Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
Sweet water trout and salty tautog are on the table for New Jersey anglers this week. The long-awaited tog season opened on April 1, and the newly-stocked trout waters are in play beginning this weekend. Most of the shops reported slower togging as the wind and weather have been wreaking havoc for boats trying to breach the inlet to hit the inshore wrecks. Anglers working the inlet rocks found a few cooperative tog in the keeper range, but overall, the bite was slow with dirty water.
Striped bass fishing has been getting better and better, especially in some of the bay areas with fish to 35 inches in the mix. If you happen to check most of the bayside webcams, ospreys have been a welcome sight in their springtime nest sites. Over the past few days, some have been seen feeding on bunker, which is a great sign for the spring run of striped bass.
The striped bass bonus permit program will be starting on May 15th, so stay tuned to NJ Fish & Wildlife for more information regarding applications.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River received a shipment of fresh surf clams over the past week as more surfcasters are beginning to soak clams for the first wave of migratory striped bass. In addition, clam is not a bad bait for tautog off the north jetty of Barnegat Light. Striped bass have even been hitting some plugs and bucktails off the jetties on outgoing tides.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said the shop has been busy with nightcrawlers, green crabs, and bloodworms going out the door. Anglers working the nearby ponds and reservoirs are finding cooperative largemouth. Tog off the north jetty and some of the close wrecks have been producing bites, but overall it’s been a slower start. Bloodworms in the bay, and in the Toms and Mullica rivers, produced striped bass and white perch this week.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown had a late cancellation due to strong winds, but ended up fishing a small window for close to a dozen stripers up to 29 inches caught on Yo-Zuri plugs. The skipper is running the skiff during weekdays for afternoon striped bass and tautog trips.
The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light continues to service the vessel for the upcoming season, so give them a ring to get dates for availability on inshore, wreck, or canyon trips.
Tony’s Bait & Tackle in Manahawkin had some quality reports of striped bass in Barnegat Bay all the way south to Graveling Point with fish being taken on bloodworms and plugs. The Beach Haven West area is still giving up some white perch on grass shrimp, but the bite has slowed a tad from the prior weeks. The Light produced a few tog from the jetty rocks, but it was slow due to the dirtier water. Clam, green crab, and even shrimp are the baits to dunk for early season white chins.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City reported good striped bass fishing from Graveling Point on clam and bloodworm while it’s been a red-hot bite on soft plastics and plugs for Mullica River anglers. Most of the striped bass have been in the schoolie range (19 to 25 inches), but quite a few keepers have been in the mix at both locations. White perch fishing continues to be a good bet along parts of the brackish rivers in the area. Toggers scored on some early season fish from the local jetties on jigs tipped with green crabs, but it was definitely a scratchy bite!
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point had a solid opening tautog report in the bay with a few nice white chins in the mix. The shop has a full lineup of green crabs and clam baits for tautog fishermen, and bloodworms for striped bass anglers. Striped bass fishing continued to improve along the sod banks and marshes as anglers connected with a few fish in the 29-inch range on plugs. A few schools of bunker have been reported out front, so it shouldn’t be long before some of the larger stripers catch up.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City sent me a video with some nice striped bass being caught in local waters on light tackle. The skipper said there is more life each week in the area and stripers are really starting to take artificials and flies. The skipper will be running trips weekly, so give him a ring to wet a fly or do some light-tackle bass fishing.
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The Cape May and Fortescue area received better reports of some of the first large striped bass to 40 inches being caught in parts of the Delaware Bay on jumbo bloodworms and some clams. As you move closer to Cape May, striped bass are being caught on natural baits and artificials, with bait working along Delaware Bay shorelines and artificials behind Cape May and Wildwood. Steady white perch action continued in the rivers dumping into the big D. Tog fishermen had a decent opening day bite, but the weather, or more so, the winds, kept anglers at bay as the week progressed. The black drum bite will begin pretty soon as migrating fish begin to hit the bay, so try to reserve those clam bushels.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best conditions this weekend look to be on Saturday, compared to Sunday’s forecast of high winds. However, anglers may have to contend with a little precipitation on Saturday, so get those slickers and rain jackets ready. Striped bass are in play in most of the bays, with larger specimens coming from the Raritan and Delaware Bay; both locations are well worth the drive according to the most recent reports. Delaware Bay will likely produce better results on baits, especially jumbo bloodworms, whereas Raritan anglers will have better luck on artificial plugs and swim shads. Anglers looking to get out for some white chins should have fantastic opportunities this weekend to work bay, inlet, and shallow inshore spots. Green crabs, clams, shrimp, and even seaworms should all produce early season tautog. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!