeper striped bass do yourself a favor head North on the parkway. The fall striped bass run on the beaches of Cape may County, rips , Delaware bay chunking all of it is a thing of the past. Just not worth the time or effort . Keeper Strip Bass have become the fish of a thousand cast here. Top fishermen finishing the fall season with like 5 keepers from the beach. That”s fishing almost everyday. In the 90’s the same guy had 500 keepers…. Steady decline. Yes , maybe a late shot of mojo trolling in late November past the 3 mile line..
Bill Dalton, This is multiple posts about catching out of season fish. U r obviously just trying to stir the pot. U r a moron.