(Above) Captain Brian Williams of Badfish Charters in Ocean City shared this picture of a happy customer with a beautiful schoolie on the fly. (@captbrianwilliams)
The Atlantic is ALIVE! The striped bass scene has blown right open for the northern parts of our area with reports of 40 to 60 pound bass exploding on bunker from Mantoloking south to Long Beach Island. There has been some bluefin and whales working the same pods and anglers have described it as “simply amazing”. Canyons are loaded with yellowfin and most boats have been returning to port with filled coolers. Beach fisherman have not been left out as the striper bite has been excellent for anglers from the Seaside to Island Beach State Park surf. There were some solid reports of 50 to 60 pounders being landed. Sea bassing has been excellent for action, but tough on keepers as the 13 inch minimum has most going back.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River had excellent reports from the beaches of Lavallette to Barnegat Inlet with anglers releasing 40+ inch fish off the surf. AVA jigs, plugs, and chunked bunker have been getting the best results. Anglers working the rocks with jigs and crab baits have been finding some cooperative tog.
Lacey Marine in Forked River reported a banner week for striped bass fishing off IBSP as the surf has been alive with bass to 48+ inches. Anglers chunking bunker, throwing big plugs and poppers have been scoring on quality bass.
Jerzey Buoyz Sportfishing found some time to get the family out on the large striped bass swimming off IBSP and LBI. The captain’s nephew released a beauty over 44 inches which was caught on live bunker. The crew has some dates left for striped bass and tautog, so give them a call.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown received excellent reports of striped bass blowing up on bunker over the past weekend. Active pods were found from Barnegat Inlet to Mantoloking and most of the action was tight to the beaches. Sea bass fishing has been challenging as there are tons of small stuff. The canyons were on-fire for yellowfin, swordfish, and mahi over the past few days.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown took some much needed time off the water this past weekend as the skipper enjoyed a mini-vacation with his family to VA. The crew is set to hit the water this upcoming week for sea bass, tautog, and stripers and there are some dates left for stripers for the fall.
The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light was busy hitting the offshore canyons for yellowfin as the bite was “excellent” over the past week. The crew said good bites on mahi around the pots. The boat will continue to sail for pelagics, before changing to striped bass in the late fall.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin had similar reports of the epic bass bite off both LBI and Island Beach. Big cows were caught and released on mostly live bunker from the boats and caught with large swimmers off the surf. Anglers working the wrecks from 5 to 8 miles out have been finding some keeper sea bass, but over 13 inch have been hard to come by. The bay has a good amount of striped bass being picked up around the marshy areas. Tautog fishing remained solid off the inlet rocks with keepers being landed, but bring lots of crab as there are tons of shorts.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City said it was yellowfin, yellowfin, and more yellowfin coming from the Hudson, Toms, and Wilmington canyons. Mahi are on the pots just shy of the canyons and can be easily caught on the chunk. Wreck fishing has been solid for sea bass on the deeper wrecks, and tautog remain solid off the rocks, jetties, and bridges in our areas. Green crabs tipped on 1/2 to 1oz tog jigs provide ample opportunities for fisherman.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point received a few shipments of green crabs for the hot tautog bite occurring off the jetties. Sea bass fishing has been excellent on shorts and keepers, but consider fishing the deeper wrecks. Schoolie striped bass continue to fall for soft plastics in the backwaters during the evening tides. The big news of the week has been the excellent tuna bite happening in the canyons.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City continued to work some of the areas in the back for schoolie striped bass, but the skipper has also hit the big water for some of the larger stripers. There are still dates remaining for striper fishing in the coming weeks.
The Cape May and Wildwood area had a mix of everything over the past few days with good action on schoolie striped bass in the back, sea bass coming from the Wildwood and Cape May reefs, and yellowfin tuna coming from the canyons. There are plenty of tog to keep anglers interested up and down most of the rocks along the inlet. Green crabs or sand fleas have been working equally for most of these fish.
-
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in New Jersey!
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for the weekend will be to hit the offshore canyons if you have the means as the yellowfin bite has been epic. In addition, there have been quite a few swordfish and mahi in the mix. Sea bassing has been filled with shorts as reported by most of the shops up and down the coast, but to finding keepers requires structure in 100 to 120 feet. The sea conditions may not be doable for Saturday sea bassing, but Sunday should provide opportunities. Beach fisherman should have a shot at some bigger striped bass as some of the first schools have made their way down. Poppers, darters, and swimmers are perfect to work in the early mornings for stripers feeding on bunker. Be careful with these fish as most have been over the size limit, make it a quick photo and get them swimming. Good Luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!