Southern New Jersey Fishing Report - April 23, 2020

Another wild week in terms of weather as most of the state could not get a break from the winds that kept most anglers at the dock. Anglers who made it out reported a good bite on tog, as the bite seems to be getting even better at the wrecks and reef sites. Green crabs and white-leggers are the baits of choice. Anglers received good news from the Governor with the opening of marinas, but headboats and charter boats received a huge blow as the ban continued amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Striped bass and even some weakfish are being landed in the backwaters on bloodworms. Tog continue to be the main fish for table fare right now as most of the striped bass are on the smaller side, but that should begin changing as the waters begin to warm and we start seeing some of the migratory bass. Things should start to really start popping if we can get a few days of warmer weather.

Here is this week’s rundown:

Creekside Outfitters in Waretown has been busy stocking the store with crabs, worms, and killies as the shop is doing curbside and local deliveries. Fishing has been good for tog at most of the wrecks on the Barnegat Light Reef site and off the North Jetty for the boats. Striped bass fishing continues to be solid around the area bridges and along the sod banks. Bloodworms have been working well on these bay bass.

Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown/Barnegat Light had to cancel quite a few of their April Tog trips due to Covid-19 which will continue over the next few weeks. In the meantime, the skipper has been running family-only trips targeting tog and striped bass. As soon as the ban is lifted, the boat will resume its full-time charter schedule.

The

out of Barnegat Light continues to book trips for May and they are tentatively going to start running sea bass trips around May 15^th depending on the situation.

Fisherman’s Headquarters on Long Beach Island reported a good bite on striped bass early in the week with the bridge areas getting the most play. The bite subsided later in the week, mostly due to the increased boat traffic. Tog fishing has been very good from the end of the South Jetty as the majority of the inlet jetty is closed to anglers due to the government’s ban. Barnegat Light and Surf City are the only two beaches open on Long Beach Island.

Absecon Bay Sportsman in Absecon had masked anglers weighing in tog to five pounds during this past week. Most of the fish have been hitting green crabs off the jetties along the Atlantic City area. Dave said a lot of the quality fish are in the Raritan, but locally there are plenty of shorts to contend with. Soft plastics and small plugs worked along the riverbanks, channels, and bridges are producing. The shop is open for curbside pickups, so give them a call.

Offshore Bait & Tackle in Atlantic City reported a decent striped bass bite at night with more keepers beginning to hit some of the coolers. Bloodworms, clam baits, and artificials are producing the striped bass especially around some of the bridges. Tog are biting well off the jetties, but even better at some of the local wrecks. Most of the keeper tog have ranged from 3 to 6 pounds. The shop is open for curbside pickups and their phones have been fixed.

Fin-Atic’s in Ocean City reported some nice striped bass action from the local bridges and backwater sods with anglers scoring on double digit on numbers. Most of the bass have been in the 16 to 26 inch range. Keeper tog have been landed off the jetties for anglers working jigs and green crabs. The shop is open on a limited basis, but can also answer questions through their Facebook.

Badfish Charters in Ocean City is still waiting for the New Jersey governor to lift the ban on charter and headboats for the state. The skipper has been having fun on light tackle striped bass in the Great Egg Harbor River.

Sea Isle Bait & Tackle in Sea Isle said that the tog fishing has been very good in the Sea Isle area as anglers are finding keepers off the jetties, around the bridges, and at the reef sites. Local anglers in the back bays have caught striped bass and even some weakfish with most of the action coming on bloodworms or soft plastics. The shop is available for curbside pickup Thursday through Monday.

Avalon Hodge Podge in Avalon is still getting the store ready for the May 1st, but the fishing is on. Tog have been hitting from most of the wrecks and rockpiles with green crab being the top bait. Striped bass have been picking up soft plastics at night, as there has been an uptick of small schoolies.

Jersey Bait & Tackle in North Wildwood is still closed and there have been no news on when the shop will re-open for the season.

Peace Token Fishing Tackle in Cape May Court House is doing curbside pickups and the store is stocked with green crab. Tog fishing has been excellent at the Wildwood and Cape May reef sites. Anglers working the inlet rocks are also catching good numbers of Tog, but have too work a little harder to find keepers. Most of the sod or sedge banks along the backwaters are prime locations to catch striped bass and bloodworms have been the way to go.

Jim’s Bait & Tackle in Cape May is open for curbside pickups and the shop has a big order in for clams, as the drum season will be starting in the next few weeks. Striped bass continue to pick up bloodworms in the backwaters and anglers working bunker up the Delaware Bay are starting to find some keepers.

Greenhorn Outdoors in Bridgeton reported a decent striped bass bite in the Delaware Bay as more and more Striped bass begin making their way out of the Delaware River. Bunker has been working on some of these bigger fish. Bloodworms continue be good for targeting bass along the Cohansey River. The shop is open and has live baits stocked.

South Jersey Fishing Forecast

The best bet for this weekend will be to fish from land or the bay as the conditions for ocean tog or striped bass look a little sporty. Green crabs are the ticket right now as most of the bites are occurring on these. Jigs for tog are a great method to try, especially off the local jetties as you can use very light weights and feel the bite. Striped Bass fishing remains a bloodworm game right now for most of South Jersey. Areas in the Delaware Bay are starting to see bigger Striped Bass, so try pitching out some chunked bunker or fresh clam. Anglers working the evening tides have been reporting better action on the striped bass. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!