Southern New Jersey Fishing Report - November 22, 2017

With so much “Thanks” going around during the Thanksgiving holiday, as a charter captain, I’m “thankful” for the Striped Bass that comes along and devours the bunker attached to my client’s hook.  The winds of November have been hitting our area hard with “gale warnings” posted a few days this past week with winds approaching 40 knots, but it didn’t stop the fish.  A few hardy souls made it out and reported good catches of Striped Bass in the 20- to 40-pound range.  With the hard West and Northwest winds, the fish were tight to the beach and so were the bunker, birds, and whales.  The fish are migrating fast with fish moving from Manasquan Inlet to Island Beach State Park in a single work shift.  I’m hearing of a smaller size class to 30 inches in Long Island, which unfortunately may signal the tail-end of the run.  In contrast, our Blackfish is just getting ramped up and charter, head-boats, and recreational sharpies have been hitting local wrecks to nail limits of keeper Tog.  Lastly, and most important, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving so enjoy the time with friends and family and hopefully your enjoying it on the water.

Here is this week’s rundown:

The Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported a sporadic Striped Bass bite with fish rolling on the surface, but minimal takers.  The boat has worked hard following the schools of bait, birds, and fish.  The skipper has seen the Bass stacked on the fish finder, but bites have been hit or miss on jigs and bait.

Fisherman’s Supply in Point Pleasant reported small Striped Bass still making anglers happy in the Manasquan River.  Soft plastics and small bucktails have been the ticket for these small feisty fish.  Boaters have been catching a good amount of fish, but you need to run South as far as Seaside to find schools of quality Stripers.  Most of these fish have ranged from 15 to 25 pounds and have been caught on live-lined Bunker.  Tog fishing remains solid for most anglers able to work 30 to 45 feet of water and multiple limit days have been reported.  There has been some whispers of fall Bluefin, but that remains un-confirmed.

Norma K III in Point Pleasant Beach are in full swing for Blackfish and there have been quite a few keepers coming over the rail.  Green crabs have been working well on the fish, but anglers are starting to get keepers on the white leggers.  The only problem has been the winds which have hampered the bite or have made the Tog bite very difficult to feel.  The boat will be sailing everyday for 3/4-day trips.

The Gambler in Point Pleasant has been working hard for the Striped Bass traveling as far as Island Beach State Park in search of feeding Bass.  This past week they did find some in deeper water on snagged bunker and the bass ranged from 15 to 25 pounds.

The MIMI VI in Point Pleasant has been working hard on both open-boat and full charters for Striped Bass and Blackfish.  The boat will be sailing for both species through the rest of this month and into December.

Betty and Nick’s Bait & Tackle in Seaside Park reported bigger fish offshore up to 3 miles away, whereas the Island Beach State Park surf fisherman have been nailing the smaller 23 to 28 fish with some regularity.  Most of the fish have been caught in the morning or around dusk on worked bucktails tipped with Otter tails in the suds.  A few anglers have been able to hook decent sized Stripers, but they are further North up to Ortley.

Carolyn Ann III in Barnegat Light targeted Blackfish for the season opener and had some decent action on Tog up to 5 pounds.  Some anglers were able to catch a near limit of Tog and all aboard have been going home with fish.  The boat was cancelled over the weekend due to the severe windage, but will be back at it Black Friday and through the rest of the weekend.

Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported good action on trolling White and Green Bunker spoons in 55 to 60 feet of water off Island Beach State Park.  Chartreuse and Green Mojo’s have also worked with a good percentage of hookups.  Snag-n-drop action has been hit or miss depending where you are and how many boats are around.  Most of the Striped Bass brought into the shop have ranged from 20 to 30 pounds.  Blackfish have slowed down off the inlet jetties with the fish starting to move to slightly deeper inshore snags.  Anglers have reported good Tog fishing in 25 to 30 feet of water.

Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin reported some hit or miss action along Barnegat Inlet on shorter Striped Bass.  There have been some small birds working bait and bass up to 18 inches have been under them.  Most boats have been working the snag-n-drop from Ortley to the Bathing Beach in hopes of landing keeper Stripers.  The key has been locating the feeding fish with smaller amounts of boats around them.

Riptide Bait & Tackle in Brigantine reported good Striped Bass fishing before the weekend blow, but the shop hasn’t received any recent surf or boat reports in the last day or two for the ocean.  Most of the bigger sized Striped Bass schools have been off Atlantic City and are well within reach of boaters.  Anglers working the inlet and backwaters at night are still picking up Striped Bass and there are some Blackfish to be had at the jetties.  The shop will be open on Thanksgiving and will have its annual Black Friday sale.

Fin-Atics in Ocean City reported Striped Bass from Atlantic City to Ocean City and these fish have been on Bunker schools.  The fish are pushing South, and anglers should have shots at them through the Thanksgiving weekend.  The Tog bite has been ultra hot and are being caught from Ocean City to Avalon along the local jetties and bridges.  The local bridges remain prime hotspots for Tog action, so now is the time.  Anglers working the Ocean City, Great Egg, and Townsends reef sites have been successful in finding limits of keepers up to 4 pounds.

The Wildwood and Cape May area has seen lots of Bunker and Whales, but the Striped Bass have been a little harder to come by.  Successful anglers have found them early in the morning or late in the day as snag-n-drop fishing, but it has been super spotty.  There are some big schools of 20- to 40-pound Stripers reported off of Atlantic City, but they are still not within range of most of the Cape May fleet.  This hopefully will change by Thanksgiving as the fish are reportedly moving south fast.  Togging remains fairly good when boats can make it out as the big problem up and down South Jersey has been the winds.  The inlet jetties and closer snags have been the best for keeper Tog as the water is still a tad on the warm side.

South Jersey Fishing Forecast

The best bet for this weekend will be to target Blackfish and/or Striped Bass as the weather looks alright for Thanksgiving morning and through the weekend, but that could change by the hour.  If you plan on fishing for both species, be advised that you can’t bring Striped Bass over the 3-mile line.  So either fish for blackfish first or find wrecks and snags within the 3-mile line.  With a new wave of Striped Bass coming down, the jigging bite may be upon Manasquan to Little Egg Inlet fisherman by this weekend.  Some of the Stripers have been coughing up sand-eels, so pick up some of those S&S Slimfish jigs or AVA’s as they mirror the bait to a tee.  Areas to the south of Long Beach Island should be seeing the bunker-eating Bass, so snag-n-drop or trolled Maja’s should do the trick.  If you plan on working the inlets or backwaters, it’s best to work them on a flood tide as the water will be at the warmest and you should find feeding fish.   Tog fisherman should inshore wrecks to 50 feet and try to find good pieces of structure holding schools of Blackfish.  It is important to work the entire wreck before moving to the next piece.  Green Crabs should be used when targeting Tog in the Fall, but most experienced Toggers will use White Leggers or some other not-so-common crab to put the true white-chins in the box.  Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!