Southern New Jersey Fishing Report
Striped bass fever has officially hit Ocean through Cape May counties, with schools of 35- to 50-inch bass migrating along the coast and marauding schools of menhaden. Some pods of bait are swimming along undisturbed, while others are being balled up and annihilated at the surface. A few whales have even gotten in on the bunker-busting action. The large majority of these fish are over the size limit, so it’s imperative to handle them carefully and be as quick as possible with photos before releasing them.
Most shops reported better action in the bays, especially from Great Bay south through Sea Isle City, with plenty of shorts and keepers in the backwaters. Barnegat Bay has been much tougher. It’s unclear whether the dredging has anything to do with it, but local shops report noticeably fewer bass in the usual back-bay spots. Tautog fishing has been off the charts just about anywhere you drop a line from Manasquan Inlet to Cape May, with green crabs, sand fleas, and white crabs (if you can get them) doing the trick. There hasn’t been much word on offshore pelagics from our area, although a few northern boats got into bluefin 10 to 30 miles out. Sea bassing has been a tad more challenging from the Ocean County ports, while the southern ports are seeing more keepers, especially out of Wildwood and Cape May.
Here is this week’s rundown:
Hook House Bait & Tackle in Toms River reported a fair number of oversized striped bass caught both from boats working close to Island Beach State Park and from the beach. Bass ranging from 31 to 49 inches are hitting large swimming plugs and live-lined bunker. The tog bite has been solid for IBSP anglers working the rocks with sand fleas and green crabs, and there are plenty of tog along the jetties. A few short bass are being caught in the Toms River and around the Route 37 bridge on the night tides.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown had one of the few pelagic reports this week, with a few nice swordfish caught in the canyons. A few bluefin have also been caught off Monmouth County. Striped bass have been active off Island Beach State Park, where dropping bunker has been doing the trick. Live spot have been producing bass in the lighthouse area, especially near the finger jetty. Sea bassing has been tough for a lot of anglers, with lots of shorts and few keepers around.
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Reel Reaction Sportfishing out of Waretown was off from teaching duties and ran double charters all week. The charters boxed both slot and bonus-tag fish while releasing quite a few in the 32- to 39-inch range. Every trip ended by working crab baits for full boat limits of tautog up to 20 inches. The skipper has begun booking for the 2027 season, so give them a call or book through the website to secure your dates.
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The Super Chic out of Barnegat Light had a slower week, as the boat was tied up for most of it. The crew is gearing up to start targeting striped bass for clients and has bonus tags available.
Tackle Direct in Egg Harbor Township said striped bass fishing in the back has been very good for anglers throwing Gulp Nemesis baits in the marshes or drifting live spot. Most fish range from bonus-permit to slot size, with a few up to 32 inches. Tog fishing held strong for another week, with rocky inlets, bridges, and piers giving up keepers to anglers using green crabs or sand fleas.
Tight Lines Bait & Tackle in Somers Point reported good tautog fishing off the local bridges and piers, with several fish up to 19 inches caught on the store’s green crabs. There are plenty of fish around to bend a rod, but you’ll have to work a little for the 15-plus-inchers. Striped bass fishing kept improving over the past week, with keepers and several overs to 40-plus inches caught around the inlet. Live spot during the day and eels at night are producing. Sea bass reports from the reef sites have been solid, though anglers again have to sort through plenty of shorts to put enough in the box for the freezer. The shop recently received a shipment of inshore bluefin trolling baits, since it’s getting close to that time of year.
Waterfront Marine in Somers Point reported that the canyons gave up some swordfish on deep-dropped baits. The striped bass bite in the backwaters was excellent this past week, as cooling water temperatures got the bass chewing. Sea bass fishing has been a pick at the reef sites, with slightly better action on the deepwater reefs off Atlantic City.
Captain Brian Williams of Badfish Charters in Ocean City said bay striped bass fishing has been very good, with shorts, slots, and a few overs landed. The charters also took several bass on the fly this past week thanks to lighter morning winds. With the bay action this hot, Capt. Brian has a few spots open for the upcoming week, so give him a call to get in on it.
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Jersey Cape Guide Service in Sea Isle City had another solid week up in Montauk, with lots of nice bass caught on plugs, poppers, and soft plastics. The skipper is making the trek back down the highway to resume fishing in New Jersey, and Capt. Joe has some November openings for striped bass, so send him a message or give him a ring.
In the Wildwood and Cape May areas, there were a few solid reports of striped bass caught on the shallow flats and in the cuts off the ICW. It’s been slower out front for bass, with boats running north to find fish. Sea bass fishing remained very good on the deeper reefs, with boats reporting near-limit or limit catches. Tautog fishing has been very solid off the rocks at any of the jetties, as well as on some of the shallower inshore wrecks.
South Jersey Fishing Forecast
The weekend looks like it’ll be all about striped bass, with hard west and northwest winds keeping conditions fishable for boats working close to shore and laying down a good surf for beach anglers. Soaking chunked bunker is probably the best option for surfcasters, with a plug rod in hand to work while the bait soaks. Boaters should throw large swimmers, plugs, or swim shads into the bunker schools, or snag a bunker and re-drop it on a circle hook. Tog will be another good option, but it’s probably a better play to stay off the fiberglass, don the spikes or land gear, and work the local inlet rocks and piers. Good luck, be safe, and tight lines!