Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
Happy Halloween eve! We are starting to see some striped bass to 40-inches plus hitting the area from Island Beach State Park to Long Beach Island and this week. Speaking of striped bass, it’s worth noting the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council (ASMFC) recently voted status quo for striped bass regulations in 2026.
Anglers working live baits are catching striped bass during the day out front, and night tides have yielded some keepers in the backwaters and tidal creeks. Sea bass moved quite a ways out, with better action occurring from 20 to 40 miles offshore, depending on your homeport’s location. Clam baits are producing lots of porgies, with some approaching hubcap size. Tautog fishing was better over the weekend, but slowed down due to churned up, dirty water over the past few days. November is upon us, and that means surfcasters will be hitting the sand with metals, plastics and swimming plugs for striped bass! Let’s go!
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River reported striped bass picking up natural baits along the Toms River and Route 37 bridges. Anglers working green crabs at the northern jetty of Barnegat Inlet have been finding keepers at the edge of the submerged jetty.
Salty Love Sportfishing in Forked River said there has been some yellowfin tuna action offshore, but unfortunately the bite is more than a 100-mile run from Barnegat Inlet, as the fish have moved some distance south. The boat will try to make it out this upcoming week after the seas subside, as better striper reports have started to trickle in.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said most of the tuna moved south and the shop heard of several being caught from the Wilmington Canyon. The bite closer to home has consisted of sea bass to 30 miles out and tautog off the inlet jetty and condominiums off Barnegat Light. The mid-week blow stirred up the water, putting a halt to the bite, plus the heavy winds and some rain kept most anglers at home. Striped bass, they said, have been caught on eels at night from the channels in Barnegat Bay.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown took the weekend off to restock the boat with striped bass and tautog gear for the rest of the season. The boat will be running throughout the week and weekends until the end of the season, so give them a ring to secure a date. The skipper also dropped some new apparel online and already has orders stacked in the queue, so check out what’s available.
The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light continued to work some of the inshore wrecks to find a good mix of porgies and sea bass. There have been a ton of small sea bass, while keepers have been few and far between.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City reported striped bass taking live baits in the backwaters and inlets, with some up to 38 inches on live eels at night. Anglers working small plugs and soft plastics at the area bridges are also catching bass, but only a few schoolies here and there. White perch, they said, have been taking bloodworms on two-hook rigs in the upper Mullica River.
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Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point had a few striped bass weighed in earlier in the week, all of which fell for live spot. The bay and inlets have a decent amount of schoolie to keeper-size striped bass around. Tautog up to 3.5 pounds, taken on some of shop’s green crabs, were also weighed in this week. They sold out of the coveted Stride Baits glides in several minutes once they opened, but they said they should be getting another shipment in.
Waterfront Marine in Somers Point said the yellowfin and bigeye tuna have moved south and were caught by some boats that ran to the Wilmington Canyon. Sea bass, along with a good dose of porgies, are at the wrecks from 30 to 50 miles out. The tautog bite remained strong for another week with green crabs working on fish to 4 pounds off the bridges.
Captain Brian Williams of Badfish Charters in Ocean City said the backwaters have some good bass fishing with schoolies to fish in the 30-inch-plus range being caught on a variety of lures, plugs, and flies. With cooler water temperatures, the fish are clearly becoming very active on both sides of the tide. The skipper has some openings this coming week, so give him a ring.
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Captain Joe Hughes of Jersey Cape Guide Service in Sea Isle City has still been up in Montauk tangling and said he’s finding blitzing striped bass to 38 inches nearly every day. The skipper expects it to take several weeks before these fish make it to our area, but he will be back in Jersey waters targeting sea bass and albies in November.
The Cape May and Fortescue area had good numbers of jumbo white perch in some of the creeks and tidal rivers which dump into Delaware Bay. Bloodworms on two-hook rigs in 8- to 15-foot holes have been working. Sea bass fishing remained solid over the weekend, with the wrecks to 30 miles out producing jumbo humpheads. Striper fishing has been slow off the beaches, but better along the marshes on the western side of the ICW, although most of the fish have been smaller, schoolie bass. Tog fishing continued to be excellent throughout the weekend, but the mid-week blow hindered most efforts. Green crab on jigs still remain the best choice for most anglers fishing the rocks, jetties, and piers.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for the weekend will be to hit the sand on Sunday morning with the prime locations being from Island State Park south through Brigantine. Anglers casting metals and plugs or soaking bunker chunks should have shots at stripers, but don’t count out the bivalves, as casting out a gob of surf clam will likely entice a few bass.
The seas should be manageable if you’re looking for sea bass, so jumping on a head boat, especially from Atlantic or Cape May counties, will be your best bet for a box of keepers. I suggest using smaller hooks, as there have been quite a few porgies around and pre-tied rigs may have hooks a tad too large for porgies. Sometimes, (hook) size does matter.
Nighttime anglers should work the local bridges, lighted docks and piers with small swim shads and Fin-S soft plastics for schoolie bass. Remember, it’s always great just to bend the rod. Good luck, be safe and tight lines!