Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
We are back and it feels great, especially after one of the snowiest winters in recent memory, not to mention the frigid temperatures during January and February. It’s nice to finally see the grass again. Even some of the pavement is exposed at the bridges, allowing anglers to target our resident striped bass.
It seems most shops, boatyards, and charters are a tad behind schedule due to Old Man Winter’s fury. The early season fishing scene has consisted of white perch and a few schoolie striped bass, but overall it’s been a tad slow due to colder temperatures. My wife took a ride to the lighthouse and snapped a cool video of a seal with a nice blackfish, which looked like a keeper, in it’s mouth. Check it out below.
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With temperatures starting to rise and the show/expo scene coming to a close, angler participation soon will get back to normal, healthy levels.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River had a busy winter and has added a bunch of new products for striped bass, fluke, and tautog. Bloodworms have been a hot seller as white perch and some striped bass are being caught along parts of the Toms River. The bay has been relatively quiet, but there should be a few winter flounder around in the coming weeks.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said they will be open only on weekends through most of March, but will be back full-time later in March when more striped bass start to bite. The shop said white perch have been caught in parts of the Toms and Mullica rivers, but it’s been a slow start due to the winter. The Long Beach Island bridges have been rather slow with very low angler activity as well as cooperative bass.
Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown has been working on both vessels for the 2026 season and will be targeting striped bass and winter flounder in March, followed by tautog in April. The crew has roughly 95 trips booked out for 2026 with only a handful of dates left for the season, so give them a call.
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The Super Chic crew out of Barnegat Light is working on general maintenance and preparation for the 2026 season. The skipper is looking to hit April tautog if there is enough participation, but May sea bass will be their official starting point.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor City was busy stocking shelves in preparation for the 2026 season, with offshore to bay gear lining the store. The white perch bite has been hit or miss with the western parts of the Mullica River valley producing better action. Grass shrimp has been the best bait if you can find or net them, but bloodworms are working on perch as well as small striped bass. The shop has a variety of tautog jigs and gear for the April opener, so stop in.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point received a massive order of NLBNs for the season and these lures have been phenomenal on back bay striped bass and even weakfish in May. The shop is regularly stocking normal and jumbo-sized bloodworms for anglers targeting white perch in some brackish rivers and creeks. Striped bass are in play, but bait-and-wait is the best method right now as temperatures are on the chilly side for these fish.
Waterfront Marine in Somers Point reported some white perch being caught, but the striped bass scene has been rather slow since melted bay ice and low water temperatures have kept the bite cold. The shop is expecting striper action to heat up this week as our temperatures will hit some nice highs. They said anglers are starting the boat preparation process and participation should increase in the coming weeks.
Badfish Charters out of Ocean City recently spent some time in the warmer tropics to refresh, but the skipper is back and the boat is prepped for the spring season. Capt. Brian said he will begin targeting back bay stripers this week with the bounce in warmer temperatures.
The Cape May and Fortescue area continues to be slow with a few striped bass being caught in the rivers emptying into the Delaware Bay. White perch have been around in lower numbers, but really nice in terms of size. Water temperatures are still pretty cold and most shops are restocking and getting ready for the warmer spring season.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The best bet for this weekend will be to get outdoors and finally enjoy some nice temperatures as most of us have been caged inside for a good portion of the winter. There are some boat and tackle shows that you can attend, and it’s also a good time of year to start prepping your gear if you haven’t already. Stripers are a good bet in the coming weeks, especially in the backwaters, as beaches won’t see much action until May. Some of the bridges and accessible sod banks are good places to start, and it doesn’t hurt to engage in friendly conversations with local anglers to get keyed into the fish patterns. Our South Jersey shops are great places for this kind of info, so I would suggest starting there.
Our fishing umpire just yelled, “Play ball!” Let the fishing season begin—it will only get better from here. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!