Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
Amidst the St. Patty’s holiday this week, some anglers found “striped gold” with bass on bloodworms in the western part of Barnegat and Great bays. I wouldn’t say it was a gangbusters bite, as some of the balled bloodworms soaked for a few hours yielded only one or two stripers, but considering the never-ending cold weather, it’s still a bite. Graveling Point had a few striped bass landed, but it was a similar “slow-go” bite.
White perch fishing has been much better for anglers working the Toms, Mullica, Tuckahoe, and extreme South Jersey rivers. Several anglers have asked their local shops about winter flounder action, and it seems there are some being caught slightly north around the Shark River area. We are just a few weeks away from the start of the tautog season, so think warm thoughts. We got this!
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River said most of the action has been along the Toms River from Route 9 out to the Route 37 bridges. Bloodworms soaked on high-low rigs are producing both striped bass and some solid perch to 2 pounds. Anglers wading off the banks are catching striped bass to 26 inches on X-Raps and 3- to 4-inch swim shads.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said there is slow, slow action on Barnegat Bay with just a few fish being caught for a lot of time and effort put in. The best bets have been the Toms River and Mullica River, but the shop has also heard of a few striped bass caught off Graveling Point on bloodworms and around the bridges on soft plastics. The shop will begin their weekday hours this week, so stop in to stock up some new gear.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown had to cancel the first trip due to rain and wind, but the skipper is looking to ply the backwaters next week on the skiff. The ocean vessel is set to be slipped next week barring any weather anomalies. The crew updated the website and now some gear/apparel can be purchased directly online.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light had a few delays due to the wacky weather, but a drier week afforded the crew to continue maintenance for the start of the season. Tautog and sea bass are first up on the agenda, so book with Capt. Ted now to get your date secured.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City said it’s been a pretty solid bite in parts of the Mullica for white perch, especially if you can find and use grass shrimp. Bloodworms are still catching a few, along with a striped bass or two. Anglers working some of the creeks and sod marshes on the western side of Absecon Bay are catching striped bass on Gulp baits. The shop has a wide selection of soft plastics to target bayside striped bass in the coming weeks.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point has been selling regular and jumbo bloodworms as anglers slowly pick away at Absecon and Great Egg Harbor Bay stripers. If you can meander up the Great Egg Harbor River, there are some stripers being landed on soft plastics and worms. White perch are also being caught, but much further up the rivers. The bridges also have some striped bass around, but the area needs some warm-weather days to heat things up.
Waterfront Marine in Somers Point said there have been quite a few striped bass coming from bridges around Somers Point and more up the river depending on the tide. Outgoing has been the best, especially if you can find a warm weather window.
Badfish Charters in Ocean City started running around the backwaters and Capt. Brian said he found water in the 50-degree range, while it was 41°F back around the inlet due to the ocean influence. Holdovers continue to chew, but it’s been pretty sporadic action as they seem to be spread along some of the sod banks and points. The skipper said he has some available dates in the next two weeks for backwater bass.
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Captain Joe Hughes of Jersey Cape Charters in Sea Isle City is still fishing in the keys for the rest of this month, but said he heard the bass are starting to chew in the backwaters of Sea Isle and Wildwood. Soft plastics and an outgoing tide are the best bet for steady action.
The Cape May and Fortescue area had better angler participation over the past two weeks with more folks braving the elements to catch striped bass. The Fortescue Beach area had a few bass to 20 inches caught and released on bloodworms. The rivers dotting the Delaware Bay landscape seem to have a good amount of white perch in them with some weighing over two pounds.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for anglers looking to wet a line this weekend is to target striped bass or white perch during the afternoon. The morning tides are incoming and will have water temperatures at their lowest, making fishing challenging to say the least. The late afternoon should provide the best possible conditions and if you work the western slabs of the bays, stripers along with perch should be feeding. Boat anglers can drift bloodworms for striped bass, or anchor up with potential for winter flounder and white perch. But it doesn’t hurt to cast a ball of bloods far from the boat and wait on the soak. Night anglers can target the area bridges to find sporadic bass action, but don’t count out walking the sods and hitting the tidal creek entrances. Lures of choice are 3- to 4-inch swim shads, 4- to 5-inch Berkley Nemesis Gulps, or small X-Raps. Regardless of the lure, this time of year requires anglers to work artificials “ultra-slow”.
Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!