This past week gave us a little taste of spring, and it was evident as I took a ride along the bayside communities and saw more activity at the boat yards. Striped bass anglers have been hitting the tackle shops for bloodworms and earthworms to target our South Jersey brackish rivers.
The Toms River has seen a hot bite on striped bass to 35 inches, but most have been smaller, of the schoolie variety. Although still slow, parts of Barnegat Bay are starting to produce better results on schoolie bass as well. A few anglers tried for winter flounder and found some around the “BB” buoy north. White perch are also chewing well in our region. Grass shrimp is the way to go when targeting these tasty perch, but if you can’t get them, try small pieces of bloodworm. We are at the halfway point for March, and in two weeks, tautog will be in play; time to dust off those tog jigs and fillet knives!
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River had another solid week of reports coming out of the Toms River area with anglers releasing bass up to 34 inches on live worms. Boats working the same areas are finding some action on topwater and soft-plastic shad-style lures. The shop also has been gearing up with gear for the surf as we await the spring striped bass migration.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said there has definitely been more foot traffic coming into the shop. Regular and jumbo bloodworms have been going out the door with more regularity. Fishing has been a tad slow along parts of Waretown and Barnegat, but it seems most anglers are hitting the Mullica or Toms River.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown continued to work on the vessels through the nicer weather over the past week. The skipper was able to sneak out to tangle with a few small schoolies earlier in the week with the skiff, but the wind kept the fly rods stowed. Soft plastics and small poppers accounted for the action on Barnegat Bay backwater bass.
-
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in New Jersey!
The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light said they will be back for the spring tautog and sea bass seasons beginning in April and May. Routine maintenance and some mandatory safety checks are in the process of being completed for the 2025 season. The skipper has dates available, so give them a call to get booked.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin received some “beautiful” bloodworms over the past week for anglers looking to target striped bass and/or white perch. The striper bite has been fair along the mid-island structure spots, but it should be better this upcoming week with later and later ebbing tides. Three- to 4-inch Storm shads, 4-inch pink finesse plastics, and 4.5-inch swimming plugs are good lures to work for these backwater bass.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City has been hearing of good white perch action on parts of the Mullica River west to Green Bank. Grass shrimp is the way to go if you can get them, but small pieces of cut bloodworm will also work. It seems there are a good number of schoolie resident bass hanging around.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point said the striped bass bloodworm bite was fairly good this week along the Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe rivers. The bridges had a few schoolies around on the outgoing tides, but the bay water has been a little churned up and cold. The shop had a shipment of Stride gliders come in a few days ago, but they don’t last too long as they are great striped bass baits.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City reported action on holdover striped bass with a few new arrivals into the bay system. Most of the fish have been in the 20-inch range, with a few fresh 30-inch fish mixed in; Capt. Brian said it was evident by the sea lice on their fins. There have been some gannets diving out front, which probably means there are some herring making their way into the bay. The skipper also added that bay temperatures are hovering around the mid to high 40’s.
The Cape May and Fortescue area had some reports of schoolie striped bass being caught and released along some of the back bay bridges. There hasn’t been much happening out front or on the big bay, but that will change in the coming weeks. White perch and striped bass are also being caught along the Maurice and Cohansey Rivers as you travel further west in the state. Most tackle shops and boat yards have seen more activity this past week, especially with the warmer spells. A few of the shops in Cape May said locals have been catching small striped bass to 20 inches on Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows worked ultra slow around some of the back bay tidal creeks and small bridges.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this weekend looks about the same for anglers targeting striped bass and white perch, but if you plan on going for perch, I would advise scooping up some grass shrimp. Most tackle shops have extendable dip nets, which are perfect for catching grass shrimp around docks, pilings, and boat ramps. Striped bass action is still better with live bloodworms, but if you can find warmer water (hint: head west), there have been cooperative fish on artificials. Good luck, Be Safe, and Tight Lines!