Striped bass and bluefin are feeding on bunker and sand eels tight to shore, and the tog bite on the wrecks and reefs is spotty following the 5-fish opener.
The fall run is now on for everybody. Surfcasters finally got a shot at all the stripers around as the bass chased bait onto the beach at multiple spots along the coast. It began last weekend and continued through the early part of the week. Bass were caught from the tip of Sandy Hook all the way down to Island Beach State Park. Not every spot in between produced fish, but there were steady picks or outright blitzes in Sea Bright, Long Branch, Bay Head, Lavallette and Seaside Park. Shads, poppers and Avas were all catching bass.
At the same time, the folks in the boats continued to enjoy excellent striper fishing. There are still a lot of jumbo fish being landed, and there are more slot-sized fish in the mix. Reports were mixed on the five-fish tog opener, with some boats doing better than others. Blackfishing at the inlets, however, is still very good.
Bluefin tuna remain in close with the catch-and-release anglers having loads of fun if not any sushi.
Mark Fuduli at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said he was glad the folks on the beach were finally getting in on the fall run. He also reported crazy boat action with fish between 40- and 50-pounds hitting Docs and shads. Offshore blackfishing has been slow, he said, but reports have been good from the Shark River and Manasquan inlets. On the freshwater front, walleye and crappie fishing has been red hot at Lake Hopatcong, and trout fishing is excellent in the Ramapo River.
Capt. Dan Mazza of Thin Blue Tide Charters in Keyport said ocean striper fishing continues to be very good with a nice mix of slots, overs and unders. Shads are doing most of the damage under clouds of birds.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said the bass were everywhere on Tuesday, on the beach and under the boats. Shads and jigs were working for the boat people, and shads and poppers were doing it for surfcasters. Blackfishing, he said, has been fair.
Joe Julian Jr. at Julian's Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said there are loads of bass at the tip of Sandy Hook. Stripers of all sizes are hitting diamond jigs with teasers. The boats, he added, are catching all the stripers they want. Julian said he's had people in the shop from as far away as Louisiana traveling here to get in on the bite. Tog are biting under the Highlands Bridge, he added, and there are still a few triggerfish in the mix.
Mike Pinto at Giglio's Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said the stripers came in close on Sunday, giving anglers a day-long shot of fish. The bass were in the 20-pound range and went for SP Minnows, pencil poppers, and diamond jigs. There were still some fish around on Monday and Tuesday, but the bite had slowed down.
Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch got into the beach bass big time on Tuesday south of the Manasquan Inlet. There were stripers of all sizes right on the sand, from 20 to 42 inches, and the bass and bait stretched for miles. It was a mix of peanut and adult bunker. He also has reports of a solid bass bite at the Rip on Sandy Hook. Gleason said Tak Waterman will be holding a Waterman Happy Hour this Friday at Birdhouse Brewery in Oceanport. There will be tastings of the Fall Run beer, the launch of the new Waterman Shell jacket, and a Q & A session with Captains Eddie Brown, Rob Radlof, and Jim Kuhl, who will discuss tuna tactics, targeting striped bass, and everything else fishing-related. The event runs from 4 to 8 p.m. More details are available at the Tak Waterman website.
Tom Palmisano at Fisherman's Den in Belmar said blackfishing is very good at the Shark River Inlet. Party boats out of the marina targeting stripers, including the Big Mohawk and the Golden Eagle, are doing very well most days. Winter flounder anglers, he added, are picking a few fish back by the L Street pier.
Capt. Jay Richardella on Side Job Charters reported lights-out striper fishing, especially at the beginning of the week. He added bluefin tuna are popping up all over the place. Capt. Richardella said he's got a few open dates left, and he can be contacted through his website.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said the togging started out a little slow this week, but picked up a bit on Wednesday with a solid number of keepers coming over the rail.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen's Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said the striper fishing was good over the weekend from Sandy Hook down to Monmouth Beach. Then it just went nuts on Tuesday on the beaches to the south. Bay Head, Lavallette, Normandy Beach, and Seaside Park all had fish. Wednesday was a lot quieter. That may have had something to do with a wind switch from west to northeast. Tangen said the bluefin bite was hot over the weekend as well, with fish from 50 to 100 inches caught and released from three to seven miles out. Trolling, popping and jigging are all working.
Brian Flanagan at Captain Bill's Landing in Point Pleasant Beach said the bassing was excellent for everybody this week. He got all the stellar reports from Bay Head to Lavallette from earlier in the week and said they were catching bass from the sand there again on Wednesday. Blackfishing reports were good from the Point Pleasant Canal, the Manasquan Inlet, and the Manasquan Reef. He, too, reported the hot bluefin bite with a lot of fish hooked on the troll.
Capt. Tom Wolfe on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said it was lights-out striper fishing this week off the Brick and Lavallette beaches. The bass were on bunker and sand eels, and he had a boat limit of keepers by 8:30 on Tuesday morning. Capt. Wolfe said he'll be sticking with stripers, but will be running one blackfish trip a week every Wednesday, leaving the dock at 6:30.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle Co. in Brick reported that Tuesday was quite a day from Bay Head to Seaside Park. The bite was on for surf and boat anglers, and it lasted all day with peanuts and bass right in the wash.
Pete Kupper at Charlie's Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach said the surf was packed with stripers on Monday and Tuesday with fish up to 45 inches hitting poppers, shads and Avas. He also had good reports on blackfish from the Point Pleasant Canal and bluefin tuna caught seven to 10 miles out. Kupper is hoping the good fishing lasts until the Thanksgiving Weekend when the annual Surf Turkey Striped Bass Tournament takes place. Full details are available on the shop's Facebook page.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy's Tackle in Seaside Park said now's the time to fish as the striper bite is very, very good on all the local beaches. Everything, from poppers, shads, jigs and swimming plugs, is working. There are a lot of big fish, but there are keepers mixed in as well. Togging, he added, is excellent at the Barnegat Inlet jetties.
Hopefully, this past week's beach action was just a taste of things to come. Bass chased the bait in close, and surfcasters lucky enough to be in the right place took full advantage.
The bulk of the action took place from Bay Head on south, but there were fish at the tip of Sandy Hook, and in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach. Be prepared to do some looking around as there is no predicting where they'll pop up next.
Blackfishing is another option as the inlets have been giving up keeper tog and the bite is picking up on offshore reefs and wrecks.